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Ready for the next generation of textbook creation that utilizes good pedagogy? Imagine a living, breathing, dynamic textbook that offers different assignments for each individual based on their learning styles, allows for student-created work to be posted and featured based on accuracy/creativity votes and having students all around the world discuss content and share resources in real time through an integration with Google's new social networking service Google +.  Imagine all of this in a new dynamically changing interactive living 21st Century textbook ecosystem. Brain Mannix  would like to use the Blackboard/Collaborate platform as an engine to bring students and teachers around the world together to make this happen. Check it out!

Great tool for scheduling a Google+ hangout. Gives those you invite a few date options and allows you to schedule the hangout based on how invitees respond, or you can have the scheduler set up the event based on the responses you receive. 

Problem-based learning and project-based learning provide a rich opportunity for students to deepen their knowledge, expand their repertoire of technical skills, and enhance their appreciation of thinking tools, processes and strategies. The larger goal is for enhanced performance under challenging conditions that demand strategic reasoning, insightfulness, perseverance, creativity, and craftsmanship to resolve complex problems.

Mapmaking using Google Maps is easy! Check out this site that has some beginning activities and ideas for curriculum integration. Why Integrate Map Making into Curriculum? *It's fun and engaging! *Creates ties between content and place *Maps are interactive and easy to update *Maps can be great assessment tools *Good Content for Map Making -You have information or data that is place-based. -You want to show nformation that varies depending on location, distribution of something over an area, or a path or route of travel.

"Will you ever just walk into class and ask, "Okay, what do you want to study today?" Of course not. Inquiry-based learning is founded on students taking the lead in their own learning, but it still requires considerable planning on your part. Projects must fit into your larger program structure, goals and plans, but the students will be actively involved in planning the projects with you and asking the questions that launch their individual inquiries." In thinking about PBL and other inquiry-based learning, this post and the graphic of the inquiry process are easy to connect with.

"In Project Based Learning (PBL), students go through an extended process of inquiry in response to a complex question, problem, or challenge. Rigorous projects help students learn key academic content and practice 21st Century Skills (such as collaboration, communication & critical thinking)."

Snaggy is a web-based tool for drawing on, annotating, and sharing screen captures. To draw or write on your screen capture just paste your screen capture image into Snaggy. Snaggy offers tools for highlighting a section of your screen capture, typing on it, and drawing free-hand on your image. You can also use Snaggy to crop your image. When you're ready to share your screen capture, Snaggy assigns is a custom url that you can Tweet, email, or post anywhere you like. Snaggy lets you save your edited screen captures to your computer too.

The next generation of the graphing calculator. Using a powerful and blazingly-fast math engine, the calculator can instantly plot any equation, from lines and parabolas up through derivatives and Fourier series. Data tables open up a world of curve-fitting and modeling. Sliders make it a breeze to demonstrate function transformations. As browser-based html5 technology, the graphing calculator works on any computer or tablet without requiring any downloads.

Theories and Models of Learning for Educational Research and Practice. This knowledge base features learning theories that address how people learn. 

Richard Byrne shares five skills that will really benefit teachers who use or want to use Google Drive. Google Drive takes some getting used to, but provides some great flexibility you will not get in a server based environment, in my opinion.

"Research has shown that teaching quality is the strongest school-related factor that can improve student learning and achievement. In order to cultivate high-quality teaching, support for ongoing professional learning in schools is essential. " Five articles, including a comprehensive bibliography with links to all the studies and reports cited in these pages.  1. How effective leadership supports prof. learning 2. Key components for productive PD programs 3. PLC's 4. Recommendations for evidence-based programs

A really well written post on some things we should consider about blogging. She based her post on her own experience with blogging and the work of Sue Waters, a professional educ. blogger and trainer for Edublogs. Here are some questions she asks: Who should be writing for? What is the benefit? Is it important to read others work and comment? I think if you read this post, you will be encouraged. 

Edutopia post on Project Based Learning & embedded video of Yong Zhao presentation at ISTE 2012, June 26, 2012.  "What makes someone successful in the 21st century is definitely not your ability to memorize facts. What will make someone successful is your relentless capacity to innovate, to create. It's your ability to network, to make friends from your own circle and from other countries. It's your ability to see through challenges, to look for opportunities in problems, and to take action to change things instead of waiting for someone else to do something, Meanwhile, he added, the U.S. is focusing on the wrong goal by aiming for higher standardized test scores. "Fixing the horse wagon won't get us to the moon," he said, referring to the current educational system as a holdover from an outdated era. 

A nice blog about PBL for Digital Citizens......

A project-based-learning teacher and coach writes about "the most effective tool for organizing content and motivating students to think hard."

I like how the site has a set of short videos demonstrating each "teacher move" to support learning using "Accountable I think these would be helpful in training/professional development, as well. The fact that these "moves" were observed in effective classrooms (i.e. research-based) is good to know.

"Meet Dictation v2.0, a web-based speech recognition app that will transcribe your voice into digital text using the Chrome Speech API. You can also install Dictation as a Chrome App." I tried it and it works pretty well. No special software is needed, so it will run fine on a Chromebook.

"We all have a digital tattoo, and if we do not choose how to ink it, somebody else will. Rob McTaggart discusses how we might move the fear-based cybersafety agenda forward towards a conversation about digital empowerment and supporting our students' growth in an online world."

Fantastic guide & tutorial on how to make videos on the web, provided by Richard Byrne, Free Technology for Teachers. "This guide was created for those teachers who would like to have their students make videos but don't have access to editing software and or video equipment. All of the resources in this guide are completely web-based."

Outlines each level of the taxonomy by showing attributes for each level, keywords used in writing that demonstrate that level, and questions you would ask to see that level in a student's writing. Examples of objectives written for each level of Bloom's Taxonomy and activities and assessment tools based on those objectives. Common key verbs used in drafting objectives are also listed for each level.