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Interesting PA high school reform effort. The graphic details the "Range of Instructional Use" for using technology as a facilitator for transforming classrooms into 21st century T&L environments.

"What does the iPad have to teach educational technology about how a phenomenon becomes popular and adopted? Quite a bit. First, acceptance is high, with a half-million units sold in the first week of release. Six weeks later, Apple was selling twice as many iPads per week as Mac computers. Given some recent history, this should be surprising-the idea of a tablet device has been around for at least a decade or two, but most such devices have not experienced anything close to wide adoption. However, some specific factors have paved the way for the iPad's adoption. And these factors harbor advice that educational technology would do well to heed. Prime the technology pump. The iPhone, direct predecessor to the iPad, came onto the market amid a wave of technology that permitted small packages to deliver powerful computing. This hardware, including GPS location sensors, fast and efficient microprocessors, and the evolution of touch screen technology was a necessary condition for the emergence and success of both the iPhone and the iPad generation of devices. Define (and answer) the problem. The hugely popular mobile smartphones had an equally huge problem. People hated their interfaces. A decade of frustration with labyrinthian voicemail menus and inscrutable settings had created an army of frustrated mobile phone users with enough pent-up rage to fuel a revolution. By providing a device that was easy to use, the iPhone had identified a core problem and set a new bar for its solution, one that was quickly taken up by many others. Whet undiscovered appetites. The explosion of mobile devices also created for millions the idea of constant, away-from-home connectivity. The iPhone upped the ante significantly by providing a full browsing and even computing experience, giving consumers the expectation that they should be only inches away from powerful, networked computing at all times. Provide the practice. The iPhone defined a new set of touch-based interactions. Whi

I found this resource and thought I should share it because it is a free resource for NYS educators. You can test drive the site before joining. It is a collection of video tutorials and lessons by teachers that cover Pre-k - high school curricula that also allows you to organize and share resources.

Pixar University's Randy Nelson on Learning and Working in the Collaborative Age The Dean of Pixar University explains what schools must do to prepare students (and themselves) for new models in the workplace. This is a fascinating look at what the Pixar workplace is like, and the skills and experiences Randy Nelson sees as vital to develop in students. Some high points; Four main areas- Breadth of experience, Depth of knowledge, Communication, Collaboration. The core skill of innovators is error recovery, not failure avoidance. Employers would rather see the proof of a portfolio versus the promise of a resume. Employers need people who are more interested than interesting. See communication as a destination, not as a source - you aren't the judge of your communication skills - your audience is. Collaboration is amplification, not cooperation.

This would be a great article to share with resistant teachers to help them see the need in moving forward as 21st century educators.

New online learning network we started late this year at a high school I'm working in.  Some good ESL projects in here -- make sure to check out Of Mice and Men!  

How do we compete against high-stakes testing? We do need an upgrade! This supports my philosophy of giving students a voice with various technologies.

According to their "About" page motionbox provides, free, 750mb video storage (free account), Easy-to-use online editing tools, Large file uploads, HD player and full-screen playbac. High quality downloads to a computer or iPod, DVDs and Flipbooks of your videos/\n

How the workforce is changing in the 21st Century. "Ten years ago, Facebook didn't exist. Ten years before that, we didn't have the Web. So who knows what jobs will be born a decade from now? Though unemployment is at a 25‑year high, work will eventually

This is the DOE's CCSS library. There is some excellent resources here, and will support our work in understanding the vision for NYC is heading, in terms of instructional expecations, high-leverage standards and much more.

Good for us all to think about.  And good to know about an article like this.  I'm seeing a little backlash against "technology"  like this in various articles.  I'll try to gather them up.  

Thanks for sharing this, Rhys. I agree -- this is an important article for all of us to read.

Wow, what an interesting perspective. I'm inclined to believe some of those high-performing schools are excelling *despite* the lack of technology, but I definitely sensed the author's bias here...it almost seemed like she wanted to prove that 'fancy equipment' detracts from real learning.

"Forest Lake principal Kappy Cannon didn't leave it up to teachers to decide whether they would join the digital revolution. As long as you provide adequate support, she reasons, you can demand that it be done. This mandate from the boss gave the school's tech-integration team a major boost. Also helpful: instructional-technology specialist Paulette Williams's sweet but insistent approach. When the school got interactive whiteboards, she gave teachers six months to relinquish their old overhead projectors. Then she said, "You can give me the projectors peacefully, or I'm going to take them." "

This article and video explores how one elementary school in Columbia, South Carolina transformed itself into a 21st century teaching and learning community.

I just added this as a Digi Discussion on the CCL for our next Digi Discussion:

I see this as an excellent project idea for all NY CL schools and beyond.

These are some highly developed digital citizenship units. Take a look to support the development of your projects.

Regarding what's missing from the Core Common Standards -- new texts, new media, viewing...  Where does "complexity" of new media text get taught? How will teachers learn to parse it?  Is new media analysis and production a discipline?  Yes in my opinion.  Is it interdisciplinary? Yes.  Media related to various content areas have their own criteria.  Video, photography, blogs, social networks and the systems that deliver them are, in a way, their own languages. They are increasingly dominating how our society functions, informs and represents itself.  HOW can this still be an afterthought for educators?  Fear?  Uncertainty on how to proceed?  Because it's not tested? The text landscape is more complex than the textbook.