Two school districts--Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and Plano Independent School District in Texas--have undertaken ambitious initiatives in recent years to introduce data-driven decision-making into their operations. Although each has struggled with different obstacles, both have progressed beyond the initial two stages on the DDDM continuum,…

Why is a generation of teachers more knowledgeable about technology than any before it arriving in classrooms with little understanding of how to teach with it? It's a debate that, according to Ann Thompson, director of Iowa State University's Center for Technology in Learning and Teaching, has K-12 and higher education engaged in mutual…

Technological innovation is driving fundamental changes in all aspects of our lives. This is especially true of digital content, as our use of e-books, downloadable music, streaming television and movies, and online social networks has exploded. However, the explosive growth in our use of digital content seems so far to have eluded many of the 50…

Given a blank slate, what should the 21st century college classroom look like, and how should it be operated? Answering those questions is the idea behind setting up "incubator classrooms," spaces dedicated to trying out new technologies and new ways of teaching and learning. By incubating new ideas, faculty members and IT staff discover which…

Schools have found religion when it comes to solutions designed to deliver critical information to the campus community in a timely fashion. And the vendor community is now offering a multitude of routes to the Promised Land. The question is: Will the "right" technology solution solve all the mass communication problems? Those who have weathered…