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"While Apple has traditionally positioned the iPad as a media-consumption device, the tablet has gained a reputation as a very capable and powerful music-creation tool. GarageBand is a great place to start, but taking the next step can be difficult when faced with an overwhelming number of creative options. Don't worry: we'll point you toward the very best block-rockin' apps and accessories. Before we get started, be aware that the processors in older iPads simply don't pack enough punch to take on many of the top audio apps. You'll want nothing less than an original iPad mini, and the closer you can get to a current iPad Air 2, the better. Also, look for applications that support Inter-App Audio (IAA), Apple's protocol for inter-application operability. Now, let's rock!"

"Do you want to be an astronaut? You'll need strong math skills. How about a scientist? An engineer? An accountant? A meteorologist? All of these careers - and a lot more - will require you to have an excellent mathematical ability. Jobs that are in some way linked to math typically pay more, are better for your brain, and have fewer potential applicants. There's just one problem: for the vast majority of children at school and students at university, math is a) very hard, and b) very boring. So, what to do? Fear not! Android to the rescue! Here are some of the best free Android math apps (Android math games exist too!) to help you survive math class."

"Our foundational belief is that teachers teach how they are taught. If we want teachers to teach from a foundation of learning by doing, then we want to provide professional learning in that same, or a very similar, way. STEAMmaker Camp is intentionally designed to replicate the highs and lows teachers might encounter with students over a year­ long program. Therefore, each camp is best­ designed as a multi-­day event with each day running longer than the typical school day. This causes students to "hit the wall" that typically surfaces in the third quarter of school and teachers can experience how to remain positive and supportive in this type of environment, especially when they are also very tired. A trainer balances the fine line of guiding, role modeling, and directly instructing the participants, based on their individual and unique needs."

"70% of UK schools are now using mobile devices in the classroom, according to Tablets for Schools. The vast majority of those devices are likely to be iPads, yet how many schools can you name who are standout users of the device? That is to say, how many schools are using the device to deliver true 21st century transformational lessons? The answer, disappointingly, is very, very few. In the past two years, I've worked with over 200 schools across the spectrum of the UK education system. Only a handful remain memorable from what I watched them use iPad for. But what about the likes of ESSA Academy and Cedars School of Excellence, I hear you say! Both have transformed their schools and results through the use of iPad. The answer is far simpler than you'd probably guess. It's all about the training of staff."

" think we would all agree that a classroom with iPads looks and functions very differently than a classroom without iPads. While many administrators and support staff complete standard walk-throughs, some of them struggle with what to look for beyond the basics when it comes to evaluating a classroom infused with iPads. Recently, our district started offering iLEAP academies, which blend classroom site visits and in-house professional development for districts all over my state. Many of the attendees are administrators, support staff, and teachers that have limited familiarity with 1:1 classrooms but are seeking best practices to take back to their own schools and campuses as they implement a 1:1 iPad initiative or pilot. When I began searching for ways to facilitate this type of classroom visit, I happened on an excellent list of observation tips for a traditional classroom but found nothing specifically tailored to iPads. Thus, I felt there was need to create a "What to Look For" list that would embody the behind-the-scenes and not-always-obvious instructional pieces to look for when visiting a classroom with iPads. These tips are very granular and specific to iPads, but could easily be adapted for other 1:1 settings."

We believe in doing one thing, and doing it very, very well We find the best photo shiz anywhere

"I was very excited to try out this new tool from Techsmith. It's called Screenchomp and it does something that I've wanted to do for a while. It lets your create your own screencasts on your iPad. So, I eagerly downloaded it and set about to create my first screencast. I did what everyone does when they first grab this application…I doodled on the screen with my finger. It was very responsive to the touch and had a small set of tools to do the task. I did the mandatory "2+2=4″ and got excited. Maybe I could start my own educational academy…"

The kids on the videos talk of very high motivation and collaboration. The teacher was worried about competition but it turned out that they were very supportive of each other. There's info on cross-curricula goals, assessment and more. Lots of 2min videos.

"Teachers considering the benefits of flipping the classroom and have an iPad available may want to try the following very reliable iPad Apps to assist with this endeavor. While it may seem a daunting task to put all of those into action with one's students, they are easy and actually fun to use and do not require a lot of technical skills and experience. Over the course of the last school year, the teachers at my school in East Tennessee have found the tools described below very helpful in managing their flipped classrooms."

"If I had written this article two years ago, it would have been very different. Back then, I would have made (or felt like I had to make) a compelling case for why we should even consider the idea of incorporating video games into classroom instruction. Back then, I would have expected most readers to incredulously click to the next article. But today, Game-Based Learning (GBL) and Gamification are gaining some real traction in the teaching community. At the recent OETC conference, the organizers dedicated an entire wing of the convention center to the subject, and educators weren't shy about their interest. When I presented on the subject at Common Ground 14, I had the dreaded "last-presentation-of-the-day" spot, but I was very pleased at the turnout and interest."

"We have many ways to do Hour of Code at Khan Academy, choose the one that suits you best! * Hour of Drawing with Code - Learn how to program drawings using JavaScript, finishing up by designing your very own silly animal.Try it on your own or with your class! * Hour of Webpages with Code - Learn how to make webpages with HTML tags and CSS, finishing up by making your very own greeting card. * Hour of Databases - Like playing with data? Learn how to manipulate data in a database and make your own custom store.

