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I think this an interesting article. The only aspect that gave me pause, other than cost, was the idea of location-free_communications. I'm envisioning PA systems on steroids. I opened a topic "Telepresence" to see if anyone wanted to weigh in on the topic.

Teacher considers using Apples new iPad to replace her Macbook for classroom use.

Describes the prevalence of cyberbullying in schools. Details how one school district is being proactive in its attempt to curb cyberbullying. Some interesting sites related to this topic include H.R. 1966: Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-1966 An interesting take on H.R. 1996 as a threat to First Amendment Rights http://futurestorm.blogspot.com/2009/05/hr-1966-offend-someone-online-go-to.html

I see a lot more students using cell phones at my building than there were just a year ago. This observation and the implications was a bit sobering. What challenges does the ubiquitous use of cell phones and other smart devices create for our network safeguards? Is cyberbullying going on in your building(s)? What options do targeted students and parents have for reporting or enacting a grievance against cyberbullying? Are reported correlations of student absenteeism and cyberbulliying accurate? I'd like to post this on our blogs and ask our staffs to weigh in on the topic.

Leslie Fisher put on some insightful, useful, and entertaining sessions if you ever get a chance to attend one.

Nextvista.org is a great resource..

This one is an oldie but a goodie. I use it whenever I work a new group of learners or learners that are new to educational technology. It's an easy read and can be modified to reflect the rapid changes in technology.

Yes, I agree with much of the article and the skills mentioned, but at first glance, it's quite daunting. You're talking about skills that, for the average educator, takes years to acquire and with which to become comfortable. That is something we ,as integration specialists,s need to keep in mind.

Absolutely Sui! I think TISs face the same challenge as classroom teachers. How do we hook them? For people like you and I it's an intrinsic motivation to grow our knowledge base and fine tune our craft. Once a teacher told me, "there are three kinds of teachers, those that were born to do it, those that can be taught to do it and those that will never get it." I want to believe that the overwhelming majority of teachers fall into that second category. So, back to how do we hook them. I agree with Bill that Atomic Learning is woefully underutilized. One way to get the teachers hooked and increase the likelihood that AL is used is to adopt AL as our launching point for developing all PLOs. Take a look at the AL Toolkit http://movies.atomiclearning.com/k12/atomictoolkit. Assuming that we have done our due diligence and prepared our teachers to register for AL and view relevant tutorials prior to the PLO. Use the toolkit materials to "promote" our PLOs. Encourage teachers to subscribe to the AL newsletter and our web site blog feeds. Design PLOs with their work in mind - flipcharts using upcoming unit actiities, etc. I think it was Kathy Shrock that said something like, when teaching an unfamiliar application use a familiar task and when teaching an unfamiliar task use a familiar application. We also need to change the mindset so that the "learning" is their bag of bricks to carry and that we are here to coach, and support them to that end.