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Is technology ruining students' writing skills? Here's a interview with Stanford professor Andrea Lundsford describing her assessment of her students' writing practices.

Is technology ruining students' writing (or reading) skills? Au contraire, mes ames (Ann - apologies if I've blown the French for y'all). See this analysis of her student writing from Stanford professor Andrea Lundsford.

AASL's Best Websites for Teaching and Learning July 17, 2009 One of the most exciting revelations at ALA last week was the Sunday panel that unveiled the inaugural AASL's Best Websites for Teaching and Learning. (If there was a Newbery kinda ceremony for the techie in many of us, this was it!). Intro and links to the list sites.

AASL's Best Websites for Teaching and Learning July 17, 2009 One of the most exciting revelations at ALA last week was the Sunday panel that unveiled the inaugural AASL's Best Websites for Teaching and Learning. (If there was a Newbery kinda ceremony for the techie in many of us, this was it!)

Here's the second of the Will R posts that are linked to the Diane Ravitch post.

In light of the interesting back and forth that occurred on my last post, I've been thinking about what the fundamental lessons of schooling ought to be and the role of technology in helping us teach them.

Thanks to Will Richardson's blog for this link. This and his own two most recent posts make for a revisiting of the fundamentals of why we're doing this - with each of us responsible for our own positions... enjoy!

It's certainly a challenge to engage today's students. Learning theory shows that one of the keys to successful learning is engagement. Using Philip Schlechty's "Qualities the Affect Engagement" as a framework, Tony Vincent outlines 21 technology tools, strategies, and tips educators can use to increase authentic engagement. Learn ways to motivate learners using online tools that are freely available. Examples include polling students, illustrating concepts with crazy cartoons, creating jazzy slide shows, and touring some of the newest coolest sites the web has to offer.

Just adding some tags. Thanks, Cheryl - I like the reminder about Schlechty's Working On The Work and tech integration links to it!

Using Philip Schlechty's "Qualities the Affect Engagement" as a framework, Tony Vincent outlines 21 technology tools, strategies, and tips educators can use to increase authentic engagement. Learn ways to motivate learners using online tools that are freely available.

And here's the original 'firestarter' on the Richardson blog - 2 Richardson's, 1 Ravitch, and a long host of commenters... Enjoy!

So, it is not a question of whether these technologies add value somehow to education, but the reverse, can education add value to the communications and information technologies of our present day world, and its future?

In their report, The Future of Learning Institutions in a Digital Age, Cathy N. Davidson and David Theo Goldberg investigate the internet's transformation of shared and interactive learning. They suggest the following 10 principles as "fundamental to the future of learning institutions". Provides link to the 82-page pdf-formatted report, as well.

how do you use the Google search box to get just the right amount of information, analyze it for authenticity, and get it quickly? The new Google Search Lessons are aimed at helping teachers and students learn the inside scoop about skillful searching. Check out nine compelling and practical lessons for students to understand and be successful with the Google search process. The lessons are divided into three modules; Understanding Search Engines, Search Techniques and Strategies, and Search Features. Each topic contains three lessons that build on the skills taught in the previous lesson. Teachers can mix and match lessons depending on the skills they want to emphasize. The lessons provide a guide for teachers, inquiry questions, a slide presentation, and search challenges for students.

Scott McLeod, Dangerously Irrelevant, sorts summer "reading" for us in two lists - this and the TED talks list.

Here are my top 10 2008 K12 Online Conference podcasts for busy principals and superintendents (in no particular order). These are the K12 Online presentations that I think are most likely to interest, educate, and entertain administrators as well as make them think!

eSchool News compilation of articles about On Line Learning

The "Great Debate of 2008" is a collaborative project that provides students in grades 8-12 with an opportunity to lead an exploration and discussion of issues and candidates surrounding the 2008 presidential election.historic1.jpg

New Zealand Curriculum Manager, Andrew Churches, posts this revision of the revised Bloom (on his blog, educational origami; Thanks to Tracy Rosen's blog, leadingfromtheheart.org for the link): This is an update to Bloom's Revised Taxonomy which attempts to account for the new behaviours and actions emerging as technology advances and becomes more ubiquitous. Bloom's Revised Taxonomy accounts for many of the traditional classroom practices, behaviours and actions but does not account for the new processes and actions associated with Web 2.0 technologies and increasing ubiquitous personal and cloud computing. Bloom's Digital Taxonomy isn't about the tools or technologies rather it is about using these to facilitate learning. Outcomes on rubrics are measured by competence of use and most importantly the quality of the process or product.

How has the Internet changed the way we think, these commenters were asked. An interesting collection of comments... one noting: "Today, most people only recognize that they are using the Internet when they are interacting with a computer screen. They are less likely to appreciate when they are using the Internet while talking on the telephone, watching television, or flying on an airplane."

"This is a post from my www.tweenteacher.com website. I had just seen Robert Marzano speak at the CUE conference (Computer Using Educators). I've posted before about my long journey down the Interactive Whiteboard road, but this keynote renewed my excitement even while I struggle alone as the only ELA teacher in my district with an IWB. Enjoy." (see link to actual Marzano presentation in the comments, too)

"The 33-member Pennsylvania Virtual High School Study Commission has completed its work, culminating in a final report. Per statute, the report was submitted to the Governor and the leadership of the Pennsylvania General Assembly in December, 2009. "

It's time for Online Safety 3.0. Why 3.0 and why now? The online-safety messages most Americans are getting are still pretty much one-size-fits-all and focused largely on adult-to-child crime, rather than on what the growing bodies of both Net-safety and social-media research have found. Online Safety 2.0 began to develop messaging around the peer-to-peer part of online safety, mostly harassment and cyberbullying and, increasingly, sexting by cellphones, but it still focuses on technology not behavior as the primary risk and characterizes youth almost without exception as potential victims. Version 2.0 fails to recognize youth agency: young people as participants, stakeholders, and leaders in an increasingly participatory environment online and offline. To be relevant to young people, its intended beneficiaries, Net safety needs to respect youth agency, embrace the technologies they love, use social media in the instruction process, and address the positive reasons for safe use of social technology. It's not safety from bad outcomes but safety for positive ones. ... Safety is essential but only part of what we want for the people who are going to run this world! Online Safety 3.0 enables youth enrichment and empowerment. Its main components - new media literacy and digital citizenship - are both protective and enabling. Ideally from the moment they first use computers and cellphones, children are learning how to function mindfully, safely and effectively as individuals and community members, as consumers, producers, and stakeholders.

Online Safety 3.0 - safety and good citizenship while using the internet and participating in social networking. A "watershed" moment, says Bonnie Bracey Sutton (at http://www.mercurynews.com/fdcp?1257974940062).