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This is a thought-provoking article about the effects that our kids may be experiencing from use of handheld devices when very young. It's a question that I've had for a while about relative benefits of technology for very young kids. What do people think?

This could be an interesting debate topic. While I don't necessarily agree with some of the points made in the article, I do sometimes wonder how much overuse of technology is contribute to higher rates of ADHD or ADD. I don't have any hard and fast evidence, but based on what I see in the classroom, it seems difficult for students to "slow down" and focus on any activity for long periods of time. They so used to jumping from one thing to another, or texting on their phone while talking to a friend, that they're never really present in the moment, or focused solely on what's in front of them. I also notice it with myself. Having an ipad or cell phone or laptop at a meeting, it's hard to always stay focused on what's going on, especially when work emails are coming in that seem to need your immediate attention. It's definitely hard to shut off or disconnect. However, I also remember someone sharing in class thoughts from Tony Wagner's book that screen time in school where kids are working collaboratively on a project, or experiencing things that they can only experience with technology, is vastly different from playing video games, or watching TV/movies in a more isolated setting. Technology can be instrumental in learning, and I don't see how it wouldn't remain part of instruction in elementary schools. Maybe the debate is more in the quality of how it's used? Good food for thought; thanks for sharing!

I agree that this is a great topic to debate. As with with most things there are positives and negatives that both make sense. I agree with Julie that maybe the question should focus on the quality and quantity of how these devices are used with children under 12.

Is the PC dead? If so, what is the life span of our smart phone, iPad, and Chrome book? Technology is changing so fast, so how can we possibly keep up? What is the best product for my needs? There are a lot of questions, but also many amazing product ideas. How about "turning our tables, floors and windows into touchscreen displays" or using your "touchscreen wrapped around a coffee cup"?

Is the PC dead? If so, what is the life span of our smart phone, iPad, and Chrome book? Technology is changing so fast, so how can we possibly keep up? What is the best product for my needs? There are a lot of questions, but also many amazing product ideas. How about "turning our tables, floors and windows into touchscreen displays" or using your "touchscreen wrapped around a coffee cup"?

A really interesting reflective post about parents' concerns about screen time and our increasing use of screens as a way to encourage learning. What should schools do when curriculum and instruction conflicts with parenting? No easy answer here. Just posing more questions.

Interesting post, Kerry. I don't have any answers, either. And since I'm not a parent, it's hard for me to imagine how I might feel on the parent side of the issue at this time. It's interesting because in our jigsaw group discussion on chapter 6, we talked about a similar issue. Wagner points out how parents of the innovators he showcased in his book limited screen time, but also set an important distinction between screen time where kids are watching TV and playing video games, often independently, and screen time in classrooms where kids are engaged in collaborative learning projects. I certainly agree that there is a difference, but it makes sense that there should be some balance, or some limit, somewhere. In education it always seems that the pendulum swings from one extreme to the other before settling somewhere in the middle. It will be interesting to see how this issue unfolds. I'd also be curious to hear from the perspectives of the parents in our EBTL2 class, since they are also educators involved in the BYOD initiative and growing world of technology.

So, I'm a parent of a 7th grader and a 3rd grader, and obviously I'm also involved as a teacher at RMHS. We have 1:1 iPads in my LLD English classes but they stay at school. I haven't had any push-back from parents so far about assignments or screen time. I did look at this link, and I looked at the forum as well, and I think as a parent, what was a little concerning about the forum comments, was the lack of empathy and understanding from teachers towards parents. As a parent, I also have concerns about screen time, and I see that there are certainly ways that we can limit recreational screen time. We do as much as we can. But, sometimes if my 7th grader has a project, I might not know much more about it than she is able to communicate to me (sometimes this is a lot, and sometimes it is not much). There have only been a few times when this has happened, but I have tried to set some limit about how much time to spend on the project, my daughter has really fought it, because she's been concerned about not doing a good job, etc. Occasionally new technology or apps take longer for her to master than the intended time for the project or assignment, and so something simple or seemingly quick takes much longer than it should. Situations like this can turn parents off to technology if they don't understand the big picture, or if they don't have any confidence that the teacher understands the big picture. Sometimes we don't give kids enough time in class to "play around" with apps or new approaches before turning them loose to do an assignment independently, and that too, can lead to stressful situations at home where both parent and child don't know how to do the assignment. I think the point is that any change is going to make people uncomfortable, and some folks are going to react more strongly than others. The more we can communicate and explain what's happening, and let parents know that the technology and experimentation is a vital part of the learning proce

I'm not sure I agree with the cons here, at least at the high school level. If students want to cheat they will find a way to cheat, whether they have technology or not. They need to learn from those poor choices and mature over time. As far as distractions go, I'd rather have a student respond quickly to a text and move on with their work on their phone in my class than to forbid them from using the powerful tools on the phone entirely.

