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I’m reminded of the best book any new teacher should have that helps address some of these questions, The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher by Harry Wong. There is a new 2009 edition out now. 

One point in Wong’s book that still lingers with me is the importance of planning and preparation. You cannot over plan.

With good procedures in order, students trained, expectations explained and lots of practice, the classroom can run smoothly. When you plan well, stay organized, and maintain a positive outlook even when it becomes stressful, you can bring new challenges and fun ways to learning. You will gain as much as your students do for it will be a rich and rewarding experience.

According to William Rust, research director for the IT research and consulting firm Gartner, there is a new digital divide occurring in schools. Whereas this divide used to refer to whether or not students had access to technology, now it concerns whether schools are using technology effectively to achieve results.

Regarding the changing nature of learners, Gartner believes that so-called "digital natives" will demand, and need, new types of learning experiences.

"The biggest shift we're seeing right now is student preference shifting from print to digital resources," Rust noted. "It's all about the web."

his page serves as a navigation tool to resources for beginning teachers and those who support them.  Note:  Some resources are drawn from other states and the learning objectives may differ from those for North Carolina; however, the intent is to provide sample frameworks for adaptation to local settings.

However, while students and the administration may be embracing the practical upsides of the switch to gmail – great value, savings and reliability – faculty at Lakehead haven’t come under Google’s spell. In late 2006, the Lakehead faculty union filed a grievance with the university, now under arbitration, asserting that the e-mail system fails to protect their privacy and academic freedom. At the heart of the complaint is Google’s status as a U.S. company. Because Google is subject to American law, Lakehead will not be able to protect the contents of faculty’s e-mail from the U.S. government, which under the U.S. Patriot Act can compel Google to hand over data without even allowing the company to inform Lakehead that the transaction took place. Noting that Lakehead was the first school in North America that asked faculty, as well as students, to use an outsourced e-mail service, the Canadian Association of University Teachers has taken up the case. “If a faculty member knows that any e-mail they write, by virtue of it being handled by Google, could be subject to access and seizure by U.S. security agencies, they might be much less willing to share views with their colleagues” said CAUT Executive Director James Turk. “As we’ve seen all too often, very innocent things can attract the interest of American security officials.”

Google announced an admirable initiative called Project 10100 (pronounced "Project 10 to the 100th") yesterday. Everyone around the world is invited to submit ideas for changing the world by helping as many people as possible. Google has committed 10 million dollars to help make 5 ideas come to fruition (good word!).

Note: These tools should be used to help students engage in rigorous thinking, organize complex ideas, and scaffold their interactions with texts.  They should not be used simply as worksheets or activities for their own sake.