IPPN

Panel Notices 2009 [INTO.ie]

Published: 20 August 2009

Please note the important changes to the way the Redeployment Panel is operating this year as previously advised to all schools. Also included below are the timetable of Key Actions for the Panels which is part of the Staffing Schedule (Circular 002/2009) available on the Department's website www.education.ie and you are urged you to familiarise yourself with the various responsibilities contained therein.

Key Actions and dates for the operation of the redeployment panels
The revised procedures set out agreed timeframes that will help improve the operation of the redeployment panels. The revised procedures are available on the Department's website.

Click here to link to the panel list for 19 August 2009 (Panel updates are obtained from the DES when available)

Full Story: http://www.into.ie/

New students warned that fees are on the way [Independent.ie]

Published: 20 August 2009

STUDENTS starting college are being officially advised that they may have to pay for their tuition from next year.

Third-level colleges have been told to inform the new intake of students about a possible government decision on some form of fees.

The Higher Education Authority has sent a letter to third-level colleges stating that incoming students "should now be on notice that in the event of a government decision to introduce a new form of student contribution from a future point in time, any such arrangements are liable to apply, from that time, to students who enter higher education this year".

Full Story: http://www.independent.ie/

many primary and secondary schools plus individual educators that care passionately about technology in the classroom [SiliconRepublic.com]

Published: 20 August 2009

DESPITE last week's figures telling us that dropout rates were rising across third-level science and technology courses, there are many primary and secondary schools plus individual educators that care passionately about technology in the classroom and e-learning.

We are not naÃ¯ve enough to hope that educational blogging promises to deliver highly skilled science graduates of the future, but it acts as a good starting point.

Think for Yourself - http://thinkforyourself.ie/

Noel Cunningham is a physics teacher and a member of the International Edu Bloggers Directory. In this blog, he waxes educational on physics for Junior and Leaving Cert students, ranging from exam tips to discussing recent topical science-related news.

Full Story: http://www.siliconrepublic.com/

Study Finds That Online Education Beats the Classroom [NYTimes]

Published: 20 August 2009

A recent 93-page report on online education, conducted by SRI International for the Department of Education, has a starchy academic title, but a most intriguing conclusion: "On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction."

Noah Berger for The New York Times Tyler Kennedy, 9, searches the Web at home in California.

The report examined the comparative research on online versus traditional classroom teaching from 1996 to 2008. Some of it was in K-12 settings, but most of the comparative studies were done in colleges and adult continuing-education programs of various kinds, from medical training to the military.

Over the 12-year span, the report found 99 studies in which there were quantitative comparisons of online and classroom performance for the same courses. The analysis for the Department of Education found that, on average, students doing some or all of the course online would rank in the 59th percentile in tested performance, compared with the average classroom student scoring in the 50th percentile. That is a modest but statistically meaningful difference.

Full Story: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/

Data System Is Now Supported by Most Principals, Survey Says [NYTimes]

Published: 20 August 2009

* Future trends for Irish Principals? *

Most New York City principals believe that an $80 million data system at the heart of efforts to strengthen student performance will improve teaching and learning in city schools, but some say it is riddled with problems and not worth the cost, according to a report to be released by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum on Thursday.

The Achievement Reporting and Innovation System, known as ARIS, is billed as a tool that allows educators to share ideas via blogs, pinpoint deficiencies in learning and tailor instruction to each student. It also gives parents with an Internet connection the opportunity to keep up with their child's grades and test scores from home.

But for some educators, it is more annoyance than solution. Shortly after the city hired I.B.M. to develop the system in 2007, technical kinks developed and teachers complained that training took up valuable time.

Full Story: http://www.nytimes.com/