High-tech classrooms

A new education system is to be launched in Tokyo that will enable truants and students who refuse to venture out of home to study at home using the Internet.

The Daily Yomiuri On-line reported that the new system, to be called My School Net, will help these students keep up with their academic studies via a form of distance-learning.

Students choose exercises, which are classified by grade and subject, and send the answers via e-mail. They then receive corrections and advice from staff members.

Webcams to catch rowdy pupils

There are plans to install webcams in Manchester classrooms in an effort to discourage misbehaviour.

The BBC reported that Manchester City Council has applied for a government grant to install the cameras in five schools, although there are concerns in some quarters about the 'Big Brother' aspect of the project.

The council, however, says the camera footage would be an eye-opener for some parents who do not believe what their children get up to.

The council says it is not trying to catch out teachers who are having trouble maintaining discipline, but the move is aimed at the disruptive one per cent of pupils who show no respect for their teachers or fellow pupils.

Grades tracked online

Mary Willett doesn't have to wait for a call or a note from her son's teacher - or even for his report card - to know how he's doing at Gaithersburg High School in the US.

Over breakfast, before she leaves for the office, Willett can sit at her computer, bring up a Web site called eClass and key in a private password that lets her see James's grades on his homework and tests.

Keeping tabs on their children's performance is something parents in many school districts can do online, the Washington Post reported.

And this online access to grades, homework assignments and attendance records has created a new connection among parents, teachers and students.

"It has increased parental involvement, and I think teachers would say that if there's one thing that could turn around public education, it's . . . parental involvement," an educationalist from the National Education Association was quoted as saying.

Girl writes SMS essay

An English essay written by a British teenager in text messaging short-hand has reignited concern among teachers that literacy standards are under threat.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the 13-year-old's teacher could not decipher what the youngster had written.

"I could not believe what I was seeing. The page was riddled with hieroglyphics, many of which I simply could not translate," the teacher told the newspaper.

The teenager's essay which caused the problem began: "My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we used 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF and thr 3 :- kids FTF. ILNY, it's a gr8 plc."

In translation:

"My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New York. It's a great place."

Judith Gillespie, of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, told the newspaper a decline in grammar and written English was partly linked to the text massaging craze.

"Pupils think orally and write phonetically," she said.

One union has called for a complete ban on the use of text message language in English classes because its use is spreading "like wildfire".

Cyber-bullies

Schools in Boston are reported to be struggling to stop tech-savvy bullies who have taken their taunting to cyberspace.

For one 11th grade female student at Belmont High School, for example, name-calling on the bus, bullying in the hallway, and teasing on the train home has led to a website posting her picture and poking fun at her red lipstick and long black hair.

When she discovered it she was shocked, and the offending website is now being investigated by police. The student has refused to go back to school.

Her case of "cyber harassment'', reports the Globe, presents unique challenges to investigators: None has heard of anything quite like it. But to those who track national trends in bullying, it's not a surprise. Computers, they say, have taken the schoolyard into cyberspace, and now students can catch up on ugly taunts and gossip as easily as they can download tips for their homework.

Web classroom

For a handful of students at Canterbury Woods Elementary School in Annandale, US, all learning was not lost in a recent string of days of snow.

Thanks to a tech-savvy teacher, they were able to log into a virtual classroom and learn new concepts, review old ones, solve problems and take quizzes. Of course, they did it between sledding, watching videos and drinking hot chocolate.

"At first, I was unsure," said Tommy, 10. "Then, when I got on that first day, it was really fun ... I thought it was more fun because you could do it at home."