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"Root looks like a smoke detector but is actually a sophisticated robot. A magnetic surface, wheels, and an impressive arsenal of sensors allow it to navigate a classroom white board. But Root isn't actually programmed to do anything. Its tasks and functionality hinge on a child's imagination. To operate - Root needs instructions, a line of code. Zivthan Dubrovsky of Harvard's Wyss Institute recalls testing out Root with kids for the first time. He asked them this: "Can you make a text based java script line follower? They go 'no that's hard, can't do that', but we can put level one in front of them and they can do it in minutes." Level one introduces kids to principles of programming using an interface of simple instruction and pictures. As they become more adept, they jump to levels 2 and 3, at which point writing computer code becomes second nature, according to Dubrovsky."

"Kids can code! Teachers who have introduced coding into primary classrooms have seen this proclamation in action. This course will outline ways to take primary coders past the point of "learning to code" to the amazing realization that they can "code to learn". "

"This is the kick-off post in a 4 part series where we will cover each stage of implementing computer science in elementary school based on thousands of conversations with educators. While the month of June brings a lull to the toil from the school year, we're working hard to set you up with the resources you'll need this summer as you prepare to do it all over again. Over the next four weeks, we'll be taking the lessons we learned from our teachers this school year and sharing their coding implementation stories from beginning to end. Over the past 3 years, computer science in elementary has come a long way. Trailblazing schools who were just getting started, have now fully integrated Computer Science into their curriculum. While the majority of schools are on their way to that point. At Kodable, we focus on talking to as many people as possible and working hard to meet their needs regardless of the stage of implementation. In these thousands of conversations, the four stages of implementing computer science in elementary school have become very clear."

"A few weeks ago, at the Bay Area Discovery Museum (BADM) near San Francisco, 5-year-old Jack Stabenow climbed a step stool to peer into a machine that cuts cardboard with a high-powered laser. The red beam precisely followed a squiggly building design that Jack had just finger-drawn on a tablet computer. Jack's goal was to make a building that could stand up to the wind of a nearby table fan. With his cardboard cut, Jack hurried to the assembly area where about two dozen other kids his age labored over teetering, but well-taped, creations. If these first attempts toppled in the breeze, that was to be expected. In fact, back-to-the-drawing-board was kind of the point. The kids were learning the cycle of design, prototype, test, and redesign that's a hallmark of engineering."

"Have you ever considered letting your students listen to hardcore punk while they take their mid-term exam? Decided to do away with Power Point presentations during your lectures? Urged your students to memorize more in order to remember more? If the answer is no, you may want to rethink your notions of psychology and its place in the learning environment. Here are 35 critical thinking strategies, straight from the mind of Sigmund Freud."

There is a change taking place in how schools approach ICT, one that has been coming for some time but is at the point of moving into the mainstream. A subtle but powerful shift that sees ICT build connections with the Maker Movement as a tool for solving what Bronwyn Moreton speaking at the ICT Educators of NSW conference describes as the 'I wish it would . . .' moment where a learner discovers that their technology doesn't do everything they wished it would.

"This question has attracted scientific research for more than a century. In fact, the first empirical study of this issue was published in 1835. Thus, I can offer a confident answer: not quite! At least not if creativity is assessed by productivity or by making original and valuable contributions to fields such as science and art. By that measure, output first increases in our mid-20s, climaxes around our late 30s or early 40s, and then undergoes a slow decline as we age. A person's single best work tends to appear at roughly the same age as their output peaks. But their expected creative productivity at 80 will still be about half of what it was at that high point. Whether you view that as a significant drop or not depends on whether you see the glass as half empty or half full."

