<rss version="2.0"><channel><title>THE Journal</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/</link><description><![CDATA[THE Journal Feed]]></description><language>en-us</language><lastBuildDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 11:57:04 GMT</lastBuildDate><ttl>0</ttl><item><title>New Media Consortium Launches $100,000 Program for Virtual Learning</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22626/</link><description><![CDATA[The New Media Consortium, a not-for-profit group of organizations focused on bringing technology into the learning process, has kicked off a competitive award program for educational communities in Second Life and Project Wonderland. Twenty grants totaling $100,000 in cash and development assistance will be awarded this year to fund these educational efforts.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Arizona, Illinois Districts Deploy Infinite Visions ERP</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22625/</link><description><![CDATA[Two districts in Arizona and one in Illinois have announced recently that they've adopted Infinite Visions enterprise resource planning software from Windsor Management. According to the company, its ERP solutions are now in about 90 percent of school districts in Arizona.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Elementary Zone Free Through June </title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22624/</link><description><![CDATA[Through a grant from Digital Wish, Elementary Zone subscriptions are now free through the end of June. Elementary Zone provides educational activities covering K-12 classroom topics.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Angel Rolls Out LMS 7.3, Strikes Integration Deal with Elluminate </title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22623/</link><description><![CDATA[Angel Learning has released version 7.3 of the Angel Learning Management Suite, adding new capabilities in the areas of assessments, forums, and customization. The company also announced a deal with Elluminate to integrate the Elluminate Live! environment within Angel LMS.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Microsoft Expands Education Footprint in Asia Pacific Region</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22620/</link><description><![CDATA[Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates announced new partnerships to extend accessibility and computer literacy in the Asia Pacific region during a speech in Jakarta at a government leader gathering earlier this week.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Gates Highlights R&amp;D at CES08, Unveils Microsoft Touch Wall</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22619/</link><description><![CDATA[Microsoft's Chairman Bill Gates spent a lot of time Wednesday talking about "empowering the workers" at the Microsoft's 12th annual CEO Summit 2008 in Redmond, WA, where he gave a keynote speech. However, Gates wasn't talking about political revolutions or even pay raises for office workers before the CEO crowd. Instead, he was referring to new software technologies that can better enable collaboration, social networking and decision-making on the job.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Partnership Expands Open Source Curriculum Offerings</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22618/</link><description><![CDATA[Education providers Curriki and GlobalScholar have teamed up to expand access to open source curricula and learning materials for educators, parents, and students. ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>JDCHS Streamlines Backup and Recovery for Mac Network</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22613/</link><description><![CDATA[Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper, UT faced a problem with its hybrid tape/disk backup and recovery system: It didn't always work, and, when it did, it was slow. So the school recently replaced the system with a pure disk-based RAID to handle its more than 455 networked Macs, along with offsite archive drives for business continuity/disaster recovery.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Site Provides Free Reading and Math Tools for Teachers, Students</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22612/</link><description><![CDATA[K-12 reading and math tutoring provider MINDsprinting has launched its online tutoring program as a free service. The service is designed for use either by educators as part of the K-12 curriculum or by students and parents as a supplement to classroom-based learning.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 14 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>U.K. Education Group Escalates Microsoft Complaints</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22611/</link><description><![CDATA[A consultancy to the U.K. government has forwarded complaints about Microsoft's licensing and interoperability practices to the European Commission (EC), according to an announcement issued by the Becta consulting group Monday.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 14 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Smart Brings Down Widescreen Whiteboard Price for Educators</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22610/</link><description><![CDATA[Smart Technologies announced this week that it's dropping the price on its widescreen Smart Board 690 interactive whiteboard for educators. The 690, at 94 inches, is Smart's largest interactive whiteboard.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 14 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>NSTA Teacher Site Bolstered by $3 Million Grant</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22608/</link><description><![CDATA[The National Science Teachers Association this week announced that it's received a two-year, $3 million grant from the GE Foundation to support the NSTA Learning Center.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 14 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>VBA To Return to Mac; Office 2008 SP1 Released</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22607/</link><description><![CDATA[Microsoft Tuesday released Service Pack 1 for Office 2008 for Mac, the first major update to what the company called its most successful Mac Office launch in 19 years (in terms of sales volume). In a surprise move, Microsoft's Mac Business Unit also announced that it plans to bring Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) back to the Mac platform with the next major release.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 13 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Study: Top Web Application Vulnerabilities Remain Unfixed</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22603/</link><description><![CDATA[Organizations still aren't doing enough to protect their data from Web application vulnerabilities, according to a study released Tuesday by security firm Cenzic. The study, Application Security Trends Report, Q1 2008, identified "1,409 unique published vulnerabilities for the first quarter of 2008, with Web technology vulnerabilities comprising 70 percent of the vulnerability volume...."]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 13 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>El Paso ISD Adopts District-wide IP Video Surveillance </title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22602/</link><description><![CDATA[El Paso Independent School District in Texas said it's planning to deploy IP video surveillance across al of its high schools and middle schools. EPISD is the seventh-largest district in the state, with 92 total campuses.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 13 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Site Provides Free Interactive School Security Awareness</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22597/</link><description><![CDATA[A free, interactive School Security Awareness Map and blog went live online in April at www.schoolsafetynews.com. Developed by SafePlans and designed to inform stakeholders on the need for improved school safety, the site includes a map that displays relevant school security-related issues. ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 13 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Orange County Public Schools To Improve Data Reporting</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22596/</link><description><![CDATA[Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) of Orlando, FL, is partnering with Wakefield, MA-based Certica Solutions to help the district monitor and improve the quality of data that is reported multiple times each year to the Florida Department of Education. ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 13 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Prep School Rolls Out Internet Security System</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22594/</link><description><![CDATA[John Paul II High School, a coeducational Catholic college preparatory school in Plano, TX, has selected Dallas-based DeepNines Technologies' iTrust security platform to control emerging Internet threats. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 12 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Washington County Deploys WiFi District-wide</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22593/</link><description><![CDATA[Washington County School District in Utah is in the process of deploying a district-wide WiFi network covering 41 public K-12 schools that span more than 2,400 square miles. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 12 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Vocabulary System Adds Differentiated Instruction</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22592/</link><description><![CDATA[Curriculum developer Dynamic Literacy has expanded its WordBuild Elements vocabulary building system with the introduction of new materials to provide differentiated instruction for students who are either lagging or excelling.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>iCue Combines Gaming, Multimedia, Collaboration for Education</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22591/</link><description><![CDATA[NBC Learn, the education arm of NBC News, this week launched a new collaborative learning site that combines gaming and multimedia for students aged 13 and up. Called iCue ("Immerse, Connect, Understand, and Excel"), the service builds on research out of MIT's Education Arcade, housed at MIT's Comparative Media Studies, to integrate traditional learning activities with new technologies.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Pearson 'Academies' Bring Online Professional Development to Smaller Districts</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22590/</link><description><![CDATA[Pearson this week launched a new online teacher professional development service. Dubbed Pearson Professional Growth Academies, the service is designed to bring instructional content from accredited universities to smaller districts by providing courses that don't require minimum enrollment.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Study Reveals What Kids Are Reading for School</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22588/</link><description><![CDATA[According to the first study of its kind released in the United States, kids are reading an average of about 26 books per school year. That's the great news. The less than great news is that their volume of reading peaks in second grade, and the level and volume of books that they're reading stagnates from about sixth grade onward, even dropping off in high school.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 08 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Tegrity Records 325,000 Hours of Lectures</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22586/</link><description><![CDATA[Ed tech developer Tegrity reported this week that usage of its Campus 2.0 classroom capture system hit record levels last year, including, among other things, capturing 325,000 hours of faculty lectures on Tegrity servers in a 12-month period.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 08 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Miami-Dade Deploys SAP ERP</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22579/</link><description><![CDATA[In an effort to bolster its operations management, Miami-Dade County Public Schools is deploying an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system as part of its district-wide Business Operating Solutions for Schools project. Deployment began in September 2007.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 08 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>LanSchool 7.1 Adds Blocking and Monitoring Features</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22578/</link><description><![CDATA[LanSchool Technologies this week released LanSchool 7.1, an update to the company's classroom monitoring and control software suite designed to limit what students can do with their computers. Version 7.1 adds new device blocking and monitoring capabilities and also includes performance and usability enhancements.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 08 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Report: Half of High School Classes Could Be Online by 2019</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22583/</link><description><![CDATA[Low-cost delivery and tailored learning opportunities could drive up to half of all high school courses online by 2019, according to a report from researchers that's set to appear in the summer issue of Education Next, published out of the Hoover Institution, the public policy research center at Stanford University.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Unicon Launches uPortal 3 Services</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22577/</link><description><![CDATA[Technology integrator Unicon has announced that it's now providing commercial support for uPortal 3.0, an open source campus portal solution designed by members of the education community.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>IBM Expands Team Collaboration, Social Networking Software</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22557/</link><description><![CDATA[IBM has introduced a new tool for migrating content from Microsoft SharePoint and other data repositories into Lotus Quickr. The new Lotus Quickr Content Integrator, which recently began shipping, is designed to bring content from existing repositories into Quickr's "team places" for collaboration and sharing.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Colorado Virtual High School Launches</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22553/</link><description><![CDATA[Colorado's Julesburg School District has partnered with Insight Schools to launch a new online virtual public high school that's being offered tuition-free to students throughout the state. The new virtual school, Insight School of Colorado, will launch its first semester in August, with course selection taking place this month.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Maple 12 Enhances Math Engine, Builds on Engineering Tools</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22559/</link><description><![CDATA[Math software developer Maplesoft has released Maple 12, a long-anticipated update to the company's flagship math application for Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, and Solaris. The new version features an enhanced mathematics engine, new tools for engineers, and features that are designed to make the program easier to use in instructional settings.