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"When Apple started dropping hints about a coming "tablet PC" in 2009, it would have been difficult to see the way it might change the way we interact with digital media. The first-generation iPad was introduced in April, 2010 and in lieu of some significant hardware limitations, was a world-beater, garnering $1 billion in sales in just 4 months. The iPad 2 was released 11 months later, and the iPad 3 is currently rumored for a Spring 2012 release. While discussing the "history" of a product less than two years old may seem a bit premature technology moves at a dizzying, humming pace. Dog years have nothing on tech years."

"Studio Pango produces a bunch of iPad apps that children (pre-K through grade 2) are sure to love. Some of the apps are free and some of the apps require purchase. To get a sense of what the paid apps offer, try the free apps first. This morning I tried two of the free apps. I tried Pango Book 1 and Pango Playground for Kids."

"If you want to embrace technology effectively and in a meaningful manner in the classroom, you first need to identify your strengths and weaknesses. You need to identify what kind of knowledge you are bringing. Think about your knowledge in the following areas- Technology Pedagogy Content"

"Developer KidsAndBeyond have put out such a wonderful app with Map My Globe. Just this week I wrote a post for a lifestyle website that talked about the benefits and importance of teaching our kids about the world around them. This is the perfect addition to your educational library as it literally maps the globe. The first page opens up with pictures of the different continents with pictures of flags and famous landmarks in each region. If you push the blinking arrow it takes you to the next page where we can either have a young woman read to us or read it ourselves. The introduction asks us if we have ever wondered what continent Nambia was in or what currency the country of Ecuador uses. For any fun-facts loving kid (and adult) this app is filled with really interesting facts about the world!"

" recently heard that a conference speaker told his audience, "We need fewer teachers and more facilitators." My first reaction was, "1986 called and would like its keynote back." My second thought was that the speaker is dead wrong!"

"At the time of this writing, there are nearly 70 million tablet users in the U.S. alone, a figure that has doubled from the year before. This means that nearly 30% of the country's Internet users are browsing on a tablet device. Tablet traffic to e-commerce sites grew by 348% from 2011 to 2012, overtaking smartphone traffic for the first time. With the tablet market as young as it is, its footprint is only going to expand."

"For students with diverse learning needs including students with special education needs, students with learning and literacy difficulties and students for whom English is not their first language technology can play a key role in removing barriers, differentiating instruction and providing tools to accommodate their learning needs and access to the school curriculum. During this workshop we explored the range of options using an iPad to assist teachers to optimize and differentiate student learning, and to support student engagement."

"One of the great things I've noticed in the last 2 years is how my teaching has evolved with the use of the iPads. It's been a gradual shift, but the way I am using them now is different than the first pilot year in 2011."

"To establish how we can maximize the impact of the iPad as a learning tool, we first have to establish what kind of impact we'd hope to have. In this case, we'll settle on understanding (as troublesome a term as that might be): Students being able to think critically about chosen standards or curriculum, and apply understanding in diverse, academic and non-academic environments. With that as the goal, here are some ideas."

"Well, here's one of my best 'teaser' ideas… We've all seen iMovie, but have you used it to make the first five minutes of your art lesson engaging? In the classroom iMovie trailers can be used as an exciting hook for techniques and processes. While the story lines do not automatically match the content you would present to students, with a little creativity and artistic licence they can lend themselves to many useful areas in the art room. Have a look at this one…"

"Chris Hadfield is making us love space again. He tweets, snaps stunning photos, and regularly connects with folks back home as he hurtles around the earth at 28,000 km an hour aboard the International Space Station. Hadfield is the first Canadian commander ever of one of the most complex and sophisticated examples of human technology ever built. "

"If you ask a student what makes him or her successful in school, you probably won't hear about some fantastic new book or video lecture series. Most likely you will hear something like, "It was all Mr. Jones. He just never gave up on me." What students take away from a successful education usually centers on a personal connection with a teacher who instilled passion and inspiration for their subject. It's difficult to measure success, and in the world of academia, educators are continually re-evaluating how to quantify learning. But the first and most important question to ask is: Are teachers reaching their students?"

"The difference between differentiation, personalized learning, and the individualization of learning sometimes seems like a matter of semantics, but that could be that terms are used interchangeably when they're actually not the same. The biggest difference really is the starting point. Personalized learning starts with the learner first, where differentiation and individualization take something designed for masses and attempt to adapt it for individuals-a monumental to consistently do well."

"My first take on 'special needs' is: Don't all students have special needs? Aren't we beyond the cookie cutter education that lines students up and feeds them from the same trough? Yes and yes, but for the purposes of this article, I'm going to reign my pen in and discuss what we traditionally consider 'special needs' and technology's affect on those students who function outside of the normal bell curve of pedagogic expectations."

"At about this time last year John Green launched Crash Course World History. That video series now contains 42 short video lessons on World History. Today, John Green launched a new Crash Course series. This one is all about U.S. History. The first video in the Crash Course U.S. History series is now up on YouTube. I've embedded it below. The series starts before Europeans arrived in North America."

"Teacher or Facilitator: Is it just semantics? What is the first thing that comes to mind when someone uses the word, "facilitator"? Perhaps you think of words like planner, coordinator, promoter, developer, or designer. All of these definitions lead us to think of a facilitator as someone who sets up, designs, and oversees an environment that is conducive to the goal at hand but they are not at the center of the scene."

"early seven years after first opening its doors, the Science Leadership Academy public magnet high school* in Philadelphia and its inquiry-based approach to learning have become a national model for the kinds of reforms educators strive towards. "

"If you like the language of numbers ( I bet qualitative researchers do ) then the infographic below will be of great interest to you. It features some interesting facts about the state of education in the world like the number of students, number of teacher in pre-k to high school...etc. I am sharing with you this infographic first because the data it contains is really amazing and second because this work has been realized by Microsoft Education which is a reliable source ."