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"In order for teachers to better guide themselves in their learning, they need to know what it is that they need to know. They need relevant questions about relevant changes. Being connected to other educators, who are practicing these changes already, is a great first step. Using technology to do that is the best way to develop these Professional Learning Networks. Connected educators are relevant educators. That is how we can begin to change the culture and move forward to real education reform."

why ed research need new perspectives

"This address briefly traverses the successes and failures of the past before examining the evidence that may give some clues to the future challenges of using digital technologies and digital media in education. However, is Australian education and training in a position to address these challenges? The capacity of education to meet the future challenges of using technology for teaching and learning is the focus of this presentation."

Results from a research project in Singapore show that the inclusion of mobile devices in the classroom supports 21st-century instruction by teaching students soft skills, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, self-directed learning and teamwork, according to professors and researchers Elliot Soloway and Cathie Norris, co-founders of the education software provider GoKnow. The pair, who have studied trends in education technology, suggest giving students more control and using mobile devices as essential tools, rather than supplemental ones

"Technology offers an opportunity to improve students' learning within a context of authentic, challenging, and complex tasks. Schools throughout the world are making strides in accomplishing this common goal. However, it is important to recognise that it takes more than dedicated teachers to really implement change in any educational environment - it takes everyone working to achieve the same vision - technology-enhanced teaching and learning to prepare students for work and life in the 21st century."

"The NMC Horizon Report: 2012 K-12 Edition examines emerging technologies for their potential impact on and use in teaching, learning and creative inquiry within the environment of pre-college education. This article adapted from sections of the report. The report highlights six emerging technologies or practices that are likely to enter mainstream use within the next five years. Key trends and challenges that will affect current practice over the same period frame these discussi"

Beginning with student-focused goals allows us to ensure that we strategically prioritize time and resources in our classrooms. Although this way of thinking was initially designed for instructional units, it is also the perfect methodology for planning a new technology initiative.

In a systemic and rigorous analysis of forty years of research into the use of technology and its impact on student achievement, researchers have reported that technology used to support instruction, on average, improves learning performance by 12%.

More administrators say they are leading by example by encouraging educators to use more digital technology in the classroom. They say this type of leadership will become increasingly important as districts work to implement the Common Core State Standards. "Modeling is crucial. If you want your kids and teachers to be users of 21st-century tools, ... you have to show that you can do it too," said Spike Cook, principal of an elementary school in Millville, N.J. "It shows that I'm still a teacher -- I can still instruct and still learn."

Technology can help educators train students' focus away from rote memorization toward deep conceptual learning by building on prior knowledge and making connections between concepts.

1. Computer labs are a bad idea 2. ICT literacy classes are a bad idea 3. Don't expect test scores to improve 4. What students do outside the classroom with technology is more important than what they do inside it 5. Digital citizenship and child safety will become an important part of what schools teach 6. Most kids aren't 'digital natives' 7. You will never 'catch up' (technological innovations will always outpace your ability to innovate on the policy side) 8. 'Cheating' may well increase 9. Like it or not, mobile phones (and other mobile devices like tablets) are coming (fast) 10. _____

Students who have participated in 1:1 computing report higher achievement and increased engagement, according to findings of studies published in a special issue of the Journal of Technology, Learning and Assessment, published by Boston College's Lynch School of Education.

"This morning, Elon University and the Pew Internet and American Life Project released a report about the cognitive future of the millennial generation. Based on surveys with more than 1,000 thought leaders -- among them danah boyd, Clay Shirky, David Weinberger, and Alexandra Samuel -- the survey asked thinkers to consider how the Internet and its environment are changing, for better or worse, kids' cognitive capabilities. The survey found, overall, what many others already have: that neuroplasticity is, indeed, a thing; that multitasking is, indeed, the new norm; that hyperconnectivity may be leading to a lack of patience and concentration; and that an "always on" ethos may be encouraging a culture of expectation and instant gratification."

"n this essay, Philip and Garcia argue that visions of mobile devices in the classroom often draw on assumptions about the inherent interests youth have in these devices, the capability of these interests to transfer from out-of-school contexts to the classroom, and the capacity for these new technologies to equalize the educational playing field."

"Among teachers in a 1:1 or BYOD classroom, 15% use subject-specific content tools every week. 37% use information and reference tools every week. 18% of these teachers use teacher tools on a weekly basis. 20% of those surveyed use digital curricula weekly."

Interesting in this 2006 essay on digital literacy that it assumes that all students are by definition digitally savvy as "digital natives". More recent insights such as reported in "Kids Closer Up: Playing, Learning, and Growing with Digital Media" by Lori Takeuchi, International Journal of Learning and Media, Spring 2011, Vol. 3, No. 2, Pages 37-59. point to more complex, multi-layed levels of student digital literacy.