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"On-Call and substitute teachers face a perplexing set of planning-related problems that require each to become a proverbial Jack- or Jill-of-all-trades. On Monday, you may be filling in for an elementary school music teacher and on Thursday you could be spearheading a discussion on Dickens. Investing in a few mobile apps can save you stress and time, allowing you to have a lesson plan or the materials for students literally at your fingertips."

"Being a relatively new concept, the definition of Maker Ed isn't exactly set in stone, though it roughly relates learning making making. What your definition of "making" is will likely help you form your definition of maker ed and learning through making, whether that be clay for sculpting, wood and saws for building, or apps for digital wares. The 21 kits below are a part of this movement, but they're also incredibly cool. They have less to do with making from scratch and more to do with making from pre-made materials (kits), but that doesn't make them any less useful for learning through play and creation. Oh, and we've got 2 or 3 books in there as well."

"Whether this is your first year teaching and you're right out of school or you've been teaching for 30 years, the students sitting in your classroom are facing a different type of classroom than you had as a student. There is more technology, the subject material may vary slightly, but the biggest differences are likely cultural and social."

"Learning how to evaluate online content is an essential step in the process of developing digitally literate students. I have already featured several materials on strategies and skills for students to evaluate web content and today I am adding a great resource from Lisa Hartman. The presentation below features the 5 elements ( CRAAP ) students should look for when evaluating online content. These elements according to Lisa are : Currency Relevance Authority Accuracy Purpose Watch this short introduction to CRAAP:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDGKsT7QHNs#t=24

"Copy Me is a new webseries (here's its Indiegogo fundraiser) constituting a series of short animations presenting accessible, informative, concise information about copyright, copying and culture. It's marvellously promising, and, as Mike Masnick points out, it's a much-needed addition to a canon that includes such brilliant material as Nina Paley's Copying is Not Theft and Kirby Ferguson's Everything is a Remix."

"After we have learned about the iPad apps to help us assess our students learning and create more interaction in the classroom, today's post from " iPad as Teachers' Pet " features a set of great apps that you can use to create instructional media for your class. These apps will allow you to design a variety of multimedia productions to share with students."

"Web connected classrooms provide opportunities for students and teachers to read original material, discuss current events, and analyze multiple perspectives in search of truth. There are numerous ways in which readers can access news. Here are five free apps that can bring a steady stream of news, and information to the connected learner."

"It is the responsibility of all educators to model good digital citizenship for their students. Especially when it comes to copyright, plagiarism and intellectual property. The waters are murky. Not being familiar with online digital rights and responsibilities (hey, teachers did not grow up with the Internet being around), educators are wading through uncharted waters (hey, I did not know that I could not just google an image to use. If someone puts it up online it is free for the taking). That does not mean they can close their eyes and pretend life is the same or that the same rules apply to online versus offline use of copyrighted material with their students."

"The following materials are being used to present to educators the idea that implementing maker education requires a different mindset, and often different roles and skills of the educator."

"The goal of CodeHS is to spread the knowledge of computer science by offering well-crafted instructional materials supported continuously by the quality, personal attention of our enthusiastic tutors. We believe that everyone has the ability to learn computer science, and we want to help them do so"

"A new wave of e-textbooks is giving students more than just words and a few hotlinks on a digital page. Publishers over the last few years have been adding video, interactive maps and gamified quizzes designed to engage students more deeply in their learning. "Think of it as making the textbook a hands-on activity," says Andrew Miller, an ASCD faculty member and technology expert. "It's making the content come to life in a way that meets the needs of different learners-auditory learners, visual leaders, text-based learners." The latest e-textbooks, developed by traditional publishers as well as new players like Discovery Education, are powered by a host of adaptive features, such as adjustable levels of difficulty and instant translation into other languages. And in some districts, teachers are using platforms like Apple's iBooks to create their own digital course materials."

"Synopsis is a completely free iPad app for students that lets users create notes by highlighting different sections of a PDF document.  Kids can then modify the notes they have created by adding their own text. Synopsis gives kids the power to summarize any text so they won't need to go back to a PDF document to study material.  Each individual note can be converted to its own flashcard there is no need to buy flashcards or type and create your own."

