Many online elementary and high schools in Colorado are failing to provide their students with a proper education, but tax payers are still spending $100 million on these programs this year. These tax dollars are also going towards paying for students who are no longer attending the schools.

This situation is bad for both the students who attend online schools and those who attend traditional schools. The online students are falling farther and farther behind their peers, while the traditional students are facing larger class sizes as online students transfer to traditional schools in order to find a higher quality of education. The traditional schools are also not receiving state funding to cover the expenses created by the influx of the online students because the virtual schools are keeping the state funding after the students leave.

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Have you ever needed to translate something into a different language and made a translation error that ended up being quite embarrassing?

Once, I was rushing to finish an essay for my Spanish class and used an online translator to finish it up. There were a few words that did not translate well and it was quite awful explaining to my teacher what I had done.

Now, I’m not condoning using an online translator to get a good grade in your foreign language classes, but translators can be a great tool in helping you complete assignments, look up words and better understand the language you are trying to learn.  That’s where Babylon comes into the picture.

Babylon is a computer software program that offers dictionary and translation services in 75 different languages with 1,400 sources. These multiple sources help guarantee that your translations will be accurate, even if you are using slang terms. Some of the languages that are offered include Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Spanish, and many more.

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Have you heard the old “fact” that boys are better at math and science than girls, but girls are better at reading and writing? For a long time, I thought this really was the truth. However, in reality, the two genders are actually equal in all fields when they begin elementary school.

Sadly, by the time the students are in 8th grade, boys are twice as likely as girls to be interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and the careers that can be formed from these education tracks. By high school, many girls are even less interested in these subjects and, therefore, are less likely to take AP classes while also more likely to have lower SAT scores on the math section of the tests.

So why do girls seem to have less of an interest in these subjects? According to True Child, it is because “these trends are connected to girls’ perception of STEM as masculine and their internalization of feminine norms. Girls are caught in a ‘double conformity’ bind, in which they must opt out of femininity or opt out of STEM.”

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For most young kids, superheroes are cool. Math is not cool. If only math were fun and could save the city from bad guys. Well the Numbers League app for iPads has used superhero powers to make basic math problems fun and entertaining, while also teaching children basic math skills.

The Numbers League game takes place in Infinity City, a futuristic world where bad guys lurk and the only force strong enough to stop them is the Numbers League. This team of superheroes uses the sum of their powers and strengths to fight the bad guys in a way that children are sure to enjoy. Parents can also get in on the fun because Numbers League allows up to four players to play at the same time.

Numbers League has three difficulty levels: simple addition, complex addition and basic subtraction, and negative numbers and simple multiplication. The different levels make it possible for both a five-year old child and a teenager to improve their math skills while still having fun.

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Ed Helms is an American comedian and actor who is best known for his acting in The Office and The Hangover, and for being a correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. His next film to hit the big screen will be The Hangover Part II, which premieres in the USA on May 26, 2011. In this movie, Ed will resume his role as Dr. Stu Price, alongside Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, and Ken Jeong. EDUinReview will now take a look at the education background of this talented actor.

Ed was born on January 24, 1974, in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from The Westminster Schools in 1992. He then attended and graduated from Oberlin College. Originally, Ed wanted to study geology in college, but he changed to film history and technology in 1996.

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If you are a Verizon cell phone user, then you are probably celebrating a new piece of information the company recently released: iPhone is coming to Verizon! Currently, AT&T is the only cell phone provider who offers the Apple iPhone. However, on February 10, 2011, all of that will change.

Verizon will be offering the iPhone 4 to all users who are eligible for an upgrade for $199.99 for the 16GB model or $299.99 for the 32GB model with a new two-year agreement. Users can also purchase the phone at full price without a contract agreement for $649.99 for the 16GB model or $749.99 for the 32GB model.

The phones will require a data plan, which start at $15 for 150MB or $29.99 for unlimited data for current Verizon phones; however, Verizon has not yet announced their new data plans for iPhones.

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Students at Roslyn High School on Long Island received iPads this year, not by their parents for Christmas, but by their teachers. As part of a pilot program, the school provides iPads to teach history through “Jeopardy”- like games and complex math problems with step-by-step animation.

Larry Reiff, an English teacher at Roslyn, said, “It allows us to extend the classroom beyond these four walls.”

Roslyn High is not the only school to use tablet computers. Schools across the nation are jumping on this technological bandwagon.

However, using technology to inspire students to learn is not a new idea, and parents and scholars alike question whether or not a tablet computer helps students learn faster.

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I’m amazed that 2010 is over. 2011 is here and it feels so surreal. I suppose I’m not the only one who feels this way. To sit here and think about it, I could have sworn that last New Year’s Eve was such a short time ago! Time really does fly and so much changes throughout the years. This next year is sure to bring plenty of exciting things and probably some not-so-exciting things as well. Keep an eye out for the following education trends that made the news in 2010 and are sure to stir up more interest in 2011.

Better school lunches. Proper nutrition for our children was a hot button issue this year, and the improvements will only continue to spread.

Bill Needed to Put Free Water on the California Lunch Menu

Should Kids with Food Allergies be Forced to Homeschool

Whole Foods Campaigns to Put Salad Bars in Schools

D.C. Removes Chocolate Milk From Public School Lunches

Pennsylvania School District Combats Childhood Obesity

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Bill Gates recently announced he feels that many students aren’t prepared to enter college. The answer? More technology training.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced on October 11, 2010 that it would donate $20 million in grants to businesses and universities. These grants will be used to develop online programs that will train students in the basic skills they will need in college.

Why does Bill Gates think all students need a basic and thorough understanding of technology? Simply put, students need to understand technology so they can compete in the job market. Read the rest of this entry »

So, you haven’t bought into the Apple frenzy and bought a new iPad? iPads are pretty cool devices that can be very useful for students. I have seen many students at my school who have switched from a heavy laptop to a lighter iPad to do their homework on campus, but, if you have not been impressed with the iPad and are holding out for something better, you will be pleased to hear that Samsung has released it’s own tablet computer- and this new tablet has some features that the iPad does not.

Samsung announced on September 23, 2010 that it would soon release it’s new tablet, the Galaxy. The Galaxy is a 7-inch touchscreen tablet, similar to the iPad. It will be available through Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Spring Nextel, and AT&T.

The Galaxy is an improvement over the iPad because it has two cameras – one that is front-facing and one that is back-facing. This allows users to use the Galaxy to  take pictures or possibly video-chat with other users. Read the rest of this entry »