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"Did you know it's possible for students to use social media as a classroom research tool? Over the years social media has evolved from being a mere communication platform where people can connect with their long-time friends. It has matured into a platform where people conduct real business in addition to just making connections. At the time of this writing (the fourth quarter of 2016) Facebook is the most popular social media platform with almost 2 billion followers. It started out as a channel where people could re-establish some of their lost connections. Today, in addition to this, major brands are using the platform to market their goods and services. That is how far our social media has evolved. With such changes, it's only fair that students should be able to take advantage of such opportunities. There are so many ways students can use social media for research. Why struggle with research papers when there is plenty of help out there? Instead of focusing on chatting up friends, they can use that time constructively and get something done. HomeworkDesk.com decided to make a list that will help you."

"The Classroom Evolved: Creating an Active Learning Environment"

"Blended learning can create new career opportunities and improve conditions for teachers. As student roles evolve within a more personalized, tech-rich learning environment, teacher roles should evolve accordingly."

"What started as an idea for an iPad application evolved into a more accessible tool for the next generation of electronic textbooks, which Johnson and Macosko call "BioBook." BioBook was created within a Moodle-based learning management system designed by Odigia. Moodle is a free, open-source Web application that educators can use to create online learning sites. "Students can access BioBook from desktop PCs, laptops, iPads and mobile devices," said Johnson."

"As teachers and educators, we are constantly required to review, evaluate and renew our teaching strategies to align them with  the cultural, technological and pedagogical ethos of the era we are living in. In today's era, the digital component is at the foreground which obviously calls for a new mindset, a novel conceptual framework that views technology not as an end itself but solely a mean to an educational end. It is a truism that digitally has opened a new horizon of unprecedented learning opportunities and experiences  but we can only tap into its full educational potential when we equip ourselves with the proper mindset: a growth and open mindset that as much as it adapts it also disrupts the century-old orthodoxies underlying teaching and learning practice. Teaching is a dynamic concept which is constantly evolving and expanding and that is why teachers and educators are forever learners. Engaging in such a life-long learning journey entails that teachers develop a set of robust thinking habits that allow them to fit in the rapidly evolving educational landscape.These habits are, according to Reid Wilson, what make the profile of a modern educator. Below is an awesome visual created by Wilson featuring some of the characteristics of a modern teacher which I want to bring to your attention. Have a look and share with us what you think of it. Enjoy"

"The concept of a Personal Learning Network (PLN) is a familiar concept these days. Yet, the nature of Personal Learning Networks is evolving as the range of tools available to support them increases, and our rapport with those tools becomes more sophisticated. The aim of this post is to outline the changes that appear to be taking shape, and to offer some practical strategies for teachers to supercharge their Personal Learning Networks."

"News has evolved, and how you read it needs to evolve too. It's not about going to one site any more. It's also not about reading through social networks. Reading the news today isn't as simple as it used to be. There is an information overload that you need to counter. Plenty of sites have their own biases that you have to manoeuvre. And lots of smaller news outlets have the most interesting articles. The 5 Best News Curation Apps to Fight Information Overload The 5 Best News Curation Apps to Fight Information Overload You've got so much vying for your attention -- news articles, Reddit posts, tweets, Facebook posts -- but what if you could get it all curated in one place? READ MORE So change how you read news: take small bites, track a single subject, or read the most trending articles. These sites and apps will give you an interesting way to consume news."

ADI is instrumental in evolving and implementing water conservation and management strategies in most of the States across India. ADI is committed to evolving and strengthening issues about water resource development and management and sustainable development of the area. ADI has pioneered several major initiatives to replenish water in communities. ADI is partnering in planning, facilitating implementation, and monitoring the impact of Sustainable Water Resource Development & Management projects in Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Haryana, Punjab, and many other States. Here, Sustainable water resources development and management deal with the practices that help ascertain continued access to good quality water, without jeopardizing the future potential or availability. It entails a methodical approach to augmentation, conservation, and utilization of water resources for a particular portfolio of activities. ADI provides a holistic development framework with an integrated approach to the management of water resources.

