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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.  

this is a quote about simCEO from Edutopia- What if students created their own companies, complete with business plans? What if they could also buy and sell stocks in classmates' companies? What if they could see how stock prices fluctuated over a 10-year period rather than just a few weeks? The result of that brainstorming became an online simulation called SimCEO. Luebbe, principal of American International School of Budapest, has been fine-tuning his creation by sharing it with educators around the world. They have surprised him by taking projects in directions he never imagined. He expected teachers to focus on financial literacy and entrepreneurship. But some have brought in different content. "They might set the simulation in Colonial America or New York in the 1920s," Luebbe says, then ask students to consider how historical factors would have affected market prices. Because teachers determine all the content, he adds, "they can bring in demographic data, real or fictional news, historical events -- whatever they want." The game becomes an open platform for teacher innovation.""

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.

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.  

roject VoiceScape welcomes good ideas, films-in-progress or completed short films made by aspiring filmmakers in grades 7-12. The program provides mentorship to young filmmakers and showcases their work on a variety of PBS/POV related media. Fifteen young people will be selected for Project VoiceScape and will be honored in June 2011 at a ceremony in Washington, DC.

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.

"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

Real Lives is a unique, interactive life simulation game that enables you to live one of billions of lives in any country in the world. Through statistically accurate events, Real Lives brings to life different cultures, human geography, political systems, economic opportunities, personal decisions, health issues, family issues, schooling, jobs, religions, geography, war, peace, and more! Educational games are a great way to way to make learning exciting, and simulation games are best of all, putting you in control of the learning experience.

School leaders around the United States continue to spend HUGE amounts of money on interactive whiteboards for classrooms, despite the fact that these devices universally FAIL to empower students to become more independent, self-directed and engaged learners in the way mobile learning devices (like laptops, tablets or other personal digital learning tools) can. Please do not misunderstand me: It definitely IS a big deal for a teacher and his/her students to have access to an LCD projector connected to a computer in the classroom if previously, the "normal" technology in the room was an overhead projector.

Multimedia resources related to the Arts for educational purposes.  Also on Arts Edge are the National Standards for Arts Education, which include visual arts.  They will be adding Multimedia as a strand in the standards in their next update.  Another intersection we can emphasize in our work.  

This is an interesting post for those of us (er, that'll be me, I guess) in Victoria, Australia. However the rest of this blog is really interesting as well - have a look DSSers!!

Skype in the classroom is a free directory for educators who want to use Skype to bring education to life in their classrooms. Join today to share resources, chat with teachers and even pair classes.

This was a thought-provoking article with a lot of interesting ideas around how to use the "back-channel" in the classroom. I was especially taken aback by all of the comments that essentially lambasted these teachers for integrating 21c learning experiences into the classroom. One commenter said: "It needs to be explained to teacher Erin Olson that teachers should be encouraging students to extricate themselves from all the electronic gadgetry and to pay attention." Ah yes, wouldn't it be nice if all of students sat quietly in their desks and listened attentively with their hands folded, ready to take in the sage wisdom of the instructor standing in front of the room. Unreal.

Follow up article to the SETDA report released in Nov 08, documenting effective appraoch to ed. tech PD, with school model samples.

If you are in a school this is good to know

I cam across this website that you might already know of but I wnated to send it just in case you have not seen it. LearnZillion is a learning platform that combines video lessons, assessments, and progress reporting. Each lesson highlights a Common Core standard, starting with math in grades 3-9.

Sends anyone a URL and a code that lets them see your screen in a browser.  Can also be done through a browser plug-in that connects to Gmail.