Apple lands $30M iPad contract with L.A. schools despite pushback

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As Microsoft continues to try and get Surface tablets in the hands of educators and students, Apple has just landed a contract with the second-largest public school system in the country. The Los Angeles Unified School District’s Board of Education approved a $30 million contract with Apple Wednesday night. Under the terms of the contract,… Read More…

Ballmer, Myhrvold make Top 100 list recognizing CEOs impacting science, tech education

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Two Washington CEOs — and former Microsoft colleagues — made a Top 100 CEO list for executives that were recognized for making a difference in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) industries and education. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Intellectual Ventures CEO Nathan Myrhvold made the list, which was compiled by STEMconnector ”to salute and celebrate an… Read More…

Report: Microsoft heavily discounts Surface RT for schools

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School’s out, and that means it’s the perfect time to start thinking about back to school sales, especially if you’re budgeting for a school district. According to a report by Mary Jo Foley over at ZDNet, the Surface RT, Microsoft’s lower-end ARM-based tablet, will be heavily discounted for K12 schools, as well as colleges and… Read More…

CreativeLive opens new broadcast studio in bid to take live educational courses mainstream

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CreativeLive, the fast-growing online education startup founded by photographer Chase Jarvis and entrepreneur Craig Swanson, is getting ready to open its next chapter. The startup company — founded in Seattle in 2010 — today is announcing that it plans to open a new 12,000 square foot broadcast studio in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill neighborhood. The new… Read More…

Convicts to coders: Maximum security prison teaches inmates computer science

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Clallam Bay Corrections Center, a maximum security prison on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula, is worlds away from Seattle’s bustling high-tech and startup scene. Yet, an innovative educational program introduced last fall at the prison could connect these two disparate worlds around a very valuable asset: software developers. Working in conjunction with Peninsula College extension, the… Read More…

Mathletes: Students solve 375K algebra equations in 4 days with iOS app

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Students across Washington did some serious algebra work this week — and I mean serious like 400,000 problems in four days kind of work. As part of the Washington State Algebra Challenge, K-12 students used an iteration of a learning app called DragonBox to try and solve 250,000 equations in just one week. They did that and much more, as 4,000 students… Read More…

What’s your teen’s future? Sparkon maps a path for life

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Do you have a teen who’s trying to find a direction in life? Maybe you know a kid who’s really passionate about video games, but doesn’t know what skills they need to make it in the industry. Sparkon, a Redmond-based startup that launches today, aims to provide resources for teens who have questions like those… Read More…

Crowdfund your next PC? Microsoft touts new Chip In program to woo students

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As a student in this day and age, a computer is almost a necessity when heading off to college, right after twin extra-long sheets and a shower caddy. But earning enough to purchase a laptop can be a tall order. While the process can be uncomfortable, contributions from family and friends are often the best… Read More…

The state of education: Yes, we suck

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Ten years ago, then Boeing Commercial Airplanes boss Alan Mulally declared in front of the Seattle Rotary Club that Washington state wasn’t a great place to do business. “I think we suck,” he said. I was reminded of that comment after attending the Technology Alliance luncheon in downtown Seattle yesterday, one of the biggest gatherings… Read More…

Zillow co-founder Rich Barton: ‘Kill the squirrel’

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If you’re a squirrel, make sure you stay well clear of Rich Barton. The founder of Expedia and Zillow on Wednesday offered some key advice from his dad, applying a driving lesson from the road that he’s used in business to this day. “My dad used to say: ‘kill the squirrel,’” noted Barton. In other… Read More…

Meet the clean water startup that just won 1st place in the UW biz plan competition

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When you think about innovation, water usually isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But there’s a big problem to solve in cleaning up contaminated water, making it safe to drink or re-use. And for the second time in the past three years, a startup company that promises to clean up contaminated water has… Read More…

High school hackathon: 500 budding teen geeks learn how to code

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It’s no secret that Washington is falling behind when it comes to educating our future geeks. While the state ranks fourth in the nation for tech-related companies, Washington comes in a disappointing 46th for participation in science and engineering graduate programs. Which makes what happened on Thursday inside the gymnasium of Rainier Beach High School all the more… Read More…

Amazon increases its tuition assistance for hourly workers

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Amazon.com says it will boost the amount of tuition assistance available to its hourly employees who pursue associate degrees or vocational certificates. The company will now pay up to $3,000 a year (totaling up to $12,000 over four years), which is an increase from $2,000 a year (or up to $8,000 total) when the program… Read More…

UW’s Ed Lazowska: ‘Washington is the ass end of the donkey in just about every aspect of education’

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The incredible talent that the University of Washington pumps out every year was on display during Tuesday’s Seattle Tech Meetup, as five startups with UW ties gave five-minute pitches to the crowd at the Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science and Engineering. But unfortunately for the state, the UW is one of the few bright spots… Read More…

Bill Gates: Like athletes, teachers need their Vince Lombardi or John Wooden

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To improve upon something, we must learn, and to learn, we often seek guidance from others. For example, Michael Jordan received hoops help from his incredible coaches Dean Smith and Phil Jackson. To sharpen his bridge skills, Bill Gates sought out the advice of professional Sharon Osberg. But, as Gates details in his latest TED talk, teachers… Read More…

Gov. Inslee to sign bill that counts computer science for high school math, science credit

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Washington high schools will now allow computer science classes to count as a math or science requirement toward high school graduation. Today at Seattle’s Rainier Beach High School, Washington Governor Jay Insee will sign bill HB 1472, which “provides initiatives to improve and expand access to computer science education.” He will be joined by Microsoft’s General… Read More…

This startup builds apps for a million customers that learn in bite-sized snacks

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Technology is certainly changing and improving how people are educated today, and one Seattle startup is well on its way to providing apps that help us learn with our new gadgets. Founded by Microsoft vet Kalpit Jain, WAGmob debuted in December 2010 and has grown into a successful 50-person operation. The company just announced that it… Read More…

Marijuana candies and brain-powered wheelchairs: Meet the 16 finalists in the UW business plan competition

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The results are in from the initial rounds of the University of Washington Business Plan Competition, and there’s no shortage of diversity in the teams moving on to the final rounds of the competition. More than 200 judges turned out at yesterday’s event, choosing these 16 teams. Among the contenders for the top prize: a… Read More…

Here’s why this do-it-all science instructor is the 2013 National Teacher of the Year

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When Jeff Charbonneau begins class everyday at Zillah High, he says the same thing: “Welcome to paradise, everybody.” No, Zillah High isn’t on the sandy shores of Hawaii. In fact, the place is far from it, nestled in the Yakima Valley of Eastern Washington. But after 60 people took four hours to clean up vandalized school… Read More…

Online education startup Treehouse raises $7M to teach geeks new tech skills

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Online education startup Treehouse has raised $7 million in fresh funding from Kaplan, Social + Capital Partnership and others. The money will be used to grow the Portland company’s team, which now consists of 52 employees. Total funding now stands at $12.6 million. Treehouse is competing in a super-hot area of online education, teaching students new… Read More…