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David Puttnam spoke in Dublin tonight - he had some interesting ideas including ORACY - A web definition explains "oracy" as…used to describe a person's ability to efficiently communicate with others via the spoken word as well as to fully understand oral communication. Wilkinson…created the word to emphasize the need for school children to be able to fully use oral skills as an essential basis for learning and social integration. It is an analogy for the words numeracy and literacy, and aids in bringing the focus of oral skill on par with reading and writing in the classroom.

An older article (circa 2004), but it contains relevant points on blogging by students in a classroom environment.

"Essentially, digital (and physical) mind mapping allows students to view the entire forest instead of a single tree. As they create a mind map, they capture the wider ecosystem of information by visually connecting short keywords and phrases rather than writing complete sentences. Upon later review-for retention, exam preparation or papers-the mind map is like a CD. You jump right to the information that interests you. In contrast, linear notes are like audio tapes-you waste time wading line by line through the content in hopes of getting to what you want. This more efficient use of space (and time) lets students see how normally unconnected ideas might fit together. Thus, the mind maps doubles as a store of information and an engine of creativity. Using it in the classroom and even giving mind mapping assignments forces students to break the linearity of their earlier education."

A very well-intentioned, but ignorant piece on the role of video games in the classroom. Non-educators should stay out of the education arena and write what they know about!! "On the other hand, does it really take a videogame to make learning fun? Surely, there are better ways, which are less likely to be dated the second they're finished."

Shallow (still important) analysis of the major issues regarding technology integration in schools.

Teachers never have enough time. We have curriculum to cover, skills to teach, reports to write and meetings to attend. The demands are endless, both in and outside the classroom.

Great suggestions for classroom practices using ordinary office supplies.

Learn together in the classroom and share your projects with the world. Photopeach is used by educators and students in hundreds of schools world wide, including schools in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Sweden, England, Pakistan, Argentina,Thailand, and more. The combination of images, music, and text helps students learn about presentation, expression, writing, communication skills, art appreciation, and media literacy. The quality of the finished work is great and students will remember it forever. Start creating fun slideshows with captions, soundtracks, quizzes, and easy editing controls!

Introduction to Diigo and group for sharing resources with our edublog challenge PLN

"Project MASH is a social learning experience that challenges teachers and students to DESIGN stuff, MAKE stuff, and PLAY stuff, to ACT and WRITE, CREATE and EXPLORE. PROJECT MASH bridges the divide between learning in and out of school, from making and tinkering in the classroom to citizen science in the backyard, from design thinking challenges to contests in creative expression." Sponsored by Pearson Foundation

Play, design and share games.  Focuses on game design

a very popular web-based game design environment. Global Kids http://olpglobalkids.org/ is using it to run social benefits game design contests and badging programs. They are getting 100+ new game design entries per week. From the parents' guide: Gamestar Mechanic is currently supported by a partnership between the Institute of Play and E-Line Media. The game was originally developed by Gamelab in partnership with the Institute of Play and the Academic Advanced Distributed Learning Co-Lab (AADLC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Initial funding for the game and companion learning guides came from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The design of the game is based on research by some of the leading academics in the field including Katie Salen (Executive Director of the Institute of Play and curriculum author for the New York City Public School Quest To Learn) and James Paul Gee (author of What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy).

This site has students creating games from scratch and putting them out into the world for feedback within the Gamestar Mechanic community. Students use math, problem solving, writing skills and more to make their games interesting. I think this could be used in the classroom as a theme-based project or just to get students interested in coding.

"For fun, the writer and children's book illustrator has created a series of images that can help young writers broaden their language and writing, encouraging young authors to "Fill your stories with a rainbow of images" - A great resource for the primary/elementary classroom and beyond…"

"A useful site for creating metro maps. Use it in creating writing to map out a character's travels, make Monopoly-like games or make classroom posters showing connected words, names, ideas or topics."

Easy video student response system. I can think of quite a few applications, exit tickets, flipped classroom, student response to reading material,etc. I'll write more next week after trying this.

"Drawings, painting and photos have the ability to move us. From a masterpiece from yesteryear to the barely decipherable scribbled of your child's first portrait of you, an image can make the viewer laugh, cry, harden or change options, and even contribute to the way we vote. The use of images in our classroom needs to go beyond "now draw me a nice picture" when completing a piece of writing."

Something is missing from my classroom lately and I am quite happy to have seen it disappear. It is the traditional line at the teacher's desk formed by students awaiting feedback on a recently completed piece of writing. What has replaced this is our use of Google Docs and Slides as a tool for the collaborative development of ideas from initial thinking and strategising through to final editing and refinement. It has introduced a new workflow to the class that both streamlines the process of providing feedback, allows for greater detail and transforms the process into one that is richly collaborative.

Teachers need to allow their students more room to creatively use visual design, and at the same time, teach students to be aware. Forcing students to follow exact formatting requirements is counterproductive.