Center for Children & Technology

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Developing Indicators for 21st Century Learning

Cisco Systems has tapped CCT to develop and test a series of indicators that monitor change in how educational systems prepare administrators, teachers, and students for the 21st century. In addition, CCT will also determine the most efficient way to implement them. This research builds on our ongoing evaluation of the Cisco 21S Initiative, a large-scale reform effort bringing technology and professional development to schools in Mississippi and Louisiana. This new project extends our investigations into defining and assessing 21st century skills.

About CCT

At EDC's Center for Children and Technology, we investigate the roles that technology can play in improving teaching and learning within children's classrooms, schools and communities. We also design and develop technology applications that support engaged, active learning and student-centered teaching practices. Our work seeks to inform stakeholders at across the educational system and shape programs and polices at the local, regional and national levels.

News and Announcements

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Picturing Modern America Selected for EDSITEment

Picturing Modern America was recently selected for inclusion on EDSITEment as "one of the best online resources for education in the humanities." EDSITEment is a clearinghouse for teachers, parents, and students across the country seeking humanities education websites. Picturing Modern America, which was created in 2003, was nominated for inclusion in response to an open call for nominations posted on humanities listservs. The site was then reviewed by a peer review panel for "intellectual quality, content, design, and most importantly, classroom impact."

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Presenting about Evaluation at Scale in Vienna

We're in Vienna, Austria this week (senior rsearcher Harouna Ba that is) to present at AACE's ED-MEDIA World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia &Telecommunications. Dr. Ba presents a paper on Tuesday, July 1, detailing our ongoing Cisco 21S Initiative evaluation in Mississippi and Louisiana. Harouna will describe lessons learned about effective ways to implement, evaluate, scale, and sustain a large scale education technology project, discussing research methodologies and findings from the first two years of the project and available literature. (The paper co-authors include, Alison Boyd, Terri Meade, Tara Weatherholt, and Ashley Lewis, as well as William Fowler of Cisco Systems.)

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JAM 2008 - Transforming STEM

The National Science Foundation's Division of Human Resource Development held its Joint Annual Meeting (JAM), which gathers the many project leaders whose programs fall under division's direction. This year's theme is "Transforming STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). While CCT Senior Scientist Babette Moeller did not present at the meeting, her work is well reprsented within the Division. The User-Centered Digital Library Project is enabling users (teachers and students with disabilities) to conduct searches for accessible content on the Teachers' Domain digital library that is formatted to meet specific students’ needs. In addition, her Evaluation of EAST is examining a five-year effort to increase the number and diversity of students with disabilities receiving STEM degrees in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Both projects are funded through NSF DHRD's Research in Disabilities in Education program.