Authors urge caution before jumping on the tech-bandwagon. Their argument amounts to something like it's best not to buy first generation tech products; wait until the kinks are worked out.

A Q&A article discussing reappropriating commercially available games for educational uses. 2 Important ideas: "The learning doesn't come from the game itself but becomes the context for learning." "What we're talking about is not computer games, it's play."

The author identifies areas for skepticism about ed. tech research: MONEY-DRIVEN RESEARCH. LACK OF CONSENSUS. PUBLICATION REPUTABILITY AUTHOR TIMIDITY AND PRAGMATISM.

Great article. "Education is in some respects one of the most stagnant of all major industries. A farmer from 150 years ago would not comprehend a modern farm. A factory worker from 150 years ago would not be able to function in a modern factory. But a professor from 150 years ago could walk into a classroom today and go to work without missing a beat."

Google has launched an open source course building web application for the growing list of K-12 and big-name universities developing online classes. The barebones website is a lightweight way to bring course material online, track student engagement (with web traffic and surveys), and evaluate performance.

"We need high-quality education for the fraction of the cost and to give anyone a chance to learn throughout their lifetime."

"So-called "big data" make it possible to mine learning information for insights regarding student performance and learning approaches. Rather than rely on periodic test performance, instructors can analyze what students know and what techniques are most effective for each pupil. By focusing on data analytics, teachers can study learning in far more nuanced ways."

This article attempts to balance the 'rah-rah tech is a panacea' view with a reminder that it might not be essential or desirable in all classrooms. Other than citing some studies that show how tech can distract students during class, I don't think her argument is that convincing. I'm curious what people think about this view.

A nice reminder that throwing tech into a classroom solves nothing without proper teacher training. "That is why our investment in upgrading classrooms needs to focus equally on making sure teachers know how to use digital tools effectively." "the motherboard and the memory chip will never replace the passion and inspiration of a real-life teacher."

"65% of today's grade-school children will end up at jobs that haven't been invented yet." Infographic detailing some possible future directions for educational technology including gamification, digital classrooms and novel computing methods.