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"One of the answers you would definitely get when you ask any teacher about the skills their students should have is critical thinking. Of course there is more to it than just critical thinking, there is also the ability to Find information validate this information Synthesize it Leverage information Communicate information Collaborate with it Problem solve it Reflect about it Evaluate it Publish it"

"Ask kids what Facebook is for, and they'll tell you it's there to help them make friends. And, on the surface anyway, that's what it looks like. Of course, anyone who has poked a bit deeper or thought a bit longer about it understands that people programming Facebook aren't sitting around wondering how to foster more enduring relationships for little Johnny, Janey and their friends, but rather how to monetize their social graphs -- the trail of data the site is busy accumulating about Johnny and Janey every second of the day and night. "

"Teachers are focusing on writing instruction like never before. More and more, they're asking students to write about what they read, helping them think through and craft their work, and using such exercises as tools not only to build better writers, but to help students understand what they're studying."

"ll the conversations about technology and education lead to 1:1, and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiatives. Each concept has its benefits and challenges, which creates a spirited debate among educators. Add to this debate the ever expanding list of educational apps, programs and services being developed for teachers, students, parents and administrators, and you begin to feel the urgency to innovate in your school. Before you take the plunge consider these five essential questions:"

"Welcome to the social media revolution. An 11-year-old can ask the Prime Minister about education policy in the time it would take to lick a stamp. ''It's fun because you get to tell the world what you've learned,'' Campbell says. According to the American author and international speaker on digital media, Erik Qualman, social media has become the number one activity on the web."

Next time you go to or host a conference ask yourself if it meets this standard

"Earlier this week I shared 76 examples of Haiku Deck being used in school and then I shared Ken Shelton's great presentation on the importance of visuals in storytelling. Yesterday, Ken told me about Haiku Deck's directions for incorporating video into your presentations. This is a topic that a few people have asked me about this week so I think it's worth noting that Haiku Deck has published directions for incorporating videos. "

"Quizdini is a free tool for creating online quizzes. The best feature of Quizdini is that you can create explanations of the correct answer for your students to view immediately after trying each question in your quiz. Your explanation can include text and or links to online resources like videos and images. Quizdini quizzes can be created in a traditional linear format or in a matching format that asks students to pair answers to terms."

"6.30am Wake up. Check notifications on iPad while eating breakfast. Received an email late last night from a student asking for clarification on a homework task. Answer e-mail. Cross fingers that the student gets the task done before the first session, which is when it is due."

"A few days ago a student approached me and said he needed to talk about something, and he wanted to meet the next day at recess. I appreciated the way he reached out to me and I looked forward to the opportunity to meet with him. He came into my office with a sheepish look on his face, spoke in a quiet voice and said that he had done something he was not feeling good about. I asked him what it was, and he informed me that he had violated the technology policy by downloading some games onto his school-issued iPad, bypassing restrictions and settings. "

"The infographics listed below are created by anethicalisland. Before you send me an email asking for how to print these graphics, please check the post I have shared a few days ago entitled " 2 Ways to Print out Posters and infographics "."

"Many schools will ask students to bring their own smartphones, tablets and laptops from home as a federal government program which gave every student in years 9 to 12 access to a computer expires at the end of this month."

"Last night I was asked to present at my local schools internal inset on my journey with iPads. At Chepstow School in Monmouthshire they have been embarking this year on a project to determine the impact devices would have on teaching and learning. Led by Jamie Goddard (@jamiegodzy) they have had staff bid for use of a class set of iPads with an Action research focus to look at things such as flipped learning to the impact on SEN."

"During one of my workshops this afternoon at Carondelet High School some asked for suggestions about using QR codes. Here are some of the uses that I suggested."

"Last month our middle school tech class went to Lansing to attend the MACUL ATT Student Showcase. While there, I asked the students to use an iPad to somehow create a project to document what happened on the trip. I gave them a list of suggested apps, but left it open for students to make their own creative choices about the project. Several students used the wonderful Book Creator app to create epub books about the trip. Here are links to two of the books that can be directly downloaded into iBooks on your iPad, iPod, or iPhone. (Note, it will take several minutes for the books to download, then select to open in iBooks.)"

"One question I seem to get a lot about the iPad is what apps do I recommend that are free. I am hearing from a lot of teachers that they have no way to add paid apps and thus are stuck trying to find free apps. My experience is that many free apps stink. They have many adds, require in app purchases to be useful, or are just junk. I tend to stay away from most free apps. So what are you to do if the district controls adding paid apps? My suggestion is to build relationships with the decision makers. Don't just ask for a bunch of apps, instead provide documentation and purpose for a few apps you would like to have. I know this process takes time and effort but if you can show the purpose and learning you have a much better chance. If you need lesson ideas I suggest checking out my Pinterest page, and three of my favorite Pinterest pages: iPadsammy, TechChef4u, and Sue Gorman. Look for apps and lesson ideas there and modify them to fit your standards and kids. If I was starting from scratch this is the $10 iPad app setup I would push for in my kindergarten classroom. (I will be posting a $20 setup later)"