The Internet, along with other education technology solutions, is becoming the best resource for teachers to enhance their teaching. Hundreds of sites populate the web with suggestions for lesson plans, test strategies, and collaboration, most for free.

Education World is one such site that is general in nature but has many articles of interest to school administrators, teachers, and IT personnel. There's also a wealth of information for professional development.

Dr. Bernie Poole, associate professor of education and instructional technology at the University of Pittsburgh, suggests several different free websites that offer free resources for educators.

- 4teachers.org provides platforms for creating quizzes, rubrics, and even classroom architecture, which provides help in the layout of the classroom.

- Web Collaborator is a free, web-based tool designed to help students work as a team on group projects. It takes the headaches out of communicating with different people working on the same task.

- Citation Machine from the Landmark for Schools project helps students correctly cite sources they use for research papers and projects.

Of course, this only scratches the surface of what is out there. EDTECH, an online discussion group for educators, is an excellent way to find resources and exchange ideas, etc.

In the 2009-10 school year, public school enrollment will surpass 50 million students for the first time in the nation's history according to The Condition of Education 2008, a recently released report from the National Center for Education Statistics at the U.S. Department of Education.

The center is projecting through 2017, expecting numbers of elementary and secondary school students to grow to just over 54 million. Educational software solutions will need to keep pace with this growth in order for their to be effectiveness in administering the education system

At a May 29 news conference, NCES commissioner Mark S. Schneider provided a summary of the report's finding, one of which is the growing diversity of the student population.

In 1972, 22% of public of school students were considered to be from an ethnic or racial minority group. That number had nearly doubled to 43% by 2006. And while the number of students whose second language in English swelled from 9% of the school-aged population in 1979 to 20% in 2006, the proportion of those that has difficulty speaking English outside the home decreased from 34% in 1979 to 25% in 2006.

Another highlight of the report was the decrease in students enrolled in special education programs, private schools, but an increase in the proportion of students whose parent(s) has obtained at least a Bachelors degree.

While the report is strictly figures and numbers and does not address the issues surrounding the state of the education system, it can be helpful for school administrators and school management software professionals in developing technology solutions to meet growing demands.

Whether you have just joined the Blackbaud family or need a refresher on the numerous features of our software, many classes and resources are available. Being properly trained through one of the following options is the best way to ensure you get the most from your investment in Blackbaud's educational software solutions.

1. Classroom training at Blackbaud Headquarters in Charleston, South Carolina

Courses are available in a wide range of Blackbaud educational, fundraising, and data management software products. Plus you will have the benefit of visiting one of the most leisurely and historic cities in the United States.

2. Regional training available in 50 cities across the United States and Canada.

Just like traveling to our facility in Charleston, regional training sessions are held in state-of-the-art facilities. Each student is provided with their own workstation for hands-on learning.

3. Distance learning options available for busy professionals.

Can't travel anywhere? Distance learning can help you just like our in-class options. Instructor-led classes are available in an interactive, live group setting along with the eLearning library which provides self-paced online software lessons.

While these courses and resources can be purchased individually, Blackbaud recognizes organizations have budget constraints but also need a well-trained, passionate staff. For one affordable yearly fee, Blackbaud Training Pass offers unlimited classroom, regional, and distance learning courses along with unlimited access to the eLearning library.

Small and private universities must constantly be up-to-date and organized in order to fulfill the mantra of officials which is to Recruit. Retain. Solicit. This is easier said than done with hundreds and possibly thousands of applicants, students, and alumni.

A good enrollment management software option helps higher education with these tasks. Small university officials need integrated solutions to address the challenges they face, including administrative burdens on faculty, maximizing course requests, and standing apart from peer institutions.

One easy solution to these challenges is the Student Information Software (SIS) from Blackbaud, which can be integrated to share information across campus offices. Update to student information is instantly available to not only the registrar, but admissions, advancement, and even faculty, which allows for easier communication with students.

SIS software goes along way to meeting the challenge of reducing the burden of administrative tasks on faculty as to allow them more time to interact with students. Besides the easier communication, SIS also automates tasks related to determining how effectively recruiting dollars are being spent to developing various class scheduling scenarios to make the best use of instructors and space.

And students will love it to, having quick access to grades, schedules, billing statements all online. Also, assignments, news, and progress reports can be delivered electronically which is important to today's tech savvy youth. SIS, through efficient class scheduling, also easily modifies schedules to handle special and last-minute requests.

Today's competitive and fiscally tight environment demands institutions stretch the most of their resources to meet the challenges of recruiting, retaining, and soliciting. Student Information Software from Blackbaud is a useful tool in meeting those demands.

Users of Blackbaud school administrative software or any of their other services can connect with other users through the Blackbaud User Society. Maintained by volunteers, it was developed by Blackbaud users to provide an informational resource separate from the company itself.

The user society includes many items that help school and non-profit administrators maximize the usefulness of their software products. Forums are available for each of Blackbaud's products, including the Raiser's Edge, Education Edge, Intelligence Edge, etc. Users can post questions regarding specific issues that are then addressed by others.