This article explains how advancements in technology have enhanced the humanities. The digitization of texts combined with statistical analysis software has enabled literary scholars to analyze literature in a whole new way. The unprecedented techniques mix algorithms and written expressions to detect the frequency of word usage, nuances in the structure of sentences, and common thematic elements in and among texts. The digital analysis of literature provides a new type of lens for scholars to examine works to learn more about the cultural contexts in which the pieces were written.

I frequently find myself "defending" the impact of the Internet and technology on students' desire and ability to read and write. To me, it seems that the Internet has increased the amount of reading students do now, especially outside of school. Sure formats have changed but mostly in the direction of concision, something English teachers have been championing forever. Gone are the gatekeepers around who gets to publish (i.e., be heard, gain international attention for a cause, etc.) Never mind the access to ivy league courses...

I'll be presenting at the Blue Ribbon Confernece next week (along with several other people in our cohort). For part of our presentation, I asked my sixth graders questions about their thoughts on our classroom iPads and other technology we use in the classroom. I was happy to see that all of my students seemed to be enthusiastic about and enjoying some of the changes I've made this year! Some of the topics included are apps students find helpful, how we've been using Google Drive, and now having a set of iPads on our team has enhanced learning in all their classes - not just ELA.

Beth Holland is an insightful, creative educator who I saw at MassCUE yesterday so I decided to follow her and see what else she had to say. This is an interesting and insightful discussion of the potential positives and negatives of screen time. A good reminder to keep it meaningful, and as we have all said, avoid "technology for the sake of technology." "Television rots your brain." In a similar vein, video games turn your mind to mush, and staring at a screen for too long potentially makes you a zombie. In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a report suggesting that children under two should not have any screen time.

The three questions this article asks are something I think a lot about when using the iPads in my classroom. Last year when I first started using them in my classroom they were mostly being used as mobile educational gaming devices. The kids were using apps that reinforced the phonics and math concepts we were learning, but they weren't really going anything further than that. They certainly were engaged and learning so I don't feel that it was time wasted, however I always knew there was more they could be doing with the devices. The third piece, is it empowering, was the piece I was missing last year and am trying to incorporate more this year.

Great article. I agree there needs to be a balance with screen time and how we should use that time. The 3 questions of screen time being appropriate, meaningful, and empowering are key to allowing students take charge of their learning. The article states "… teachers had found educational apps to reinforce math and reading concepts, the students passively interacted with content rather than constructing understanding. The interaction primarily consisted of students just tapping on a screen." I feel it is important for us to limit these types of apps and find the few that are going to allow students to "construct understanding" and apply content they learn outside of screen time. To me, this strikes a good balance. At MassCUE this past Thursday, I attended a session by a district that made the decision to use apps that allowed for creativity. They recognized that there were many apps for gaming and skill drills, but they wanted their students to be able to use their devices to apply learning in a meaningful way. This was music to my ears. I applaud their efforts, and based on the examples of student work that were shown, it's working.

I have not been happy with the output of my Twitter account. I have come to the conclusion that I am not following enough people, and that some of the people I am following are not right for me. I started to do a search on the internet for Twitter and education and came up with this resource. It includes a long, varied, categorized list of people and organizations to follow in education. The categories include such topics as Special Education, Technology, iPads, Design, General, etc. I have started following several of the people/organizations recommended by this resource and am already getting much more out of Twitter.

Jan, this is really helpful. I've had a similar feeling about my Twitter account. I'll take a look at some of the hashtags in the article you posted and hopefully we'll both get more out of it!

Northstar Elementary in the Northeast Heights was packed today with students and teachers getting ready for a learning lesson, but it's a different kind of learning lesson. 18 fourth and fifth graders taught their teachers how to use apps. The project was spear-headed by April Requard--the school's technology director.

This is fantastic - thanks so much for sharing, Janet. This project seemed to elicit great energy from both kids and adults!

Not too long ago, the NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition was released, with the aim of examining emerging technologies for their potential impact on and use in teaching and learning within higher education settings. This is the eleventh time the New Media Consortium has put out this report, and it is interesting to look back ...

I heard about this story last weekend when I was in PA. It explains how technology combined with creativity and quick thinking can make the seemingly impossible possible.

