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"Schools are about learning-from peers as well as teachers. In class, students learn academic content, but they also learn about social relationships and life skills, such as the need for perseverance to complete tasks successfully. To learn something is to gain knowledge about that idea or topic. Learning can occur in formal contexts, such as in a set of experiments about photosynthesis, or, informally, as students chat with one another about favorite books. Many synonyms exist for the verb to learn, as well as numerous idioms and common phrases. There many ways to integrate these into everyday classroom and school events."

"I had the pleasure once again to work together with Richard Wells from New Zealand. He recently reworked his website from iPadwells.com to eduwells.com. Give it a look if you haven't checked it out lately! 2016 has arrived and iPad pedagogy has moved a long way in 6 years. Having iPads in your classroom is no longer about which exciting apps you can all use but more about empowering your students to discover and share their own iPad solutions for every situation. This requires collaboration between peers and a flexible mindset held by all in the room, including the teacher. It's about building on new habits held by young people to connect, create and share their learning. It's also about keeping in-touch with new developments to ensure our young people are ready for a rapidly changing world. Think less about teaching delivery or a "one-app-fits-all" model, and more about 21st century habits, and the development of an innovative mindset. (See this book for more details on this) We hope these help! Richard & Steve"

"I just discovered Orange Slice, a Google Add-on that offers both teacher and student rubrics.  A handy productivity tool, Orange Slice plays nice with Google Classroom and makes it super easy to evaluate student work in Docs. The Orange Slide Teacher Rubric allows teachers to add rubrics to students' assignments for grading.  The Orange Slide Student Rubric is designed for group collaborations or peer reviewing.  Students could add the Orange Slide Student rubric to their own accounts to evaluate their classmates' work, once the teacher or librarian sets up the Teacher Rubric."

"Today's workforce, as nearly everyone knows, is increasingly global. And with that global nature comes fierce competition-students will need an arsenal of workforce skills in order to stand out from their peers. According to a recent McGraw-Hill Education survey, just 40 percent of college seniors said they felt their college experience was helpful in preparing for a career. Alarmingly, that percentage plummeted to 19 percent for women answering the same question. That same survey also found that students in STEM majors were the most likely out of any group to report that they are optimistic about their career prospects (73 percent). According to data from the nonprofit Institute for the Future, there are 6 drivers of change in today's workforce:"

"We all know our chronological age. That's as simple as counting the candles on your birthday cake. But do you know your biological age? This second number measures not how many years you've seen, but how much those years have impacted the functioning of your body and brain. Scientists calculate it a number of ways, but whatever methodology they employ, they agree chronological and biological age don't always line up. Some 80-year-olds function like people decades younger. They ace their memory and cognitive tests, and scientists peering at their cells can even spot significant differences. Experts have dubbed these role models of healthy aging "superagers." Just about all of us would love to one day become one. How do you achieve that? A long and fascinating article in the latest issue of UCSF Magazine delves into the work of the University of California, San Francisco's Memory and Aging Center to answer this question (hat tip to PsyBlog). Much of this research is still far too new to be of everyday use, but science has already determined a few simple interventions you can start using today to help keep your brain young."

"I'm a fan of the writing workshop. That means I also write with my students, and I allow plenty of time for students to conference with me and with each other. I also provide models of what good writing looks like -- and lots of them. Here's what the classroom writing process looks like: Brainstorming (Think About It) Drafting (Getting It Down) Revising (Making It Better) Editing (Making It Right) Publishing (Sharing It!) At the beginning of the writing process, I have had students write silently. For it to be successful, in my experience, students need plenty of topics handy (self-generated, or a list of topics, questions, and prompts provided). Silent writing is a wonderful, focused activity for the brainstorming and drafting stage of the writing process. I also think it's important that the teacher write during this time, as well (model, model, model). However, when it comes to revising, and later, editing, I think peer interaction is necessary. Students need to, for example, "rehearse" words, phrases, introductions, and thesis statements with each other during the revision stage."

"The role of technology in learning isn't entirely clear-or rather, is subjective. While it clearly is able to provide access to peers, audiences, resources, and data, it also can be awkward, problematic, distracting, performing more strongly as a barrier to understand than anything else. Why this happens also isn't clear, but there are some common patterns and missteps to look for while designing or evaluating a learning process."

"What does it mean when people talk about "student voice and choice" in education? Educators are always thinking on how best to engage the young people we work with; perhaps one way to capture their attention is right under our noses. If students feel that that their opinions and ideas are heard and valued by their peers and teachers, they're much more likely to be engaged with their education. These 7 videos offer up strategies for giving your students more agency in their lessons and day-to-day classroom life."