"Today as I was sifting through some of graphics created by the Visual Communication Guy, I come across this interesting visual on plagiarism. This could be a very good document to use with your students in class to teach them about plagiarism : what constitutes an act of plagiarism and the different types of copyright violations involved in it. Unfortunately, as I was looking for a download link I found out that the visual is not free. You can access and read it in large version by clicking on the image there but if you want to have a copy you  need to pay. If you are looking for web tools to help you detect plagiarism in your students works, this list is a good place to start with. Enjoy"

"My wife came home the other day and started describing a new problem arising in her school, where students were claiming to be tired of using devices for everything. The students were apparently saying "Can't we just do a lesson on paper today or you just teach us." As she told me this, my wife didn't notice that she was simultaneously picking up her iPad to check Facebook and that made me think. Photo Credit In my observations around my school, it's those same students claiming device fatigue in the classroom that are not hesitating to turn to their device for 'life updates' as they leave that very same room. I would propose that it's not fatigue caused by device use but that caused by the pain of trying to carry out conventional, 20th century classroom tasks on devices that are designed for a world that conducts itself very differently."

"English grammar is a topic that actually frustrates a number of people. Irrespective of learning level or nationality, spelling and grammar error seems to confuse a lot of individuals. And in case anyone has a learning debility such as dyslexia, using accurate grammar looks like a terrible task. Using grammar correctly could be challenging may be not for those who are English native speaker, but surely for those who learn English from scratch. English language and its difficulties can be very much puzzling. Although, a dictionary or software can assist learners but it cannot give accurate answer. In fact, word processing programs are not very much effective in correcting grammar errors completely. Now, the question is how one can improve or nourish their English grammar skill? With the advancement in the technology, there are a number of tools that might help those struggling to improve their grammar. Web technology has actually contributed a lot in this through the ease of access. Today, you can find a number of tools, apps and websites available over the web that helps in learning and improving grammar from scratch. Here is a list of top ten websites for teaching or learning grammar lessons."

"If there is one thing I truly understand about educators it is that they are slow to change. It might be from decades of people jumping in with the "latest and greatest" answer to a better way to do things in education, or some legislative mandate to fix it all through legislation, only to find it to fizzle out and fall way short when actually implemented. If teachers learned one thing from these experiences it is that, if you wait and ride it out long enough, all of these initiatives will all go away. The problem however is that many educators want to apply this sit and wait posture to anything that requires them leaving their zones of comfort. The mindset of a 20th Century educator is very comfortable for most educators since they were trained for the most part by 20th century educators. A majority of educators are very comfortable with the methodology and pedagogy of that time. Structure and student compliance matched to a focus on lecture and direct instruction are the common experiences of most educator"

"Disposable Email Addresses (DEAs) are email addresses that are anonymous and have a very short life span. They are especially helpful to use on websites that require registration. Students can use them to create temporary accounts that they can dispose of very easily and without endangering their digital identity. As the Guardian noted "most DEAs are not particularly secure, so it is not advised to use these services to send sensitive information - rather, use them as a way to avoid giving away your own information in situations where you are obliged to do so.""

"Skills like vocabulary and foreign language speaking are right in the sweet spot of what unattended and automated-often considered the very worst kind-can do. But it needn't be that way. Handing a student a tablet as they practice basic skills with an app-especially one with adaptive design-is a perfectly legitimate use of edtech as far as we're concerned, and language learning is very much a part of that. So with that in mind are ten of the best language learning apps for 2015, updated to include those with social dynamics, like HelloTalk, recent entries like Rosetta Stone, and stalwart Duolingo. We've also made an effort to include multiple languages, including Mandarin, French, Spanish, and English."

"As I attempt to catch up on mass amounts of unread email, I enjoy browsing the various resources that come through my inbox.  Because of the volume of email I receive, I find myself either deleting the conversation or clicking to see the site for a few seconds.  If the site has a video, I'll usually play it for a few seconds, unless it captures my attention.  Then I'll view the entire video and spend a bit of time exploring the site.  If the site's interface is clunky, I'll navigate away and continue with my email.  However, when the site is user-friendly AND the resource seems valuable, I find myself compelled to share.  Typically, I'll Tweet it out possibly post on Facebook.  Occasionally I'll also Pin it on Pinterest, if it's a resource I can see myself also using down the road.  On very rare occasions I find myself compelled to actually open up a new tab and begin blogging about the resource.  This is one of those very rare times.  "

"3D printing is a very cool technology that has garnered a lot of attention lately. The additive manufacturing process 3D printers use and the software to create 3D models can be extremely confusing. In an attempt to share some information about the 3D printing process Shapeways created a 2D explainer of 3D printing. Introducing students to the world of 3D printing is a great way to get them excited about manufacturing and design. Students are able to see their ideas and creations come to life before their eyes in a very short period of time. One of the main benefits of 3D printing is the ability to rapidly prototype ideas and designs for anything from fashion accessories to the rocket engines produced by industrial printers at NASA. The Shapeways marketplace gives students and teachers the ability to quickly upload designs and have them printed and shipped within weeks. For classrooms without access to expensive 3D printers, this allows students to get in on the exciting action of 3D printing and modeling."

"When I first started the Makerspace, inspired by my PLN, I had a very small budget and a admittedly a rather large dose of skepticism that all this Makerspace folderoll could just be another fad or Ed Tech buzzword. Like the $11,000 Smart Board everyone just HAD to have 10 years ago that seemed to end up as a very expensive white board a few years later. But I did want to give it a whirl! The reason I often talk about baby-steppin into Makerspace (or any new education innovation)  it's because I don't want you to feel like pressured or guilted into jumping into something new or spending thousands of dollars. Remember, you can date new technology (or innovation) you don't have to marry it! "