"Computational thinking is the thought processes involved in formulating a problem and expressing its solution(s) in such a way that a computer - human or machine - can effectively carry out. Informally, computational thinking describes the mental activity in formulating a problem to admit a computational solution.  The solution can be carried out by a human or machine. This latter point is important.  First, humans compute.  Second, people can learn computational thinking without a machine.  Also, computational thinking is not just about problem solving, but also about problem formulation.1 The Digital Careers organisation says that students need experience and skills in computational thinking and computer programming (coding) to be successful in their future careers.2 The NSW syllabuses provide a range of opportunities to develop students' understanding of computational thinking and coding. This guide draws out the areas where computational thinking can be applied within the existing NSW K-8 syllabuses. Like the syllabuses, it is organised into stages of learning and subdivided into learning areas, with suggested activities and links to online resources. Not all resources and activities listed in this guide refer to coding explicitly, but they do aim to develop algorithmic and computational thinking skills to better enable students and teachers to reach a coding goal."

"Makerspace is a relatively new method of teaching students in a space where they can get hands-on experience working with concepts they recently learned. The point of the space is to make, create, and invent new things. There are many advantages to giving students a place to apply concepts, and those benefits are true for all areas and fields of study. If you have been thinking about creating a maker space in your classroom, here are a few things to consider to help you understand why you should go ahead and do it."

"The SAMR Model for integrating technology into teaching, developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura, has gained a good deal of exposure in recent years. "SAMR" is an acronym that stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. The SAMR model provides a technique for moving through degrees of technology adoption to find more meaningful uses of technology in teaching and move away from simply using "tech for tech's sake". We recently discussed the SAMR model during an Academic Technology Work Group meeting at The College of Westchester. We examined the video, SAMR in 120 Seconds. One thing that really struck me is how much the example helped, so I made it a point to gather and/or create some more examples."

"It is an unarguable point that cell phones are a great way to keep in touch. However, giving a child a cell phone can be a tough call for parents. In the United States, the average age for adolescents to receive their first cell phone is 11. There is no one-size-fits-all approach for determining the appropriate age to give a child a cell phone.  Cell phone use depends on a variety of circumstances. In an emergency situation, having a child equipped with the cell phone is a savvy and essential way to stay in touch.  There can be many benefits to giving a cell phone to a child. Children and parents can inform each other about any changes of plan. Parents can stay in contact with their children throughout the day. Children can reach friends more easily."

" This blog entry aims to answer most of those familiar questions and point any beginners to additional 'how to' resources that may help you to find out more when you are ready. Remember it is still relatively early days for introducing mobile technologies into the classroom to support learning, evidence suggests that this process is transforming the way students learn and even the currently available Apps are changing on a daily basis because many of them were not originally intended for education. "

"We, here at TWA, are restructuring our site to have a more user friendly experience and an easier way to find what you are looking for. Case in point, we have gotten too large and just today we received an email from a fan who wanted to know the best way to search our site for the "best apps for early literacy instruction (Pk-Grade 2)". Well, we're working on it and with a bit of diligence we should have it up and running soon. In the meantime, we will be posting lists of some of the best apps in different categories to help you out in the classroom or at home."

"I took a look at the free iOS app News360 more than a year ago and found it interesting and useful. The idea behind the app was to show you lots of different takes on a story, so you could see the subject covered from many different points of view. A new iPad version features a revamped interface, new social features and an option to more closely target your interests."

Deep Links allow you to share interesting or funny moments in a video with your YouTube contacts. Once a Deep Link is incorporated into a video, the viewers of the video can start watching from a particular point and jump straight to the part of the video that you'd like them to see.

"I believe that I have now gotten to the point of giving up my laptop (MacBook Pro) and just use my iPad 2 for everything that I do. My poor laptop has not left my desk for months, but how do I really get things done (like work) on my measly little iPad (16 GB model)?"

"There are thousands of apps out there that allow you to compose music, but I'm going to show you 10 of the greatest ways. These apps have all been of use to me at some point, and whether you're a current producer or simply a production enthusiast, you'll be able to get some use out of them too."

"So you're about to roll out a fleet of iPads in your classroom. Or perhaps you've finally gotten at least one. Either way, you're going to want to install some apps at some point."

"In this post, I'm sharing 10 free and low-cost apps that may be especially helpful for individuals who find reading and/or writing challenging. I've written previously about some of these resources, but I thought it might be useful to put them together in one place, with information about the apps in point form."