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 06 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>In2Books To Be Free for Economically Disadvantaged Schools</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22555/</link><description><![CDATA[ePals this week announced that it will make its In2Books series of digital literacy tools available to Title I schools at no charge beginning in fall 2008. The company has also announced some enhancements to the 2008-2009 classroom edition of In2Books.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 06 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>School Web Lockers Debuts 'Profanity Filter'</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22554/</link><description><![CDATA[Web technology provider School Web Lockers has launched a new service for its collaboration and file sharing system: profanity filters. ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 06 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Adobe Connect Pro and Presenter Beef Up eLearning Features</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22550/</link><description><![CDATA[Adobe has introduced a new version of Acrobat Connect Pro, the company's virtual meeting and eLearning tool. The new version includes enhanced integration with Blackboard, as well as several editing and management improvements.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 05 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>TeachersFirst Brings Web 2.0 Tools to Educators </title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22549/</link><description><![CDATA[Non-profit TeachersFirst has partnered with Web technology provider TRintuition to launch the Building Learners Project, a service that allows educators to develop online collaborative learning projects using Web 2.0 technologies.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 05 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Next-gen WiFi Expected To Be in 99% of North American Campuses by 2013</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22546/</link><description><![CDATA[Although the wireless standard 802.11n is found in less than 3 percent of North American universities currently, it will be available in 99 percent by 2013, according to a new study by ABI Research. According to the research firm, the increases are driven by a variety of needs and demands in both K-12 and higher education.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 05 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Blackboard Sets BbWorld '08 Agenda</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22545/</link><description><![CDATA[Blackboard Thursday announced details for its upcoming BbWorld '08 conference, which will be held July 15 through 17 in Las Vegas. The show will feature about 140 sessions covering education technology strategies and issues, as well as keynote addresses from Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak (largely credited for inventing the first practical personal computer) and U Miami President Donna Shalala.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 02 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>LS Education Desktop Integrates SchoolM@il</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22544/</link><description><![CDATA[LearningStation has partnered with ePals to integrate ePals' SchoolM@il into its LS Education Desktop. The deal will allow Education Desktop users to access SchoolM@il and the ePals Global Learning Community within LearningStation's platform.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 02 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Report: STEM Gap Widens for Underrepresented Minorities</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22543/</link><description><![CDATA[It probably shouldn't come as much of a surprise to our readers, but research released this month shows an expanding ethnicity gap for Americans pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. A new report from the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) reveals that the number minority students pursuing STEM degrees and careers has flattened out or even declined in recent years.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 02 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Pennsylvania Rolls Out Interactive Technologies to 231 Districts</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22536/</link><description><![CDATA[Technology provider CDW Government reported this week that it's completed implementation of technology programs for some 231 school districts across Pennsylvania as part of the state's Classrooms for the Future program. As part of the initiative, nearly 82,000 laptops and more than 4,000 interactive whiteboards have been deployed in 257 schools over the last two years.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 01 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Online Writing Remediation Program Targets High School Seniors</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22535/</link><description><![CDATA[Ed tech developer Vantage Learning has launched a new edition of its writing remediation program, targeting high school seniors and incoming college freshmen. My Access! College Edition extends the standard "School Edition," designed for K-12, with greater emphasis on analysis and interpretation, as well as additional features.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 01 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Children's Way Beefs Up Security in K-6 Virtual World</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22534/</link><description><![CDATA[Non-profit developer Children's Way Foundation has teamed with eGuardian to bolster security on its Woogi World, an online virtual world for K-6 students. The agreement allows Woogi World to incorporate eGuardian's online verification service as a means of safeguarding kids from online strangers who might be posing as other children.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 01 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Convergence Idea Gets Serious with Live Mesh, Analysts Say</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22516/</link><description><![CDATA[Analyst reaction last week to Redmond's "Live Mesh" initiative can be deciphered in one of two ways. On the one hand, it's an old idea, namely "convergence," with new buzzwords. On the other, it means that industry leader Microsoft has become serious about playing hard ball with its more nimble competitors, working to simplify the end user experience in a Web 2.0 era.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 01 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Turning Launches Computer-free Classroom Response System</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22528/</link><description><![CDATA[Classroom technology developer Turning Technologies has launched a new classroom response system that doesn't require computers or projectors. The new ResponseCard AnyWhere is a wireless, handheld system designed for standalone use to capture data from interactive classroom polls and other types of feedback.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Web 2.0 Event Draws the Bleeding-Edge Cloud Crowd</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22527/</link><description><![CDATA[Tim O'Reilly woke up his end-of-the-day audience when he took the stage at last week's Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco. The publisher of the popular "In a Nutshell" computer books series declared that the Internet is fast becoming "a global platform for everything," and an "amazing tool for harnessing collective intelligence."]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Chicago Public Schools Taking Grades Online</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22525/</link><description><![CDATA[Beginning this summer, Chicago Public Schools will implement a Web-based gradebook system, piloting GradeSpeed.NET from Campusware at select campuses. ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>rSmart Releases Commercial Sakai CLE Update</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22518/</link><description><![CDATA[Education support services provider rSmart has rolled out an update to its commercial implementation of the Sakai Collaboration and Learning Environment, bringing it in line with the latest major release from the Sakai Foundation. rSmart's version is built on the regular Sakai software but also includes additional functionality and contracted support.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Consolidation Bringing IT Budgets Down in 2008</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22517/</link><description><![CDATA[Information technology executives are focusing on cutting costs rather than investing in technology this quarter, according to a report released this week by research analysts at IDC. ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Microsoft Nixes XP Extended-Life Rumors</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22515/</link><description><![CDATA[Microsoft's Windows XP operating system, which will no longer be sold after June 30, seemed to get a reprieve of sorts when Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer made a quip at a press conference about relenting to customer feedback. However, one of Microsoft's official PR agencies denied the suggestion that XP would get a break from its scheduled end date. ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Apple iMacs Get Processor, Graphics Upgrades</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22513/</link><description><![CDATA[Apple this week upgraded its iMac line of all in one desktop computers. The new models now sport frontside bus speeds of 1,066 MHz across the board. hey also now offer options of processor speeds up to 3.06 GHz and Nvidia GeForce 8800 GS graphics.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Study: Teens See Disconnect Between Personal and School Writing</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22512/</link><description><![CDATA[Students see a distinction between the writing they do for school and the writing they do in their personal lives. While the vast majority of 12- to 17-year-olds (85 percent) engage in some form of electronic writing--IM, e-mail, blog posts, text messages, etc.--most (60 percent) don't consider this actual writing. That's one of the findings from a study released last week by the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the National Commission on Writing for America’s Families, Schools and Colleges.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Long Island District Deploys Network Cameras</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22504/</link><description><![CDATA[The Long Beach City School District in Long Island, NY is using network cameras from Axis Communications to provide surveillance at its schools. Designed by A+ Technology Solutions, the system leverages the district's existing infrastructure and provides the benefit of high-resolution clarity for positive identification. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>SafeSchools, Keenan To Launch Safety Training for California Schools</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22503/</link><description><![CDATA[Keenan & Associates and SafeSchools have joined forces to create an online training program for California public educational agencies. Beginning this summer, Keenan will provide all of its property and casualty clients with access to these training tools through "Keenan SafeSchools," a Web-based delivery system for safety and risk management training modules. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Colorado Adopts Tuition Reimbursement for Professional Development</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22502/</link><description><![CDATA[To provide more professional development opportunities for teachers and paraprofessionals, and to assist them in achieving highly qualified status, the Colorado Department of Education, Office of Standards and Support, has teamed up with PBS TeacherLine to offer online courses to educators in the state. ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Pittsburgh Public Schools Adopts Special Ed Management and Tracking</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22501/</link><description><![CDATA[Pittsburgh Public Schools will use Spectrum K12 School Solutions' special education IEP software product Encore to create a system of administrative reporting and tracking for students who need special services throughout the district. ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Poudre School District Automates WorkForce Management</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22500/</link><description><![CDATA[Poudre School District of Fort Collins, CO is automating its workforce management processes with WorkForce Software's EmpCenter for K-12 School Districts suite. ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Information Security Set for Explosive Growth</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22496/</link><description><![CDATA[Driven by compliance and public confidence issues, information security is expected to expand dramatically over the next few years, according to new research released by Frost & Sullivan and (ISC)². Worldwide, the number of information security professionals will grow from 1.66 million in 2007 to about 2.7 million in 2012, experiencing a compound annual growth rate of 10 percent.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>NASA Gets Serious about Educational Gaming</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22487/</link><description><![CDATA[NASA this week moved a step closer to branching into educational gaming. The agency presented its vision of a science education-focused massively multiplayer online game to more than 200 potential software development partners in a workshop Monday sponsored by NASA Learning Technologies, an educational technology incubator project.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Virtual Security Gets a Boost</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22483/</link><description><![CDATA[How secure is your virtual environment? Recent US-CERT Cyber Security Bulletins list several vulnerabilities for versions of software from VMware that allow attackers to cause denial of service attacks, generate buffer overflows, expose password logging and gain unauthorized privileges that can be used to hijack processes. The exposures have been addressed in patches by the company, but concern has been growing that virtual machines may get less security-related attention from IT staff than physical boxes.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Hoax Subpoena E-Mails Shine Light on 'Spearphishing'</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22482/</link><description><![CDATA[Last week, hundreds of executives at some of America's most well-known companies received e-mails that they probably didn't want to get--even if those messages weren't a hoax.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Microsoft Investigating LocalSystem Access Bug</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22480/</link><description><![CDATA[Security personnel in Redmond are investigating a newly reported zero-day bug vulnerability in Microsoft operating systems and server systems. The bug, disclosed Thursday by Bill Sisk, security response communications manager for Microsoft, allows escalation of privilege to occur for authenticated users under specific conditions.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Alternative High School Program Expands in Georgia</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22478/</link><description><![CDATA[A technology-assisted program for helping student attain high school diplomas is expanding in Georgia. Educational Services of America said that nine new districts are signing up for its Ombudsman Educational Services, bringing the total in Georgia to 17 districts.