Online Learning Gains Momentum

Enthusiasm for online learning is growing among students and teachers, according to survey data from the education nonprofit group Project Tomorrow. The nationwide survey of more than 250,000 students, teachers and parents highlighted the following trends:

• 41% of K–12 students say online classes will have the greatest positive impact on their learning.
• 20% of teachers say online classes are important to boosting student achievement.
• 33% of students in grades 6–12 want to see more classroom use of Web 2.0 technologies, such as blogs, wikis and social networking sites.
• 26% of K–12 teachers say they prefer online learning for professional development.

Texting Battles Obesity

Texting Battles Obesity Reporting via text messages helps children stick to self- monitoring programs designed to fight obesity, according to a recent study from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. Of the 5- to 13-year-olds participating, those who texted reports on their exercise level and nutritional habits were less likely to drop out of the study (28 percent) than those who did not text (61 percent).

Required: Surfing and Searching

More than three-fourths of K–12 teachers say they or a colleague in their school assign homework that requires use of the Internet, reports Cable in the Classroom in a survey of 1,400 classroom teachers and library media specialists. Here’s a breakdown by school level of the percentage of teachers who send their students online:

• High School 89%
• Middle School 83%
• Elementary School 60%

Source: Cable in the Classroom and Grunwald Associates (October 2008)

Choose Your Online Friends Carefully

School IT administrators beware: Malware disguised as links to social networking sites is the top threat to network and data security in 2009, predicts Georgia Tech’s Information Security Center.

Source: GTISC, Emerging Cyber Threats Report for 2009 (October 2008)