"We all want our students to be critical thinkers but when it comes to defining what it is that critical thinking is all about and what strategies to use to cultivate it in classroom things get a little bit muddier.Scholars across various disciplines define it differently. For Daniel Willingham critical thinking is "seeing both sides of an issue", Robert Wessberg views it as " an ability to use reason to move beyond the acquisition of facts to uncover deep meaning" and linda Elder sees it as a "self-guided, self-disciplined thinking which attempts to reason at the highest level of quality in a fair-minded way". At its essence, critical thinking does require an elevated form of reasoning that is not usually found in other forms of thinking and for teachers to raise critical thinkers  they definitely need to be well versed with the inner workings of this type of thinking. To this end, Edtech and Mlearning has this resourceful section full of materials and resources to help teachers integrate the ethos of critical thinking in their instructional pedagogy. "

"If you are using or planning to use iPad in your instruction the apps below are definitely a must have. These are apps that will help you organize your class and enhance students learning. Some of the things you can do with these applications include: create virtual spaces for your classes, share materials with your students such as files and documents, get students to pass in their assignments, post reminders, share quizzes and homework assignments with students, send reports to parents and school administrators  and many more."

"Google Cultural Institute is a great resource with huge educational potential. We have already reviewed it when it was first launched a couple of years ago and since then new features and materials have been added to the platform. Google Cultural Institute puts 'the world's cultural treasures at your fingerprints' allowing you to explore the historical museums and monuments right from the comfort of your own place."

"Mystery Science is a relatively new service that is offering nice science lessons for elementary school students. The lessons on Mystery Science feature a series of videos and images arranged around a science subject. After each video there are questions that students can answer on their own or work through with your guidance. The lessons don't stop there. After the initial videos and questions you can extend the lessons by leading students in hands-on activities that reinforce the concepts shown in the videos. Mystery Science provides materials lists and detailed directions for each hands-on activity"

"Third graders played for just 10 minutes per day, 3 days a week, for four weeks. The comparison group's class received the same materials and the same instruction, but didn't play the game. The result of playing was a staggering 20.5% improvement after just two hours of self-guided play."

"According to Martinez and Stager, the Maker Movement, a technological and creative learning revolution underway around the globe, has exciting and vast implications for the world of education. New tools and technology, such as 3D printing, robotics, microprocessors, wearable computing, e-textiles, 'smart' materials, and programming languages are being invented at an unprecedented pace. The Maker Movement creates affordable versions of these inventions, while sharing tools and ideas online to create an innovative, collaborative community of global problem seekers and solvers. The Maker Movement in education is built upon the foundation of constructionism, which is the philosophy of hands-on learning through building things. The key message from spending hours in this book was that the Maker Movement overlaps with the natural inclinations of children and the power of learning by doing. By embracing the lessons of the Maker Movement, educators can revamp the best student-centered teaching practices to engage learners of all ages."

"The Maker Movement is a technological and creative revolution underway around the world. Fortunately for educators, the Maker Movement overlaps with the natural inclinations of children and the power of learning by doing. Embracing the lessons of the Maker Movement holds the keys to reanimating the best, but oft-forgotten learner-centered teaching practices. New tools and technology, such as 3D printing, robotics, microprocessors, wearable computing, e-textiles, "smart" materials, and new programming languages are being invented at an unprecedented pace. The Maker Movement creates affordable - even free - versions of these inventions, and shares tools and ideas online, creating a vibrant, collaborative community of global problem-solvers. "

"I've shared some great apps from The Lawrence Hall of Science (DIY Human Body, DIY Sun Science, Monster Heart Medic) and DIY Nano HD is another free app for iPads that you'll love.  DIY Nano HD contains easy science experiments for teachers, students and families.  Using easy to find materials children can follow along with instructions on the screen to learn about nanoscale science, engineering, and technology.  This app contains videos, images and informational text that can help students learn about expository writing styles including how-tos and step-by-step guides."