Drape's Takes

LONDON (AP) - It weighs in at more than 130 pounds, but the authoritative guide to the English language, the Oxford English Dictionary, may eventually slim down to nothing. Oxford University Press, the publisher, said Sunday so many people prefer to look up words using its online product that it's uncertain whether the 126-year-old dictionary's next edition will be printed on paper at all.

The digital version of the Oxford English Dictionary now gets 2 million hits a month from subscribers, who pay $295 a year for the service in the U.S. In contrast, the current printed edition _ a 20-volume, 750-pound ($1,165) set published in 1989 _ has sold about 30,000 sets in total.

This is the first time I remember seeing a major player like this admit that online resources are bringing in more revenue than traditional media.

Wondering what leaders in the field of education are currently thinking? This year's list is larger than ever and full of a wide range of excellent posts, written by leaders in the field that have learned that one of the simplest ways to extend one's sphere of influence is to simply link to others while posting to a blog.

If you're a "leader" in education, then what are you waiting for?

(And it sure beats watching TV!)

Does this graphic illustrate that North America is lacking in innovation or spending more on research and development?

The Enhancing_Teacher_Takeup_of_Digital_Content_Report commissioned by Education Services Australia (a merger between Curriculum Corporation and Education.au) and written by Professor Michael Gaffney has recently been published.

The Executive Summary explains:

• Although digital uptake in schools is increasing, many teachers do not use technology in their classroom.

While at ISTE this year, I met an IT Director from Australia that was in a school that had been using laptops with their students for the last 14 years. He mentioned that in spite of his students having such open access to computers, his number one problem was getting his school's teachers to use the technology.

This document alone illustrates that there are multiple factors at play - multiple barriers to technology integration - and sometimes bridging the digital divide requires more than just money and equipment. At times, the largest barriers are those caused by deep philosophical convictions maintained by teachers and school administrators alike.

I'm interested to see how well the recommendations made in the "Enhancing Teacher Takeup" document serve to improve the pedagogical use of technology in Australian schools.