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A really interesting look at the Khan Academy, and more, and the bigger "Flipped Classroom" movement. The article contains a potted history of the Khan development as well as some rebuttals from Gary Stager and Sylvia Martinez. An interesting read for all wanting to know more about Khan.

"Below you will find links to iPad applications that target the various levels of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy. I only included free apps that were "content-neutral" to make them usable across the curriculum. I also tried to include apps for the iPad only, but a few iPhone apps may have snuck in! Each app image is clickable, and you will be taken to the iTunes Store to learn more about each one. If you have other iPad apps you would like to recommend that meet the same criteria, please fill out the Google Survey at the bottom of this page. The results will be public so we can all benefit from each other's expertise."

I have long held the belief that education and technology are the two great equalizers in life. This next phase of the Internet-Web 2.0 and collaboration-provide a vision of what is possible. As we see this vision taking shape in the present-enabling collaboration, breaking down barriers across the globe and providing access to information anywhere, anytime-this belief continues to grow. Education and technology go hand in hand, with the network serving as the platform for what we call the Learning Society, which we outline in detail in the pages that follow.

"Here are some web-based papers and articles you might read if you are interested in learning more about Dr. Seymour Papert's theory of constructionism."

"I usually just do a year-end list on Web 2.0 Applications For Education and many other topics, but it gets a little crazy having to review all of my zillion posts at once. So, to make it easier for me - and perhaps, to make it a little more useful to readers - I'm going to start publishing mid-year lists, too. These won't be ranked, unlike my year-end "The Best…" lists, and just because a site appears on a mid-year list doesn't guarantee it will be included in an end-of-the-year one."

"Companies have long used criminal background checks, credit reports and even searches on Google and LinkedIn to probe the previous lives of prospective employees. Now, some companies are requiring job candidates to also pass a social media background check."

Sir Ken Robinson and Joel Klein discuss the future of education in this video from The Economist. The permalink is http://ideas.economist.com/

"Here are some tools for creating outlines and mind maps to plan video projects, podcasts, or essays."

This is the official policy for social media use at the Department of Justice and provides guidance for departmental employees and external contractors on their professional and personal use of social media.

"Two quotes about schooling particularly resonate with me. The first is from John Dewey's Experience and Education (1938): "What avail is it to win prescribed amounts of information about geography and history, to win the ability to read and write, if in the process the individual loses his own soul?" (p. 49). If the experience of "doing school" destroys children's spirit to learn, their sense of wonder, their curiosity about the world, and their willingness to care for the human condition, have we succeeded as educators, no matter how well our students do on standardized tests? The second quote comes from John Goodlad's A Place Called School (1984). After finding an "extraordinary sameness" in our schools, Goodlad wrote, "Boredom is a disease of epidemic proportions. … Why are our schools not places of joy?" (p. 242). Now, a generation later, if you were to ask students for a list of adjectives that describe school, I doubt that joyful would make the list. The hearts and minds of children and young adults are wide open to the wonders of learning and the fascinating complexities of life. But school still manages to turn that into a joyless experience."

"Why social media in school? It's a good question and one many schools are asking. Whether is because of the free-flowing nature of the content and material or the potential for distraction sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube many others are being blocked by institutions. It is my belief however that by blocking these sites and not embracing what they have to offer we are only creating and arms race with our students and missing out on using these tools to connected with and provide new learning opportunities for our students."

Last month in this column, I listed seven stupid mistakes teachers make with technology. Easy marks, teachers. But to be fair, I see just as many -- or even more -- brilliant teacher uses of technology. Here are seven technology practices that just make me marvel and feel proud to be part of the profession:

Arguments go around and come back again about the role technology should play in the classroom. Should it be a subject? Should we have standards? Should it be mandated or optional? Some people argue that technology is simply a tool to be applied where and how it's appropriate. Others say no technology is neutral and we have to be deliberate in our choices to use it. In my view, technology can't be optional and it can't be an add-on.

Social networking communities are here to stay. Facebook has over 500 million users, while Twitter has over 200 million. That's not even counting blogs or YouTube video blogs. There's no doubt that students are actively engaged in online communities, but what kind of effects are these sites having and how can parents counteract the bad and bolster the positive?

Virtual schools here and throughout California provide flexibility needed by child actors, musicians and serious athletes, and offer options to regular students dissatisfied with traditional classrooms. Vincent is enrolled in Capistrano Connections Academy, an Orange County charter school available in neighboring counties, including Riverside. "I get home just in time for my science live lesson," Vincent said by phone after skating practice. "I eat lunch and I start school." Several Inland districts operate their own virtual schools, including the Perris Union High School District. Lake Elsinore Unified School District will launch its online school in August. San Bernardino City Unified chartered a virtual school.

"The online environment is an integral part of modern economic and social activities, and a vast resource of education, information, communication and entertainment. Further, the evolution of new technologies is diversifying the ways in which Australians connect with each other and the world. As part of the Government's comprehensive commitment to cyber-safety, the Australian Parliament established this Committee in March 2010. This report focuses on how young people can be empowered and connect to the Internet, and use new technologies with confidence, knowing that they can use them safely, ethically and with full awareness of risks and benefits. The facilitation of safer online environments requires government, industry and the broader community to work together to realise the benefits of the online environment while also protecting Australians from dangers and enabling them to use existing and emerging tools to mitigate risks.  

"Imagine four schools that had a partnership/agreement that would mean that for a four week cycle, each school's blog would be the focus for one week out of four. Each school in the Quad would spend some time visiting the blog of the school for that week, leave comments etc. After that week, another one of the four schools would be the focus and this would be repeated for the four week cycle and then repeated."

"I have written extensively on what makes a good blogpost and why it is so powerful. From personal experience blogging is one of the most beneficial professional development activities I have ever engaged with. I learn more from blogging than I do from almost any other activity I participate in. Here are 7 good reasons why teachers should blog:"