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Our obsession with online safety for children is excessive. It is driven by group-think and fear, generated by media and interested parties who often ignore any rigorous evidence-based approach to the issues, or even bother to explore a simple risk analysis.

says that the internet is simply a mirror of our society that due to its hyperconnectivity is amplified. This means our concerns about online bullying, online sexual predators and our children stumbling across inappropriate content on the world wide web are simply heightened concerns that have always existed in the world – real and virtual.

As bullying is more visible we are hearing more stories and reports about it in the media.

That’s not to say that tech for the sake of tech is a good idea on the classroom – it’s most certainly not. Instructional technology use should be driven by pedagogy and not the other way around.

Students were more likely than school principles, teachers and parents to say that social media tools are an important part of school technology. Parents were the least likely.

Classroom, Yeskel says managing classroom assignments will be even easier. Teachers can create a class and enroll students with their Google Apps for Education email, or by sharing a class code. Once the roster is set, teachers can create, assign, collect and grade assignments. They can also see in real-time how students are doing and offer feedback as well.

35 million copies, with nearly 100 million players worldwide,

Start by picking a project that aligns with your curricular goals and allow students to create artifacts that demonstrate their knowledge. The learning, and the off-the-charts engagement, comes from building or creating something to show what they’ve learned.

“A makerspace can be more extravagant, of course. There’s nothing more exciting than seeing a 3D-printed item emerge out of nothing,” Vrotny says. “But you can start simply and inexpensively.”

THE MAKER MOVEMENT is a global community of inventors, designers, engineers, artists, programmers, hackers, tinkerers, craftsmen and DIY’ers—the kind of people who share a quality that Rosenstock says “leads to learning [and]…to innovation,” a perennial curiosity “about how they could do it better the next time.” The design cycle is all about reiteration, trying something again and again until it works, and then, once it works, making it better. As manufacturing tools continue to become better, cheaper and more accessible, the Maker Movement is gaining momentum at an unprecedented rate. Over the past few years, so-called “makerspaces” have cropped up in cities and small towns worldwide—often in affiliation with libraries, museums and other community centers, as well as in public and independent schools—giving more people of all ages access to mentorship, programs and tools like 3-D printers and scanners, laser cutters, microcontrollers and design software

The problem is that screens have been misunderstood by society and even by organizations like the APA. This was uncovered earlier this year when APA member Dimitri Christakis revealed that their research was conducted before anyone knew the iPad, or similar interactive screen devices, existed

Would we ever discuss limiting book time? Would we ever tell children they’re spending too much time learning? Would we say think critically, but only in moderation

What’s important is that we stop judging screens and start looking at and guiding young people in their use of screens

Infrequent technology users do emphasize so-called 21st-century skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration in their instruction, the reports says—but frequent technology users place even more emphasis on these skills and report that technology has a positive impact on these skills in greater numbers.

We say we want our kids to be problem solvers, but all too often, when faced with the challenges of a changing educational landscape, we don’t offer solutions.

most online sex offenders are adults who target teens and seduce victims into sexual relationships. They take time to develop the trust and confidence of victims, so that the youth see these relationships as romances or sexual adventures. The youth most vulnerable to online sex offenders have histories of sexual or physical abuse, family problems, and tendencies to take risks both on- and offline, the researchers say.