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"Year 9 students have put together a proposal where they would like to make greater use of mobile devices for their learning. This has great potential - as they explain"

"From Edudemic: an effective chart that actually ranks education apps according to a few critical criteria. The visual from Grasping For Objectivity details 29 different 'edutainment' apps that are both free and paid. I like how each one is laid out and ranked accordingly. The apps are each given an overall score and it's based on a plethora of criteria:" The chart looks at iOS apps but the criteria can be used for any app therefore to work out which Android apps would work for your classroom too.

""I think Google is likely 75% fucked," Paul Kedrosky, a venture capitalist, wrote in an email to Mashable. "Nothing's totally fucked, but... they're at a precipice, and no one is calling them on it." Just a few years ago - heck, even a few months ago - that statement would have come across as utterly out of touch with reality. Even now, it probably reads as mostly hyperbolic. Mostly."

Like dropbox but instead you get unlimited storage for $5 per month...

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? 

"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.

The Horizon Report series is the most visible outcome of the New Media Consortium's Horizon Project, an ongoing research effort established in 2002 that identifies and describes emerging technologies likely to have a large impact on teaching, learning, research, or creative expression within education around the globe.

Horizon report is out for 2010 :-)

"I've often said, "The iPad is only good for two things: Reading and Scrabble. Well, I've now come to some longer-term conclusions about the iPad. In truth, reading covers a lot of stuff, and the iPad is great at those reading and viewing tasks. The fact that it's instant-on and you can flip the screen around to show a colleague a web page, a chart, or a document just like you would a piece of paper gives the iPad a much more natural feel and a huge advantage over a traditional laptop for those business professionals who spend a lot of time in meetings."

Interesting review. Of course we must not discount the power of just giving a student "instant on" access to web based resources, accessable and portable reading. The new dimension of using a multitouch interface offers some interesting social collaboration angles for schools.

''If you like, it's the Google for schools

there's an assertion from Anna Richardson, the journalist, that I'd like to challenge. "Attention spans are much shorter" amongst "online audiences", she says. This is a common belief, but I take a different view.

I presented twice at a great two day conference in Melbourne called 'Arresting Audiences'. The irony of the title not lost on this writer as the real intention of the event run by Film Victoria (a traditional film funding organisation) was commendable - finally focus on 'users', 'watchers', 'participants' aka as old school 'audiences'. Most of the talks explored new marketing, basic demography and obligatory future trends with a couple of inspirational 'write for your inner audience' highlight talks from the likes of Jane 'buffy/BSG' Espenson, but I was asked to look at the social and transmedia aspects that affect and impact on audiences/communities so below is:

"The Sleep Cycle alarm clock is a bio-alarm clock that analyzes your sleep patterns and wakes you when you are in the lightest sleep phase. Waking up in the lightest sleep phase feels like waking without an alarm clock - it is a natural way to wake up where you feel rested and relaxed. Since you move differently in bed during the different phases, Sleep Cycle uses the accelerometer in your iPhone to monitor your movement to determine which sleep phase you are in. "

Now here is an innovative application for an iPhone accelerometer.

"What is BeFunky? BeFunky simplifies photo editing and effects for everyday people. Marvelous Photo Effects Choose from our constantly growing library of photo effects to turn your ordinary photos into extraordinary art with virtually no effort. Smart Photo Enhancement Photo editing made smart. Fix your common photo problems like bad lighting, digital noise, fuzzy colors and details with one click. Design Goodies Give your digital creations a whole lot of character with BeFunky Goodies. Add speech bubbles, frames and more..."

"Nope, it's not a Facebook "phone," but it's probably the closest you're gonna get to one right now. Skype has just unleashed the no-longer-in-beta version of its 5.0 Windows software, and not only has it drastically tided up the interface, but just like the rumor said, it's taken advantage of Facebook Connect in a big way."

At Enter The Group,Users create their own Projects where your group can schedule meeting, share files, chat, set up tasks, write a project outline and more! It's easy to get started, just click on Projects from the top tool bar. Instructors and students can create an online classroom community where you can communicate with the group, share files and keep track of events like exams or assignments. 

If you're a web-oriented person, there's a good chance you have used some image editing software like Adobe Photoshop. But for most blogging and web content, you simply don't need the array of tools available on Photoshop. There are about 10-20 tools in everyone's toolbox that get the most use. So rather than firing up Photoshop to use them, why not use an image editor that's already built into YOUR website?

"I would just like to know how 'it' works, what the benefits are, how complicated it is and what costs are involved? I wish there was someone who could give us a quick overview, a birds-eye view tour... " Using Skype you are taken on 45 minute tours of a range of software portals. Interesting

what does your website sound like?

Tom Barret's very useful "Interesting Ways" all in the one spot. Looking for a way to integrate some ICT into your classroom? You should find something here. If you have an idea that you would like to add contact Tom he will be more than happy to give you privileges to do so. Another great resource to pack into the 'old kit bag' 

Research in support of 1:1 devices (Like we needed any convincing! ;) "A Computer Per Student Leads to Higher Performance Than Traditional Classroom Settings"