U.S. ramps up efforts to improve STEM education
Big Deals: Advanced offerings in curriculum and data analytics, parent communication, remote tutoring, and more
Discovery Education acquires Dreambox Learning; SchoolStatus acquires ClassTag; and Carnegie Learning Reaches New Milestone
Intel awards $1 million to schools
Things are looking up for America’s innovative and dedicated STEM schools, thanks to Intel Education’s over $1 million donation to six math and science schools as part of…
Microsoft releases newest version of web browser
Microsoft has released the latest version of its web browser, saying that it would work at faster speeds, deliver better graphics, and be less obtrusive to users, Reuters…
New Dell touch-screen flips from tablet to netbook
Dell showed off a 10-inch Windows-based hybrid tablet at the Intel Developer Forum on Sept. 14, boasting a slick design that allows it to be converted into a…
Publishing giant makes $400M commitment to ed tech
Educational publishing giant Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) is making a $400 million investment to back up the company's increasing emphasis on putting more technology into classrooms. The reason,…
Are open textbooks gaining momentum in higher ed?
Officials from open-license textbook publisher Flat World Knowledge say more than 1,300 instructors at 800 colleges and universities will use their books this fall semester—doubling the 400 institutions…
Former Leapfrog, Blackboard exec joins DreamBox Learning as new CEO
DreamBox Learning has hired Jessie Woolley-Wilson as its new CEO, an appointment that comes four months after the Bellevue, Wash., online education startup was sold to an investment…
PC industry’s woes could mean bargains this fall
If you're looking for bargains on computers, bad news from the tech industry could be good for your pocketbook, reports the Associated Press.
Mac-based districts could face SIS quandary
Education industry giant Pearson says its PowerSchool student information system will cease to support Macintosh database servers by Dec. 31, forcing Mac-using districts to make some tough decisions.
Intel to buy McAfee in $7.68 billion deal
Intel Corp. is buying computer-security software maker McAfee Inc. for $7.68 billion as the chip-maker adds to its arsenal of tools to serve an increasing array of internet-connected…
Democrats push for FCC power over internet
A group of four Democratic politicians claims that a proposal announced last week by Google and Verizon does not give the federal government enough authority to regulate the…
Technology takes formative assessment to a whole new level
Promethean has unveiled new software that could take student response system technology to a whole new level—something the company calls “real-time personalized intervention.”
Android sales outpacing iPhone
For the first time ever, sales of Android handsets have outpaced those of the Apple iPhone, reports Yahoo News.
$200 textbook vs. free: You do the math
Two founders of Sun Microsystems have created nonprofit organizations to bring open-source textbooks to kindergarten through high school classes, reports the New York Times.
Bing and Google in a race for search features
While Google is dominant in search, it has been watching Microsoft’s Bing and in some cases mimicking some of Bing’s innovations, reports the New York Times.
In ruling on iPhones, Apple loses a bit of its grip
Apple likes to maintain tight control over what programs can appear on the iPhone--a task that just became a little bit harder, reports the New York Times: The…
Update: Google touts encrypted search fix
Responding to concerns from education technology officials, internet search giant Google Inc. has moved its encrypted search feature to a new domain name. The move is intended to…
K12 Inc. announces acquisition of KC Distance Learning
K12 Inc., one of the nation's largest providers of proprietary curriculum and online school programs for students in kindergarten through high school, has announced an all-stock acquisition of…
Dell to pay $100 million settlement
Dell, several former executives, and its founder, Michael S. Dell, agreed on July 22 to pay more than $100 million in penalties to settle charges of disclosure accounting…
Amazon: Kindle titles outpacing hardcovers
The Amazon.com Kindle eReader and bookstore have reached a "tipping point," the company said July 19, with Kindle titles outselling hardcover books on the massive online marketplace for…
Nokia Siemens agrees to pay cash for division of Motorola
Nokia Siemens Networks said July 19 that it had agreed to buy the wireless-network equipment division of Motorola for $1.2 billion in cash, the New York Times reports.
Blackboard to include McGraw-Hill content
Blackboard Inc., a provider of software to schools and colleges, on July 14 said it will make content and learning technology from The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. available to…
Student programmers solve real-world challenges
An interface that allows hearing-impaired people to communicate with others using an augmented-reality environment took home the grand prize of $25,000 in the eighth annual Imagine Cup Worldwide…
Apple says iPhones overstate signal strength
Apple Inc. said its iPhones overstate wireless network signal strength and promised to fix the glitch in the coming weeks, Reuters reports.
Google rumored to be building a Facebook competitor
Silicon Valley is speculating that Google is working on a social network to compete with Facebook, called Google Me, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Google Apps for Education wins over Iowa and Colorado
Google Apps for Education, a version of Google’s web-based application and productivity suite tailored for educational institutions, has won the endorsement of the states of Iowa and Colorado,…
Microsoft’s Imagine Cup aims to inspire creativity
As the world's best soccer players battle for the World Cup in South Africa, an elite group of student engineers will gather in Poland from July 3-8 to…
Microsoft pulls plug on Kin social-networking phones
Microsoft has pulled the plug on a new generation of smart phones aimed at young consumers, less than three months after unveiling the devices that were part of…
Hulu launches $10 video subscription service
Online video site Hulu, under pressure from its media company parents to generate a bigger profit, launched a subscription service Tuesday with complete access to back episodes of…
Stores see Google as ally in e-book market
Independent bookstores were battered first by discount chains like Barnes & Noble, then by super-efficient web retailers like Amazon.com. Now the electronic book age is dawning. With this…
In faulty-computer suit, window to Dell decline
After the math department at the University of Texas noticed some of its Dell computers failing, Dell examined the machines. The company came up with an unusual reason…
Google changes China access after Beijing objects
Google Inc. said Tuesday it will stop automatically routing users in China to its Hong Kong site after Beijing threatened the company with the loss of its Internet…
Early iPhone 4 owners in grip of reception problem
Apple Inc. redesigned the fourth generation of its smart phone, replacing sloping edges with a stainless steel band that wraps around the more squared-off sides. The metal band…
Finally–schools to get long-delayed FCAT scores
According to South Florida News, South Florida school districts which have been waiting for results from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) will receive them late Monday or…
Business school swaps Google Apps for Microsoft Live@edu
A French business school plans to trade Google Apps, used by around half its staff and students, for Microsoft's rival Live@edu service, IDG News Service reports.
Major copyright ruling a victory for ‘user-generated content’
