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"Yes, as a parent or teacher you might feel you are in a constant fight and you may win some and loose some battles but if we are careful, I believe we will win the war. With some thought and a positively mindset, this screen time might create a generation of thinking, creative and collaborative people. By setting up structures to help the children self-manage their screen time, I am hoping that I can already see the benefits of what these apps have to offer transferred to 'real-life' with two girls who are happy to help, keen to solve problems and create projects of their own design. Make sure you make some time to showcase the results of their more productive device use and it will encourage more."

"The more and more I think about changing my classroom practices, the less and less I consider technology. Perhaps I should celebrate how embedded in practice it has become since I no longer consider it an event. It takes times for this natural fit. Time and energy. Two things teachers don't have much of during the week - time and energy. Between raising families, coaching sports teams, planning lessons and marking at night (forget having a social life), it can be challenging to learn about new tools an technologies. Trying a new app with a full class of kids generates a lot of anxiety and fear. What happens if the technology fails?"

"I fell in love with Periscope, the free live-streaming app created by Twitter, this summer while at ISTE.  Free, instant access to events happening around the world - finally!  The myriad of ways I could see implementing it in my classroom overwhelmed me in a good way.  Kids could periscope our class at any time to bring the world in.  Students could interact with other students around the world.  Students could have a real-time audience at any time we needed.  We could explore every day moments in cultures around the world.  On and on, the ideas went. Yet, when I thought about it some more, I started to second-guess my love for it a little bit.  I didn't fall out of love, but I did start to question my own ideas, as well as the professional responsibility that I carry not just as a teacher, but also as an active conference goer/speaker.  So what has made me slow down?"

"Dear Parent: I know. You're worried. Every day, your child comes home with a story about THAT kid. The one who is always hitting shoving pinching scratching maybe even biting other children. The one who always has to hold my hand in the hallway. The one who has a special spot at the carpet, and sometimes sits on a chair rather than the floor. The one who had to leave the block centre because blocks are not for throwing. The one who climbed over the playground fence right exactly as I was telling her to stop. The one who poured his neighbour's milk onto the floor in a fit of anger. On purpose. While I was watching.  And then, when I asked him to clean it up, emptied the ENTIRE paper towel dispenser. On purpose. While I was watching. The one who dropped the REAL ACTUAL F-word in gym class. You're worried that THAT child is detracting from your child's learning experience. You're worried that he takes up too much of my time and energy, and that your child won't get his fair share. You're worried that she is really going to hurt someone some day. You're worried that "someone" might be your child. You're worried that your child is going to start using aggression to get what she wants. You're worried your child is going to fall behind academically because I might not notice that he is struggling to hold a pencil. I know. Your child, this year, in this classroom, at this age, is not THAT child. Your child is not perfect, but she generally follows rules. He is able to share toys peaceably. She does not throw furniture. He raises his hand to speak. She works when it is time to work, and  plays when it is time to play. He can be trusted to go straight to the bathroom and straight back again with no shenanigans. She thinks that the S-word is "stupid" and the C-word is "crap." I know."

Want to enhance the viewer experiences and discussions around the YouTube videos you embed for free? With our first release*, you can now upgrade your embeds with real-time reactions, DVD-like controls, and more without having to alter original content.

Twiddla meetings allow users to interact in real time with drawing tools, chat, voice, images, videos, plain text, documents, emails, and GoogleMaps.

Real time Twitter trends and search tool. Pick your own topic or watch popular Twitter trends

Real time Twitter trends and search. Pick your own topic or monitor popular Twitter trends

"Google Translate Now Talks and Translates in Real-time"

"You've read about the maker movement. You've seen the posts with 3D printers, laser cutters, and three-axis mills in shiny new labs. And you want your students to start making, too. But you've got one big problem: you don't have a full lab -- or even a 3D printer -- because, like many educators, you don't have the biggest budget. Maybe you have no budget at all. But what if you could get started making tomorrow and didn't need all the fancy tools to join this movement? Making starts with a mindset, and simple materials are all that you need to get started. There are resources all around you, materials hidden in plain sight, tools just waiting to be used for a creative purpose. And with a little dose of ingenuity, you'll have your students making in no time. One perfect way start making on the cheap is through upcycling, the intentional transformation of hard-to-recycle materials into new products, thus saving them from the landfill. This type of real-world project not only teaches making skills but also helps you integrate making into your subject area. Study material science, explore industrial design, or dig into environmental education. As an added bonus, a project like this ignites your students' entrepreneurial spirit. Here's the five-step strategy that I've used to get my students making products out of hard-to-recycle materials. These steps could be done in one class period each, but if you want more time for ideas and iteration, feel free to expand the timeline as you go. Expect a beautiful mess, a bit of chaos, and a lot of fun as your students start to save the landfills -- by design."

