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Technology Horizons in Education is FREE and full of valuable learning for administrators working with technology. Check it out!

This article debates the opposing sides. Addresses students going through withdrawal symptoms when breaking from social networking! Also discusses health benefits to psyche.

I recently saw an episode of The Colbert Report where Nicholas Carr carefully examines the most important topic in contemporary culture; the mental and social transformation created by our new electronic environment. The challenge will be to stay off the web long enough to read his book! This is an interview about his previous book (same topic). Here is a link: http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/185695/september-25-2008/nicholas-carr

This article discusses how social networking leads to groupthink.

I liked how the author posed the question: "Will you expand your mind and increase your creativity more by talking to people just like you or with people who are different?" It is so true. In order to expand your mind and learn about different things it's necessary to go and explore areas of the unknown .

I liked how the article mentioned that being technology savvy isn't the only skill necessary to succeed in the 21st century and how it is just as important to teach problem solving and analytical skills.

I agree Shannon! Sometimes I think we get so "technology happy" that we often forget some of the other skills which are equally as important.

I think we also forget that 21st century skills does not always mean "using a computer." Collaboration is a 21st century skill that can be achieved sans a technological device. I feel like that is all we hear....21st century learner, 21st century learner!! Do all teachers, parents and students really know what that means?

I found this article interesting because I never thought that companies would capitalize on the concept of 21st Century Skills to make a profit. I copied just a portion of the article for your review, however I think it would be worth your time to read the entire article. "Recently, those critics have leveled a more serious charge at the organization. P21, they allege, is a veiled attempt by technology companies-which make up the bulk of the group's membership-to gain more influence over the classroom. "The closer we look, the more P21's unproven educational program appears to be just another mechanism for selling more stuff to schools," Lynne Munson, the president and executive director of Common Core, a Washington group that advocates a stronger core curriculum, wrote in a recent blog item.".

You know, Stacy, I have always been cautious about corporate involvement in education and have major concerns about pushing 21st century skills too hard vs. focusing on content. Thanks for this article! It seems no one wants to champion or at least humor this viewpoint. I believe in objectivity and opposing viewpoints as a cornerstone of a democratic society.

Hey guys...I found this site to be very helpful, especially for those parents who have absolutely NO CLUE what is going on even if they are looking at their child's acivity. Felt this tied into our blogging this week...but this is more geared to the drug side of technology use (which is so depressing)

It is just plain sad to me that kids go online to find "new" ways to get high! Keeping the parents educated is the key to keeping kids safe. It has to start at home. I know as educators we also play an important role, but parents have to constantly monitor what their kids are doing on the web.

I like how there are several different categories parents to use as resources. Cell phones, social networking, and even music.

PageFlakes is a start page similar to My Yahoo!, iGoogle, and Microsoft Live. Site is organized into tabs, each tab containing user-selected modules called Flakes

This works great in addition to Wordpress to make your classroom material accessible to students at home!

Pros and cons in the ongoing debate with the opportunity to vote and a tally of votes thus far. I liked comment #6.

I like to try to read opposing arguments to my own views, and I have to admit that some of these people make some pretty good ones!

If you have nothing else to do in the summer! If you expect students to work over the summer then this is a good way to keep up with things the starting the year will be more seamless.

Want to know how K-Nect fared? Check this report.

Tom's blog is on my aggregator list!

I see a lot on the blog that probably shouldn't be posted due to the fact that it deals with things going on in Henrico County Public Schools. It raises issues with intellectual property and our web posting guidelines. If it can be construed as for one's personal gain, then it's not acceptable. The we and intellectual property guidelines are actually part of policy the last time I checked. Just my thought on it... I do visit the blog to help understand some of the jargon.

I have to agree with you Gary, however, I thought below was powerful: I think about where we spend our money. We're constantly trying to find easy ways out of holes, easy ways to scale metaphorical mountains. We look for processes to remove the chores of thought and decision. Education is floundering. We lost our faith in teachers. It is every politician's easy drum to beat- after all. "Our schools are failing! The enemies are at the gate!"1 Who would argue that our kids don't deserve better? Both parties agree. Education is failing. Our solution is not to work, to spend money and time on our teachers, to help them become better, instead we send our money away, spending precious time testing products of a system we insist is broken. We buy software. We buy content. We buy external experts.2 We buy reputation. We buy "trust" and "quality" because we don't believe either really exists in our schools. Invest that money in our teachers, on smaller classes, on things that have been proven to matter. Make teaching a career that isn't based on martyrdom. Martyrs die flaming deaths. Systems based on them don't last. There are no easy answers. You can't buy, process, software, magic your way out of this. There is no microwave dinner version of educational reform.