North Carolina district prepares for technology overhaul
Educators in the Pamlico school system in North Carolina are preparing for a digital overhaul as they plan to spend $1.25 million in technology stimulus money awarded in September through an Enhancing Education Through Technology grant and the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus money. Laptops for middle-school and high-school students as well as iPod Touch technology for primary schools are all being considered for fall 2010. Pamlico administrators will also travel to other districts to find answers to technology-related questions. Joseph Spruil

Schools are using robotics to teach math and science
Educators in some Washington state schools are using robotics projects as a hands-on way for students to learn math and science as well as improve teamwork, innovation and problem-solving skills. Members of the business community hope the program will also spur an interest in science and technology careers. "It's so empowering to children to build something and program it to do something, and it does it. It's better than any video game," one teacher said. The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.)

Digital course-management tool is used to engage students
Connect, a new interactive course-management tool by McGraw-Hill, is being used by college professors and their students to share materials over the Internet. At a cost of about $40 a semester -- or $80 with a digital textbook included -- students have access to video lectures, class notes and practice exams that offer more questions in the areas where an individual student's scores are poorest. The Wall Street Journal (10/28)

Students learn from new, more interactive generation of video games
A trend to include gaming in school curricula has students playing a new generation of educational video games that are more social and interactive, allowing students to collaborate and solve problems related to the real world. Video game designers have integrated science, math and language concepts into game mechanics, so they no longer seem to students like schoolwork. The New York Times

Texting may help students improve informal writing skills
Despite a myriad of concerns about the increasing use of text messaging by teens, some teachers and researchers say texting does not interfere with students' ability to use language properly and may in fact help students better express themselves through informal writing. "Writing is good. Writing is expressing thoughts. Expressing thoughts is good. We just don't like their modality," says Larry Rosen, a researcher and author of a book on the issue. The Charlotte Observer (N.C.) (10/26)