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Figure out what the writer is saying—and what she isn’t saying.

When you’re considering the “what” of a piece of writing, you’ll have to consider what you know about the topic as well, which colors your ability to assess it.

Context is so important; you’ll need to consider it.

Looking into when means looking at the political and economic time frame of the argument, both on a national level and in the writer’s personal life.

What prompted the whole thing, anyway?

How did this piece of work get into your hands anyway? Was it intended for you?

You’re going to have to leave your emotions out of it, or at least be aware of them and separate them from the task of critical thinking.

we will be experiencing yet another change in our instructional role.

The challenge is now to retain certain aspects of facilitation but move actively into the learning process itself and become partners in the process.

the instructor is no longer at the center of the interaction and application of knowledge. The instructor remains as one of the resources available to students, a resource who can intervene when necessary and provide guidance in how to process the information of the course, how to better use the resources, and how to apply the core concepts to real life situations.

In a kindergarten classroom, while there are walls with white boards or smart boards, the "front" of the room is indistinguishable. Every available wall and surface is an opportunity to display student work. The design allows students to explore many different ways of learning in the classroom--it's learner-centered space.

The learner-centered paradigm should extend beyond the kindergarten classroom.

Unfortunately, most educational institutions follow a model that creates an impersonal environment where adults, teaching, and authority are at the center.

For example, at the Henry Ford Academy: School for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, self-contained classrooms are replaced with clustered learning spaces.

Many schools and work environments are embracing the reality that we live in multidisciplinary global world. The challenges and opportunities that we face in the 21st century require creativity, innovation and a deeper understanding of the complexities of the global economy, politics and culture.

Powerful Learning Practice is a professional development program for progressive-minded educators. Its year-long curriculum provides cohorts of teachers with new ideas and hands-on practice in order to bolster their tech knowledge and aptitudes, rethink classroom activities to make them relevant for today’s students, find other teachers with similar goals, and build their own tech-rich learning tools.

Classroom 2.0 is designed for those interested in sharing ideas and resources about using Web 2.0 and new media in education.

These Edublog and WeConnect posts, both compiled by teacher and blogger Shelly Terrell, present a pretty exhaustive, multimedia-rich list that allows teachers to explore what a PLN is, why they should care, the research behind it, and step-by-step instructions on how to build one.

edWeb.net is a free online social network that lets educators connect with colleagues, collaborate on goals and projects, form their own professional learning communities, mentor one another, and practice using a slew of new technologies.

Resources for Building or Finding Your Own

EdChat began as a Twitter conversation for educators and has now expanded to a PBworks wiki that encourages the ideas spawned on Twitter that translate to practical advice. To get involved in EdChat on Twitter, search for the hashtag #edchat and join in the conversation.

For an even bigger list of online teacher networks, visit EducationalNetworking.com’s master list.