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New center for researching information and digital technologies and the impact on learning has been created.

Comprehensive research on how advanced computer and communication technologies can improve all levels of learning has been funded. This National Center was created and signed into law on August 14, 2008 in the United States. I think that research is a great thing. I they will involve all educators in developing their primary questions. Research based best practices underlie all we do and we do need more. I hope, however, they don't get too hung up on the technology (i.e. wiki, blog) and focus on what technology lets us do.

For anyone who attended college before the era of e-mails and the Internet, the notion that bulky textbooks could someday become obsolete might seem ludicrous. Yet with a wealth of information on virtually any topic now readily accessible online, more people are starting to ponder if these hefty staples of education will remain relevant.

We enable a collaborative learning community which provides youth with access to global opportunities, cross-cultural connections and meaningful participation in decision-making. What We Offer: Global online social network and hub for civic participationContent & tools for educators to facilitate rich, interactive learning experiencesOutreach & Collaboration tools for events, networks, campaigns, and causesResearch, development, and sharing of best practices on youth engagementFacilitated learning experiences through workshops, webinars, and e-courses

From Dreambox in my inbox: "In honor of Math Awareness Month this April, I am e-mailing you this morning to share the news that DreamBox Learning is launching DreamBox Math Classroom, a school version of the curriculum and standards based children’s math adventure game, DreamBox Learning K-2 Math. To celebrate the release, DreamBox Learning offers free access to the game for any kindergarten, first or second grade classroom in the U.S. and Canada through the end of the current school year or June 30, 2009. Teachers at accredited schools can simply visit www.dreambox.com/teachers to sign up for classroom usage. "

Great wiki with best practices in all types of areas.

eToolbox wiki is a wonderful resource, on the Edublogs list of Best Educational Wikis of 2010.

This eToolbox wiki is a wonderful resource, on the Edublogs list of Best Educational Wikis of 2010.

Free and Open Source Educational Software

Wikispaces is hosting a free webinar. THe email to me today says: "Wikispaces Education Webinar: Join us on August 6 for our Education Webinar. We'll focus on features that teachers have found useful in their classrooms and hear from Nicole Naditz, a French educator and foreign language pedagogy trainer. Nicole has used wikis in her French classrooms and as resource pools for her colleagues. Join us as she shares her wikis including an e-pal exchange and a solar power project with a school in Burkina Faso."

"WCET is a membership cooperative of institutions and organizations dedicated to advancing access and excellence in higher education through the innovative use of technology."

This 2004 study on second-language writers determined that although students prefer oral feedback that e-feedback has a greater impact on the revisions process. Online feedback is a valuable tool in the revisions process.

Doug Johnson estimates the savings moving to Google apps, Great post for those considering this. Doug says: "These are rough and admittedly optimistic estimates, but I think you can see the general trend. Even if only 50% of my estimated nearly $2M in savings is realized, that averages out to close to $200,000 per year. (Out of a $1.2M budget.) I am not suggesting reducing tech budgets by this amount, but I can sure think of a lot more interesting things (like kids' computers, a more robust wireless network, and more bandwidth) to spend tech dollars on. Yes, I need to pay $7 a year per administrative, possibily teacher, e-mail account for archiving and retrieval. Not bad, though, considering."

This is a comprehensive checklist of best practices for online instruction.  The resource was build by Joan Vandervelde and Jim Erbe from the Online Professional Development program at the University of Wisconsin Stout.

I'm not sure how the licensing is working for them. I didn't think you could have one app and share on 40 ipods, but that is what the Charleston County School District says they are doing. From the article: ""Everything from vocabulary, to e-book reading, to art, to science," said CCSD Media Services Coordinator Connie Dopierala. CCSD hopes to invest in a set of 40 iPod Touches for every school in the district, at $150 each. Students can learn math or grammar on inexpensive application programs. "We can download a 99-cent app and load it on all 40 iPod Touches or however many, and that's very cost-effective with taxpayer dollars," said Dopierala."

Jamie Kelly does a nice job of dissecting much of what is wrong with technology journalism - going for the trending topic instead of saying "this topic is trending because of misinformation" (i.e. Instagram terms of service changes). I think these points are excellent and can also apply to much of what happens in the education circles as well -- if everybody is talking about ___, then everyone is searching about ____, then everyone is writing about ____ so they will be found. Sometimes it is good not to be everybody but to be somebody who is different and more importantly, who goes through the hype to be as accurate as possible.

Example of a teacher posterous blog - instead of teaching them how to blog, just let them use their email!

Doug Belshaw is encouraging his teachers to use posterous to communicate to students and parents. Literally, they send an e-mail to posterous and it creates a blog automatically for them. This is an example of a PE teacher. Now this is cool. DON'T teach teachers how to blog - use something they already know, email and just have them email it instead. Now how is that for a great idea!

dynamic mathematics software for all levels of education that joins arithmetic, geometry, algebra and calculus. It offers multiple representations of objects in its graphics, algebra, and spreadsheet views that are all dynamically linked. While other interactive software (e.g. Cabri Geometry, Geometer's Sketchpad) focus on dynamic manipulations of geometrical objects, the idea behind GeoGebra is to connect geometric, algebraic, and numeric representations in an interactive way. You can do constructions with points, vectors, lines, conic sections as well as functions and change them dynamically afterwards. Furthermore, GeoGebra allows you to directly enter and manipulate equations and coordinates. Thus you can easily plot functions, work with sliders to investigate parameters, find symbolic derivatives, and use powerful commands like Root or Sequence. Workshops You are interested in visiting or giving workshops about GeoGebra? Here is the right place for you with dates, addresses and materials: * GeoGebra Workshops

award winning software that joins arithmetic, geometry, algebra and calculus.