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Lit Program Brings Differentiated Instruction to 6-12 Reading</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22477/</link><description><![CDATA[Glencoe/McGraw-Hill has debuted a new literature series that incorporates online learning modules, DVD-based professional development, and targeted differentiated instruction for grades 6 to 12.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Sanyo Expands T-Series Projector Line</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22476/</link><description><![CDATA[Sanyo has introduced two new models in its "T" series of high-brightness, portable multimedia LCD projectors, including the high-end SXGA+ PLC-ET30L and the entry-level XGA-resolution PLC-XT21/L. Both are shipping this month.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Florida Bill Strikes Zero Tolerance</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22473/</link><description><![CDATA[A bill filed April 18 in the Florida House of Representatives aims to prevent further harm from zero tolerance policies that have caused children to be expelled and, in some cases, arrested for violating school rules. CS/HB 7087 revises state juvenile justice statutes and provisions and, among other things, strikes all references to zero tolerance in schools and specifies that students should be expelled and referred to law enforcement only for "serious criminal offenses."]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>LeapFrog Intros Handheld Early Literacy Device</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22471/</link><description><![CDATA[LeapFrog School this week introduced a handheld device aimed at developing preK-3 reading skills, the Tag School Reader, part of the newly launched Tag School Reading System. It's expected to ship in June, with a software upgrade slated for an early 2009 release that will add Web-based student progress tracking and reporting.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Vista SP1 Expands Language Support but Hits USB Snag</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22470/</link><description><![CDATA[As of Tuesday, Vista Service Pack 1 is now generally available in all 36 supported languages. Microsoft had initially rolled out Vista SP1 in just five languages. ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>SQL Server 2005 SP3 Expected in Summer '08</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22469/</link><description><![CDATA[Microsoft this week announced through two blogs that it plans to release the next service pack to SQL Server 2005, Service Pack 3 (SP3). The release is timed for the third quarter of this year, or after Microsoft releases SQL Server 2008 to manufacturing.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>PBS Debuts Earth Day Lesson Plan, SAT Test Prep, Preschool Content</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22468/</link><description><![CDATA[In recognition of Earth Day (April 22), PBS has debuted a new global warming-themed lesson plan for grades 9 through 12. PBS has also launched resources for SAT preparation through its NOW Classroom program.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Robots Rock at California High School</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22463/</link><description><![CDATA[When Carnegie-Mellon took the $2 million DARPA prize in November for the Defense Department's Urban Challenge, in which vehicles maneuvered along 60 miles of road without a human driver behind the wheel, the school 's Tartan Racing team was showing off the value of robotics. That's the same lesson being taught in a Monte Vista, CA ROP high school class.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>North Carolina District Adopts Data-Driven Approach to Instruction</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22449/</link><description><![CDATA[Administrators at Iredell-Statesville Schools in North Carolina have adopted Follett Software's TetraData DASH, an analytics and communications tool. ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>MN Schools Adopt WriteToLearn for State Assessments</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22447/</link><description><![CDATA[Students at two Minnesota high schools are using Pearson's WriteToLearn to develop writing and reading comprehension skills. ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>NEC Launches Rebates for Schools</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22446/</link><description><![CDATA[NEC Display Solutions of America has launched a cash-back rewards program for schools participating in its Star Student program, which helps institutions acquire projectors and large-screen displays for use in the classroom. ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Bradford Grammar School Deploys Disaster Recovery System</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22453/</link><description><![CDATA[Bradford Grammar School in the U.K. has deployed a disaster recovery solution from FalconStor Software called FalconStor Continuous Data Protector. The new recovery solution will be used in conjunction with the school's DotHill and IBM SAN storage systems, which presently back up about 4.5 TB per day.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Whitley County Deploys $95,000 Math Program</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22448/</link><description><![CDATA[The Whitley County School System in southeast Kentucky is adopting Carnegie Learning's Bridge to Algebra and Geometry programs to help improve math scores and graduation rates for its students. The $95,000 investment in software, textbooks, and professional development services was made with federal Title I funds. ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>OHP Adopts Angel LMS</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22445/</link><description><![CDATA[The Ohio Hi-Point (OHP) Career Center has adopted the Angel Learning Management Suite (LMS) to add online capabilities to its career-technical and academic high school programs, and to offer adult and continuing education programs online. ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>FirmTek Intros eSATA Combo Hub</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22442/</link><description><![CDATA[At the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas this week, FirmTek debuted a new combo hub designed to bring eSATA connectivity to laptops. The SeriTek/SpyderHUB includes USB and FireWire host connection options, along with hardware RAID and boot capabilities for Mac OS X systems.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Renaissance To Roll Out Laptops to Africa</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22451/</link><description><![CDATA[Education technology developer Renaissance Learning and non-profit Generation for Change and Growth will deploy some 5,000 refurbished AlphaSmart laptop computers in Northern Kenya in an effort to reach students in areas with high rates of illiteracy. ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>PA District Goes Green with Energy Reduction Program</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22444/</link><description><![CDATA[Aramark Education, a provider of professional services to more than 500 K-12 school districts in the United States, recently helped the Council Rock School District in Newtown, PA, implement a comprehensive energy reduction program that was recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Elementary Students Reach Out to Neighborhood with Web Project</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22443/</link><description><![CDATA[Fourth-graders at Pleasant Glade Elementary School in Washington will be developing a Web site for their neighborhood using a $10,000 grant from the Qwest Foundation, which was awarded to teachers Tamara Campbell, Ann Chenhall, and Nora Strauch this week. ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Christie Debuts 6,000-Lumen Widescreen Projector</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22441/</link><description><![CDATA[At the convention of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) this week, Christie launched a new 3LCD projector boasting a brightness of 6,000 ANSI lumens and a contrast ratio of 2,000:1. The new widescreen (17:10) model, the LW600, is targeted toward auditoriums and large conference rooms.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Toshiba Grants Fund Environmental Science</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22438/</link><description><![CDATA[The Toshiba America Foundation has announced the recipients of several grants under its Science and Math Improvement Grant program. The SMIG launched back in August as part of the foundation's goal of awarding $500,000 to teachers and schools each year.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Sony Launches Compact LCD Projector Line</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22433/</link><description><![CDATA[Sony last week debuted a new line of front LCD projectors, including the company's first compact widescreen model. The VPL-E series includes four new models, three of which are shipping this month, with the forth slated for a May launch.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Baton Rouge Schools Test First Responder Video Communication System</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22432/</link><description><![CDATA[The East Baton Rouge Parish School System has implemented a pilot project involving three of its 90 schools in an "intelligent building response" initiative. The city was the site earlier this year of a shooting that claimed three lives on the campus of the Louisiana Technical College. The district effort involves networking the three schools to 911, fire, emergency and police/sheriff substations to give incident commanders and responding units the ability to view a developing security or fire emergency at each school through a mobile, wireless computer system.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Qwest Awards Technology Grants to 4 Schools</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22430/</link><description><![CDATA[The Qwest Foundation this week has awarded grants to teachers in three schools through its Teachers and Technology program. The program is designed to fund technologies geared specifically toward improving student achievement, including interactive classroom technologies, online tools, and gear to support scientific work, in preK-12 schools.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Autodesk, Innovation First Launch Robotics Curriculum</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22431/</link><description><![CDATA[Robotics developer Innovation First has teamed up with software developer Autodesk to develop a new curriculum for robotics education. The curriculum will be included in the Vex Robotics Classroom Lab Kits and will also be available separately this spring.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>WebSphere Portal 6.1 To Couple Web 2.0, Enterprise Technologies</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22426/</link><description><![CDATA[IBM revealed Wednesday that it will ship WebSphere Portal 6.1 this quarter (i.e. by the end of June) with new collaboration, administrative, deployment, and Web 2.0 features based on input gathered from some 4,000 beta testers. The company also announced that it's shipping three of its accelerators for WebSphere Portal this quarter.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>OWI To Unveil Wireless Classroom System</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22425/</link><description><![CDATA[Audio manufacturer OWI reported to us that its planning to launch a new wireless system designed specifically for instructional settings at the InfoComm 2008 show in Las Vegas in June.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>CIOs See Declining Budgets in Q1</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22420/</link><description><![CDATA[Although IT budgets are expected to grow in 2008 overall, about a fourth of CIOs in the United States reported decreases in their budgets in the first quarter of 2008, according to a survey released by Gartner this month and highlighted at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo: Emerging Trends event this week in Las Vegas.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Forefront Integrated Security System Beta Released</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22413/</link><description><![CDATA[Microsoft Corp.made available a public beta release of its Forefront security solution, code-named "Stirling." The software is an integrated security system designed to allow administrators to control, access, and manage security capabilities across an organization's IT infrastructure. It includes a central management console for security configuration and enterprise-wide visibility and works with other ForeFront products that secure clients, Exchange, SharePoint, and the next version of Internet Security and Acceleration Server (ISA Server).]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Students, Teachers Challenged To Define Role of Technology in Education</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22415/</link><description><![CDATA[Ed tech developer eInstruction this week launched its new Content Meets Technology contest, which challenges educators and students to share their "vision of the role of technology in education." Winners of the competition will receive an interactive classroom makeover.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 09 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Microsoft Proposes Cross-Industry Effort To Address Online Trust Challenge</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22412/</link><description><![CDATA[Microsoft Corp. this week initiated a call for action to address the future of security and privacy on the Internet. In a speech by Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie, the company proposed "End to End Trust," a pitch for organizations, including vendors and user organizations, to work together to create a more secure and trusted online environment.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 09 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>HP Makes Push into Data Encryption</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22404/</link><description><![CDATA[HP has introduced several products to address data protection and compliance in storage environments, including add-ons that do automated data encryption on tape drives and libraries. Among the offerings: a secure fabric switch; an encryption kit for tape autoloaders and libraries; integration of compliance and management appliances; and, a free online security assessment tool.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 09 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Are Schools Inhibiting 21st Century Learning?</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22407/</link><description><![CDATA[The idea of technology in education is to enhance learning, not limit it. Yet a large portion of students say teachers and school IT departments are doing just that: throwing up barriers to learning with the very technology that's supposed to facilitate it. And teachers, administrators, and parents seem to be largely unaware of this, according to the results of the 2007 Speak Up survey released Tuesday by Project Tomorrow.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>HP Debuts Mini Notebooks for Schools</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22406/</link><description><![CDATA[HP has launched a new line of mini notebooks designed specifically for schools. The new 2133 Mini-Note PCs, which were announced Tuesday, weigh in just above 2.5 pounds and start a hair below $500. They're aimed largely toward students for school and home use.