Here's a short article from NPR on a bookless public library opening in Texas. I think as we see more of this, it brings up mixed feelings and conversation. I'm wondering if this is where all libraries are headed eventually? I'm a person who has an e-reader (Nook) and loves using it, but I still like to read from an actual book from time to time. I'm wondering if the younger generations will feel the same, or if they won't know any different? To me, there's something comfortable and warm about a room, or a building, with lots of books in it. I can't picture classrooms, especially those of young children without books on the shelves, or teachers reading to kids on the rug. I wonder what other people think. Technology has definitely changed our lives and is taking us to new places all the time, but could the changes be too much, too fast?

eSchoolNews is a monthly publication that comes to me via email (I'm sure many of you receive it) that is chock full of articles about technology in education. September's issue covered many topics but one in particular stood out to me, Does Research Support Flipped Learning?, intrigued me because the sub title suggests that it might work and improve student learning. A few key points include "Students are actively involved in their own learning.." and in many cases this method "..maximizes time with the instructor and increases the focus on higher-order thinking skills." WOW! Those are two of my favorite skills for students to master. The article also points out four essential elements of a flipped classroom - cleverly calling them the "four pillars of F-L-I-P" (Flexible Environment, Learning Culture, Intentional Content, Professional Educators.) A short article that does a good job of highlights the trend of a flipped classroom.

I flipped my intro to library. I really loved the format of Monday night's class and immediately flipped my intro to library to Advisory Research Challenge: Locating and Evaluating Information. Six research challenges, one that everyone had to do and the rest in pairs. The focus was on RMHS and RPL resources for RMHS students, which are many and varied and very sophisticated. Total fun. Time flew. Kids had to dive in, do the research and then present. It was so apparent to discern what needed to be clarified and/or emphasized. Thanks G-Dawg1

SAMR Model Explained

Thanks for posting, John. This gives me a clearer picture of the SAMR Model. The first I heard of it was in this class. Is it meant as a sort of hierarchy of progression? For example, the first step or minimum use of technology would be substitution of using paper/pencil means, and Redefinition would be a more sophisticated use, where we are actually achieving new results by using technology? Janet, I also downloaded the Aurasma app and tried it out. Very cool, and I can see many possibilities for students in the classroom.

Janet has mentioned Aurasma to me before. I definitely have to check it out soon and see if my students would like to use it to create some stations around the room. I also posted the link to this quick video on the SAMR model on Twitter a while back. http://youtu.be/us0w823KY0g It is a quick but clear way to explain SAMR to someone who has never heard of it.

I came across this on Feedly through Free Technology for Teachers. It's a weekly series of short videos that highlight interesting/important events that took place during the same week in history. Topics range from serious/somber events to record breaking, such as this week's titled, "Chuck Yeager Breaks the Sound Barrier." Worth checking out....

Thanks for sharing. Some great short videos.

This is an interesting page by Kathy Schrock which includes charts detailing iPad apps and Android apps that support Bloom's Taxonomy.

Jan, I really like the way she has organized all of this information so visually. It really helps me connect Bloom's Taxonomy to technology in a way that makes so much sense. Great reinforcement of the idea that we're using technology as a tool to help us achieve these aims, rather than as an end in itself.

Hi Jan--I totally agree, this is a great resource. Kathy Schrock has been very influential in my teaching. Also, Bloom's T is why I love teaching research---finding, evaluating, using, synthesizing. All verbs, mind you. Web 3.0 is all about verbs. Flip research right and you hit jackpot in terms of who owns the learning. I'm creating a h.s. research elective that is all about passion based learning and sharing the love. I hope you will look at it as I progress---I would love feedback from you and Annemarie. '

Interesting perspective on how SAMR, and tech integration in general, should be rolled out in professional development. It's not about using technology to teach better. It's about teaching better and using technology to amplify that great teaching.

I think Twitter has its benefits, but the "Nielsen Twitter TV Ratings" is a little much. Can't we even sit down and enjoy a little TV time anymore without sharing our thoughts and opinions with the world?

I think Twitter has its benefits, but the "Nielsen Twitter TV Ratings" is a little much. Can't we even sit down and enjoy a little TV time anymore without sharing our thoughts and opinions with the world?

At the risk of Evernote overkill, this is a good overview of some of the most useful aspects of Evernote. I was particularly happy to see that someone has developed a web clipper app for Android and iOS.

If we do another edcamp session in EBTL2, I'd love to see how some of you are using Evernote on a regular basis. I have an account and some familiarity with it, but would like to use it more. I had a former student come to see me yesterday to give me a lesson and show me how he's using it in different classes in 7th grade. There seems to be a lot of great potential.

Evernote says they want to be people's brains. When they put it that way, I get a little nervous.

Interesting - it looks like this company is trying to make a tablet that is tailored for education. I like this idea because the iPads seem to be designed to profit the Apple company, which makes some things (such as the lack of Flash compatibility) a hindrance in the classroom.

We actually met with the rep from this company last spring. He was at MassCUE as well. At the time we could not purchase any of the tablets. They were in the beta stage. When I saw the rep at MassCUE, he mentioned that they applied many of the suggestions we made when he showed us the tablet last spring. The interesting piece was that we still are not able to purchase them yet!

Having access to a tablet specifically designed for education would be beneficial. ipads are great, but like you said, something like the lack of Flash Player can be frustrating. With increasing use of technology in schools, the devices will hopefully get more educator friendly.