Call for Additional eRate Funding

CEO Brian Lewis of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is asking us to step forward to help improve the eRate program by calling for increased funding. Until September 16^th, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) will accept comments on eRate. At this time, according to Lewis, current funding does not meet applicant demand. ISTE members and all educators are asked to let the FCC know how important digital learning is for students. A form ready for your comments is available on the link above. In addition to a call for funding, perhaps a call for less complicated forms and quicker responses after form submission should be included?

Is the Chromebook for Your Students?

What is done on a Chromebook is stored in the Cloud. That means, for the most part, that your students need access to the Internet to make it work. The storage, and the fact that you’d need to use Chrome OS apps, seem to be the basic differences between Chromebooks and laptops. The CNET Community has a good discussion going on this topic, which you’ll want to browse if you are looking into using Chromebooks with your students. Some of the advantages of Chromebooks listed by those responding to the Chromebook question include: low cost, speed, automatic file backup, and no worries over viruses. Disadvantages listed included: inability to use Windows applications, slower for storage, Internet access needed, can’t be upgraded, looks like a laptop but isn’t, and is like a dumb terminal. So, is a Chromebook for your students? It depends on how robust your wireless network is and what you are planning to do with your students and technology.

Creating Access to the Internet

It’s a great idea to put digital devices to work in classrooms, but the more digital devices we have, the more access we need.  To get everyone online as classes demand, schools need robust wireless and wired networks. When several classes in the vicinity of each other are busy with lessons that require wireless, will some students be denied access? Suppose your school installed enough access for the number of students and staff in your school. Will this be adequate? Not if parents and others coming into your school want to connect wirelessly and your students come to school with their own personal digital devices. Think of the students who have digital devices in their lockers and backpacks, and remember that some students come to school with more than one device that seek access to your network. Perhaps, you say that those coming into the school can only connect with one device. How do you go about making sure this system works—passwords, getting the Mac addresses of all authorized devices. . . . ?

The Center for DIGITAL Education, in an article by Tanya Roscoria in December 2012, quotes Shane Buckley, CEO of Xirrus, saying, “build out 10 times more capacity today than you think you need. By the time these devices get deployed, you’re going to eat all that up straightaway.”

The Education Week article, School Districts Seek Faster Internet Connections, tells of how limits in bandwidth cause problems with use of online video, educational games, video editing, etc.  The article also reminds us that problems of slower access may be caused by outdated wiring, routers, switches—all the ingredients that make access possible.

Pew Report on Teachers Use of Technology

A recent Pew Internet report, How Teachers Are Using Technology at Home and in Their Classroom, found that of the middle and high school teachers surveyed, 92% agree that the Internet has had a “’major impact’ on their ability to access content, resources, and materials for teaching.” Close to 70% said that the Internet has had a “major impact” on their ability to connect with parents and their ability to share ideas with other teachers. Almost 60% felt the Internet has made a “major impact” on their ability to interact with their students.

The survey also found that many students taking advance placement courses are using cell phones to complete assignments, that over 40% of teachers are using tablets and/or e-readers with their students, and that most schools are doing a good job of supporting tech use in the classroom. Teachers of students from low-income families said their students are less likely to use cell phones for assignments and that access to digital devices is a  “major challenge”.

eRate Filing Survival Kit

Free eRate Filing Window Survival Kits are available from Funds for Learning. The Kits are intended to “help reduce the stress E-rate applicants often experience.” Included in the Kits are stress-reducing goodies to help you get through the forms. If you’d like to sign up for a kit, go to Funds for Learning and click on Keep Calm and File On.

Funds for Learning has also announced a redesign of its Website, which will enable users easier navigation to news, updates, funding request information, and guidance in filling out appropriate forms.

Are You Teaching Digital Citizenship?

A poll by Harris Interactive and Cable in the Classroom found that most parents think their children should be learning to be good digital citizens, more than half of the educators felt their schools weren’t emphasizing digital citizenship enough, and less than 40% of teachers believed they were prepared to teach digital citizenship. The question is: who is to teach digital citizenship? Surely the answer is that the job must be a combined effort of classroom and tech teachers, parents, and others who work with students. To help, iKeepSafe offers its C3 Matrix for Digital Citizenship, which addresses cyber-security, cyber-Safety, and cyber-ethics. The Digital Citizenship: Using Technology Appropriately site includes resources and publications and the opportunity to review its nine elements of digital citizenship: Digital Access, Digital Commerce, Digital Communication, Digital Literacy, Digital Etiquette, Digital Law, Digital Rights & Responsibilities, Digital Health and Wellness, and Digital Security (self-protection).

Having Trouble Understanding eRate?

Schools and Libraries offers a Training Site where you can learn more about correctly completing forms required for eRate funding. Training includes FCC Forms 470, 470 Interview, 471 with online Item 21 attachments, 471 Interview with online Item 21 attachments, 486, and 486 Interview. Remember that if you are interested in going through the training, you’ll need to, as with all eRate forms, use Internet Explorer 6 and above as your browser. According to Schools and Libraries, other browsers may result in errors. In addition to the Training Site, for problems, you can check Tips and Troubleshooting, find detailed instructions for each form, submit a question or call the service line (1-888-203-8100).

Good to Know About Google

Google’s Good to Know page with its links to information about safety online, data on the Web, data on Google, and managing data is an excellent resource for your students and their parents. It’s also a great way to help your students better understand how to be safe online and how to manage the information they want to share. The “Good to Know Campaign” in the United States offers downloadable print ads and a booklet complete with clever illustrations, which will work well in classrooms. On the “Good to Know” pages, you’ll also find a Jargon Buster and a link to the Family Safety Center.

Get Organized with Edshelf

Keep track of your favorite apps, sites, and software tools by organizing them with Edshelf.  On the site, you can browse featured collections of tools for use in education or you can search for individual tools. If you click on a tool, you’ll find reviews written by parents and educators, price information, age and grade levels, and information about how to acquire the tool. Collections include groups of tools (apps, sites, software, etc.) that have been compiled by other teachers and parents. For example, some of the collections are: First Grade Apps, ESL Resources, Game-Based Learning, Story Creators/Publishers, and Fun Tools. You can create your own collections and share them with others if you want, add your ratings to the tools already rated, follow collections you like, or just browse for great ideas and information. Membership in edshelf is free. 

eRate Survival Guide

The eRate window for 2013 funding is just around the corner, and the folks at eSchool News want to help you take advantage of this funding opportunity without pulling out your hair. Using what’s covered in the current eRate training sessions, the eSchool News staff tackled such eRate myths as: you need a tech plan to apply (Answer: It depends); you can offer Internet access to students and staff at home (Answer: No); you should apply for Priority 1 services (Internet and telephone) on the same form that you apply for Priority 2 services (internal connections) (Answer: No); and if there is only one service provider in your region, you don’t need to worry about the competitive bidding process (Answer: No). See what eSchool News has to say about these and other myths and, while you are on the eSchool News site, learn about how to survive an eRate audit.