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Clarkston Schools Deploys iTrust To Secure Internet Usage</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22403/</link><description><![CDATA[Clarkston Community Schools has selected DeepNines iTrust, a multi-layer security defense system that guards against unauthorized Internet usage while prioritizing network traffic.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Network-based Alarm System Sends Silent Alert</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22402/</link><description><![CDATA[A Spokane, WA company has developed a computer network-based alarm system that allows users to trigger an emergency alarm through their computers to send a silent alert to all other users logged into the same network. Pentad Systems' LANalarm could complement text messaging-based notification systems, which tend to have a lag between the time the emergency is communicated to administrators and the notification is actually sent out to participants.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Consulting Firm Launches Training To Show Educators How To Defuse Hostility</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22401/</link><description><![CDATA[Anzen, an Alexandria, VA company that provides personal security training for public and corporate organizations, announced a new program to address safety in educational institutions. Called USA Safe Schools, the initiative provides schools with tools and training to reduce hostile threats to teachers and students.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Baltimore Deploys Parent Notification Program</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22381/</link><description><![CDATA[Baltimore City Public Schools this month announced that it has implemented Global Connect's Parent Notification System for communicating with parents and staff members. The school district, which serves about 82,000 students, will begin using the Global Connect system in May. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Verizon Awards Thinkfinity Grant to Kentucky Teachers </title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22380/</link><description><![CDATA[The Kentucky Department of Education received a $50,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation to raise awareness and train teachers throughout the state to use thousands of free educational resources available on Thinkfinity.org, an online portal comprising educational and literacy resources for teachers, parents and students. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Science Teachers Receive $550,000 in Grants</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22379/</link><description><![CDATA[Toyota recognized 78 science teachers nationwide with $550,000 in grants via its Toyota Tapestry: Grants for Science Teachers program at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) National Conference on Science Education in Boston, MA. The company selected 78 proposals for funding from the more than 500 submitted by K-12 teachers. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Arkansas District Implements Math and Reading Interventions</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22378/</link><description><![CDATA[Plato Learning, a provider of K-adult computer-based learning solutions, is working with the Texarkana School District in Arkansas to implement Plato Test Packs with Prescriptions on the Plato Learning Environment and Plato Exam Intervention for its middle and high school intervention, credit recovery and acceleration programs. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Desire2Learn Launches Web Services for Learning Management</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22382/</link><description><![CDATA[CMS/LMS developer Desire2Learn this week launched Web Services 1.0, a set of Web-based enhancements for the D2L Learning Environment and D2L Learning Platform. Modules included with the 1.0 release include "organization structure management, enrolment management, and gradebook entry and lookup," according to the company.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Cypress-Fairbanks Deploys Network Monitoring Tool</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22376/</link><description><![CDATA[Network management software developer Ipswitch announced that the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (CFISD), a large public school district in the state of Texas, has selected WhatsUp Gold to monitor and manage its wide area network (WAN) infrastructure.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Defense Department Rolls Out Reading Around the World</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22375/</link><description><![CDATA[Pearson has been awarded the contract from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) to provide elementary reading programs for its schools around the world. ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Alabama Program Couples Real-World Science with Technology</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22374/</link><description><![CDATA[PASCO scientific has partnered with the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) in a pilot program to explore how real-world scientific inquiry coupled with modern technology can accelerate the development of students' 21st century science skills. ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Autism Center Bolsters Data Backup with HYDRAstor</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22369/</link><description><![CDATA[In an effort to consolidate its business continuity/data recovery operations, the Anderson Center for Autism in Staatsburg, NY has deployed a storage backup and archive system from NEC called HYDRAstor HS8, replacing the school's "antiquated" mixed backup solution.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Mitsubishi Education Projector Blasts 5,000 Lumens</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22367/</link><description><![CDATA[Mitsubishi this month will release its new WL6700U, an LCD projector for the education market that boasts a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and a brightness of 5,000 ANSI lumens.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Panasonic Debuts Wireless Classroom Projector</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22366/</link><description><![CDATA[Panasonic has launched two new projectors designed for fixed installations in classrooms: PT-F200NTU and PT-F200U, both upgrades to the previous PT-F100 series. The PT-F200NTU includes built-in wireless connectivity and support for streaming video.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>OOXML Approved, but Battle with ODF Begins</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22364/</link><description><![CDATA[Microsoft's Office Open XML (OOXML) document format was accepted as an international standard, according to an announcement issued Wednesday by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Microsoft Unveils Mobile Solutions at CTIA</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22359/</link><description><![CDATA[Microsoft unveiled three additions to its mobile product lines at the CTIA Wireless 2008 event Tuesday, with much of the emphasis being placed on enabling customizing mobile solutions for the enterprise. ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Tegrity Bolsters Classroom Capture with Campus 2.0</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22357/</link><description><![CDATA[Ed tech developer Tegrity has released an update to Campus 2.0, the company's enterprise classroom capture and student achievement system. The new version adds a wide range of features, from new recording and editing tools to enhanced administrative and reporting functionality.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Honeywell Survey Shows Security Convergence Popular but Elusive</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22345/</link><description><![CDATA[A survey by Honeywell released Wednesday reveals that although some organizations are integrating physical security measures such as video surveillance and access control with traditional IT security system, significant barriers to convergence still exist. ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>More States, Vendors Ally with Partnership for 21st Century Skills</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22355/</link><description><![CDATA[The Partnership for 21st Century Skills recently reported that Iowa has joined its State Leadership Initiative--the seventh state to join to date. The group also told THE Journal that two more states are expected to join up within the next 45 days.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Microsoft Joins MIT Kerberos Consortium</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22353/</link><description><![CDATA[The MIT Kerberos Consortium has added Microsoft to its ranks of formal industry supporters. The company joined the group Monday as a founding sponsor, gaining a seat on the executive board, which also includes representatives from Apple, Sun, Google, and, of course, MIT itself. Microsoft's director of Windows Core Security, Slava Kavsan, will occupy the board seat.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>IBM Updates Collaborative Software</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22348/</link><description><![CDATA[IBM has released Lotus Quickr 8.1, an update to the company's collaborative learning tool. The new version adds Microsoft Outlook support and integration with Lotus Connections, among other enhancements.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Free Lecture Capture System Gains Widespread Academic Support</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22347/</link><description><![CDATA[Software developer Panopto reported to us this week that hundreds of educational institutions have applied for its Socrates Project, which allows K-12 schools, colleges, and universities to adopt the company's CourseCast system at no charge. The program, launched late last year, is aimed specifically at academic institutions. ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Earliest Human Voice Recording Debuts Online</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22349/</link><description><![CDATA[This weekend, Stanford University hosted the first public performance of the earliest known human voice recording--one that predates Thomas Edison's invention of the phonograph by 17 years. The organization that made playback of the sound possible, First Sounds, has also posted the recording online for the public.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>NASA Education Grant Focuses on Promotion of STEM</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22346/</link><description><![CDATA[NASA has awarded Oklahoma State University a one-year grant to help out with the agency's effort to promote science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) among high school students and encourage them to pursue science-related careers. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Compliance Framework Database Updated</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22344/</link><description><![CDATA[Consulting and publishing firm Network Frontiers has released the Q1 2008 Unified Compliance Framework (UCF), a database used in compliance management systems. UCF maps hundreds of regulations, including privacy information, HIPPA, PCI-DDS and Medicaid/Medicare mandates, into a master hierarchal framework. This latest version of the UCF consolidates cross platform configuration management controls into a single set of controls.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Windows Search 4.0 Preview Unveiled</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22343/</link><description><![CDATA[Microsoft published a trial version of its latest desktop search engine last week called Windows Search 4.0 Preview. The solution works with Microsoft's operating systems to search for files and to index them for faster access.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>USPTO Rejects Blackboard Patent Claims (Update 10)</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22340/</link><description><![CDATA[Blackboard's e-learning patent looks to be going down. The United States Patent and Trademark Office this week sent out a "non-final" determination on the reexamination of Blackboard's patent in which all of the claims on the patent were rejected. Blackboard still has a period (two months) to respond to the determination.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Boise City ISD To Deploy Web-Based Student System</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22338/</link><description><![CDATA[The Independent School District of Boise City in Idaho is deploying the Web-based Infinite Campus student information system district-wide, with a full rollout expected this summer.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Microsoft's 'Albany' Project May Take Aim at Google Docs</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22337/</link><description><![CDATA[Microsoft appears to be working on a secret project called Albany, and while no one knows for sure exactly what it is yet, clues indicate that the company is looking to develop a stronger competitor to Google's free, online-hosted Google Docs service.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Blackboard Bumps Learning Systems to 8.0</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22336/</link><description><![CDATA[Blackboard this week brought its Learning System CE and Learning System Vista in line with Learning System Enterprise edition, bringing the entire line to version 8.0. The company said the new releases represent a major advance toward its goal of unifying the codebase of its learning tools and infusing them with Web 2.0 technologies.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Crossroads Debuts Backup Encryption Module</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22320/</link><description><![CDATA[Information security provider Crossroads Systems this week released a new encryption module for its Crossroads Virtual TapeServer. The module, SecureVTS, is an integrated solution that provides security for backed-up data for compliance and business continuity.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Autodesk Revamps Educational Engineering Suites</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22321/</link><description><![CDATA[Autodesk has introduced new versions of its three core education packages for K-12 and post-secondary institutions, including Autodesk Design Institute, Autodesk Design Academy, and Autodesk DesignKids, all of which will roll out between late May and early June.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Yahoo! Backs OpenSocial; New Foundation Formed</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22319/</link><description><![CDATA[Yahoo! announced Tuesday that it's joined forces with Google and MySpace to back OpenSocial, which aims to define a common API to allow social applications across multiple sites. Google, Yahoo!, and MySpace are also creating a non-profit foundation to "foster the continued open development of OpenSocial."]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Study: American Public Concerned over State of Science Education</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22314/</link><description><![CDATA[Think of the old Bazooka Joe one-liner: "The food is terrible, and the portions are too small." Grasp that, and you'll have an inkling of attitudes toward science education in the United States, where 44 percent of U.S. adults grade the quality of science education in this country at a "C" level or lower, and 79 percent say there isn't enough attention being given to it. This according to a new survey released by the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, "The State of Science in America," the aim of which was to gauge attitudes of "average" Americans toward science and science education.