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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.  

"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

From the summary: " The NETP presents a model of 21st century learning powered by technology, with goals and recommendations in five essential areas: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity. The plan also identifies far-reaching "grand challenge problems" that should be funded and coordinated at a national level."

Outstanding stuff, Dan! Thanks for sharing this with us.

Games, Activities, Videos, Lessons, Resources:  "It's My Life deals with (you guessed it!) life and the stuff that we deal with every day. Whatever problem you're dealing with, believe it or not, other kids and teens have gone through the same thing. Here at It's My Life, you can read informative articles, share your stories, play games and activities, take quizzes and polls, watch video clips of other kids talking about their feelings and experiences, get advice from older kids and experts, and contribute your own comments and questions.  It's My Life also features interviews with celebrities about stuff they had to go through when they were kids. It's My Life is organized across six topic "channels": Friends, Family, School, Body, Emotions, and Money."

Two business men who are creating education apps and supporting students who are creating education apps have begun "The App Evaluation Program for Schools" which allows teachers to test educational apps for kids for free. "The apps, which cover everything from math, spelling, and reading to language learning, storyboard building, and puzzles, are provided by developers around the world and sent to teachers two or three times per month. Teachers receive a questionnaire after testing the app as a way to help developers improve, but Larsson stresses they are not required to fill it out."

Seems like a nice way for teachers to get new iPad educational apps free to evaluate and then use if they find them valuable

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.

Replacement for Kickyoutube.com We need to try this from within the DOE proxy and find out if we can copy URLs of youtube videos from a Google search index and paste them into here to download.  That would be nice.  

http://www.mdphs.org/-links-and-techno-resources/how-to-download-a-youtube-or-other-on-line-video FYI - The directions on this school website also has the same problems on not being able to read the youtube video while in school

Yeah -- I tried both of these options and can't get them to work. The proxy still picks up the words "youtube" in the URL and blocks it "Reason: The Websense category "Youtube and video Google" is filtered.". So they'll still need to download from home.

Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century addresses this vital question, taking viewers to the frontlines of what is rapidly becoming an education revolution. The film, targeted at parents, teachers, and anyone concerned about education in America, explores how exceptional educators are increasingly using digital media and interactive practices to ignite their students' curiosity and ingenuity, help them become civically engaged, allow them to collaborate with peers worldwide, and empower them to direct their own learning.

I love how the video taps into the power and importance of "play" as a route to learning.

The U.S. Department of Education is developing a new National Educational Technology Plan to provide a vision for how information and communication technologies can help transform American education. The plan will provide a set of concrete goals that can inform state and local educational technology plans as well as inspire research, development, and innovation. A draft plan is expected in early 2010.

The U.S. Department of Education is developing a new National Educational Technology Plan to provide a vision for how information and communication technologies can help transform American education. The plan will provide a set of concrete goals that can inform state and local educational technology plans as well as inspire research, development, and innovation. A draft plan is expected in early 2010.

the Department of Education is engaging more actively in education internationally and has developed its first-ever, fully-integrated international strategy, Succeeding Globally Through International Education and Engagement, to guide our work.

CoSN PDF's on uses of Web 2.0 for various school constituents. The resources are clear and easy to understand. In addition, there is a toolkit for administrators and other material that supports technology integration and use at school and home.

Teachers' Domain, a free digital service produced by WGBH Boston, has embarked on a series of new efforts to bring award winning digital content to students and teachers involved in the design and production of user generated content using Open Educational Resources (OER).

Teachers' Domain is a free digital media service for educational use from public broadcasting and its partners. You'll find thousands of media resources, support materials, and tools for classroom lessons, individualized learning programs, and teacher professional learning communities.

Sounds like the exercise has become about the tool, and the tool is meant to stand-in for someone who is putting the simplified/bulleted content in context.   Powerpoint is not the enemy, it's being misused as a replacement for rigorous critical thinking around complex issues.  It's a visual aide, not a complete platform for stand-alone communication.  

Simply a comment from an educator, and their spelling is appalling! However he/she makes a good point about web-based PD.

GenYES is the only student-centered research-based solution for school-wide technology integration. Students work with teachers to design technology-infused lessons and provide tech support. The resulting collaboration provides the students with project-based learning and the teachers with on-site, sustainable technology integration support.

I supervised the implementation of the GenYES program for three middle schools when I was working in the Schenectady CIty School District. The students really liked supporting teachers and some teachers really bought into the program. I believe it is a valuable collaborative program but sustainability, especially if it is grant funded, can be problematic because of the yearly licensing fees. It's been three years since I worked with Dennis Hooper and the program and the fee schedule be have changed. I know they were doing more online lessons, training, etc. I can provide more information to anyone who is interested.

Most of the apps on the iPads for the lower grades are aimed at creating and expressing ideas. In addition to Explain Everything, they include MyStory, iMovie, Animation HD, Google Earth, Book Creator, Show Me, Brushes, and Comic Life. They also feature Follett Reader and Overdrive, two subscription-based services to digital book collections.