This is a shared writing lesson for creating a progressive story using a Google Doc.

The goal of this collaborative wiki is to "unmask the digital truth" with respect to the reasons some leaders today are overfiltering and overblocking web 2.0 sites in schools and libraries, and provide reasonable alternatives which support broader student and teacher access to these sites

The Teacher Tap is a free, professional development resource that helps educators and librarians address common questions about the use of technology in teaching and learning by providing easy access to practical, online resources and activities. Check out the Project Overview for more information.

Folkstreams.net has two goals. One is to build a national preserve of hard-to-find documentary films about American folk or roots cultures. The other is to give them renewed life by streaming them on the internet. The films were produced by independent filmmakers in a golden age that began in the 1960s and was made possible by the development first of portable cameras and then capacity for synch sound. Their films focus on the culture, struggles, and arts of unnoticed Americans from many different regions and communities. The filmmakers were driven more by sheer engagement with the people and their traditions than by commercial hopes. Their films have unusual subjects, odd lengths, and talkers who do not speak "broadcast English." Although they won prizes at film festivals, were used in college classes, and occasionally were shown on PBS, they found few outlets in venues like theaters, video shops or commercial television. But they have permanent value. They come from the same intellectual movement that gave rise to American studies, regional and ethnic studies, the "new history," "performance theory," and investigation of tenacious cultural styles in phenomena like song, dance, storytelling, visual designs, and ceremonies.They also respond to the intense political and social ferment of the period.

Smithsonian Institution's photostream MAny pictures without copyright restrictions

Great Podcasting Rubric

From Free Tech for Teachers Richard Bryne, nicely done guide

Great search for Wikipedia, Pics and Video

Finding a great image online elicits a little thrill, but it can be tricky - if you're looking for a pic to pop into a presentation or illustrate a Web page, you need to know if you're allowed to use that photo, and how you can use it. Today, Yahoo! Image Search is launching a Creative Commons license filter that allows you to simply and quickly find images that are available for reuse.

Image Search in Yahoo allows you to select CC Licensed work

Advanced Image Search You can use the options on this page to create a very specific search. Just fill in the fields you need for your current search.

I am working on a comprehensive presentation introducing educators to all the awesome features of Diigo. Shhhh . . . there is big news coming from Diigo in the next two weeks (you can get a sneak peak in the last section of my tutorial.) I will be presenting Diigo at the Classroom 2.0 LIVE Conference in Pennsylvania on Sept. 19th.

The Pancake Principle by Elizabeth Helfant The school year is rapidly winding down. As I reflect on the successes and failures of our first year with a 1:1 tablet program, I am reminded of something my division head adheres to. Let's call it the Pancake Principle.

It happened again. You took a test and bombed it. You remembered how to do the math, but some of the words looked like they were writen in another language! How did that happen?! You forgot a lot of stuff from last year and now it is causing major problems for you. You have decided that you are going to learn the vocabulary no matter what it takes. Surely that will help your grade!!

Framing the discussion in terms of his district's reform model - the "New 4 Rs" of rigor, relevance, relationships, and reflection - Sofo describes how one middle school developed a multifaceted, classroom-level intervention to support struggling learners.

Traditional teaching and learning strategies are becoming increasingly ineffective with a generation of secondary students that have instant access to information, are accustomed to managing their own acquisition of knowledge, and embrace the roles of content producer and publisher.

Students at SLA are assessed through a variety of means with a focus on project-based learning and our five core values of inquiry, research, collaboration, presentation, and reflection. Our students do not take the School District of Philadelphia benchmark exams; rather, they complete projects in every subject that are assessed based on the SLA rubric (see below). The descriptions in the empty boxes are filled in according to the subject and project nature. We are working with the School District of Philadelphia to ensure that grades from the SLA Benchmark projects will be entered into SchoolNet at the end of every marking period.

A new Promise needs to be created among educators, students, parents, policy makers and funders if all students are to make significant progress towards achieving rigorous and relevant 21st century academic standards and skills. The American public education system was never designed nor intended to function as an academic institution where success for all drove policy making and decisions regarding educational procedures and practices.

CFF_Logo 1:1 Administrator's Pre-conference Session

Welcome to a very exciting time in the history of the Pascack Valley Regional High School District. With our focus continually trained on the improvement of student achievement, the district is embarking on a project that will change the way the education process takes place.