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A theory stemming from an experiment by social psychologist Stanley Milgram in the 1960s claims every living person is connected to any other through only six friends. According to a recent study, Facebook reduces the six degrees of separation to only four, meaning the world's largest social network makes the world even smaller (figuratively).

I asked some of my kiddos and my music teacher colleague, Monica Femovich, to help me explain our very new efforts in teaching curation.  Usually game for anything Glee-ish, our singer/actors brilliantly and generously created an introduction I can use for instruction and in upcoming workshops. This may be the first song about digital curation.

Beautiful stop motion movie made with Google Street View and a few toys.

Never seen so many PLE/PLN diagrams in one place! Interesting to see how different people articulate in diagram form what it means for them.

"The global shift in education technology means that in the future the ten billion dollars once spent by schools mostly on PCs will be divided between tablets, Chromebooks and netbooks. But will the lion's share of the market go to Apple? Or Google? Or some other player? Or will it be evenly divided? Although Apple's iPad is currently the mobile device of choice, the majority of the market is still up for grabs, and there are some compelling reasons why educators recently have begun to choose Chromebooks over iPads, Netbooks and PCs."

by Vance Stevens

This is great

"A Tennessee experiment found that some teachers were able to help students learn vastly more than other teachers. The effect largely disappeared by junior high, based on test scores. Yet for the the students in adulthood, it was discovered that the legacy of kindergarten had re-emerged. Students who had learned much more in kindergarten were more likely to go to college than students with otherwise similar backgrounds."

Kindergardten teachers should be proud to read this report.

Powerful learning practice

"Last week my wife and I told our 13-year-old daughter she could join Facebook. Within a few hours she had accumulated 171 friends, and I felt a little as if I had passed my child a pipe of crystal meth. I don't mean to be a spoilsport, and I don't think I'm a Luddite. I edit a newspaper that has embraced new media with creative, prizewinning gusto. I get that the Web reaches and engages a vast, global audience, that it invites participation and facilitates - up to a point - newsgathering. But before we succumb to digital idolatry, we should consider that innovation often comes at a price. And sometimes I wonder if the price is a piece of ourselves. "

An excellent read! I've been looking for more stuff on the whole Native/Immigrants nonsense, and there are some very thought provoking ideas contained in here.

"The more our students are online, the more information they will encounter. It is important for them not only be able to access this information, but also to be the best digital citizens that they can be. Here are some ideas. I am sure there are lots and lots more."

Interesting discussion of Twitter by Bonnie Stewart