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Adobe Ships Director 11</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22311/</link><description><![CDATA[Adobe has released Director 11, the first major update to the company's multimedia authoring tool in about four years. The new version expands 3D features with a new physics engine and new DirectX support and also introduces parity between JavaScript and Lingo for scripting. The new version supports Mac OS X (Intel only) and Windows.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Web Gateway Offers All-in-One Web Security</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22303/</link><description><![CDATA[Astaro Corp. has announced a security appliance line that integrates URL filtering, malware detection, application control, and bandwidth optimization. The Astaro Web Gateway is deployed as a hardware or virtualized appliance and managed through a single browser-based graphical interface.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>New Tool Lets Users View Facebook Messages from MySpace Page</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22302/</link><description><![CDATA[Fuser.com, a free online tool that enables Internet users to consolidate their e-mail and social networking accounts into a single online inbox, announced the launch of Fuser MySpace. The application allows MySpace users to view Facebook messages and wall posts from their MySpace page. This application was developed under MySpace's new application development platform.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>South Carolina Virtual Charter School To Open in August</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22306/</link><description><![CDATA[South Carolina will open a new virtual public charter school this summer: the South Carolina Virtual Charter School (SCVCS). It was approved March 6 by the South Carolina Public Charter School District, South Carolina's statewide charter school authorizing agency.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Siemens To Provide Backbone for PosTrack Hosted VoIP</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22305/</link><description><![CDATA[PosTrack Technologies has signed Siemens Communications to provide the backbone for PosTrack's hosted VoIP solutions for K-12 and higher education. PosTrack will use Siemens' OpenScape Voice and HiPath MobileConnect technologies to deliver unified communications and mobile capabilities for schools.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Vantage, 8e6 Partner for Safe Search for Schools</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22304/</link><description><![CDATA[Ed tech developer Vantage Learning and security technology provider 8e6 have teamed up to launch a new secure Internet search engine designed specifically for K-12 school districts. The partnership combines Vantage's iSEEK "natural language" search engine with 8e6's Web filtering to provide targeted searches for academic users while excluding material that might be deemed potentially inappropriate for school-aged kids.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>BEA Systems Releases WebLogic Portal 10.2</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22292/</link><description><![CDATA[BEA Systems, a provider of enterprise infrastructure technology, announced the availability of WebLogic Portal 10.2 earlier this month. The solution is a Java-based portal for service-oriented infrastructure. It supports the creation of Web pages with dynamic content, as well as composite applications and Web 2.0 apps. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Citrix, HP Team Up on Embedded Hypervisor</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22291/</link><description><![CDATA[Citrix has become the latest entry into the increasingly crowded field of embedded hypervisors. The Fort Lauderdale, FL-based company Thursday announced a deal to embed a small, lightweight version of its standard hypervisor, XenServer, into ProLiant brand servers from HP. Called Citrix XenServer HP Select Edition, the hypervisor will come pre-installed, giving customers the opportunity to try virtualization out of the box. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Discovery Opens Science Competition to Teachers</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22299/</link><description><![CDATA[Discovery Education and 3M this month opened up entries for its 2008 Young Scientist Challenge, a science competition for students, and recently followed it up by adding on a Teacher Challenge, which will pit educators against one another for prizes, a trip to Washington, DC, and the title of Discovery Educator Network Science Teacher of the Year.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Tribrio Makes Online Test Creation Free</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22296/</link><description><![CDATA[Education and training software developer Tribrio has launched a new site called TestDesigner.com that allows teachers to create tests free and browse through a library of subject-specific assessments created by other educators.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Free Software Identifies Applications Requiring Administrator Rights</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22289/</link><description><![CDATA[Enterprises can now more easily determine which applications their employees run that require administrative rights, a condition that makes the environment more susceptible to malicious users and viruses and prevents compliance with regulations such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and HIPAA. BeyondTrust’s free Application Rights Auditor automatically identifies and reports Windows applications that need elevated user rights. ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Kansas Launches Tuition-Free Online Public High School</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22286/</link><description><![CDATA[Kansas' Spring Hill Unified School District #230 has teamed up with Insight Schools to launch a new online virtual public high school that's being offered tuition-free to students throughout the state. The new virtual school, dubbed Insight School of Kansas, will launch its first semester in August, with course selection taking place this spring.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Palm Springs USD Rolls Out Instructional Writing Program</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22285/</link><description><![CDATA[Southern California's Palm Springs Unified School District is rolling out an online writing program called MY Access! from Vantage Learning. The rollout will begin in elementary and middle schools in the first year and expand to high schools beginning in the second. The full deployment, expected within three years, will run $800,000.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>TEF Launches Problem-Solving Resource Site for Students</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22284/</link><description><![CDATA[It shouldn't come as a surprise to our readers to hear that students often make poor decisions based on emotion rather than information (as opposed to us adults, who always make informed decisions). But the Tregoe Education Forum, a non-profit out of Princeton, NJ, has launched a new online resource to help educators teach skills that can help lead to better decision making.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>IBM Expands Information Server, Sets Delivery Dates for Collaborative Software</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22279/</link><description><![CDATA[IBM this month will release two new software updates focused on collaboration--Lotus Quickr 8.1 and Workplace Collaborative Learning 2.7. The company has also expanded its Information Server software platform with the introduction of IBM Information Server FastTrack, a new module for information integration projects.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Academy Pushes Out Mobile Poetry</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22269/</link><description><![CDATA[The next time a student is asked to stand and recite a poem to the class for National Poetry Month in April, will he or she get credit for whipping out an iPhone and reading a little something off Poets.org? That may be the question teachers ask now that the official Web site of the Academy of American Poets has made its collection of 2,500 poems and audio clips of 150 poems freely available for most mobile devices.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Vista SP1 Goes Live</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22273/</link><description><![CDATA[Microsoft today announced the availability of Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update. The company has also posted the upgrade to its download site.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>IBM Addresses Web 2.0 Security Concerns With 'SMash'</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22268/</link><description><![CDATA[IBM announced new technology to secure "mashups," Web applications that pull information from multiple sources, such as Web sites, enterprise databases, or e-mails, to create one unified view. Mashups allow users to gain insight on complex situations but, as with all Web-based initiatives, security has been a concern.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Idaho and Minnesota High Schools Go Virtual</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22267/</link><description><![CDATA[Insight Schools, a company with a network of free, diploma-granting, online public high schools, recently announced virtual campuses for students in Minnesota and Idaho, which will open for the 2008-2009 school year. The service is free for the participants.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Blackboard Debuts Educator Central Professional Development System</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22264/</link><description><![CDATA[Blackboard has launched Educator Central, a new solution for K-12 teacher professional development. It's a hosted system for building education communities and managing professional development programs, as well as delivering and evaluating these programs.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Symposium Focuses on Use of 3D in Education</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22252/</link><description><![CDATA[A consortium of vendors is hosting a conference for educators on the use of 3D simulation-based learning. The Interactive Digital Center (IDC) Consortium is a collaboration formed by EON Reality, Nvidia, HP, Christie Digital, and Microsoft to promote the advancement of interactive 3D (i3D) visualization solutions for simulation-based learning and workforce development. The event will be held in Florence, SC April 9 through 11.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 17 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>On Heels of Injunction, Desire2Learn Releases New LMS, Repository, ePortfolio</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22242/</link><description><![CDATA[Desire2Learn has released new versions of its Learning Environment and Learning Repository software, as well as its new ePortfolio product. The announcement comes on the heels of two legal setbacks in Desire2Learn's patent infringement case with Blackboard.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 14 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>California Superintendent: Parents Have Right To Homeschool</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22240/</link><description><![CDATA[Saying that public schools might not be a good fit for every student in California, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell released a statement this week supporting the rights of parents to homeschool their children, despite the Feb. 28 Second District Court of Appeals ruling to the contrary. The statement comes on the heels of a pledge by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to support homeschooling by fighting against the court ruling either through the courts or through other political means.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Institutions Pressure Presidential Candidates for Science Debate</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22233/</link><description><![CDATA[Drexel University, Carnegie Mellon University, Temple University, Lehigh University, Lafayette College, and a number of other institutions of higher education, as well as museums and private companies, have called on the presidential candidates to participate in a science-focused debate on technology, climate change, health policy, and education.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Policy Server Integrated with 3Com Routers</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22231/</link><description><![CDATA[LineSider Technologies, which publishes policy-based network infrastructure control and management software, has launched OverDrive, a policy server that integrates with 3Com Open Services Networking (3Com OSN) for MSR Series Multi-Service Routers. The OverDrive software lets users deploy and manage Internet protocol-based services across complex network environments.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Gates to Congress: Improve Math, Science Education</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22229/</link><description><![CDATA[In testimony before the Committee on Science and Technology at the United States House of Representatives Wednesday morning, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates implored Congress and the President to "act decisively" to ensure that the country maintain its global leadership position in technology innovation. Gates's testimony focused on three key themes: education, research, and immigration.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Microsoft To Acquire Desktop Virtualization Vendor Kidaro</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22224/</link><description><![CDATA[Microsoft today announced its intent to acquire Kidaro, a Redwood City, CA-based provider of enterprise desktop virtualization software. ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 12 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Fast ForWord Makes Gains in Florida, Texas</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22222/</link><description><![CDATA[Florida's Department of Education has approved Scientific Learning's Fast ForWord family of reading improvement software for use as K-12 supplemental intervention reading programs in schools throughout the state. Fast ForWord has also made gains in Texas, where the Dallas Independent School District recently released a study showing improvements on state tests after using the tool.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 12 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Sun-Microsoft Collab Results in Interop Center</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22221/</link><description><![CDATA[Sun Microsystems and Microsoft are working together to develop a set of guidelines for implementing Exchange Server 2007 on Sun server and storage hardware. Billed as Sun's Infrastructure Solution for Exchange, the guidelines allow scalable implementations for 1,000 to 20,000 mailboxes.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 12 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Document Interoperability Initiative Unveiled by Microsoft</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22220/</link><description><![CDATA[Microsoft Thursday kicked off its plan to set up labs around the world to test the interoperability of various document formats, including Microsoft's Open Office XML (OOXML) format as well as the Open Document Format (ODF) originally developed by Sun Microsystems.