Last week, I showed a prototype of a thin client solution to my district tech team. This particular test was just to show proof of concept and to get some feedback from the team on whether this is worth pursuing. I installed the K12 Linux Terminal Server Project on an old 800 mhz P3 with two network cards. That’s nowhere near enough horsepower for a … Continue reading Thin Clients

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how many classroom computers it takes to make a difference. When the Ohio SchoolNet Commission (now eTech|Ohio) started the SchoolNet Plus program in 1996, the goal was to have a 1:5 student to computer ratio in Ohio’s classrooms. Entitlement grants were provided to Ohio schools to buy computers to meet that goal. Significant strings were attached that stipulated which grades … Continue reading Making a Difference

For the last few weeks, I’ve been listening to the EdTech Weekly podcast. The show is an informal roundup of news, links, resources, and ideas relating to technology in education. It’s hosted by Wordbridges veterans Jeff Lebow and Dave Cormier, along with educational technologist Jennifer Maddrell. In typical Worldbridges fashion, the show is webcast at 7:00 PM EST on Sundays. The three hosts go round-robin … Continue reading EdTech Weekly

The Music and Neuroimaging Laboratory at Beth Israel Deaconess and Harvard Medical School studies how music is perceived and processed by the brain. They’re investigating the use of music and music stimuli as therapudic and educational tools to aid in recovery from brain injury. As part of his work there, Jake Mandell created a simple online test to screen for tonedeafness.  It’s a pretty good … Continue reading Two Music Resources

We’re reopening a discussion that was resolved years ago. When schools first started using the web, a prolonged debate followed regarding content filtering. On one side, we had to protect our children from the inappropriate content on the Internet while allowing them to take full advantage of the wealth of information available online. On the other side, whenever you’re “protecting” someone from information, some entity … Continue reading Filtering Debate is Back