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"There are many apps that do promote critical thinking-and often extended critical thinking and learning at that. These aren't clinical "critical thinking building" programs either, but rather often enjoyable exercises in strategy, tactics, and problem-solving thought. In this post there is a collection of 25 of these critical thinking apps. Most are for grades 8-12, but several are for students as young as kindergarten."

"Join Howard Rheingold and other noted educators in creating a world-class resource for teaching critical thinking and Internet literacies. We are building a framework in the pages linked in the menu to the left. Get started by adding to the list of tools and the list of important vocabulary. Check out the latest bookmarks on the Diigo Resources page. You can join the Diigo group and subscribe to the RSS feeds."

"Find information, strategies, protocols, and tools -- including resources and downloads from teachers and schools - to promote curiosity and engage students in asking questions, thinking critically, and solving problems."

"Australia finally has its first digital technology curriculum which is mandatory for all Australian children from Foundation, the name replacing kindergarten, to Year 8. The Technologies area now has two individual but connected compulsory subjects: Design and Technologies, where students use critical thinking to create innovative solutions for authentic problems Digital Technologies, where students using computational thinking and information systems to implement digital solutions."

Article offers several examples of games designed for learning and 5 game qualities.

"The implementation of an effective national broadband network is critical to economic development and the federal opposition must not fear it, the founder of a high-profile "intelligent community" think tank has told IT Pro."

"Having reached critical mass with the number of devices that arrived in my room last week, it has set me to thinking about the biggest challenges and the pros and cons of the BYOD system."

"In case the quotes didn't clue you in, this post doesn't argue against massive open online courses (MOOCs) such as the ones offered by Udacity, Coursera, and edX. I think they are very worthy ventures and will serve to progress our system of higher education. I do however agree with some criticisms of these courses, and that there is room for much more progress."

"With budgets tight, many schools are hoping to bring technology into the classroom without having to shell out for a device for each student. A solution for many has been to make classes BYOD (short for "bring your own device"), which allows students to bring laptops, tablets, and smartphones from home and to use them in the classroom and share them with other students. It's a promising idea, especially for schools that don't have big tech budgets, but it has met with some criticism from those who don't think that it's a viable long-term or truly budget-conscious decision. Whether that's the case is yet to be seen, but these stories of schools that have tried out BYOD programs seem to be largely positive, allowing educators and students to embrace technology in learning regardless of the limited resources they may have at hand."

New report released August 2012 "Business and political leaders are increasingly asking schools to integrate development of skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, and collaboration into the teaching and learning of academic subjects. Collectively these skills are often referred to as "21st century skills" or "deeper learning." Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century, a new report from the National Research Council, more clearly defines these terms and lays the groundwork for policy and further research in the field."

"Have you heard the phrase "That's true because I saw it on TV" at some point? It was often the truth in the old days when people only had the TV or newspaper to relate to. What you saw or read was the truth, although it obviously wasn't always so. Today, thanks to the Internet, we consider ourselves much more enlightened. We can discuss and examine the source in a way that was not possible in the past. But are we really aware of all information flowing up over the net? What is really true and what's not? When someone presents a bit of loose facts on Twitter, I usually respond with something like "64% of the facts on the Internet is 48% incorrect according to 52% of respondents", completely made up numbers out of my head, but it makes people think a little extra. It is somewhat disturbing at times when the bandwagon takes of and speeds up, without people being critical. People stand up for situations that may never have happened, and spin on it which ultimately results in that it will be trated as facts, or a faktoid."

"The SAMR model was developed by as a framework to integrate technology into the curriculum.  I believe it can also serve as a model to establish and assess if and how technology is being used to reinforce an old, often archaic Education 1.0 or being used to promote and facilitate what many are calling 21st century skills, i.e., creativity, innovation, problem-solving, critical thinking; those skills characteristic of Education 3.0.  Many look at SAMR as the stages of technology integration.  I propose that it should be a model for educators to focus on Modification and Redefinition areas of technology integration.  Why should educators spend their time recreating Education 1.0 using technology at the substitution and augmentation levels when there are tools, techniques, and opportunities to modify and redefine technology integration for a richer, more engaging Education 2.0 or 3.0?"

Shout is a website that allows students to connect online and interact with experts in the field, share ideas, and collaborate with people around the world who are committed to solving environmental challenges. Shout gives participants a framework for success, with resources and tools for exercising social responsibility while building the 21st-century skills of collaboration, innovation, and critical thinking.

"The Buck Institute for Education commissioned the cutting-edge advertising agency, Common Craft, to create a short animated video that explains in clear language the essential elements of Project Based Learning (PBL). This simple video makes the essential elements of PBL come alive and brings to light the 21st Century skills and competencies (collaboration, communication, critical thinking) that will enable K-12 students to be college and work-ready as well as effective members of their communities."

I'm a fan of pretty much anything Dean Groom is involved in. If I don't always agree it at least encourages critical thinking.

Software Development has formed the economic and social face of the planet within the most recent 3 decades. What was once thought of gibber and kept to the elite minds that place humans on the Moon and cracked the German Enigma is currently a well-liked profession that has created landmarks just like the Silicon Valley and icons like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. With the spurt in revolutionary product ideas within the late 90s, the need to place those 'thoughts' into execution demanded the best development-skills, and this 'request' has been solely developing with time. This conveys us to an aspect of software development that has perpetually been a significant business call for companies - the foremost cost-effective engagement model. Here is what we think regarding selecting the right engagement model: Fixed Price Model Fixing the price is about fixing the project requirements, scope, as well as deadlines. This model can never work while not thorough initial planning, analysis, and estimation sessions. The more planning you do, the better the result. Why is the planning stage so important? The success of the fixed price project is directly proportional to the success of this primary phase. To have a superior control over a greater project, the engagement model may be somewhat changed with deliverables & milestones approach. A customer is charged because the in agreement milestones have come and deliverables are in situ. From that point forward, another stage with its own particular milestones and deliverables can start. For the majority of effectively fixed price projects, discovery phase fills in as the beginning point. Choose Fixed Price Engagement Model when: Requirements are clear, very much characterized and improbable to change You deal with a small or medium project which won't last for more than few months The Pros: It's well-defined and well-negotiated. There's no room for lapses. There is a push to get the total picture of the software even befo

"I have embarked on a completely new approach to teaching three Year 10 classes the dreaded and much maligned OCR Nationals ICT course .. Here is a step-by-step outline of the approach to teaching of this. In my opinion, with the right approach, ICT can and will be an essential part of your students' learning."

This site, designed by Fuel Industries, includes three main components that are meant to be explored together. Videos: Each location -- Home, School, Mall -- includes several video shorts about a modern family's experience online. You determine which path the family members take at the critical decision point. Do you text that to your boyfriend? Do you purchase that ukulele? These shorts are just snapshots of more complicated issues. But, they all attempt to address a fundamental message of taking a moment to think before acting. Interactive Objects: As you view each video, you can collect interactive objects! An object opens up a quick game about the subject of the video. Once you collect the object, you can access it at anytime during your session. Messages: When you scroll down the site, you will find complementary messages targeted for each audience -- Students, Parents, Educators. These messages intend to strike a quick educational point. If you want to find out more about the subject, just click the link below the message. This will open up a pop-up with tips, advice, and links to partner resources. Make sure to check out the resources as linked in the educators' and parents' sections of the site! These resources point to curriculum and advice provided by Common Sense Media, ConnectSafely, and National Consumers League.