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Jan 15, 2001
Trend Watch by T&L Editors
Palm-toting kids, company shakeouts, and New Age technologies that may be coming to a classroom near you--read all about it here.
Ever More Portable Content
The "anytime, anywhere learning" theme continues to be honed with brand new programs and product offerings, some of which we got a sneak peek at during last fall's National School Boards Association conference in Denver. This month, Microsoft launches a biggie: Encarta Class Server, which combines lesson plans, standards correlation, a parent connection, and assessment applications with content from Holt, Rinehart and Winston; Granada Learning; and other education publishers. The assessment piece is particularly robust, with (hold on to your red pens here) a built-in grading tool and customizable online rubrics that can handle some fairly sophisticated scoring chores. Parents, students, and teachers can all access their pieces of the package wherever Internet or intranet access is available--by wire or wireless network--via a standard Web browser.
More news on the wireless front comes from HiFusion, newly purchased by the mobile computing infrastructure company MindSurf. This means that HiFusion's mission to offer filtered, age-specific content to kids and low-cost computer access to families has taken a big leap. Beginning this month, they'll be handing out Internet-connected Palm V handhelds to secondary-level students in pilot programs. Their aim is to compete with laptop programs for the most cost-effective and portable access to learning.
Not Star Trek--But Close
The biofeedback technology that's been used in clinical settings to help ADD and ADHD children, NASA pilots, and even Olympic athletes focus better has been harnessed by gaming publisher East3. The Attention Trainer uses biofeedback, a PC, video games, and a wireless headset to help kids learn how to concentrate. East3 tells us the headset allows children to control the video games with their minds by monitoring concentration levels and using wireless, "goopless" sensors. The games respond differently based on a child's level of attention, improving speed or steering and advancing to new levels as concentration improves. We haven't seen an education software application yet, but we're willing to bet it won't be long.
Next, Next Generation Etch A Sketch
Will kids be tapping out notes on electronic tablets in the future? Bill Gates and many others hope so. Microsoft recently unveiled a prototype of the Tablet PC, a slate-sized Windows-based computer that allows you to write on the screen using an electronic pen rather than a keyboard (much like you would on a PalmPilot). While Microsoft's tablets won't be available until 2002, a similar product is being offered by newcomer frontpath. The company's Linux-based ProGear uses touch-screen and handwriting recognition technology and offers wireless broadband access to the Web. While the device is less powerful than a full-fledged PC, frontpath plans to market
it to schools as a portable Internet appliance that kids can slip into their backpacks.
Ad-Supported Model Gets Zapped
The debate over companies that provide technology to schools in exchange for advertising on students' computer screens may be unraveling a bit. In October, ZapMe announced
it is abandoning its model of free, advertising-supported computer labs for schools and is shifting its focus to the consumer market. At press time, the company was looking for a buyer for its 2,200 school customers.
Anti-commercialism groups will also be happy to note that many publishers offering Web-based curriculum content for schools are abandoning the banner ad model due to a scarcity of advertisers. N2H2, known for the Bess Internet filter, is phasing out all banners and ads but will continue to offer fee-based filtering.
Other revenue models being tried out by education sites include banner ads restricted to after-school hours or to the adult components of the site and smaller, less ostentatious advertising spots that focus on education-related products or services. Some sites are moving toward a subscription model, especially for such specialized services as tutoring, instructional content, and professional development.
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