Massachusetts Schools Go 1:1

I am not sure if anyone actually keeps these numbers, but according to a recent panel discussion I attended on “Learning in a 1:1 Environment,” nearly every school district is “somewhere along the spectrum of a 1:1 environment.”

The occasion of that claim was the Technology Director Event, sponsored by the Massachusetts Educational Technology Administrators Association (METAA), at Regis College. The theme for the day was “Professional Development:  How do we deliver quality professional development that helps us create compelling learning environments that make full use of the digital tools available to our students and educators.”

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

Linking Total Compensation to Performance

Many workforce experts expect this to be the year that the economy finally turns around. That means more jobs, of course. But for many organizations, it also means making up for lost wages and benefits. After all, employees in many industries and at all levels have been asked to do more, and often for little or no additional reward.

Still, budgets are tight, and companies need to get the maximum productivity possible. That is driving an increased focus on total compensation management programs.

(See my complete article on the topic in the May/June issue of Compensation & Benefits Review: The Journal of Total Compensation Strategies)

Act NOW: 2012 is the Year of the Corporate Bond

Forget the 50^th movie anniversary of Ian Fleming’s famous British spy – 2012 will be better remembered as the year of the corporate bond. 

As of mid-October, market data reveals that $1.182 trillion worth of corporate bonds had already been issued by public companies in 2012. That sets a record high, and marked only the third time that bond issuance has topped $1 trillion in a given year. The last time was in 2009, with the then-record of $1.03 trillion.

 

(see my complete article in the November issue of AFP Exchange)

Educators Embrace Social Networks

Educators are embracing social media in a big way, but they continue to have large concerns about the mixing of professional and personal lives online, according to a recent study on educators and social networking.

 

The study was conducted by MMS Education Inc., an educational research company in Newtown, Pa., in an attempt to gauge how social networking practices have changed over the past three years. One of the most significant findings was the increased number of educators who now have profiles on LinkedIn -- more than triple the number from 2009, from 14 percent to 45 percent.

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

Mobile Demand Fueling App Developer Shortage

If you ask digital directors at leading organizations what the next evolutionary step is for the Internet, they probably don't actually talk about the Web. Instead, they most likely talk about applications and devices. They also probably say that app developers are becoming worth their weight in gold.

That is certainly the case with Cameron Clayton, president of the digital group at The Weather Channel in Atlanta. The Weather Channel has the second most downloaded app on the iPad and the fifth most downloaded app on the iPhone. Clayton obviously knows the demand for mobile application development -- and developers.

(See my complete blog on the topic on internetevolution.com)

Ed Tech's Attention Deficit

Nobody loves a tech toy more than a tech guy... or gal. But the love of gadgets should not preclude common courtesy or stand in the way of a valuable real-life learning experience.

 

This scenario was presented to me recently, when I attended the MassCUE educational technology conference in Foxboro, Mass. The problem: Devices had literally taken over the event, and attention spans had been checked at the door. Too many eyes were glued to personal handheld devices and tablets -- certainly not to speakers or one another.

(See my complete blog on the topic on EducationalIT.com)

Wanted: Good Times With Google Docs

On the surface, there are certainly plenty of reasons to like Google Docs, but many schools are having trouble implementing the platform. Don't let these challenges trip you up.

An increasing number of school districts are embracing Google Docs as the platform of choice for creating and sharing classroom assignments. The platform includes collaboration tools for students; peer editing features; revision histories that track all contributors and contributions; and real-time teacher feedback on assignments in progress. Some school districts are using Google Docs as an alternative email system as well.

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