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Disney's Connected Learning program has been developing games for 6 years now, the most popular title being Club Penguin. They are currently planning to roll out several pre-school titles and are also capturing data on the games effects on learning outcomes. Interesting to see Disney attracting top talent from the gaming industry to help develop games and also not shying away from doing the research to investigate educational outcomes.

Turning buses into mobile hotspots. What happens when you 'connect' erstwhile unconnected parts of the day? This article doesn't really ask that question, although it touches on it in its last sentences. Also, presumably most of the kids had data capable phones and could text etc; what is different about access via laptops?

What about the social elements they are missing out on? The difference about access via laptops is the speed and ability to be more efficient compared to a phone. The capabilities of a laptop provide more opportunities for students to be productive/non-productive. This doesn't require them to be connected, however, I wonder what would happen if teachers start to hold students accountable (unintentionally) for using their connected time more wisely?

There are some interesting comments regarding who should be happy first, the teacher or the student.

Pixar director Andrew Stanton's talk on what guides him as a storyteller parallels what we strive to do as educators: to inspire our audience's sense of wonder, challenge, and relatedness. "The audience," says Stanton, "actually wants to work for their meal. They just don't want to know that they're doing that." I'm not sure if storytelling is an apt metaphor for all learning situations, but I personally am inspired to look to storytellers for tips on how to connect with my learners.

Andrew Stanton is also the brilliance behind "Finding Nemo" one of the better Pixar films. "Working for their meal" and the "2+2" notion relates to honoring people's intelligence and not making the story or lesson or video game too simple or the goal too obvious. Dr. Dede has said in the past that to engage students who struggle, we should give them more dificult conepts and make them accessible. Similar ideas.

Thinking of the peripheral implications of technology in school. Architecture and interior design need to be really smart.

This is a great overview of connected learning, an initiative/movement to enhance educational experiences

An interesting article with examples of schools that are "closing the loop"--successfully connecting students, teachers, and technologists to advance the use of technology within the classroom). Also contains a nice visual.

I saw connections between this and Betty's Brain, though SimSchool is intended for actual teachers, rather than motivating students by placing them in the role of teacher. The "How does simSchool work..." and Academic sections were particularly interesting to me. For the teachers in the course, would you find this simulation motivating?

sixth grades connecting writing and media to science

Site and conference at Simmons College 8:30am-12pm that looks to promote the understanding of how and why girls can become more engaged and involved in science and technology.

This article proposes that one of the reasons to integrate technology into the curriculum is to support active engagement in learning.  

I find the arguement that there is no practical need for a network connection this robust ridiculous. You would think that at this stage in the revolution the experts would be aware that the old adage 'if you build it they will come' rings quite true for tech innovation. Perhaps at present 322 terabytes per second is a overkill, but think that we are still going to be surfing the web in the same ways we currently do in 5-10 years is very shortsighted.

I was in a NYC subway this weekend nd noticed that 100% of riders in my section were buried in their phones...not even sure they had a connection...

An interesting talk about how chance favors the connected mind. How do we create such spaces in the classroom, school or perhaps out of formal learning environments?

I agree that some students may be more musically inclined but will integrating music into all aspects of the curriculum, as the article suggests, really help students learn?

Thanks for sharing Sandra. I think it depends on how well the teacher designs the activity. It also depends on how the music is used. For example, music in a game is really important, but it's in the background. So the player doesn't really pay attention to it, until it's turned off. I think music can really help us learn, but it depends on the context in which it's used.

Thanks for this link, Matthew, and for the comment on it, Sandra! I think that music is a great avenue for learning. From personal experience, I seem to study better and with more focus and future recollection when music is playing in the background. It would be great to see if music truly does have a connection with the acquisition and recollection of knowledge.

New report from the Connected Learning Research Network (funded by MacArthur) on a new model. Much of what we've seen before, but it purports to actually address issues of inequity, which is something I don't see talked about very much in these kinds of reports other than to share interactions between effects and variables like race & SES if found. Also interesting: includes Clusters of 21st Century Cognitive Competencies, a mashup of workplace readiness skills, 21st Century Skills, and Habits of Mind. (Is that enough buzzword for ya?)

Some very interesting deliberation on the meaning of the Khan phenomenon. I found some resonance with Prof. Dede's comments on the radio.