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 12 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Video Surveillance Joins Blackboard Commerce Suite</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22219/</link><description><![CDATA[Ed tech developer Blackboard this week launched a new video surveillance solution for its campus management system called Blackboard Video Surveillance. The new tool, announced at BbWorld Commerce conference in Phoenix, AZ March 10, will become part of the Blackboard Commerce Suite, a payment and security management system designed for education.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 12 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>New York Coop Deploys Discovery Assessment</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22212/</link><description><![CDATA[New York's Eastern Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services (ESBOCES)--an educational cooperative comprising 51 individual school districts in Long Island--has signed on with Discovery Education to launch its Discovery Education Assessment system.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Chicago Schools, Police To Share School Security Camera Video</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22204/</link><description><![CDATA[Chicago Public Schools and city administrators have agreed on a partnership that will give the Chicago Police Department and the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications a remote connection to the cameras installed inside and outside Chicago schools.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Toronto District Installs VPN Appliance To Speed Remote Report Card Application Access</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22203/</link><description><![CDATA[The Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) has deployed a remote access program from Juniper Networks to manage teacher and staff access to a Web-based report card system from remote locations. The Juniper Networks SA 6000 SSL VPN 6000 appliance, designed for large and multinational enterprises, features a secure socket layer (SSL) acceleration chipset to speed CPU-intensive encrypt/decrypt processes.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Gov. Schwarzenegger Promises Reprieve to California Homeschoolers</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22205/</link><description><![CDATA[In late February, California's Second District Court of Appeals issued a ruling that effectively banned every form of homeschooling in the state--whether coordinated through a public school district, combined with online schooling, or otherwise administered in a way that does not include full-time, in-person instruction from a credentialed teacher. It was a ruling with widespread implications for every homeschooling parent in the state, and one that is now being challenged on two fronts: by homeschool advocates and by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger himself.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 10 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>5 New Schools, Districts Adopt 'Web Lockers'</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22202/</link><description><![CDATA[Five school groups have signed on for School Web Lockers, a file sharing and storage provider. The new customers include the Roman Catholic Diocese Schools of Albany, NY; Clarkstown Central School District in New City, NY; De La Salle Institute in Chicago, IL; New Urban High School in Milwaukie, OR; and Pierson Vocational High School, in Nogales, AZ.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 10 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Student Hacker Sought Class Rankings Data</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22201/</link><description><![CDATA[Chicago newspapers reported on a student who hacked into the computer system of the New Trier Township High School District. The intent, according to investigators, was to obtain grades and ACT scores to determine class rank and share it with other students. The information was made public by the school district in a recent memo to parents.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 10 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>RFID Installation Speeds and Secures School Library Processing</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22200/</link><description><![CDATA[Red Mountain Middle School in Deming, NM has implemented a radio frequency identification technology in its library for self-service checkout. The school chose RFID technology from Integrated Technology Group, which specializes in library automation technologies. The school, which opened in 2007 and currently has about 900 students, has a library collection of 9,000 volumes. That is expected to grow to 20,000 by the next school year.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 10 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>ExploraVision Science Competition Regional Winners Named</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22195/</link><description><![CDATA[More than 4,500 student teams submitted projects for the 2008 Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards Program, an annual K-12 science competition. Twenty-four of them were named regional winners in the science competition this week. ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Kidspiration 3 Adds Visual Math Tools</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22194/</link><description><![CDATA[Education developer Inspiration Software this week released an update to Kidspiration, a K-5 visual learning software suite. The new version 3.0 includes expanded math tools, as well as features for boosting vocabulary and reading comprehension.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Apple To Add Exchange Support to iPhones</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22193/</link><description><![CDATA[Is Apple acknowledging the power and ubiquity of Microsoft's messaging platform? That might be a stretch, but the company has announced a forthcoming update to its iPhone 2.0 software, which will include built-in support for Microsoft's Exchange ActiveSync. ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Mobile Broadband Internet Use Growing Dramatically</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22192/</link><description><![CDATA[The number of computers using mobile broadband technology to access the Internet grew by 154 percent in the 4th quarter of 2007 versus the same period in 2006, according to comScore, a research firm. comScore, which measures online behavior, said the total number of computers going online through mobile broadband technology grew to 2.1 million from 854,000.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Report: Further Declines in Computer Science, but Turnaround May Be on the Horizon</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22191/</link><description><![CDATA[A computing research organization said that enrollments and degrees at United States-based computer science departments dropped further in 2006 and 2007. The non-profit Computing Research Association, which is composed of academic and private industry members, has done survey work on computer science degrees since 1974, tracking enrollment trends among 170 Ph.D.-granting schools.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Report: EETT Cuts Threaten NCLB Goals</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22184/</link><description><![CDATA[Slashing EETT ("Enhancing Education Through Technology") has become an annual event in federal budget planning. A little more than a month ago, the Bush administration again proposed eliminating funding entirely for the program for fiscal year 2009. But a new report from the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), released today, suggests that cuts imperil the scope of programs that have improved academic achievement and helped to ensure teacher quality.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 06 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Stoneware Integrates Virtual Desktop with iTunes U</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22163/</link><description><![CDATA[Stoneware announced the integration of Apple's iTunes U with its virtualized Web desktop solution, WebOS. iTunes U allows colleges and universities a way to let students search, download and play education content just like they do music, movies, and TV shows. With the integration of iTunes U into the user's virtualized WebOS desktop, students can access applications, files, documents, educational podcasts and other content from a Web desktop that is accessible from anywhere.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Wimba Unveils New Collaborative Messaging Tool</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22158/</link><description><![CDATA[At the inaugural Wimba Connect 2008 user conference Tuesday, Wimba unveiled its new Wimba Pronto, a collaborative instant messaging tool geared specifically toward education.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>PBS Launches Professional Development for PreK Literacy</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22157/</link><description><![CDATA[PBS Teacherline and PBS Kids have combined forces to launch a new preschool literacy professional development program. Dubbed "Raising Readers: Preparing Preschoolers for Success," the program includes one asynchronous online course, available now, with two more courses slated to roll out later in the year.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Microsoft Expands Office Live Workspace Beta Worldwide</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22156/</link><description><![CDATA[After nearly three months of private beta testing involving about 100,000 users, Microsoft Office Live Workspace (OLW) is being rolled out worldwide as a full public beta. Previously, participants had to be qualified by Microsoft for the beta; now, as of today, it's open to all comers who wish to create workspaces. Coinciding with the public beta, Microsoft has also revved OLW with new features and enhancements and has kicked off a sweepstakes to build awareness for the service.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Study: The Year's Top-10 Web Application Vulnerabilities</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22145/</link><description><![CDATA[Web applications, by far, dominate the list of application security vulnerabilities facing IT organizations. While 29 percent of vulnerabilities are attributable to network and infrastructure weaknesses, a full 71 percent are attributable to both open source and commercial Web applications, according to a report released recently by security firm Cenzic Inc., "Application Security Trend Report for Q4 2007."]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Chicago Adopts Gaming for After School Math Programs</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22143/</link><description><![CDATA[As part of an initiative to extend math activities for its students into the "immersive learning" arena, Chicago Public Schools has rolled out videogames in four of its after school centers. The rollout includes algebra and pre-algebra gaming software from Tabula Digita, called DimensionM.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 03 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Festival To Bring Hands-on Science to Northern California Students</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22141/</link><description><![CDATA[In an effort to spark interest in science among elementary and middle school students--particularly girls--Sally Ride Science is holding a festival March 29 at Santa Clara University in Northern California that will feature hands-on science, workshops, and socialization opportunities for students and teachers alike. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 03 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Chicago Public Schools Partners with Freedom Center for Distance Learning</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22139/</link><description><![CDATA[As part of a new electronic learning initiative, Chicago Public Schools has partnered with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center for an educational program that combines distance learning technologies with digital media. The program, funded by Ariel Mutual Funds, offers a history curriculum that focuses on slavery in the United States and around the world.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>'Foundations' Series Aims To Boost Elementary Reading Comprehension</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22136/</link><description><![CDATA[Education developer Dynamic Literacy has released Foundations, the latest series in its WordBuild Vocabulary Development System. Foundations teaches "morphics," a term the company uses to differentiate its morphological instruction from phonics-based approaches. The system is targeted toward students in grades 3 through 5, though it can also be used in interventions for students in grades 6 and up.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 28 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Brief: Teacher Forum Spotlights Classroom Technologies</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22135/</link><description><![CDATA[Audio-visual tech provider AVerMedia Technologies this week launched a new forum for educators focusing specifically on classroom technologies. The site, called Teacher Forum, includes general teacher resources, discussions, and links to promotions and events.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 28 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Phat Math Debuts Math-Focused Social Network</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22123/</link><description><![CDATA[Miami-based Phat Math has launched a new online social network designed to promote math and financial literacy among students. Billed as a "math edutainment social network," phatmath.com incorporates activities and chat features to provide help with math homework free for students.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 28 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Apple Notebooks Get Faster Processors, Expanded Storage</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22132/</link><description><![CDATA[Apple Tuesday rolled out updated versions of its MacBook and MacBook Pro notebook systems. The new models sport faster processors and expanded memory. The MacBook Pro models also add Apple's multi-touch trackpad technology.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 27 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>'Installfest' Brings Open Source Tools to Northern California Schools</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22127/</link><description><![CDATA[Open-source developer Untangle and the Alameda County Computer Resource Center are holding an event called "Installfest" in the Northern California Bay Area March 1. The event will see donated hardware and open-source software distributed free to several schools in San Francisco, Berkeley, San Mateo, and Marin County.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 27 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Microsoft Releases System Center Operations Manager 2007 SP1</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22120/</link><description><![CDATA[Microsoft this weekend released an update to its System Center Operations Manager 2007, the company's infrastructure management solution. The final Service Pack 1 release has gone to manufacturing, and the update is also available for download online.