teacher

Attractive education scheduler

School Calendar is an attractive program that allows users to track multiple school schedules. Although we liked its design, we had trouble getting a sense of who the program is made for and how it could be most effectively used.

At its heart, School Calendar is similar to many other scheduling applications we've seen, with a variety of different calendar views, the ability to schedule reminders, and so on. The program's interface is quite sleek and is reminiscent of Office 2007 products; our first impression was positive. Once we started exploring School Calendar, however, we got a little … Read more

Clunky academic support

Perhaps nothing--except salaries--speaks to the second-class status of teachers in America like the software we give them. While the rest of the world enjoys at least Windows XP-level GUIs, more often than not teachers barely rate Windows 3.1. Gradebook Power, sadly, is no exception.

Teachers can set up classes, add students to classes, set grading scales, create assignments, record grades, manage attendance, and design seating charts. Compared with paper records, Gradebook Power may be an improvement. But the confusing design, strange naming choices, and cramped interface make any lead very slight indeed.

The application overall is poorly designed and … Read more

Start-up helps teachers learn their lesson

What do you get when you cross teachers, tech, and social networking? A BetterLesson.

Although not the first or the only Web site that hooks teachers up with friends and new curriculum, BetterLesson takes a different approach.

"Teachers mine content on other sites," says Erin Osborn, the field director for BetterLesson, based in Somerville, Mass.

But here, teachers are compelled to create and add content, she says. The Web site, still in beta, has been built with a curriculum organizing and filing system specifically for teachers, that's done using cloud computing, so teachers don't need to … Read more

Visual aid designer

SMART Ideas Concept-Mapping Software offers a surprisingly simple way to create elaborate visual aids. With simple commands and quick results, anyone from teachers to business people will find this useful.

The program's interface may require a trip to the Help file for rookies, but it won't be long before they are working on their own. With simple command icons, an intuitive layout, and fantastic design templates, users will soon feel very comfortable here. The best place to start designing is within a template. The program provides dozens of choices from business-, science-, and productivity-themed pages to create diagrams. … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 970: Printer porn

Cooley needs a cigarette after a personal moment related to the wonder of band printers and the glory of dot-matrix. Who knew? We also have a good long talk about how soon physical papers will disappear and teach Rafe all about the Konami Code.

Listen now: Download today's podcast Episode 970

Murdoch: Web sites to charge for content http://edition.cnn.com/2009/BUSINESS/05/07/murdoch.web.content/

Analyst: AT&T likely to cut $69 iPhone service plan by $10 http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10235782-94.html

AT&T, VZW are no longer immune to the recession – … Read more

Portable-media players acting as teaching tools

Every once in a while, my black and shriveled heart is momentarily warmed by a piece of news coming from a tech company. Today is one of those rare occasions. I received an e-mail from Nextar informing me of the company's decision to donate a shipment of its MA715 MP3 players to the One Media Player per Teacher (OMPT) program.

It's always nice to hear about an act of generosity, but I was even more pleased to be made aware of OMPT. The innovative program provides portable-media players, speakers, and solar chargers to teachers in remote areas. The … Read more

Felony charges dropped against teacher in porn/spyware case

A Connecticut substitute teacher arrested four years ago for allegedly showing students porn on a classroom computer has been cleared of the felony charges--for now--after experts pointed the finger at spyware.

Julie Amero, 41, agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct, pay a $100 fine, and surrendered her teaching license, according to the Hartford Courant. The ordeal left her hospitalized for stress and heart problems, the report said.

The Superior Court judge in Norwich on Friday tossed out the charges that she had endangered children by intentionally causing "pop-up" pornography to display on her … Read more

iPhone Typing Teacher Application Debuts

Typing Genius, newly available through the App Store, is a new typing tutor for the iPhone that includes 50 randomized exercises in 17 categories. Key statistics are provided and tracked allowing users to see how they perform in normal mode, landscape, and without auto-correction. Tips regarding hidden shortcuts are also included.

The application's developer boasts "Most iPhone or iPod Touch users type at an average rate of 30-50 CPM (characters per minute). Typing Genius can assist you in reaching an average of 100-150CPM."

A number of other typing tutor applications for the iPhone exist, but none are … Read more

The 404 124: Where Fox News is giving us something good to talk about

In a follow-up to our newest "It came from Fox News" segment, actual Fox news anchor Clayton Morris drops by the studio today and dishes out his views on digital privacy in the workplace, making the switch, the perpetual woes of iPhone ineptitude, and the ancient practice of group shaving. If that isn't enough, we also conclusively prove that living well is the best revenge. EPISODE 124 Download today's podcast