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"Socrative is a smart student response system that empowers teachers to engage their classrooms through a series of educational exercises and games via smartphones, laptops, and tablets."

Not a smart move

The Internet is becoming our main source of memory instead of our own brains, a study has concluded. In the age of Google, our minds are adapting so that we are experts at knowing where to find information even though we don't recall what it is. The researchers found that when we want to know something we use the Internet as an 'external memory' just as computers use an external hard drive. Nowadays we are so reliant on our smart phones and laptops that we go into 'withdrawal when we can't find out something immediately'. And such is our dependence that having our Internet connection severed is growing 'more and more like losing a friend'.

"Like most technology fans, I am always ready and willing to try any technology that promises to simplify my life. QR codes seemed to present an accessible and uniform way for people with smart devices to interact with advertising, marketing and media. Those little squares of code seemed to open a world of opportunity and potential. But after using them for a length of time, I shifted my perspective."

Make: Projects is a living library for makers, a how-to community hosted by MAKE magazine. Here you can build something from our growing cookbook of projects, tweak existing projects to improve them, share your own step-by-step instructions, discover new ideas and techniques, and learn how to make just about anything. And it's a wiki, so everything is hackable. Connect with the collective smarts of the maker community!

Been toying with the idea of using Augmented Reality in your classroom or library? Here's your chance to use the latest in AR to excite your students and get them looking at environmental issues through a new lens, then lens of their smart phone, iPad or tablet. If you are looking for a super #edtech way to engage your students, I have just the thing for you this World Environment Day - June 5. How about  a 700 x 1156 pixel poster which when scanned with the Augmented Reality (AR) app Layar will display rich  media elements.

In the future, business people will not need to carry a laptop around with them to get their work done, Microsoft believes. Instead, smart devices in connected rooms will change their settings according to the person using them, it has predicted.

"An iPad and Apple TV can combine to provide an advantageous alternative to more expensive, traditional interactive white boards."

"Here are 10 types of "makers" your students can become in the classroom along with the resources that will help students construct their learning- 21st century style!"

"The evolving relationship between humans and machines is the key theme of Gartner, Inc.'s "Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, 2013." Gartner has chosen to feature the relationship between humans and machines due to the increased hype around smart machines, cognitive computing and the Internet of Things. Analysts believe that the relationship is being redefined through emerging technologies, narrowing the divide between humans and machines. "

"Google's new Wi-Fi dongle streams music, video and games to the television, but it's part of a wider battle to control entertainment in the living room"

"The education sector is just beginning to experiment with, develop, and implement wearable technologies, though the potential applications are significant and vast. Smart jewelry or other accessories could alert students working in chemical laboratories to hazardous conditions, while wearable cameras can instantly capture hundreds of photographs or data about a user's surroundings on an offsite geology dig that can be later accessed via email or other online application."

Introducing Sphero 2.0. Choose from over 25 apps and launch a whole new world of mobile gameplay. Drive circles around your friends with Sphero's new engine, turn your living room into a video game with augmented reality apps like The Rolling Dead, and upgrade family game night with multiplayer apps like ColorGrab. You can even get a crash course in programming Sphero with MacroLab. Sphero rolls 7 feet per second and pairs to your device via Bluetooth. Powered by induction charging and an internal smart robot, Sphero also glows in millions of colors and is pet proof, waterproof, and ready for any adventure.

"Computers and tablets, as they are currently used, do not encourage the development of complex thought or the ability to concentrate for long periods of time. If we were truly wise, we would cut back on computer use in schools indefinitely. "

"Madeline McSherry of Slate says it best:  "Coding is the hottest skill on the job market, the modern-day language of creativity, and a powerful force in the economy." Here are four reason why I believe students should be coding:"

An interview with Clive Thompson about his book 'Smarter Than You Think You Are' in which he situates some of the changes in technology within history.

This looks very interesting. The potential is huge for students to develop apps for the Android platform. How can apple beat this one if they have locked down their apps store? The great thing about App inventor is that it looks like it has been modelled on Scratch 'Blocks' of building scripts. My Grade 5 and 6's (some whiz kids lower) would love to get their hands on this. The potential for them to develop their own apps for perhaps an Android tablet or smart phone is enormous. Rich and authentic possibilities for learning. Have DEECD made a wrong choice in going with the ipad? 

Widespread Wi-Fi coverage, smart phones, ultra-portable computers, and other technological marvels of the 21st century blur the line between work and play more than ever. Here are a few tricks for reclaiming your time by setting boundaries between work and play.

Learn new info on a schedule set out by this web site. Helps with memory retention. I think I first read abut the science in Technology Review, Wired, or Fast Company. I forget!!

Learn new info on a schedule set out by this web site. Helps with memory retention. I think I first read abut the science in Technology Review, Wired, or Fast Company. I forget!!

"With support from the Governor 's Productivity Investment Fund and the Virginia Department of Education, Radford University and participating schools in southwestern Virginia are exploring how the iPod Touch can be used to enhance effective teaching and learning. The last several years have seen an explosion in the amount of young people playing video games as well as the number of children and adolescents using mobile handheld technologies, such as portable music players, gaming platforms, and smart phones. As school systems struggle with how best to deal with this cultural and technological shift, it is highly likely that the technology will continue to progress towards more powerful, wireless handheld computers that can deliver high quality, multimedia, computer processing power. Viewing this phenomenon as neither a panacea nor a plague, the iLearn team is exploring if and how these technologies can be leveraged for enhanced learning. "