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 27 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Ohio Districts Extend SchoolNet Contracts</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22116/</link><description><![CDATA[Two Ohio districts--the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and Columbus City Public Schools--have renewed their contracts with SchoolNet, according to information released by the company Monday. SchoolNet provides data, assessment, and curriculum management services and technologies through its SchoolNet Instructional Management Solution. The new deal renews SchoolNet's contract as the provider of Cleveland's curriculum and instructional management system for five more years and Columbus' for three more.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 27 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Power LogOn Brings Access Control to School Facilities</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22114/</link><description><![CDATA[Security management technology provider Access Smart earlier this month debuted Power LogOn Administrator 4.0 for educational institutions. The solution includes features for identity management, transactions, and building and network access using smart card technology.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>ePals To Provide Education Software for Classmate PCs</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22111/</link><description><![CDATA[Ed tech developer ePals this week announced that it's developing education tool's for the Classmate PC, Intel's low-cost, ruggedized laptops designed for elementary and middle school students. It's also part of Intel's World Ahead Program for bringing technology to students around the world, particularly students in "emerging" cultures.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>SafetyCare Launches Wireless Emergency Response System</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22110/</link><description><![CDATA[Security technology firm SafetyCare debuted a new emergency response system targeted toward education: SchoolTrak. The new system is designed to provide turnkey campus safety features for classrooms and other campus facilities through wireless technologies.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>South Carolina Implements Web-Based Training for Teachers, Students</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22102/</link><description><![CDATA[The South Carolina Department of Education, through its Office of eLearning, has partnered with Atomic Learning to deploy a Web-based instruction system for teacher training and online instruction for students. Through the partnership, Atomic will deliver training in various software applications, along with lesson plans and other technology-based support systems.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 25 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Learning Site Taps Social Media To Share Educational Resources</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22101/</link><description><![CDATA[A new site launched in beta Thursday that combines educational resources with social media. The site, Flashcard Friends, uses Web 2.0 technologies to allow students (and teachers) to create skill practice materials (i.e. electronic flashcards) and share them with other users.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 25 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Blackboard Wins Lawsuit Against Desire2Learn</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22130/</link><description><![CDATA[Blackboard has prevailed in an e-learning patent dispute against Desire2Learn. A federal jury in Lufkin, TX made the determination Friday afternoon, following a two-week trial. Blackboard was seeking $17 million in lost revenue, as well as an injunction against the company, which is based in Canada.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Adobe Kicks Off School Innovation Awards</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22103/</link><description><![CDATA[Adobe this week kicked off its 2008 School Innovation Awards program, a competition in which high school students in accredited private and public schools can submit creative projects to win prizes, including Adobe software, cash, or a Levono laptop.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Print-Limit Pro 8 Adds Leopard Support, Group Management</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22095/</link><description><![CDATA[GenevaLogic this week released an update to Print-Limit Pro, the company's system for managing the use of printers in K-12 schools and higher education. The new version 8.0 adds native support for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and includes expanded management and administrative functionality.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>North Dakota To Roll Out Special Ed Management System</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22092/</link><description><![CDATA[The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) has signed on with Maximus for a $1 million state-wide implementation of TIENET, a special education case management system.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Kewanee District Adopts Disaster Recovery for Mixed Computing Environment</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22091/</link><description><![CDATA[Kewanee Community Unit School District 229 in Illinois has adopted a new disaster recovery system for its students' computers. Kewanee chose Drive Vaccine from Horizon DataSys, a special version of the company's flagship Rollback Rx Pro disaster recovery suite tailored for education.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>IBM Launches Free 3D Multiplayer Virtual Science Game To Push Engineering</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22076/</link><description><![CDATA[IBM is launching a free multiplayer online game, challenging teenagers to help save the planet "Helios" from ecological disaster. PowerUp, which can be played alone or together, is intended to interest students in studying engineering. The game features a planet in near ecological ruin, where three missions for solar, wind, and water power must be solved before sandstorms, floods or SmogGobs thwart the rescue.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Apple Releases Xsan 2; MacBook Firmware Also Updated</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22081/</link><description><![CDATA[Apple this week released an update to Xsan, the company's 64-bit storage-area network solution designed to allow workstations and Xserve systems to share RAID storage over Fibre Channel networks. The new version adds workflow enhancements across the board and also introduces a new feature called MultiSAN.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Query Language for Web Apps Expanded by W3C</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22066/</link><description><![CDATA[The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which develops web standards, published three new semantic web standards for SPARQL (pronounced "sparkle"), a query language. SPARQL queries hid the details of data management, which makes it easier for users to access multiple data sources.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Blogging Tool for Mac OS X Updated</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22063/</link><description><![CDATA[Red Sweater Software has released an update to MarsEdit, a blog editing tool for Mac OS X. The new 2.1.2 release, posted Feb. 13, includes several enhancements to tagging posts, previewing content, and managing blog entry drafts.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Free Internet Filtering Service Launches</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22059/</link><description><![CDATA[Free DNS service provider OpenDNS has launched its new, free Web filtering solution targeted toward education. The service taps into the expertise of IT professionals to create categories of Web sites that can be blocked by administrators with the click of a button (or two).]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Director 11 Coming in March</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22078/</link><description><![CDATA[Adobe this week announced the impending release of Director 11, the first major update to the company's multimedia authoring tool in about four years. The new version expands 3D features with a new physics engine and new DirectX support and also introduces parity between JavaScript and Lingo for scripting. The new version will ship in March for Mac OS X (Intel) and Windows.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Microsoft 'DreamSpark' Makes Software Free for Students</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22070/</link><description><![CDATA[Microsoft has announced a software giveaway program targeted to college and high school students. "DreamSpark" makes available, at no charge, a number of development and design programs for download. The program is now available to more than 35 million college students in Belgium, China, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and the United States. ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Library of Congress Taps Flickr Users To Tag Historic Photos</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22068/</link><description><![CDATA[The Library of Congress has launched a pilot program with photo-sharing site Flickr to enable people to enhance the metadata on visual materials in its collection.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>MoveOn, Facebook Partner To Reach Young Voters</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22067/</link><description><![CDATA[MoveOn.org, the liberal political action organization, is getting into the Web 2.0 tools business with the launch of a couple of online services. The League of Young Voters worked with MoveOn to create the League of Young Voters Primary, a Facebook application to encourage young people to share their political preferences and comment on the latest information about the candidates.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Homework or Busywork? Attitudes Soften, but Quality Still Questioned</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22058/</link><description><![CDATA[Educators might be striking a happy balance between homework that's assigned to promote learning and homework that's perceived by students and parents as "busywork." As recently as 2002, a vast 74 percent of secondary students described their homework as busywork. Now, however, that's down significantly, with just 30 percent holding that attitude, according to a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive, the "MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: The Homework Experience." But it also showed a "disconnect" between teachers and parents on the quality of assignments.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Lotus Mashups To Be Free for Academics</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22054/</link><description><![CDATA[IBM announced Thursday that its commercial mashup software Lotus Mashups will be made free for academic users when it's released later this year. The move is part of the company's plan to expand its Academic Initiative in 2008.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>WSO2 Unveils Open Source Mashup Server</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22064/</link><description><![CDATA[WSO2 is offering a new open source mashup server and has rolled out a beta of a new hosted mashup service. Both fall under Apache open source licensing and the WSO2 Mashup Server 1.0 represents "the first open source [server] solution for mashups," according to Jonathan Marsh, WSO2's director of mashups.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>eCopy Launches Document Management Tools for Education</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22051/</link><description><![CDATA[Software developer eCopy this week debuted a new line of document imaging and management solutions targeted toward education. The line includes three suites designed to automate document workflows, reduce paper waste, and integrate with systems common in colleges, universities, and K-12 schools, including popular multifunction printers and network scanners.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Microsoft To Pilot 'Intellectual Property Rights Education' Curriculum</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22050/</link><description><![CDATA[Following on the heels of its newly released survey on illegal downloading among students, Microsoft this week announced that it will launch a new curriculum for middle school and high school students focusing on intellectual property.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Blackboard Trial Against Desire2Learn Goes to Court</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22052/</link><description><![CDATA[Just a week after higher education software maker Blackboard announced "tremendous" financial results for the year, it is finally facing off in a small-town Texas court against rival Desire2Learn in a patent dispute over e-learning software. Blackboard is seeking $17 million in lost revenue as well as an injunction against the company, which is based in Canada.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 14 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>PA Educators Receive $100,000 Verizon Grant</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22028/</link><description><![CDATA[The Verizon Foundation has awarded $100,000 to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The grant will be used to provide access to Thinkfinity resources and training for teachers in the use of those resources and to raise awareness of the Thinkfinity service.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 14 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>OSLN Grant Focuses STEM Education on Low Income Students in Ohio</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22027/</link><description><![CDATA[The Ohio Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Learning Network (OSLN) has received a $12 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to promote 21st century learning and STEM education. The grant, according to the organization, is part of a $50 million cooperative effort between public and private institutions.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 14 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Sun To Acquire Virtualization Developer</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22042/</link><description><![CDATA[Sun Microsystems yesterday announced plans to purchase German software developer innotek, the maker of VirtualBox, a set of open source x86 virtualization tools for home and enterprise users. The announcement comes less than a month after the signing of Sun's $1 billion definitive agreement to acquire open source database developer MySQL. Terms of this latest deal have not been disclosed.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 13 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Smart Debuts Classroom Document Camera</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22033/</link><description><![CDATA[Education developer Smart Technologies has debuted a new document camera designed specifically for classroom settings. The new model, set to ship this spring, incorporates an adjustable head for scanning any kind of physical object from a wide range of angles and features integration with existing classroom presentation technologies.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 13 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>CPS Renews SchoolNet for Instructional Management</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22029/</link><description><![CDATA[The Chicago Public School system has renewed its contract with Schoolnet, according to information released by the company this week. Schoolnet provides data, assessment, and curriculum management services and technologies through its Schoolnet Instructional Management Solution. The new deal renews Schoolnet's contract as the provider of the district's curriculum and instructional management system for three more years.