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"The 21st Century Fluencies are not about technical prowess, they are critical thinking skills, and they are essential to living in this multimedia world. We call them fluencies for a reason. To be literate means to have knowledge or competence. To be fluent is something a little more, it is to demonstrate mastery and to do so unconsciously and smoothly. A young learner who is literate in the use of a tool, say a pencil for example, can use it to write, but does so haltingly because a great deal of focus is on the use of the tool. As time goes on, this learner will develop fluency with the use of the pen or pencil, or keyboard. No longer will it be an impediment, instead their thoughts and ideas flow directly to the paper. The use of the tool is transparent. This is the level of proficiency we will need to thrive in this digital landscape and is what we strive to develop in today's learners."

New updates to the 21st Century Fluencies website

Interesting ideas and resources about how to develop digital fluency in the school setting. Inspiring ideas from schools who have embraced digital fluency.

"With the Research and Information Fluency lessons in our highly acclaimed free CyberSmart! Student Curriculum, our goal is to actively engage students in making good search decisions and in evaluating the resources they encounter online."

"Netsafe has created its revised position on digital citizenship in education in its new white paper From literacy to fluency to citizenship: Digital Citizenship in Education."

School systems are still being far too reactive in their social media policies (some do not even have one). Outside of schools, students are 'on and connected' to virtual environments and social networks. Teachers must embrace these technologies inside and outside of the classroom to have a meaningful connection with their students and promote collaboration amongst students. Too many improprieties are occurring because the rules of collaboration are unclear and the power of online collaboration and communication goes untapped. Parents, teachers, and school leaders have a responsibility to guide students through understanding the characteristics of a global digital citizenship. "

Great article - I especially like this tip: "Make something together. Create a kooky, silly film or a photo collage after a family adventure. Turn the conversation to creation instead of consumption."

"Since the 1990's educators have leveraged the power of the Internet to forge online global collaborative learning. More recently global competency and intercultural understanding in conjunction with cross-border collaboration and digital fluency have emerged as 'future ready' key capabilities. However, learning environments struggle to embed authentic real world learning and build capacity for global connection and collaboration. Julie shares new perspectives on developing a Global Collaborator Mindset and implementing Online Global Collaborative Learning (OGCL) as a pedagogical approach. "

Assessment 2 annotated bibliography

This article from Edudemic features an extensive list of some of the most awesome technological tools you can find for teaching and learning. There's lots to explore here, so have fun!

[Infographic] via Tatango. What's interesting is that social networking and mobile gaming rest just above average.

Often times, 1:1 tablet programs aren't financially feasible. However, classroom teachers can still utilize a tablet creatively and work on essential standards of the Common Core. Monica Burns highlights free apps for learning and promotes collaboration in the process through small group work.

Another article for gauging where schools, educators' pedagogies sit in relation to using technologies. Do we offer students opportunities to develop good citizenship behaviours using technologies? Is education and learning in a rut in some schools? A real thought provoking article?

The communication culture of text messaging-part of the bigger blanket term "tech speak"-can have adverse long-term effects on students' grammar, according to statistics featured in the following infographic on Visal.ly.

This infographic comes from liGo and gives us a stunning amount of information about our mobile habits with social media. Prepare to make some interesting discoveries here that range from the technical through to the financial, and even include the emotional.