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Constructivism is one of those ideas we throw around in educational circles without stopping to think about what we mean by it. They are the terms that have multiple meanings, are at once highly technical and common usage and are likely to cause debate and disagreements. Constructivism in particular carries a quantity of baggage with it. It is a term that is appropriated by supporters of educational approaches that are in stark contrast to the opposing view; constructivism vs didactic methods or direct instruction. The question is what are the origins of constructivism and does a belief in this as an approach to understanding learning necessitate an abandonment of direct instruction or is this a false dichotomy?

aat its core, Google+ Hangouts is simply a souped-up version of video chat. But when it comes to education, it's so much more than that. It becomes a vehicle for learning, sharing, collaboration, and ideas. Whether you're an educator discussing learning practices, or a first-grade classroom speaking with an astronaut, Hangouts have seemingly endless possibilities. These are our 50 favorite ways for schools to use Google Plus Hangouts. How do you plan to use this cool tool?

Higher Education Loan for study in UK http://sheffield-hallam-university.meetuniversities.com/articles/20/higher-education-loan-for-study-in-uk

It is difficult to have not noticed that the Presidential Election in the United States of America has been somewhat controversial. The same conclusion can be drawn about 'Brexit'. The implications of these events will keep historians, political analysts and indeed educators busy for many years. Regardless of your political leanings there are genuine implications for educators in these events and a considered response now and in the coming months (even years) will be required. 

I keep circling back to this question of what do we need to know, or to learn. It comes up so often in conversations around education and is closely connected to what we hope to achieve for our students. It is a question whose answer shapes not only what we teach but how we teach and what we assess. It strikes at the heart of how we perceive the role of education in society and the way we answer it reveals much about our personal philosophy of education. 

I am wanting to take a slightly different approach to this weeks post. The past week has seen the latest round of PISA results and the media has had a field day. Headlines have routinely attacked students, educators and education systems in equal measure. The Canberra Times reported that "Australian school scores plummet on world stage", the Sydney Morning Herald led with "Alarm bells': Australian students record worst result in global tests" and The Weekend Australian went with "PISA global educational rankings: Schools fail on maths, science". 

Free and open online education magazine with top teaching tips, resources and ideas.

TED is a superb, inspirational organisation that hosts some of the best speakers of our time on a range of fascinating topics. Now TED has a set of amazing videos to use in your classroom to astound your students. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/Video%2C+animation%2C+film+%26+Webcams

TED-Ed's commitment to creating lessons worth sharing is an extension of TED's mission of spreading great ideas. Within the growing TED-Ed video library, you will find carefully curated educational videos, many of which represent collaborations between talented educators and animators nominated through the TED-Ed platform.

Infographic that gives you a better idea of the scope, impact, and future of online education.

Reflections from The Future of Education Conference in Florence, Italy After two days of discussing the future of education with a host of educators from around the world in the beautiful city of Florence, the clearest statement on the matter might be that 'it is complicated'.

Faculty remain suspicious of MOOCs and other online technologies but must recognize online education is a crucial component in any college setting. Students no longer have to be physically on campus they can learn anytime anywhere online learning is a work in progress.

Faculty remain suspicious of MOOCs and other online technologies but must recognize online education is a crucial component in any college setting. Students no longer have to be physically on campus they can learn anytime anywhere online learning is a work in progress.

A common challenge for students and teachers is how to develop a great idea for a piece of writing. Too often students struggle with the process of finding inspiration for their writing. They have a vague idea for the story they hope to tell, but all too quickly it transforms into a list of events with little or no detail. The goal here is to provide our students with a process to use during the planning process. The hope is that by identifying the type of thinking required during the early phases of ideation and to focus their attention on details, that the stories our students subsequently compose will be more enjoyable to read. Hopefully, this process helps.

I would like to propose that one cause of curriculum overcrowding is a phenomenon I refer to as "Idea Creep".

There is a growing momentum in education driven by a desire to share our practice and learn from our colleagues. Increasingly teachers are finding ways to break free of their classrooms and share their ideas. Collaborations in the interests of unlocking the collective potential of the profession are spreading within and importantly between schools. For many these collaborative endeavours and desires are satisfied by online communities but for many the possibility for a face to face conversation is more alluring.

The value of Twitter for helping you and your colleagues stay informed of the latest trends, ideas, resources, and Web 2.0 integration tools has increased tremendously in the past year. A Web 2.0 tool is available for exploiting the every growing information on Twitter to remove barriers and allow you to collaborate with other science and math teachers. This new online tool is paper.li - a source of daily Twitter newsletters in education.

Ideas for educational creative coding in the classroom.

Ideas for educational creative coding in the classroom.

In 2001 Marc Prensky divided the world into two broad groups, Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants. His idea struck a chord with popular culture and has become a dominant paradigm in education. Given the core concept remains a feature of educational dialogues it is worth re-visiting and seeing how the idea might evolve to better serve our needs and understandings of how people born after the internet, learn with and think about, technology.

Last week I spent three days thinking about curriculum and all that it means to teaching and learning thanks to the Australian Curriculum Studies Association's biannual conference. It was three days of deeply thoughtful conversation and learning with just the right mix of academic research and ideas for grounded practice straight out of innovative classrooms and schools. With keynotes by Alan Reid, Dan Haesler, Bob Lingard, Robert Randall and Jan Owen combined with Masterclasses from some of Australia's leading educators there was much on offer. The biggest challenge was deciding which workshop you would attend when every session offered such outstanding opportunities.