How to Sustain Technology Funding

Implementing technology in education seems to be a challenge many schools have in common. So I took special interest in the Sustainability Study recently released by Digital Wish, an organization that brings technology donors together with needy classrooms.

 

This study, released in late 2012, presents findings on how educators have sustained their technology programs; developed revenue sources to supplement traditional budgets; cultivated community relationships; and prioritized daily support and training for teachers. The report is basically a three-year reality check on those efforts, and offers both good and bad news.

(See my complete blog on the topic at educationalIT.com)

Job Studies Find Lots of Good News for IT

Whether 2013 really will bring much-needed economic relief remains to be seen, but there is no shortage of job forecasts saying this will be a rosy year for the IT sector. From mobile and web developers to network administrators, all the leading reports have identified a number of IT roles as the ones most in demand or up and coming in the workforce.

Where should you expect the best technology jobs to be in 2013? Software development, web development, and computer systems analyst jobs are your best bet; all three made the top 10 on lists published last month by Forbes and US News & World Report.

(Read my complete blog on the topic at internetevolution.com)

Digital Learning Day Is Growing

It is said that anything worth doing is worth doing more than once. So it comes as no surprise that Digital Learning Day is turning into a month-long observance this year.

 

Scheduled for Feb. 6, Digital Learning Day "celebrates teachers and shines a spotlight on successful instructional practice and effective use of technology in classrooms across the country," according to the event website.

(See my complete blog on the topic at www.educationalit.com)

China and Asian Outlook 2013

Economies across Asia had a mixed time last year and face 2013 in varying states of health, status quo, or decline. This article, reproduced from the Association for Financial Professionals’ AFP Exchange publication, provides an overview of the health or otherwise of the key Asian markets for corporates, especially China and Japan.

China and Japan are stark examples of the differences between some Asian economies at the moment with one admittedly slowing but still growing economy counterpoised by a largely stagnant Japanese economy. China is forecast to see only modest gross domestic product (GDP) gains in 2013, but it is still growing, while Japan is projected to see almost no growth, which must be a concern for global corporate treasurers assessing the overall Asian growth picture and where best to put their money.

(See my complete article in gtnews.com)

Training Was Key to Oregon's Statewide Google Apps Implementation

A growing number of school districts have embraced Google Apps for Education as their cloud-based e-mail and content-management platform. But how these districts approach the effort—and the challenges and problems they encounter—differ widely.

Valuable lessons in how to implement Google Apps for Education (commonly know as Google Docs) can be learned from Crook County High School in Prineville, OR, and from the state's Virtual School District. Two years ago, Oregon became the nation's first such statewide Google Docs project, and Crook County High jumped on board. What started as a new e-mail system quickly evolved into a full-blown Google products rollout.

(See my complete article in the January issue of the JOURNAL)