For instance, one recent post was from a college administrator having a difficult time importing test scores into their Blackbaud database. With a quick post to the forum, they received many helpful responses to their inquiry.

The Blackbaud User Society also includes news releases from the company and other topics of interest - with RSS feed capability so users can have those directly downloaded to their desktops.

Another great feature of the society is the user suggestion area. Each year, members from the society meet with developers from Blackbaud to share their insights and suggestions for making their products better. Suggestions are organized into several different categories and ranked by other users.

While the user society is free, you must create an account to fully utilize the site.

Teachers can find it difficult to communicate with parents. Sometimes, problems that could have been resolved if parents were aware sooner go unaddressed and cause the student to fall behind. Proper communication of student attendance, progress, and grades is important in helping to ensure a child succeeds in the classroom.

Many schools across the country are turning to technology to address this concern. School administrators, like Debbie Hamilton in Albuquerque, New Mexico say the improved communication makes students more accountable for their work and eliminates unwelcome "surprises" on report cards.

For instance, the webmaster for Debbie Hamilton's school says their site receives at least 500 hits a day. He has calculated that students/parents that do not utilize teacher grading software are 400% more likely to receive a deficiency report.

Class scheduling software, in addition to grade reports, provides another benefit to online communication. Students and parents alike can log-on to view lesson plans, assignments, etc. to be fully aware of what's going on.

Grading and report card software not only provides greater communication between teachers and parents but also greatly reduces the need for printed reports. Many school districts across the country are facing tightening budgets so any help in reducing costs is very welcome.

Probably the biggest benefit to report card, class scheduling, and class attendance software is the enhancement of the teacher/parent relationship. Having easy access to their child's progress has greatly enhanced the idea that teachers and parents are partners in a child's education and development.

Enrollment management solutions available at Blackbaud allow you to use the Internet to connect your school community. Education Edge Internet Solutions provides all the benefits detailed above and reduces administrative burdens on teachers, allowing them to devote more time to actually teaching.

By SAMUEL C. SCOTT
Source: The Harvard Crimson Online

A subsidiary of the world’s richest university made a little gift with big ramifications for a fledgling business school in South Africa.
CIDA City Campus, a college in Johannesburg that claims to be the least expensive college in the world (charging just under $600 in tuition for all four years), announced last month that it has received a software gift valued at $7.5 million from Harvard Business School Publishing (HBSP).

The gift gave CIDA the rights to all of HBSP’s online e-learning education software, containing approximately 5,000 courses. Contrary to some media reports, the donated material did not include HBS or University course syllabi.

“These are courses in management and functions of management, soft skills courses, IT—all the Harvard content. We’re integrating all these materials into our CIDA degree,” CIDA co-founder and chief executive Teddy Blecher told South African investment magazine Moneyweb last year.

The new software will bolster a CIDA education that is designed to train disadvantaged young South Africans for the business world.

To achieve this end, CIDA has in the past relied on gifts from benefactors like Harvard. Although its computers are now loaded with contemporary education software that is hosted on servers donated by Dell Computers, its libraries are stocked with slightly dated texts acquired through donations.

The software donation was initiated two years ago by former HBSP eLearning executive Jonathan Levy, who was inspired after meeting with Blecher.

“HBSP’s mission is to improve the practice of management worldwide. I believe Jon saw a good fit between our mission and the opportunity to support CIDA’s mission, and that’s what motivated him to initiate the donation of content,” HBSP Director of Corporate Communications Sarah McConville wrote in an e-mail.

Read a complete article: Harvard Business School Publishing offers Software Gifts to School in Africa

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About Blackbaud, Inc.

Blackbaud is the leading global provider of nonprofit software and related services designed specifically for nonprofit organizations. Approximately 13,000 organizations -- including the American Red Cross, Bowdoin College, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, the Detroit Zoological Society, Episcopal High School, Help the Aged, the New York Philharmonic and United Way of America -- use Blackbaud products and consulting services for fundraising, financial management, business intelligence and school administration.

Blackbaud's solutions include:

-- The Raiser's Edge(R) Fundraising Software
-- The Financial Edge(TM) Nonprofit Financial Management Software
-- The Education Edge(TM) School Administrative Software
-- The Patron Edge(TM) Ticketing Management Software
-- Blackbaud NetCommunity(TM) Advocacy Marketing
-- The Information Edge(TM) Nonprofit Business Management Solution
-- WealthPoint(TM) and ProspectPoint(TM) Donor Management & Prospect Research Services
as well as a wide range of consulting and educational services. Founded in 1981, Blackbaud is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, and has operations in Toronto, Ontario, Glasgow, Scotland, and Sydney, Australia.

Blackbaud, the Blackbaud logo, The Raiser's Edge, The Financial Edge, The Education Edge, The Patron Edge, Blackbaud NetCommunity, The Information Edge, WealthPoint and ProspectPoint are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blackbaud, Inc.