EdTech

"What are the most effective strategies for overcoming the barriers to the authentic integration of digital technologies in schools? The enquiry considered barriers to ICT (information communication technology) integration, and possible enabling solutions. Traditionally, the development of ICT expertise is facilitated by the provision of 'training courses'. However, for the duration of this enquiry this approach was suspended, in order to explore more learner-centred, collaborative approaches for managing teacher development; utilising opportunities for teachers to learn through interactions with their colleagues and with their own students. "

Will someone explain to me the benefits of a trendy system developed by Professor Lawrence Lessig of Stanford? Dubbed Creative Commons, this system is some sort of secondary copyright license that, as far as I can tell, does absolutely nothing but threaten the already tenuous "fair use" provisos of existing copyright law.

"No parent wants to say "no" all the time. So we've rounded up 10 of the most violent video games out there -- explaining the details that put each one on our list -- as well as more than 10 that you can say "yes" to. Our reviewers play literally thousands of hours of video games a year -- they know games inside and out. But we're not trying to be sensationalistic, which is why we're offering less-violent alternatives. Our alternatives include three categories: less-violent games in the same genre as the violent game listed, less-violent games with a similar theme, and less-well-known but still great titles that play on the same system."

great tools to automate from Jay Atwood at SAS

"Tynker is a new computing platform designed specifically to teach children computational thinking and programming skills in a fun and imaginative way. The cloud hosted system is now available to teachers, schools and districts."

"1-to-1 Essentials offers the guidance you need in order to proactively, rather than reactively, address issues that schools commonly face when going 1-to-1. We encourage you to explore, customize, and choose the resources that will best support your school community."

A series of screen shots that show what we use, and in what categories. Parents find these useful when wanting to make better use of iPads at home. Also a lot easier than trying to build and maintain a detailed list that no one uses anyway!

Add Google Drive Folder to Google Sites This is a feature we've all been wanting and it has been described on the Google Sites Help forum many times - a link between Google Drive and Google Sites. Google Sites, while it has those file cabinet pages, isn't the best document management system available, especially next to the incredible set of features in Google Drive.

"How can P2P networks go legit?'' My answer is, ``they already are.'' The world-wide-web is used to download illegally copied software, copyrighted music and movies as well as child pornography, yet we're not asking how the web can go legit. No one here would dispute that filesharing networks are used by those who would violate copyright. But this is not solely the domain of P2P; copyrighted software has been traded on electronic bulletin board systems (BBSs) since their inception and has permeated every public communication protocol on the Internet. Filesharing is a social phenomenon, not a technological one - demonizing P2P based on one use of the technology is a mistake in my opinion. P2P already has positive mainstream benefits in certain communities and new uses are being found all the time."

If the metric you used to judge whether or not a new technology is a "pirate technology" is what percentage of its use was "unauthorized," you get a very skewed picture. Early on, all sorts of new and innovative technologies are mostly used for unauthorized copies... until the industry catches up. However, people don't often deal with trends very well, and they assume, quite incorrectly, that if a technology is initially used in an unauthorized manner, it must be a "piracy tool" and no amount of discussing how trends and adaptation works will convince them otherwise. 

The power of a reflective teacher is unstoppable. Hand in hand with reflective practice is coachability.  Coachability speaks to the teachers capacity to: hear feedback; analyze and understand the feedback; implement the feedback into their teaching.

Awesome source of edtech news and articles curated for us by Tina Barseghian

A magnificent way to engage with a 'gamify digital citizenship in Junior School.

A key transition over the history of information technology has been in the shift from passive audiences to active users. Digital technologies permit users unprecedented control over the content they consume and the place in and pace at which they consume it. At the heart of effective technology integration practices, digital technologies offer learners greater opportunities to be more actively involved in the learning experience.