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Superb Apple and Android apps designed to improve home/school communication to inform parents about what their children are doing in school. Teachers can input simple lesson topics, or detailed lesson information for parents. Teachers can also assign badges for individual pupils.

In this vast digital age, there is more information available than can ever possibly be processed, and the way that students vet this data is incredibly important. While the internet has opened up the world in amazing and beautiful ways, it has also skewed the way information is obtained. Instant knowledge, or perceived knowledge, is available as soon as kids are old enough to type in a computer password or swipe the lock screen of a tablet or smartphone.

"The Stripling Inquiry Model has six phases; however, it's not a linear process but rather a recursive one in which the learner might revisit a previous stage to ask additional questions or organize information, as the need arises. Each phase involves critical thinking skills that empower young people to learn on their own and develop the thinking skills to be independent, lifelong learners. The phases are as follows: Connect: observe, experience, connect a subject to self and previous knowledge Wonder: predict, develop questions and hypotheses Investigate: find and evaluate information to answer questions, test hypotheses Construct: draw conclusions, arrive at new understandings Express: apply understandings to a new context, share learning with others Reflect: examine one's own learning and ask new questions (Stripling 2003, 8). Technology and, in particular, Web 2.0 tools and services can be used throughout the inquiry process to support the appropriate thinking skills. The key is to focus on student learning, not the Web 2.0 technology. The focus is on the phase(s) of inquiry at which students are concentrating and deciding which technology tool can best support the thinking processes and instructional strategies of that phase of inquiry. This increases the effectiveness of both the learning experience and the use of technology. An outline of the inquiry phases aligned with Web 2.0 technology tools and instructional strategies can be seen in Figure 2."

danah body (she prefers lowercase.) is a highly regarded thinker on all things internet. In this piece she addresses the dynamics involved in being connected to networked information.

Explanation of using peer instruction and arguments against the lecture as a college teaching tool.

"Evernote is a tool for keeping track of, well, everything. At least everything as far as digital information goes, or information that can be digitized."

qr codes in educationQR Codes Quick Response are so fun to integrate in classroom. Quick Response codes are bar codes with information. QR Codes can include contact information, websites, text, SMS, pictures and so much more. My students absolutely love using these in their activities.

A grade book, planner, diary, schedule and resource manager all in one app. Its spreadsheet engine will calculate averages as you input your assessment data. You can insert and edit any kind of information for a class, student and semester visually, no more boring spreadsheets. Scroll, expand, filter, export, import and view your information at any time. No internet connection is required. iDoceo will work with any kind of grading system, you can even create your own. You will not miss you old paper grade book again.

"Social Networking Evaluation Chart This checklist is designed to help review Social Networking Services (SNS). Although services develop continually, Childnet is committed to ensuring that the information provided is accurate at the time of publication (March 2008). We have drawn on publicly available information from service providers' websites (particularly each service's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy), as well as trying out each of the sites reviewed extensively. Additionally, we contacted the service providers included here and invited them to contribute to the project and comment on the chart entry for their service. "

Cautions to be taken when making information public or "private". Either way, all control is lost over information once it is made available online.

Use twitter as a search engine. Instead of getting information from eg google  you get people when searching for a topic on twitter. People who are interested in talking about a topic at a certain time. Can find out very interesting and sometimes specific information that is better than a google search. In some particiular circumstances there are commentators or companies who would be worth following.

"Project Global Inform (PGI) is an in-school project where students use media to spread awareness about human rights violations. "

The British government is proposing that Twitter is to be taught in primary (elementary) schools as part of a wider push to make online communication and social media a permanent part of the UK's education system. And that's not all. Kids will be taught blogging, podcasting and how to use Wikipedia alongside Maths, English and Science.

In this comprehensive five to ten week unit, late elementary students (grades 5-6) will plan, create and observe three different environments: woodland, desert, and tropical. Each environment provides opportunity for activities studying adaptations of plants and animals, with focused activities on the earthworm and isopod. Humane treatment of organisms is stressed. This resource includes correlations with NY state standards. Each "kit" in the Curriki repository includes a teacher's manual and student activity book. The teacher's manual includes a unit overview, scheduling information, extensive and clear background information materials, preparation instructions, discussion questions, an assessment, cross-curricular extension ideas, a glossary and teacher references. Each student manual includes clear, reproducible student handouts and a glossary. The last section in the "kit" is a wiki, and Curriki members are encouraged to edit and build up the existing curriculum. It may take some time initially to organize and order all the necessary supplies, but these written materials are excellent and can be used immediately in the classroom.

Video tours of college campuses aren't a new phenomenon; many universities have provided video tours and information about their campuses to prospective students for years. But Boynton Beach, Fla., startup YOUniversity LLC is hoping to draw users to its sites by offering prospective college students an unbiased, third-party source of information about hundreds of schools in an interactive, social environment. "Most of our employees are recent grads, who are best able to share their campus experiences with others getting ready to go to college," said co-founder Ron Reis, who launched the company in January 2008. The 17-person staff has three full-time camera crews that travel around the country, shooting high-definition footage of college campuses and the surrounding area. They've already taped more than 400 top schools throughout the country and have interviewed administrators, faculty, and students about their campus experience. "They've done a really good job, and they seem to have found a niche market that people really need," said Gordon Chavis, associate vice president for undergraduate admissions at the University of Central Florida

Purdue team recreates D-Day battlefield, launches learning environment where information searches for user

From the site: "This site contains a variety of educational and supporting materials for students and teachers of microbiology. You will find information about microorganisms, extremophiles and extreme habitats, as well as links to online provides information about the ecology, diversity and evolution of micro-organisms for students, K-12 teachers, university faculty, and the general public. "

From the site: "This website was conceived at the 2007 Flugsaurier pterosaur research meeting in Munich when we, a collection of pterosaur researchers and artists directly working with us realised that there was no comprehensive, high quality website dedicated to this popular group of prehistoric animals. This acts in stark contrast to a number of excellent dinosaur-based websites and, frankly, we couldn't quite figure out why when pterosaurs are equally famous, popular and, in some respects, better known than their dinosaur cousins. With this in mind, we set out to create a pterosaur based website that: figure * Presents up-to-date information on pterosaurs in an accessible fashion * Sources information from the primary scientific literature * Is written by qualified, experienced pterosaur researchers * Can reflect the active research occuring in pterosaur science * Provides professionally produced pterosaur art and photographs of pterosaur specimens"