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more at the article.... The Common Core standards don't just suggest novel technology use as a way to "engage students," but rather requires learners to make complex decisions about how, when, and why to use technology-something educators must do as well. In the past, tech use-whether limited or gratuitous-has been more a matter of preference or available resources than a must-do requirement. With the Common Core, such use is now a matter of law. Takeaways for Teachers: For teachers, the takeaway is simple: technology is no longer a feel-good way to develop buzz and honor authenticity, but rather a matter of academic merit and fidelity-which is awesome for several reasons: -No longer must progressive educators defend the reasoning behind twitter, YouTube, iPads, or blogging in their classroom. -Teachers will now have access to district, state, and federal resources to more meaningfully integrate technology. This means funding, training, school and district programs, and formal and informal professional development. -Social media professional learning networks (PLN) from linkedin to twitter, facebook to even pinterest, can be dominated by education technology discussion rather than broader concerns of how people learn, likely because those educators tending towards technology are on these digital networks to begin with. Now that said technology integration is required, it has the chance to bring the "old guard" of educators (perhaps kicking and screaming) into the world of #edtech. -This should also mean better resources for all teachers in the future. Digital "stuff" is easier to share than yellowing worksheets in an old file cabinet. As more learning becomes digital, sharing should increase as a result.

Great article about the future of education in the eyes of George Lucas. (Thanks for sharing Phil)

this is pretty basic (elem focused) but the main idea transfers... 

 International Debate Education Association (IDEA) 

This is Skype's attempt to get classroom's collaborating around the world.  Some people are looking for teachers to help them with specific lessons (i.e. Spanish teacher)  Please take a look through the Skype Lessons link for more details.

Here's how it works: Teachers choose or produce the beginning to a story, then challenge students to continue writing the story. Each student submits the next chapter, and then they vote on which entry is the best. (Students can't vote for their own submission, and they don't know whose chapter they're voting for.) The winning chapter is then added to the story, and the process continues. Co-created by a teacher and the CEO of a technology company, BoomWriter is a free, easy-to-use group writing website that challenges students to produce their best work-and makes them published authors at the end of the process. Students earn BoomDollars for voting and for having their entries chosen, and they can use this currency to buy accessories for their site avatar. The teacher determines the total number of chapters to be completed, and when the story is finished, it's published as a book that students and their families can own. Students are captivated by this unique approach to writing, and it's extremely easy for teachers to incorporate into their curriculum.

"Glossi is a new service for creating digital magazines. Glossi magazines can include images, videos, audio files, and links to external sources of information. The magazines that you create are displayed with page-turning effects. Your magazines can be embedded into your blog. Learn more about Glossi in the video below. "

Using TED Talks videos to help teach: Collaboration Communication Critical Thinking Creativity As a Language Arts teacher, I get the honor of encouraging any content area as a topic since my focus is on communication of that topic. I say "honor" because it means I get to learn from them. However, with the Common Core standards, and the four Cs, which are peppered throughout them, stressing the importance of communication is no longer limited to English class. All classes must find a way to use these skills to communicate subject matter expertise. This year, I have decided that I don't call my class Language Arts. I instead refer to what happens in my room as The Art of Using Language. This unit, therefore, focuses on as many aspects of using language and communicating as I could think of: Creating a website Designing an infographic Recording a podcast Developing a Powerpoint or Prezi more......

A great Evernote tutorial for advanced users.  I really liked the template idea for those teachers who use a format all the time.  The article explains one way but a reader commented on an easier way to create a template.  Please see an integrator if you need help.

A list of online tools not requiring registration for students (teachers) to use.