The Pondering Pixel

A close-up wide angled but abridged look at projectors and other classroom technology, product reviews and releases, tradeshows, debates and conspiracy theories as well as humble observations on schools and screens.

I just saw a video of Arnie Duncan, the US Secretary of Education introducing the video contest he’s inviting young Americans (active students age 13 and up) to enter. The contest is entitled “I Am What I Learn” and it asks the question “why is education important to fulfilling your dreams?” It will be judged on creativity, the quality of content, and the ability to inspire and winners will receive $1000 each.more

I happened upon an article in the March 2009 edition of Educational Leadership magazine that addressed the issue of plagiarism in schools. Of course, I remember the plagiarism lecture in 6th grade as I prepared my report on Edwin Drake and the Seneca Oil Company. I recalled the way Sister Mary Amadeus, (all 5 feet of her) glowered at us from behind her specs warning us that plagiarizing was an affront to God. It was lying cheating and stealing all rolled up into one whopper of a sin that she’d be able to sniff out the minute the term paper was on her desk.more

Techlearning recently highlighted a study conducted in my home state. The University of Washington’s Center for information and Society has been looking into the work of 38 Boys and Girls Clubs across the country and how that work is contributing to the formation and growth of 21st Century skills among our youth. According the the BGCA website, their mission is to "promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence."more

Okay—I am officially creeped out because there really was something that went bump in the night last week and it was Amazon.com. I imagine a faceless being in a black cloak passing over the homes not in possession of a Kindle reader but descending on the bedrooms of their customers to delete copies of certain titles it had sold without publisher authorization. Think about it, an unseen hand removing property they had purchased simply because it could do so-remotely and without permission. And no, the fact that Amazon credited accounts is not the issue.more

I’ve been following President Barack Obama’s proposal for a multi-billion dollar investment in the nation's community colleges. What is reported as being a $12 billion effort, the aim is to help two-year institutions reach, teach and train more people for "the jobs of the future." The part that interests me the most about this proposal is that $500 million would go to online education. This is the only way to prepare Americans to compete in an economy where jobs requiring at least an AA degree are nearly double the number of those jobs that do not.more

This 3D thing in the classroom is going to be big. It took most of my attention at Infocomm and has been the subject of some of the most fascinating discussions I have had since with numerous educators who have had questions about various projectors’ 3D capabilities. It augments my personal research on attention issues in middle school boys and my secret hope that somewhere there is a classroom technology solution that will offer some small relief to anxiety ridden parents seeking help for their academically struggling children.more

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is of the mind that schools and colleges should deliver course content to students directly to their cell phones.According to an interview he gave to eCampus News, his feels since teenagers and young adults are using cell phones constantly, technology officials should find ways to send homework, video lectures, and other classroom materials via these devices so students can study wherever they are.more

"Technology is core and essential to the strategies we are using to reform education." That was the message from both Jim Shelton, assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement at the United States Department of Education, and Aneesh Chopra, chief technology officer in the White House as reported in The Journal. Chopra said that technology in education is less about hardware and software and more about what we teach, the methods we use,and the support and direction we give to teachers. Chopra, according to the article, is said to be completely wired in, connected to university lectures via iPod in order to exist in a constant "learning environment.”more

I have been called “Facebook Enthusiast” as a pejorative and “Information Junkie” as a compliment. I find it confusing that the same people in my life who excoriate social media look at me with misty eyed admiration as I describe events in Iran and offer my humble analysis. The kind of information I’ve been sharing with my offline friends, relatives and colleagues these past weeks was not the result my studies of the region or any keen insight or powers of analysis. It came from my worldwide contacts in connected social networks.more

My friend Fiona was a theater mom. A patron of high school theater, she logged hundreds of hours sewing costumes and building sets. I remember asking her recently if in the four years she was involved the crew had considered using an LCD or DLP projector to create a backdrop. I’ll never forget the look in her eyes as it was clear that no one, (including herself) had ever thought of it. This is why I'm making mention of it here.more