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"Just as a teacher has to create conditions that support and encourage student success, school districts have to support teachers' professional development. Today, professional development runs the gamut from one-shot workshops to more intensive job-embedded professional development, which has teachers learn in the day-to-day environment in which they work rather than getting pulled out to attend an outside training. However, the National School Boards Association's Center for Public Education report, "Teaching the Teachers," notes that most professional development today is ineffective because it neither changes teaching practices nor improves student learning."

"Here are thirty free writing ideas that connect to the holidays or to winter. I want to mention ahead of time that teachers need to be careful with the Establishment Clause. Some of these mention specific holidays and I think it's critical that teachers respect the diversity of beliefs found among students. They are meant to be ideas and not prompts; meaning they are optional visual writing ideas that kids can choose if they want to use them. "

"Teaching students that intelligence can grow and blossom with effort - rather than being a fixed trait they're just born with - is gaining traction in progressive education circles. And new research from Stanford is helping to build the case that nurturing a "growth mindset" can help many kids understand their true potential. The new research involves larger, more rigorous field trials that provide some of the first evidence that the social psychology strategy can be effective when implemented in schools on a wide scale. Even a one-time, 30-minute online intervention can spur academic gains for many students, particularly those with poor grades. The premise is that these positive effects can stick over years, leading for example to higher graduation rates; but long-term data is still needed to confirm that. "

"Looking for some inspirational  ideas to unleash your creativity and kickstart the new year? The TED talks below are definitely a must watch. The start of a new year is traditionally the time that most people set out goals and resolutions and create to-do lists. These talks will help you come up with creative ideas to include  in your resolutions list and most importantly, will "offer the kick-in-the-pants you need to unleash your creative spirit."

"These are heady days for education technology. In fact, with big investments in outfits like Everspring and Udemy, I'd say 2014 was the biggest year yet in edtech. However, if you thought that was impressive, you haven't seen anything yet. What does 2015 hold for the year in this fast-moving sector?"

"The humble question is an indispensable tool: the spade that helps us dig for truth, or the flashlight that illuminates surrounding darkness. Questioning helps us learn, explore the unknown, and adapt to change. That makes it a most precious "app" today, in a world where everything is changing and so much is unknown. And yet, we don't seem to value questioning as much as we should. For the most part, in our workplaces as well as our classrooms, it is the answers we reward -- while the questions are barely tolerated. To change that is easier said than done. Working within an answers-based education system, and in a culture where questioning may be seen as a sign of weakness, teachers must go out of their way to create conditions conducive to inquiry. Here are some suggestions (based on input from question-friendly teachers, schools, programs, and organizations) on how to encourage more questioning in the classroom and hopefully, beyond it."

"Our latest webinar hosted by our Digital Citizenship community on edWeb, "Cyberbullying, Sexting, and Social Media Use," had a record-breaking 427 attendees, the highest number of live attendees we've ever had in an edWeb webinar! Educators from around the globe came to learn from Dr. Elizabeth Englander, professor of psychology at Bridgewater State University. Elizabeth covered what she's learned through her research on youth, including"

"Hour of Code is a week-long promotion of the teaching and learning of computer coding. "The Hour of Code is designed to demystify code and show that computer science is not rocket-science, anybody can learn the basics," said Hadi Partovi, founder and CEO of Code.org. "In one week last year, 15 million students tried an Hour of Code. Now we're aiming for 100 million worldwide to prove that the demand for relevant 21st century computer science education crosses all borders and knows no boundaries.""

"The notion of digital literacy, or "Information, Communications, and Technology Literacy" (ICT Literacy), usually takes into account the vocational skills required to operate digital machines or the intellectual skills required to program or 'code' them. The concept does not account for the social and intellectual advantages that are available to affluent students with access to more, and better integrated, educational technologies. In other words, it is not only about skills, but also about cognition, etiquette, motivation, socialization and culture - the context within which one uses the tools."

"From the computer to the iPad, technology is revolutionizing how we work, play, socialize, and learn (sometimes all at once). In celebration of Computer Science Education Week, we're running the excellent infographic below, which explores 6 landmark technologies, including Eye Tracking Technology Virtual Reality Technology Immersive Technology Wireless Technology Wearable Computing Technology Video Chat Technology"

"Little children are big news this week, as the White House holds a summit on early childhood education December 10. The President wants every four year old to go to preschool, but the new Congress is unlikely to foot that bill. Since last year, more than 30 states have expanded access to preschool. But there's still a lack of evidence about exactly what kinds of interventions are most effective in those crucial early years. In New York City, an ambitious, $25 million dollar study is collecting evidence on the best way to raise outcomes for kids in poverty. Their hunch is that it may begin with math."

"What constitutes a human right? Abstractly, a human right is one that is inherent and inalienable to all human beings. They are the elements of social life any individual should reasonably expect to be granted solely for the fact that they are alive. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, there exist thirty such elements ranging from the Right to Equality to Freedom of Religion to the Right to Rest and Leisure. Some are more abstract than others, some more integral to survival than the rest. Near the end of the list is the Right to Education, which is the focus of Big Think expert Nicholas Negroponte's recent interview, featured today on this site and embedded below:"

"If you are using iPads in your classroom you'll want to check out the amazing accessibility tools that can help all of your students interact with their device.  Jenny Grabiec is an Apple Distinguished Educator who has created a fantastic iBook that makes it simple for teachers to understand the accessibility features available on iPads.  You can download the book for free and explore these tools in iBooks on your iPad or Mac computer."