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Smartphones and tablet computers are radically transforming how we access our shared knowledge sources by keeping us constantly connected to near-infinite volumes of raw data and information. We enjoy unprecedented instant access to expertise, from informal cooking lessons on YouTube to online university courses. Every day people around the globe are absorbed in exciting new forms of learning, and yet traditional schools and university systems are still struggling to leverage the many opportunities for innovation in this area.

You may well be aware of the hundreds, no, thousands of websites and tools that are available to use within the classroom. Many of these have popped up in the past few years and it can be hard to keep up with them all, particularly when many require logins or may need software to be installed too. So here are a few sites that are perfect for using with a range of children and all of them can be accessed from any web browser.

One of the perplexing things that teachers and educators encounter when trying to understand educational technology and leverage it  to their classrooms is the abundance  of those baffling  techy terms. Blended Learning is different from Differentiated Learning, Educational Technology might not be necessarily Instructional Technology, a Virtual Classroom is different from an Electronic Classroom or Flipped Classroom; There is also asynchronous, synchronous, and personalized learning, these and many more are but some examples of the growing terminology in this field.

I believe that with the energy and passion we have on social networks we have the ability to transform the world and the world needs a community of passionate individuals to inspire them. Below are 10 examples of kids who are transforming their worlds and spreading their inspiration through social networks like Youtube, Twitter, and Facebook.

EduClipper is the latest in a string of Pinterest clones, true (See below), but Bellow's experience in education - in the classroom and with professional development - should give him a leg up in creating a tool that'll work in classrooms and that'll work for teachers. EduClipper lets you build clipboards into which you can post links, images, videos and documents and upload files to share with others. These clipboards can be private or public - that's a key dfferentiator between eduClipper and its competitors- clipped for one's self and/or shared to Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Evernote, and Edmodo or via email.

The RSS search engine will help you discover RSS feeds on the web around your favorite topics.

Even as we are seeing more schools and educators transform the way they teach and learn with technology, many more are not. Technology is often viewed either as a frill or a tool not worth its weight in gold. Opinions vary on the merits of educational technology, but common themes seem to have emerged. Some of the reasons for not embracing technology have to do with several misconceptions revolving around fear.

The term cloud computing has been used a lot lately to describe a myriad online services, as well as additional computing capacity that resides somewhere out there. Defining it is tricky but not impossible.

Do you know what technology you'll be using in the classroom 5 years from now? What about 10 years from now? A new visualization may be able to help.

Another infographic from BestCollegesOnline this time looking at how social media might be used in the classroom

I've spent the past few months with GCSE and A-level classes doing absolutely no writing at all beyond sample tests and student blogs. Students realise how high the bar of public domain writing is. This can be initially intimidating, but that removes all apathy or sense of the humdrum. Asking all students to write blogs as learning unfolds and interlinks empowers the teacher to be more supportive because they're less tied to the bureaucracy; it raises challenge levels; it enables IT-skilling; it lets students see their own progress and differentiates well; it means more productive and accelerating learning-talk over rote-writing.

Well on one random post, I grabbed one random picture off of google and then a few weeks later I got contacted by the photographer who owned that photo. He sent me a takedown notice, which I responded to immediately because I felt awful that I had unknowingly used a copyrighted pic. The pic was down within minutes. But that wasn't going to cut it. He wanted compensation for the pic. A significant chunk of money that I couldn't afford. I'm not going to go into the details but know that it was a lot of stress, lawyers had to get involved, and I had to pay money that I didn't have for a use of a photo I didn't need.

'I used to think… Now I think' is one of the most powerful thinking tools (Visible Thinking routines). It allows you to grow, without having to have been wrong. It allows me to develop my ideas, change my practice, increase my understanding, deepen my thinking… and change my mind. I used to think that the more tightly I kept control, the more efficiently time would be used in the classroom so that more learning could take place.

Professional development days a.k.a. in-service days a.k.a. team-building days ... quite frankly, they suck for me; they are boring and a major waste of my time -- equally for those who are told to lead them and for the teachers who are required to sit and listen. I am not sure if those in command of designing and facilitating them care to do it, or are actually that far removed from the profession that they have no idea what is relevant. Maybe the leaders of professional development need professional development on how to do professional development.

Sue Waters list of educators based in Australia who are on Twitter

Too often, I hear colleagues whining about the mystical "they" adding another set of expectations to our already overflowing plate of responsibility. I don't disagree that "they" seem to ask more and more of educators while the concept of "pay raises" seems a distant, mythical memory.  Thus, we are told to achieve more with fewer resources due to the mismanaging of educational financing and get paid less on top of it. It gets tough, and positive morale is difficult to maintain. Yet, when it comes to teaching 21st century skills, the cry of, "Please, not another thing to teach" does not fly. The 21st century skills are embedded in the instruction of the core curriculum.

The world of education is often defined by the "haves" and "have nots." It is this separation that ultimately drives decisions when it comes to educational technology. Why should students in less affluent districts not be afforded the same opportunities as those with large budgets to utilize technology to create, collaborate, connect, communicate and develop essential media literacies? A BYOT initiative makes sense, as we can leverage a variety of devices that many students already possess. It is how we utilize these student-owned devices in schools that is the key to a successful BYOT initiative.

A regular update of how Teachers are using edmodo to engage pupils in Carr Manor Community School

Judith Way's gaming Scoop-it

More recently I've discovered some great new tools to read and share my favorite content which I've included here in this list. Whether you are a person who just likes to stay on top of the latest news, a blogger like me who needs a way to organize the vast amount of information that comes my way or a person who just enjoys sharing what they find with others you'll love this list.