March/April 2006
EdTech K-12 March/April 2006 The focus of the March/April issue of EdTech magazine is how educators are integrating technology into the curriculum. Articles provide advice on how to measure the value of technology projects; a discussion of whether technology resources are essential to a student's basic right to an education; and how Los Angeles high schools are making Advanced Placement computer science courses an essential part of class offerings.


From the Editor
Integrating Technology Into the Curriculum
Technology proficiency needs to be as fundamental to education as knowing how to read.
 
Report Card
Read about students as Web authors, male/female IT career choices, efforts to exempt schools from wiretap law, and how identity thieves target children.
 
Column I
Technology Leadership: How'd They Do That?
We need to prepare students for the real (technological) world.
 
Column II
Making Choices: Technology Can Open Doors
To compete in a global society, we need to teach computer skills to all students, not just those born with advantages.
 
Teaching the Teacher
Virtual Collaboration
Memphis City Schools launch an innovative online instructional technology program.
 
Tinfoil Star
Teaching Technology
Discover how Los Angeles high schools make Advanced Placement computer science courses part of the curriculum.
 
Best Practices
Web 2.0: The Next Generation
Educators are using a variety of Web tools to make teaching and learning a true collaboration.
 
Pilot & Prove
Just a Click Away
Boulder Valley School District tests handheld clickers to enhance students’ class participation.
 
Tech Trends
Simulated Teaching
Classroom simulations offer a high-tech, low-risk way for preservice teachers to improve their skills.
 
How To
Nothing But Net
Here's how to create Slam Dunk Digital Lessons that make learning activities more valuable.
 
Applying Technology
Giving Youth a Second Chance
Young offenders learn tech skills to find jobs when they are released.
 
Digital Civil Rights
Fifty years after the historic Brown v. Board of Education ruling, schools examine whether technology resources are essential to a student’s basic right to an education.
 
Measuring the Value of Technology Projects
Learn how to measure the qualitative benefits and return on investment of technology.
 
Accountability Isn't a Four-Letter Word
How do you get reasonable metrics on your technology investments? Here are some practical tips.
 
Eighth-Grade Lesson Plan
Learning Genetics
Teach eighth graders to create a monster's Punnett Square on the computer instead of on paper.
 
Second-Grade Science Lesson Plan
The Case of the Missing Water
Student detectives learn about the water cycle.
 
Multi-Level Spanish Lesson Plan
Playing With PowerPoint
Creating animated writing portfolios helps students learn Spanish and computer skills.
 
High-School Science Lesson Plan
Surfing the Solar System
An Internet-based workshop gives students an informed understanding of the solar system.
 
Third- and Fourth-Year French Lesson Plan
Say It in French
Here's a self-directed project for upper-level French students that can produce real-world French immersion activities enhanced by using technology.
 
Seventh-Grade Lesson Plan
The Explorer Project
When students learn to research history on the Web, they gain valuable skills in research methods, data analysis and communication.
 
Pre-K Lesson Plan
Rhyme Time
Students can learn to identify rhyming words with the help of an interactive whiteboard and creative teaching methods.
 
Administrative Assistance
Clearing Hurdles
Learn how to avoid roadblocks that stop teachers from using technology to its fullest.