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"Technology isn't automatically valuable for teachers. Tech tools, ranging from student community platforms to online reading logs, become integral to classroom instruction when you create a culture around effective and educational use of technology with your students. This requires you and your students to consistently evaluate and adapt while being purposeful with the tools you choose and the lessons you pair them with. Here are three different ways to ensure that you're cultivating an effective EdTech culture in your classroom-one that promotes both education and fun learning opportunities for your students."

"More teachers are using digital games in the classroom, and they're using them more frequently, according to a new teacher survey just released by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center. But more surprisingly, the study reveals that teachers are finding that one of the most impactful use of games is for motivating and rewarding students, specifically those who are low-performing. The survey, which interviewed 694 K-8 teachers with an average of 14.5 years of teaching experience, aims to understand how and why teachers are using digital games in the classroom."

"I decided to focus on learning spaces this year in the classroom and around my school. It led me to create a makerspace in my school's library, but it also led me to take a hard look at the classroom. Last summer, I visited my classroom and decided to change it around. The entire process started with one simple question: "Is this room designed for me or for my students?" It was on this question that I based every decision I made when it came to designing the room."

Edusim is a free opensource 3D multi-user virtual world specifically for your classroom interactive whiteboard (Smartboard, Activeboard, Interwriter, Mimio, eBeam, or WiiBoard). Edusim is extendable allowing multiple classrooms to connect their interactive whiteboards for collaborative learning session. Read more about Edusim and turning your classroom interactive whiteboard into a low cost single walled CAVE based virtual world platform here.

"An increasing number of students are returning to school after the winter break with shiny new mobile devices in hand. This excites me as I rely entirely on my students devices and a BYOD policy to integrate technology into my classroom. That said, I've trained lots of teachers who are hesitant to embrace mobile devices. Many teachers fear that allowing students to use their devices in class will only distract them and compromise the learning environment. My experience has been the exact opposite. Allowing students to use their devices in the classroom has been absolutely transformative!"

"The word "grit" suggests toughness and determination. The question is how do we get students to value struggle, failure and perseverance in our classrooms? ASCD recently published Thomas Hoerr's short but great book on this subject, Fostering Grit. The subtitle "How do I prepare my students for the real world?" reflects the fact that our students will encounter challenging work and problems to solve. If this is the case, our classrooms should mirror that process and prepare our students to be successful in meeting these challenges. You might consider this a critical 21st century skill, which means that we need to scaffold the related skills we're teaching our students. "

"So the camera on the classroom iPad is turning out to be one of the most useful features for us! It's so easy to use, and so easy to share pictures that we're turning to it more and more often. Here are five ways that we or other teachers we know have used the iPad camera in the classroom."

"With second quarter in full swing, and a new reading/language arts curriculum, I am excited to update my post from March on Guided Reading in a 1:1 classroom.  My enthusiasm and passion continues to grow knowing the students  I teach have limitless possibilities.  I am able to individualize and differentiate instruction for each child in my classroom. "

"Educators typically aren't strangers to sonic chaos. Spend 30 seconds in my classroom of 27 ten-year-olds on a Friday before the bell rings, and you'll see what I mean. I've tried everything to quiet the cacophony that is Room 5, but nothing worked until I discovered a silencing savior called Too Noisy Pro. This app relies on a visual display and peer pressure to keep classroom volumes at appropriate levels."

"Conveying information in a striking, concise way has never been more important, and infographics are the perfect pedagogical tool with which to do so. Below, you'll find my experience with designing an infographic-friendly classroom research project, explained in a step-by-step process you can implement in your own classroom."

"Video conferencing is a wonderful technology that has helped change the way both business and personal communication is conducted. It not only provides a more personal, intimate way to communicate compared to a phone call, but thanks to additional services like document sharing and multi-point capabilities, the technology is by far the most effective and productive way to conduct important meetings outside of actually being face-to-face. But its effectiveness is so close to what a face-to-face meeting can give that it completely negates the need to travel to any sort of in-person meeting. Video conferencing isn't just a useful tool for businesses and personal use, it's also a wonderful tool teachers can use to enhance a student's learning experience in the classroom, whether that classroom is in an elementary school, middle school, high school, or university."

