Education Technology

In today’s social media-driven culture, there is ongoing debate as to what is considered appropriate online behavior, particularly on Facebook. While it’s true that everyone has a right to privacy and self expression, there is no denying the that there is no privacy on Facebook. Limitations can be placed on who can see your profile, but there are no restrictions on your friends sharing what you post with their network. This in a way makes Facebook a public forum, and users should have the understanding that everything posted can easily be shared with someone it may not have been meant for.

Appropriate Facebook conduct is necessary for all users -- from job seekers whose in…

Jeff Delp is the principal of Willis Junior High School in Chandler, Arizona. He has worked in the Chandler Unified School District for 12 years, also teaching math and science. Jeff is a strong supporter of incorporating technology and social media into education to expand and enhance the learning experience. He believes technology is important to a well-rounded education and that it can individualize instruction, allowing students to learn in the way that is best for them. Jeff is active on Twitter and publishes a blog, Molehills out of Mountains, which was nominated for an EduBlog award for Best Administrator Blog of the Year.

On Becoming a Teacher…

Despite its impact on various aspects of society, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education have seen an overall decline in the United States during the last two decades. STEM is a pivotal part of the American economy, but student interest and performance in these key subjects is falling. In an effort to ensure that today’s children become tomorrow’s STEM leaders, each state has devised its own initiatives to promote STEM education. To this end, the state of Georgia has enacted several programs that aim to improve STEM instruction…

Between 26 states applying for waivers of federal regulations imposed by the No Child Left Behind Act and the wide release of controversial teacher data reports in New York City, this has been a very busy week in the world of education. Here are a few of the top stories:

NYC Teacher Ratings Incite Controversy

On February 24, the New York City Department of Education released the ratings of approximately 18,000 teachers. These “teacher data reports” attempt to measure the efficacy of educators over three school years ending in 2010. They rate teachers based on the scores of their students on standardized tests and are part of an initiative to improve the quality of education at 140 New York City public schools. The results we…

American STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education has seen an overall decline in student interest during the last two decades. STEM is a pivotal sector of our economy, and it is important that today’s students become tomorrow’s STEM leaders.

Each state has responded to the growing disinterest in STEM education in their own way. The state of Florid…

Text messaging has become one the fastest and most popular forms of communication. Just a few years ago, cell phones were seen as the newest teenage addiction. Today, however, they can be an important classroom tool, although some schools regard them as disruptive, distracting, and have implemented policies that prohibit using them on school grounds. Most parents are okay with cell phone use, the students are more than okay with cell phone use, yet schools have adopted zero tolerance policies. The reality is that students still use cell phones in school even if they are banned. According to the PEW Internet and American Life Research Project, 58% of teens from schools that forbid cell phones, use them during class anyway.

Some teachers worry that cell phones will increase cheating, lead to sexting, decrease use of proper grammar, and be a distraction to learning. While I can't disprove these concerns, I …