District CIO

This PowerPoint presentation will help district leaders build community understanding and support for using Web 2.0 to increase participation, engagement, and 21st-century readiness for all students.

A Florida Senate budget proposal includes money for teacher raises, but the State Board of Education is worried the spending plan does not set aside enough money to expand Internet access at state schools. The Senate budget proposal unveiled Wednesday sets aside $76 million to expand Internet access at state schools.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee would like to get public schools' tech levels up to that of private schools, and has asked successful tech firms to “adopt” one of San Francisco’s 12 middle schools to provide them with learning tools. As a result of his request, he may be able to announce a large private gift to schools within the next few weeks.

The Sioux Falls, S.D. school board unanimously approved a new technology plan to put Chromebooks or iPads in every student’s hands over the next two years. Starting next school year, the 17,000 computers will be phased in and will go to grades three to 12, while grades K to 2 will receive iPads.

The Cody (Wyo.) Public Schools Board of Trustees is holding public forums for superintendent candidates from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on March 20, 21, and 25 at the Holiday Inn in Cody.

The pursuit of the newest technology can make people do some unusual things. The Lincoln-Sudbury Parent Organization, it turns out, is no exception. This Saturday, the group will be holding its first charity auction to raise money to buy new laptops, tablets and other devices for the high school, which recently launched a major campaign to update its aging technology.

Northville Public Schools is working quickly with technology upgrades, approving two crucial measures to get work started as part of its technology bond package, according to the Northville Record.

Easton (Mass.) school officials will take their request for technology funding to the Town Meeting floor this spring. The school committee approved a measure Friday that will allow Superintendent Michael Green to draft a Town Meeting Warrant article that could ask for up to $250,000 in technology funding.

The Technology Student Association at Robertsville Middle School competed in a recent state conference in Chattanooga and finished in the top three in nine events. Twenty-seven students from the TSA chapter at RMS competed in 22 different group and individual events at the 35th Tennessee TSA State Conference, which included 649 middle and high school competitors from 61 Tennessee schools.

Despite my time being cut short at TCEA 2013 thanks to a huge winter storm slamming into the Northeast where I live, I was still able to learn about a variety of new products for the K12 world. Many products come together to form a modern, 21st-century classroom: hardware, software, mobile applications, even furniture, which were all showcased at TCEA.