Do you love reading but don't get enough time due to your busy schedule and work? If you cannot read, you can listen to news and your favorite blogs on your PC, Android, iPhone and iPad using a service known as Vocalyse.

"When you look at the time teachers actually spend working, you can see that it's not a cakewalk - at all. The next time your city or state wants to cut back on teacher salaries or hammer their pensions, here's something to show around to folks before they make a decision. "

"Below is a collection of some very good iPad apps to help teachers with  classroom management. Some of the tasks you can do with these apps include: conduct instant formative assessments in class, create seating charts, record class attendance, randomly pick students for classroom participation, create and share permission slips, visualize and assess students understanding, set timed tasks in class, improve students behaviour by providing real-time feedback, poll your students and many more. The apps featured in this list are among the best titles you can find in the category of classroom management. Enjoy"

"These courses represented a lifeline and a glimmer of hope in what has become a day fraught with relentless preparation for college and careers.  However, the powers that be found that they consumed precious time from the school day that could have been spent on more important curricular endeavors.  In the end, students, especially those most at-risk based on learning needs, have immensely suffered.  They desperately need an outlet during the long school day.  If not, their motivation to learn in all their other classes will wane resulting in either a lack of effort or desire to even attend school.  The bottom line is that many schools have deprived students of real-world learning experiences that are needed now more than ever.  This might seem like a bleak scenario that I describe above and it should.  Our students deserve activities that will not only prepare them for vital trade careers, but also allow them to openly explore the solving of problems that are relevant to them.  During my tenure as New Milford High School Principal our district cut wood and metal shop.  Over the years I have also seen recess time dwindle for my own kids and others who attend the New York City Public School System.  All hope is not lost though for any school looking to create a better learning environment that works for kids.  The solution for all schools comes in the form of makerspaces. "

"How do you know if something you read is true? Why should you care? We pose these questions this week in honor of News Engagement Day on Oct. 6, and try to answer them with resources from The Times as well as from Edutopia, the Center for News Literacy, TEDEd and the Newseum. Although we doubt we need to convince teachers that this skill is important, we like the way Peter Adams from the News Literacy Project frames it in a post for Edutopia. As he points out, every teacher is familiar with "digital natives" and the way they seem to have been born with the ability to use technology. But what about "digital naïveté" - when students trust sources of information that are obviously unreliable?"

"These days, everyone assumes that their favorite stars and celebrities have been digitally touched up in magazines and on billboards. But most have no idea how far Photoshop can go. Real Retouch demonstrates just how drastic Photoshop can change someone's picture in this time lapse. Just watch as a heavyset Japanese TV star loses more than a couple pounds in just minutes! So next time you feel jealous that your favorite star's pics look too good to be true, remember, they only look like that on paper. "

"Technology is changing not only the instructional methods we use to teach our students, but it is changing the classroom and learning experience. Digital learning communities - virtual spaces where students can collaborate, assist in each other's learning, and build relationships - are integral to 21st century learning. With it being January and a time for New Year's Resolution, we thought these apps might be something to try out in the new year! To support teachers, this month's Roundup is a compilation of App Ed Review's favorite learning communities apps that support students asking and answering questions, collaborating on work in real time, and creating their own lessons."

"Adam Savage is no stranger to mixing science with whimsy. With his hit show Mythbusters, he and partner Jamie Hyneman have tackled everything from shark attacks to death rays. Of course, that show can't film all the time. To fill the other hours in the day, Savage runs a web series called Inside Adam Savage's Cave, where he does experiments, shows off oddities, and generally makes merriment. In today's episode, Savage has invited animator Marty Cooper into his cave to talk about traditional hand-drawn animation and augmented reality cartoons. The best part? All of the animation is made with an iPhone. Using the app StopMotion Recorder, a series of by-hand drawings made on transparencies, and a little bit of time, Savage and Cooper are able to create a few glorious stop-motion cartoons that delightfully float in the real world."

"Here's a sketchy video I created for my technology pedagogy course. I have mixed feelings about SAMR, because it often implies that "lower levels" are not as good when often substitution works well. Royan Lee picked this apart well. I also think there are times when the best option involves avoiding technology. For example, there are times when sketching something by hand teaches observational skills better than using a camera. However, I still see a real benefit in the SAMR model, in terms of thinking about the transformative power of technology."