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 13 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Elluminate Builds Bridge to Moodle</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22037/</link><description><![CDATA[Collaborative technology developer Elluminate has brought its Live! virtual classroom software to the Moodle platform. The company released a piece of software Tuesday called Elluminate Bridge for Moodle, which is designed to integrate Live! into the open-source learning management system.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>ALEKS Debuts Online Math System</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22026/</link><description><![CDATA[Education technology developer ALEKS has debuted a new online math tool called QuickTables. Targeted toward grade 3 and up, the system is designed to provide math practice coupled with individualized assessments for immediate remediation.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Sony Kicks Off High School Video Contest</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22025/</link><description><![CDATA[Sony Creative Software, developer of the Vegas video production suite, has opened up its first Technology in Motion: Vision of the Future video contest for high schoolers. The competition includes $20,000 in prizes per winner for original video creations. Free software and other materials are being provided to participating schools.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>OpenDNS To Launch Free Web Filtering for Education</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21995/</link><description><![CDATA[Just what is "people-powered security?" It's how OpenDNS describes its forthcoming Web filtering solution targeted toward education. The service, set to launch later this month, taps into the expertise of IT professionals in schools (and in the private sector) to create a sort of reverse social tagging, blocking potentially dangerous sites based on users' experiences. Like all of OpenDNS' services, this new one is free, including support for deployment and integration in existing campus infrastructures.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>RM Rolls Out Classroom Science Gear, New Whiteboard Software</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22024/</link><description><![CDATA[RM Educational Software has released four new educational devices in its TTS ("Teaching Technology Skills") line of classroom science gear, including a camera with scope adapter and robots designed for K-6 students. The company has also released version 3.4 of its RM Easiteach classroom software.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Missouri School District Goes High Tech with Emergency Planning</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21998/</link><description><![CDATA[The Hannibal School District in Missouri is the latest to take advantage of an all-hazards preparedness program offered free to public and private schools in the state by the Missouri Office of Homeland Security.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Unwanted Attention More Common in Chat Rooms and IM than Social Networking Sites</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21997/</link><description><![CDATA[A study just published in the journal Pediatrics reports that young people are more likely to be exposed to unwanted solicitations in instant messaging (IM) and chat rooms than through social networking sites.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Alabama School District Implements Emergency Alert as Part of VoIP Rollout</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21999/</link><description><![CDATA[Alabama's Elmore County Public School District has completed its installation of an Internet protocol (IP) communications platform, which integrates district-wide emergency alert capabilities.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>SecureVue Rolls Out in Appliance Form</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21993/</link><description><![CDATA[eIQnetworks has released its flagship security and compliance product, SecureVue, in appliance versions, one a central server and the other a regional server. SecureVue 3000 Central Server has 1.8 terabyte storage capacity and supports up to 15,000 events per second. The SecureVue 2000 Regional Server-- deployed in conjunction with the SecureVue 3000 Central Server for distributed environments--offers 1 TB storage capacity and supports up to 6,000 events per second.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>eChalk, Thinkronize Partner for Online Learning</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22000/</link><description><![CDATA[At the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) conference in Austin this week, education technology developer Thrinkronize announced several new initiatives, including an education partnership with eChalk and integration with Lightspeed Systems' Total Traffic Control security system.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 07 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Internet Traffic Control Software Enhanced</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21996/</link><description><![CDATA[Lightspeed Systems, a company that makes security programs for the educational market, announced a new release of Total Traffic Control, which controls access to the Internet. The application's core functionality includes content filtering, spam management, bandwidth management, reporting, anti-virus, message journaling, and layered security.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 07 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Network Access Control Adds Self-Service Registration for Users and Devices</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21994/</link><description><![CDATA[Lockdown Networks has upgraded its network access control (NAC) solution, Lockdown Enforcer, implementing new features that simplify initial setup and user and device registration. A NAC ensures that only authorized users and policy-compliant devices can be added to an enterprise networks and provides a centralized mechanism for responding to malware outbreaks and other security events.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 07 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>FileMaker Server 9v3 Adds Leopard Support</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21990/</link><description><![CDATA[FileMaker this week released updates to its FileMaker Server and FileMaker Server Advanced database software, bringing them up to speed with their desktop counterparts. The new v3 releases include Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard support, along with numerous fixes for both Mac OS X and Windows.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 07 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Accessible eLearning: School for Deaf Deploys D2L</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21986/</link><description><![CDATA[Washington School for the Deaf in Vancouver, WA is making the move to provide educational services to deaf and hard of hearing students regardless of location. The statewide educational agency has adopted the Desire2Learn learning management system in an effort to provide direct instruction to students from around the state.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 06 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>JumpBox Brings PmWiki to Virtual Environments</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21985/</link><description><![CDATA[JumpBox this week released JumpBox for PmWiki, a bundled software tool that combines support for virtual computing environments with open-source wiki functionality. ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 06 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Blog Editor Adds Tagging Support</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21984/</link><description><![CDATA[Red Sweater Software has released an update to MarsEdit, a blog editing tool for Mac OS X. The new 2.1.1 release, posted Monday, includes several enhancements to tagging posts, previewing content, and managing blog entry drafts.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 06 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Palm Beach County Gets Its Game On</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21980/</link><description><![CDATA[The School District of Palm Beach County is giving educational gaming a shot. Three of the district's middle schools will be deploying Tabula Digita's DimensionM in an effort to to make complex mathematical concepts fun to learn for students.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 06 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Blackboard Academic Suite 8 Integrates Plagiarism Prevention</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21982/</link><description><![CDATA[Blackboard has released version 8 of the Blackboard Academic Suite 8. The latest release of the learning management system for academic institutions adds a variety of enhancements driven in large part by feedback from the user community, including improvements for administrators and IT, student self- and peer assessments, improved grading features, and the integration of Blackboard's SafeAssign, a plagiarism detection and prevention service.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 05 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>St. Bernard Debuts h-Series Security Appliances</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21979/</link><description><![CDATA[St. Bernard Software this week launched a new line of security appliances, the new iPrism h-Series. Designed for enterprises of all sizes, the new models boast a 200 percent performance increase over their predecessors, according to the company.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 05 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Windows Server 2008, Vista SP1 Released to Manufacturing</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21978/</link><description><![CDATA[Microsoft Monday announced that two of its most important products of the last half-decade are complete and ready to be shipped. Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista Service Pack 1 were released to manufacturing (RTM), marking a dual milestone in the history of both products. It also means that Windows 2008 will be officially shipping by the "Global Launch Wave" of enterprise products on Feb. 27. Others include Visual Studio 2008, released last year, and SQL Server 2008, which was recently pushed back to Q3.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 05 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Rapid Intake Rolls Out eLearning Development Platform</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21977/</link><description><![CDATA[Rapid Intake, an eLearning solution provider, has launched a new-Web-based platform for collaborative development of eLearning projects. The new tool, Unison, debuted Monday at the Training 2008 Conference & Expo.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 05 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Bush Budget Cuts EETT</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21975/</link><description><![CDATA[EETT is once again on the chopping block. In a proposed budget from the Bush administration released Feb. 4, the Enhancing Education Through Technology program (EETT) was listed among the programs recommended for zero funding. EETT is part of Title II D of the No Child Left Behind Act, designed to support the deployment and integration of educational technology into classroom instruction.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 04 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Tennessee Department of Education Opts for Oracle</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21973/</link><description><![CDATA[The Tennessee Department of Education has begun implementing a new strategy in data governance. In an effort to improve efficiency in student and teacher data collection and to streamline reporting, the department has deployed several solutions from Oracle, including data warehousing, business intelligence, and portal technologies.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 04 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Which Technologies Will Shape Education in 2008?</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21972/</link><description><![CDATA[Mobile broadband, collaborative Web technologies, and mashups will all significantly impact education over the next five years, along with "grassroots" video, collective intelligence, and "social operating systems." This according to a new report released last week by the New Media Consortium and the Educause Learning Initiative, the 2008 Horizon Report. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 04 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>GlobalScholar.com To Acquire Excelsior</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21971/</link><description><![CDATA[GlobalScholar.com, a developer of education-focused Web resources, announced late last week that it's secured $27 million in funding and that it's now in a deal to acquire Excelsior Software, a developer of K-12 assessment management solutions.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 04 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>HP, Microsoft Debut 'Teacher Experience Exchange'</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21968/</link><description><![CDATA[HP and Microsoft are launching a new online center targeted specifically toward K-12 teachers in schools that have standardized on the Windows platform. Dubbed the "Teacher Experience Exchange," the service is designed to provide forums for discussion and sharing, as well as content for helping teachers prepare for using technology in instruction. ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Orchard Taps PracticePlanet for Intervention Strategies</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21967/</link><description><![CDATA[Education software developer Siboney Learning Group has updated Orchard, the company's targeted instruction software for math, language arts, and science for K-9. Enhancements to the software include expanded platform support, a variety of design tweaks, and a new technology that ties in the company's PracticePlanet service to help generate data for developing intervention strategies.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Joyent's Hosted Apps Back Up, Going Open Source</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21946/</link><description><![CDATA[After a more than week-long crash of a server hosting two of its inexpensive Web-based services, Strongspace and BingoDisk, Joyent is taking steps to address customer complaints following the outages--and taking both applications open source.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Office 2003 SP3 To Be Pushed Out in February</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21947/</link><description><![CDATA[Don't want Office 2003 SP3 rolled out across your desktops next month? Then make sure you don't have Microsoft Update set to automatic.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Teachscape Expands Professional Development for Instructional Leaders</title><link>http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21945/</link><description><![CDATA[Professional development provider Teachscape has launched a new "Adolescent Literacy" program and also launched its new Instructional Decision Making and Planning Institute, a service focusing on developing approaches for instructional leaders to enhance student learning. Both announcements were made last week at the FETC 2008 co