"The paperless classroom is a compelling concept for what it symbolizes as much as anything else. While it sounds sleek and futuristic and easy to organize and environmentally friendly, the reality is that paperless classrooms aren't that simple. The "environmentally-friendly" part, for example, is wildly subjective: the costs of manufacturing-and eventually recycling and disposing of-tablets versus the loss of "renewable" trees and the subsequent waste that is environmentally-friendly."

"For the past few years, Edudemic has covered the rise of the flipped classroom and its subsequent evolution. Each year, we find that more teachers are testing this new learning strategy and creating new ways to improve current methods. While some teachers are trying it out for the first time this fall, others who used the flipped classroom method in 2013 are making changes to build on their lesson plans for the 2014-15 school year. Read this brief guide to learn why flipped learning is an increasingly popular choice, and review a few steps for teachers wanting to try it ou"

"Students only need a model and a push to do amazing things. Then a smart teacher gets out of the way and let's the magic happen. When I first became engulfed in the amazing world of Twitter, I couldn't imagine not sharing the experience with my students. What started as a little spark and a hot mess three years ago has turned into a full-on immersion of social media in my classes. Twitter has amplified the voices of my students well beyond the walls of our classroom and it's echoing through the global learning landscape. Now, social media is an integral part of the learning that transpires and I can't imagine why others aren't using it. Recently, I guest moderated an #edtechchat that highlighted the versatility of Twitter in the classroom. With the help of my students who participated at 8pm on a Monday night and amazing educators across the world, we discussed the vibrancy Twitter can add to student learning"

"In my teaching career as an educator, no change in curriculum, program or teaching philosophy (and believe me, there have been a lot) has had the impact on my teaching that connecting my classroom has.  Using social media tools to connect my students with people and classrooms from across North America and far beyond has helped my children to achieve curriculum outcomes, to learn how to act safely and appropriately online and to learn an appreciation for the similarities and differences between people. Not only do we learn from and with these other people, the students have a chance to become teachers themselves."

"Evernote is a helpful productivity tool when used effectively on iPad and can play a significant role in a 1:1 iPad classroom. Whether being used in a Math, English, Foreign Language or Art class, by combining the capacity to type, insert images, annotate, and record audio, students can integrate their iPad with Evernote in a number of unique ways. Below are six approaches to using Evernote in the classroom to improve organization, promote reflection, and help students capture their process and thinking."

"Teachers interested in trying the flipped classroom model often ask me for recommendations for video creation tools. They also often ask me for ideas on sharing videos without using YouTube. One answer to both of these questions is to use eduClipper. On the free eduClipper iPad app you can create instructional videos on a whiteboard in the Khan Academy style. You can also use the app to create a video in which you annotate an image or document while talking about it. After creating your video you can save it to an eduClipper board that you have shared with your students through the eduClipper classroom setting. Your students can view the videos on their iPads or in the web browsers on their laptops."

"What is perspective? What does it have to do with teaching, leadership, and learning? The Oxford English Dictionary defines perspective as: "A particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view." Blending this definition into our instruction, classroom cultures, and relationships, perspective drives all we are and do in our classrooms. Perspectives are bundles of beliefs, a mindset that we each embrace determining how we see one another, our experiences, and possibilities or lack thereof. As teachers, our perspectives directly impact student emotions and their learning, because emotions are contagious."

"The modern classroom is a messy one! Schools are entering the world of technology at different speeds and levels; some institutions have invested in full 1:1 programs where the school selects a single device (such as iPads or Chromebooks); others have instituted Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) initiatives, some specify a single device while others permit a broader selection; and most of us operate in some type of hybrid environment where students have access to a device at school, such as a tool issued to them, a computer lab, and/or laptop cart and/or a device they have access to at home or even bring with them. As technology becomes more ubiquitous both at home and in the classroom, we find ourselves in a more blended world. As educators in the 21st century, we must be prepared to tackle education in an environment that is cross-platform and multi-device."

"The classroom is changing. Well, the students in our classrooms are changing. Our students are connected. This is not about particular devices or apps. Their connectedness is their ability to share and collaborate with anyone at anytime for a given purpose, whether it be to find information or to collaborate on a project. Our students are doing this without adults. As responsive educators, we need to understand this shift. We are asking our connected students to drop their devices at the door, walk into the classrooms we grew up in, and thrive in an ever-changing, connected world. Is this what is best for our students?"