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"Today's updates to Office 365 Education include enabling students to write a paper using only their voice, thanks to Dictation in Office, the latest feature to join Microsoft Learning Tools, as well as improved access to assignments and class collaboration with the Microsoft Teams iPhone and Android apps. What's more, we are delivering on the number one most requested feature from teachers, page locking in OneNote Class Notebook-allowing teachers to provide students with read-only access-and we will further help teachers save time through assignment and grade integrations with leading Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Student Information Systems (SIS), including Capita SIMS in the U.K. Office 365 Education gives teachers and students the power to unlock limitless learning. And best of all, it's free for teachers and students." Update on new features (2019), including dictation to Office apps.

A nice review of the free online and DVD-based game to learn English. Trace Effects takes the student through adventures all around the U.S. using vocabulary to learn things about his new friends and achieve certain tasks that are typically American -- women's roles in society, saving the environment, community work, science and innovation, etc. The toolkit includes a massive number of teaching suggestions, teacher resources, games, a graphic novel, etc.

"Kim Preshoff is the Obi-Wan Kenobi of science teachers in her community. With more than 25 years of classroom experience, she's an expert at how to use the force of curiosity to keep kids engaged and learning. For her TED-Ed Innovation Project, Preshoff created a classroom-ready digital collection of 100+ great videos and learning resources about core topics in art, history, science, and beyond. [To add a video to your school's learning library, use the TED-Ed Lesson Creator.] Below, check out Preshoff's curated collection of school-friendly videos and learning resources:"

"I love genius hour, I love Innovation Day, I love the idea of learning and creating something. But I felt we were starting to focus too much on the creation part rather than just the learning part. That too much time was spent creating the imagery of their learning rather than the learning itself. So instead I asked the kids to do what we have called project time, 30 minutes once a week where they just get to learn. Sure, they can create, sure they can make things, but they can also use the entire time to just read, study, ask questions, whatever they want to do. I decided on a big category to help them focus their curiosity, geography, and with held breath I sat back. "The last two weeks have been incredible. Students have read library books on countries, they have studied maps, they have created impromptu map quizzes, and yes, they have even created presentations. The learning that has happened has been tangible as kids ask questions about the broader world, about their place in it. When I asked them what they thought, the response was overwhelming; "We love it, Mrs. Ripp. Please don't change it. What will we focus on next?" (History for those who wonder)." T/h P. Ripp

The Knowledge Tree is an e-journal generated by members of the Australian vocational education and training (VET) system to enable the sharing of research and learning innovation in national and global e-learning practice.

A paper describing massively multiplayer online games for situated learning, which give students a chance to operate in a simulated environment and share with other online players through chat. (Second Life has now become the standard for MMOGs.)

An interview, but describes an interesting global project, http://gng.org/, which uses a news feed and Twitter to connect young people around the world.

Having an online mirror of everything taught in the classroom, and instant communication with teachers and working groups helps this technological high school overcome typical school-based problems with using 24/7 technology.

This e-book is free from British Council and is quite short, but contains important chapters on secondary and adult language teaching with technology, ESP, EAP, assessment (co-authored by Russell Stannard), and professional development.

"Skype gives students and teachers the ability to connect with the outside world without leaving the classroom, allowing them to meet face-to-face with the subjects of their learning or with students from other cultures. Teachers across the world have already arranged many enlightening and unforgettable conferences, demonstrating the extraordinary potential of Skype in the classroom." Lots of good ideas for using Skype to practice authentic language with authentic audiences. Also points to Skype' "in the classroom" page that helps teachers connect with experts and other classes looking for exchanges.

Free book (pdf) from the British Council, written by Gary Motteram. Probably published early 2012. Has sections on primary education, secondary, and general adult language education, ESP and Business English, EAP, and assessment. Nice examples from real classrooms.

"The blogs listed here offer relevant and timely information for anyone interested in eLearning, whether you're a content producer, a platform user, or someone trying to determine how eLearning technologies can help your business grow. Because eLearning practices are still evolving, it can often be difficult to find the best information on the topic." These are all great blogs -- take a couple of days to skim and scan.

"To give a brief over view of the paper, it was written for people who have a basic understanding of Blogs. I looked at how Blogs have impacted business and communication. . . etc."

Models two ways of coaching new teachers, online and real time. Sharing video of a previously taped class can is fast and can be very point-specific. The coach/mentor can type up and email comments, create an audio over, or Skype with the teacher while both watch the tape together. Real-time coaching involves a pre- and post-meeting with a live observer, who prompts a teacher through an earphone during the live session with students.

Our articles offer a new learning theory to accommodate the learning styles and preferences of today's digitally immersed students, discuss how preservice teachers can be prepared to integrate gaming into their curricula, and present technological solutions to challenges in teaching and testing. --EHS

"Classcraft, the first online educational role-playing game that teachers and students play together for free, recently announced the launch of a fully-updated version of their product for the new academic year. This revised version boasts new features such as free iOS apps for iPhone and iPad, interactive forums, student analytics and customisable characters, all of which will be useful for both teachers and students. Also included are French, Chinese, Dutch, German, and Spanish translations, which has made the game even more accessible to classrooms worldwide. To date, more than 30,000 students in 50 countries around the world are playing the game. "In order to keep students engaged, the Quebec-based team of education professionals are keen to inject the mechanisms of popular social games into learning. Playing in teams, students can become mages, warriors and healers, each with unique powers. The more a student excels, the more they gain points and real powers, like the ability to take notes into an exam. Teams can lose points by disrupting the classroom or submitting homework late; consequences can include detention and and less time to finish assignments."