"What does it mean when people talk about "student voice and choice" in education? Educators are always thinking on how best to engage the young people we work with; perhaps one way to capture their attention is right under our noses. If students feel that that their opinions and ideas are heard and valued by their peers and teachers, they're much more likely to be engaged with their education. These 7 videos offer up strategies for giving your students more agency in their lessons and day-to-day classroom life."

"Collaborative learning is one of the important aspects of the 21st education. The read/write web ( As the author Will Richardson names it ) is all about tapping into the collective wisdom of the mob. Students create and join cliques online and they get to share and learn from each other. The collaborative culture that the web fosters should definitely be mirrored within the four walls of our classrooms. We need to provide students with the right environment where they can work in teams and peer help each other. Mia from anethicalisland has this wonderful visual featuring 27 tips for teachers to boost team work in class. Have a look and share with your colleagues."

"Last year my grade 1 students were uploading videos to their personal blogs and to youtube, tweeting from our classroom Twitter feed, face timing, skyping and participating in Google Hangouts with peers, soon to be teachers, teachers, experts in a certain field, and the class down the hall. We participated in global projects like the Global Read Aloud and created our own global projects. Why?"

"The U.S. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act defines the concept of the Least Restrictive Environment as the opportunity for a student with a disability to be "provided with supplementary aids and services necessary to achieve educational goals if placed in a setting with non-disabled peers." (Daniel R.r. v. State Bd. of Educ., 874 F.2d 1036, 1050, 5th Cir.1989) This concept of providing students with "supplementary aids and services necessary to achieve educational goals" could be applied to all students. By leveraging the capabilities of mobile devices, teachers can support their students in creating a personalized learning environment with the least number of barriers. "

"Several teachers now have already stated using the flipped classroom model in their teaching and some are still thinking about how to do it. If you are one of those who are keen on applying this learning/teaching strategy with your students then this resourceful section will provide you with all the materials, tips, ideas, and tools to flip your classroom. A flipped classroom is a model in which the ordinary teaching activities which are done in class like lecturing or demonstrations are recorded in videos and podcasts for students to access at home. The in-class time is used instead for deeper class discussions, students projects, one-one-one interventions, peer collaboration, and many more."

"Are  your students texting in class? Of course they are. A better question is, are you allowing your students to send text messages? If not, why? The picture above is what happens in most classes. Students hide their mobile devices and surreptitiously send text messages to their friends. In many cases they may be texting peers in the same room. Teachers fear this secret texting in class and, in many cases, ban the use of mobile devices entirely. A better practice is to embrace the mobile devices and the text messaging."

"Educators typically aren't strangers to sonic chaos. Spend 30 seconds in my classroom of 27 ten-year-olds on a Friday before the bell rings, and you'll see what I mean. I've tried everything to quiet the cacophony that is Room 5, but nothing worked until I discovered a silencing savior called Too Noisy Pro. This app relies on a visual display and peer pressure to keep classroom volumes at appropriate levels."

"It's crucial to expose a wide variety of words to kids ages zero to five. Unfortunately, kids from lower income families hear and see far fewer words than their more affluent peers. Over time this gap widens and has a severe impact on literacy. Close this gap with these hand-picked apps that'll fill kids' brains with words and jumpstart reading and spelling. "

"Ask any educator, and they've probably at least heard of flipping the classroom. There are articles for days about the benefits and rewards to be reaped from flipping. Plenty of teachers have given it a go, or at least considered it. Too many teachers have ruled it out on account of their students' lack of access. It's true that our students come from all walks of life. We see the ones with the new Jordans or the latest iPhone, and their peers wearing the old hand-me-down sweater. All of them are our future. All of them are entitled to the best education possible. Only some of them are equipped with the means to achieve their fullest potential. Believe it or not, flipping the classroom can actually help close this gap. If only the gap weren't the main reason educators choose not to flip in the first place. So how can we reach kids who don't have consistent access?"

"So here's the thing, we've all seen the presentations on the value of authentic learning and there is no doubt that creating meaningful learning experiences is paramount. And, incorporated wisely, with intention and forethought, giving students the opportunity to create digitally is a powerful tool. But creating on the devices is only half of the picture - less than half even. Last year, I visited a school and saw a group of Kindergarten students thrilled to show off their understanding using Doodle Buddy. I observed a student create a masterpiece. He looked at me eagerly, "Now what?" We held up the iPad and his peers applauded. Sharing it beyond the class however was not in the cards that day. I was struck by the lightening fast speed with which he lost interest in the whole activity as soon as he realized the sharing stopped at the classroom door."

"Social media's popularity means educators have a number of avenues to develop their professional learning networks and learn from one another. Blogging gives educators a platform to share best practices, pose questions to their peers, and explore new ideas about teaching and learning. Here, we've gathered 9 blogs that focus on technology integration, instructional technology, school leadership, and pedagogy. If you have a favorite blog that isn't on this list, use the comment section below to let us know."