Search form

Back to Blog

President to Bring High-Speed Internet to Schools

In an effort to boost achievement and better prepare students for the workforce, President Obama is spearheading a program that will bring high-speed Internet access to 99 percent of America's K-12 schools.

Dubbed ConnectED, the program aims to accomplish its goal in the next five years. In addition to bringing Internet speeds of at least 100 Mbps and as high as 1Gbps, the program will provide comprehensive training to teachers so that they are up-to-speed on best practices for using the Web in class.

A particular focus of ConnectED will be rural schools that have difficulty accessing the Internet. In a statement, Obama was clear that getting students connected and teachers trained is a priority. "We are living in a digital age, and to help our students get ahead, we must make sure they have access to cutting-edge technology," he said. "So today, I'm issuing a new challenge for America -- one that families, businesses, school districts and the federal government can rally around together -- to connect virtually every student in America's classrooms to high-speed broadband Internet within five years, and equip them with the tools to make the most of it."

More

First Day of Spring: Get Busy

It is the first day of Spring! Get busy!

Here is my "To Do" List.

1. Clean off the top of my desk! Simplify the piles!
2. Clean out the old journals and extra copies of everything; I don't need them! Toss them and simplify winter clutter!
3. Sharpen the pencils and toss out the pens that have run dry. Do I really need this many?
4. Toss out...

Relating: Busy Students/Busy Faculty

  • Because I work in a small high school with 120 students, we are busy with many events everyday. Here is a sample of how busy our students have been in the past two weeks! Please don't let anyone tell my students that they can't do it all! Let's remember that young people are indeed amazing! I admire and respect my students! They are amazing!
  1. 1. Production of Annie the musical with scores of students in scores of roles
  2. ...

Penny for your Thoughts!

Not an academic question but I was just wondering. Do you pick up a penny if you spot one on the sidewalk?

I do....and I still say the saying," Find a penny, pick it up. All day long, you'll have good luck." I thought I remember in order to be a recipient of the good luck, the penny had to be "heads up". I admit, I used to flip the "found" penny until it landed heads but now, I just pick up the sad, lost little piece of currency and take it home.
What do you do?
Gail
...

Even the Peanut has a History!

Perhaps, you might find my resource on the History of the Peanut of value to use with your students.March is National Peanut Month. My web quest," Learn about the Peanut!" is a fun/informative activity that helps develop skills such as reading for information and using research and computer skills. Comprehension questions, fun facts about the peanut and lots of extension activities (and the key) are included. A great activity for a Friday or when you need a...

What Finland Can Offer Gifted Education

I just finished reading a very interesting book called The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way by Amanda Ripley. The book details the adventures of three teens, who travel to three different countries, which according to international tests, have been most successful in teaching students to think critically.
While the countries achieved success in various ways, one of the countries, Finland, achieved academic success among its students by recruiting the best teachers...

Women's History Month

Women have made lots of contributions to our world yet for a very long time, women and their accomplishments were not given much mention in history books. My female students often asked me whether there were female explorers, queens in ancient history that accomplished things and women inventors,etc.

Women's History Month(March) is a great chance to highlight some of the many women that have made contributions to our world. Can you think of a woman that made a lasting impression on you...

April Fool's Day is Coming......

Introduce your students to the history of April Fool's Day.This resource provides a reading for students as well as lots of interesting famous April Fool's Day pranks (Ex: A video on a spaghetti harvest in the country of Switzerland caused people to call to ask where they could buy a spaghetti tree!) Extension activities,a Test your April Fool's Day IQ and comprehension questions. Great resource for April Fool's Day.

...

Relating: Blessings to Leadership

  • I recently read an amazing piece on a blog by Shira Leibowitz(@shiraleibowitz) and felt a need to share her ideas with other leaders! Thank you! She has ten principles that can guide us as we navigate the frequently turbulent waters of school initiatives and changes needed to move our schools forward for the students!

  • 1.Say yes to those who seek to experiment and try approaches new to them, and new to the school...

Relating: As a Leader

  • In the 60's we also reminded our leaders, "The times they are a chang'in", and that phrase is ever true in contemporary stressful school leadership situations; it is easy for the morale of any organization to take a dip when change occurs.
  • Morale dips are caused by multiple factors and influences. My experiences as a school leader have taught me that there are behaviors that academic leaders can do to build a positive morale within the school community. While not an exhaustive...

Relating: Alternatives to Academic...

  • "Alternatives to Penalizing Students for Not Doing Homework"
    (Originally titled The Problem with Penalties)
    in an article by a Canadian educator, the ugly truth about homework academic punishments was candidly revealed!
    Penalties that are administered with little regard to each students individual needs are antiquated and unprofessional, says Canadian educator Myron Dueck in this Educational Leadership article. Whether at home or school, influencing change in...

Pages