President Signs CTE Bill
Posted on July 19th, 2018 by Mary Lord
Engineering, technology, and dual-enrollment programs – along with their students, many of them from underrepresented groups in STEM – could be among the biggest beneficiaries of a major education bill that Congress approved on July 25.
Filed under: K-12 Education News, Special Features | Comments Off on President Signs CTE Bill
Tags: career academy, career awareness, CTE, dual enrollment, Education Policy, engineering education, New York State CTE, Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, STEM education, Technology Education, Vocational Education
Within five years, every K-12 student in America will be using a mobile handheld device as a part of learning, according to Elliot Soloway, a professor at the University of Michigan. “Smart phones are the one technology that can eliminate the digital divide.”
Seventh-grade technology education students in Hampton, Va., are learning to create clay animation videos using a webcam, software and clay. They research, design and create a five- to 10-minute episode for a hypothetical TV show, creating a storyboard, script, animated characters and digital imagery. “They’re only limited by their imagination,” says teacher Terry Beddow.
A new U.S. Department of Education plan calls for “revolutionary transformation” in how educators use technology to improve and measure student learning. The department plans to fund studies of online professional-collaboration communities for educators.
Teacher Stephanie Rick was honored recently by the National School Board for her innovative uses of technology in the third-grade classroom. Her students maintain a class blog, write to “e-pals” in England, and use hand-held devices on practice tests.
Lincoln Unified school district in Stockton, California, is betting that the newly-opened Jeff Wright Engineering and Construction Academy will be well worth its $8.5 million investment. Some 500 students will study topics ranging from carpentry to computerized drafting to mechanical engineering.
The Mother Daughter TEA (Technology Engineering Aptitude) events are 1-day professional development workshops to train participants in holding their own Mother/Daughter TEAs. Facilitated by Celeste Baine of Engineering Education Service Center. 2010-11 Dates and Locations: October 2, 2010 in Everett, WA; March 4, 2011 in Joplin, MO; April 2, 2011 in Boston, MA. Costs begin at $999; check Website for details.
The debate over the efficacy of classroom technology continues, but so does the onslaught of new devices. Some cutting-edge technologies may soon be wending their way to American schools, via South Korea. One example? A robot with a screen in its tummy that displays lecture videos.
The U.S. Department of Education has issued a plan for more widespread and intense use of technology by educators. Goals include “connected teaching,” employing teams of interconnected educators in lieu of a single classroom teacher; ensuring that students and teachers can connect to learning sites anytime, in or out of school; and technology-based standards and assessments that measure 21st-century skills and expertise.
