Bill Gates: Teachers need real feedback. Major Grant to Anchor "Technology Academy" for Missouri School Leaders. Carol RavaBill & Melinda Gates FoundationPhone: 206.709.3100Email: media@gatesfoundation.org JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri has received a major grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help public and private school officials learn to use the power of new technology to improve teaching and learning.
At a news conference today in Jefferson City, Commissioner of Education D. Kent King announced that Missouri has received the initial installment of a $2.7 million grant for a three-year effort to create a statewide "Technology Leadership Academy" for superintendents and principals in both public and private schools. The project will begin this fall with about 400 superintendents and principals who are now being recruited. Every participant will receive a laptop computer to use during the course of the project. Missouri is among more than 20 states chosen so far to take part in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's State Challenge Grants for Leadership Development Program. Dr. Bill Gates invests in program to help teachers discover and share education technology.
There are all kinds of geeky ways teachers can use technology to help their students perform better and learn more.
One big problem, however, is that often times instructors either don’t know where to find these tools or just don’t understand how to use them. That’s exactly where Bill Gates wants to lend a helping hand. The Microsoft co-founder recently made a multi-million dollar investment in Graphite, a partnership between Gates and non-profit Common Sense Media that provides a free resource for teachers to find new apps, games and websites to enrich their classes. “There’s a lot of amazing work going on, but teachers need more support to understand what’s out there, what works, and how to use it,” Gates wrote in this blog post. The site offers reviews and ratings on specific apps and programs, with opinions from a community of teachers on what works and what does not.
6 Tools for Teachers. Technology has changed a lot about the way we live and work, but one area stands out as an exception: education.
Many teachers still have to use the same tools—blackboards, textbooks, overhead projectors—that their own teachers used decades ago. That’s beginning to change. New apps, games, and websites are helping teachers work with their students in new ways and making it easier for them to connect with their colleagues. At the same time, states and districts are increasingly focused on giving teachers better feedback and doing more to help them keep learning. And reforms like the Common Core State Standards are creating a nationwide market that is encouraging more companies to develop innovative tools for teachers. Thanks to these three trends, I think that in five years the average quality of instruction in America’s schools will be meaningfully better than it is today. I recently had the chance to spend time with some of the new technology products being designed for teachers. International Society for Technology in Education receives $1,050,000 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Funding will allow educational technology research center to become a key information resource EUGENE, Oregon -- The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), in conjunction with Educational Support Systems (ESS), announced today it has received $1,050,000 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to establish the Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology (CARET).
"The CARET project will translate research language into plain English so that valuable knowledge can be put to use helping all students achieve," said ISTE CEO John Vaille. "CARET has performed careful analysis of how technology is used and accessed in schools today. Our first target is to address educators' most critical information needs expressed by their participation in this technology study.
" "This gift provides a great kick-start to CARET," said ESS President John Cradler. ISTE is a nonprofit professional organization supporting a worldwide membership of educators using technology.