""Nothing could be more absurd than an experiment in which computers are placed in a classroom where nothing else is changed." - Seymour Papert When it comes to improving outcomes in the digital age, efficacy matters more than ever.  Billions of dollars are spent across the world on technology with the hopes that it will lead to better results.  Tom Murray and I shared this thought in Learning Transformed: Educational technology is not a silver bullet. Yet year after year, districts purchase large quantities of devices, deploy them on a large scale, and are left hoping the technology will have an impact. Quite often, they're left wondering why there was no change in student engagement or achievement after large financial investments in devices. Today's devices are powerful tools. At the cost of only a few hundred dollars, it's almost possible to get more technological capacity than was required to put people on the moon. Nevertheless, the devices in tomorrow's schools will be even more robust. With that in mind, it's important to understand that the technology our students are currently using in their classrooms is the worst technology they will ever use moving forward. As the technology continues to evolve, the conversation must remain focused on learning and pedagogy-not on devices. Unfortunately, technology is not a magic wand that will automatically empower learners to think critically, solve complex problems, or close achievement gaps.  These outcomes rely on taking a critical lens to pedagogical techniques to ensure that they evolve so that technology can begin to support and ultimately enhance instruction.  If the former (pedagogy) isn't solid, then all the technology in the world won't make a difference.  As William Horton states, "Unless you get the instructional design right, technology can only increase the speed and certainty of failure.""

"Math Evolve, by InterAction Education and Zephyr Games, has really pushed the envelope. This app introduces a revolutionary "video-like" gaming app for practicing math facts. "

A Professional Learning Community (PLC) is defined as a school in which the professionals (administrators and teachers) continuously seek and share learning to increase their effectiveness for students, and act on what they learn (Hord, 1997). Hord adds that schools organized as PLCs are characterized by five dimensions: shared and supportive leadership, shared values and vision, collective learning and application of learning, supportive conditions, and shared personal practice. Hord asserts that by nurturing and developing each of these five dimensions, a school staff can evolve into a learning community.

21st Century Learning: Making Technology Relevant in Today's Classrooms by Fred Podolski "21st Century Learning" is currently the hottest catchphrase in education, but what it means has yet to be fully determined. Technology is a part of students' everyday lives, and substantial advances in technology have profoundly affected the way they learn. As a result, educators are working hard to meet the ever-evolving needs of 21st century learners. Translating the ongoing technological revolution into a learning experience is a fundamental part of that challenge

"Many educators are eager and willing to incorporate digital portfolios into their curriculum. Others are more hesitant, but remain curious about this newly evolved portfolio - wondering about how this technology might inspire and engage their students into more self-directed learning and reflection. Whichever side of the fence you are on, here is a list of classroom-approved resources to help get you started!"

"There's no denying that the iPad is the dominant tablet in the lucrative education market right now. Technology, however, is an ever-evolving beast--a field where all it sometimes takes to dethrone the king is the right platform, device or combination thereof at the right time. Could other tablets soon cut into Apple's market share with help from outside marketplaces and learning platforms? Here are our picks for the top 10 tablets, marketplaces and platforms that threaten the iPad's dominance in the classroom:"

"In his new book To Sell is Human, author Daniel Pink reports that education is one of the fastest growing job categories in the country. And with this growth comes the opportunity to change the way educators envision their roles and their classrooms. Guided by findings in educational research and neuroscience, the emphasis on cognitive skills like computation and memorization is evolving to include less tangible, non-cognitive skills, like collaboration and improvisation"

"Education got a lot more mobile in 2012 as in-school iPad initiatives, the iPhone 5 launch and online learning providers in general made classroom experiences more interesting-and don't expect to see teaching head back to desktop PC's in 2013. In fact, as MOOCs and hybrid programs continue to evolve, mobile should have an ever more significant role to play."

"One of the great things I've noticed in the last 2 years is how my teaching has evolved with the use of the iPads. It's been a gradual shift, but the way I am using them now is different than the first pilot year in 2011."

"One thing that always interested me about History was the growing realisation that even the supposedly simplest and most straightforward facts are quite often shrouded in a mystifying narrative; a trail of sources that leaves the true story open to a range of opposing interpretations and outcomes. Whilst we may think we have answered all the questions and arrived at the correct conclusions about the sequences of events, a differing theory or discovery of a contradictory source can suddenly debunk the accepted. That is what makes learning History so fascinating; the mysteries. The definite mysteries that we may never solve or we can see evolving into an answer as decades move forward, or the certain chronicle that suddenly finds itself turning into a cryptic puzzle as later evidence emerges. Within us all is a person who wants to know the answers when challenged by the unknown, and to embrace the exhilaration of cracking a Sherlockian case. Instead of a just a 'Whodunnit?', exploring history mysteries involves a wider spectrum of narratives and therefore can offer a far more rich tapestry of skills including analysis, questioning and the evaluation of places, events and persons. Follow me down the rabbit's hole into the wonderland of history mysteries."

The role of the teacher is slowly but surely changing and with this come new challenges. Change becomes inevitable and processes for managing this and capitalising on the opportunities it brings becomes paramount within organisations. It is perhaps not surprising that educational institutions may evolve to become what are termed 'Learning Organisations' or 'Professional Learning Communities' within which there is a focus on the application of the principles of learning to manage change and explore new opportunities.