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A good overview of the big picture - future happening now...

Good one Sarah. Only problem is to paraphrase the Riddler in Batman and Robin, "so much information, so little time"

There are many ways of providing useful feedback to students in association with their assessments and assignments. However, new ways of providing feedback that can be more relevant and timely have emerged using technology. The research article reviewed this week explores a range of possibilities for providing student feedback on assignments and assessments in ways, such as audio and adaptive feedback, that can be more efficient for course leaders and also improve student learning.

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

Software in the Cloud: HOT Common Core Online: HOT iPads: HOT Tablets Other Than iPads: LUKEWARM The Flipped Classroom: LUKEWARM Bring Your Own Device (BYOD): HOT Textbooks: LOSING STEAM Social Media as a Teaching and Learning Tool: LOSING STEAM E-portfolios: LUKEWARM Interactive Projectors and Whiteboards: LOSING STEAM

Monitoring anticipated tech changes

This is a very helpful glimpse. Very useful for focusing our precious energy, time and budget.

How can you get the best out of your teachers and improve student learning? Edutopia's research analyst explains some of the best practices found by researchers to help ensure educator growth and success.

A recent research report of the take-up of laptops in a Sydney region of 14 secondary schools is very informative. The research examined the take up and use of laptops by 47 science teachers and 1245 students. The DER provided the laptops for the students whereas the schools provided the laptops for the teachers. The research developed a misalignment index that indicated differences between the use of laptops by teachers and by students that had implications for learning.

There are digital tools that can help achieve the goal of educational transfer, writes Kristen Swanson, an education consultant. Educational transfer occurs when students are able to use what they've learned in the classroom in new, real-life situations, she writes in this blog post. She also offers three goals for the new year, including the use of less text when designing and consuming multimedia

This week DERN reviews an outstanding study about teacher's views of school practices that reveals the powerful effects of professional collaboration among teachers, with support from the Principal. The study surveyed 2,404 educators in schools across the US. Most of the respondents were experienced classroom teachers and specialist staff in public schools at all levels (elementary, middle, high) of schooling. The findings are reported in a 37 page very readable and ground breaking report.

"Blumenfeld et al. (1991) identified six contributions that technology can make to the learning process: * enhancing interest and motivation; * providing access to information; * allowing active, manipulable representations; * structuring the process with tactical and strategic support; * diagnosing and correcting errors; * managing complexity and aiding production."

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."

"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"

Mario Raich's explorations advocates paradagim of learn / understand / apply. Should Reflection also be included?

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.

"How can schools build a climate that takes students beyond mere engagement and into ownership of their learning? Here are four roles for students."

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%.

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.

"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."

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 world of information overload, it is vital for students to not only find information but also determine its validity and appropriateness. Our information literacy material demystifies the process of finding and validating online information. These vital skills are needed as students prepare for our global economy.