Article reviews a study discussing the actual effects of online quizzes on student performance. "However, Steenhuis and colleagues have found that this approach does not necessarily work and despite the fact that students perceive such quizzes as helpful, they may not be as useful to learning as both students and educators believe."

This is a website that allows users to find videos from which children (3-18) can learn. All videos are hosted by other sites like YouTube, but content is approved and moderated separately. Comments and discussions are separate from the comments on the original post (i.e. WatchKnow comments do not get added to YouTube and YouTube comments do not appear on WatchKnow). There is heavy emphasis on transparent, widespread monitoring of content. This is accomplished in ways very reminiscent of Wikipedia's moderation methods. Right now, the site has a good number of videos, but lacks a rich community of active users. This means that it is harder to locate quality videos since few users have rated and discussed content.

This website is very similar to an idea I've been brewing for a while (though I believe this site is missing some of the more promising features). I was pleasantly surprised to see professor Dede's name on the Advisory Committee.

Robotic billiards table set up. Allows users to play through computer controls and allows players using a physical cue to see visual hints about ball trajectories.

An example of what some people are doing to experiment with robotics (first half of video) and augmented reality (second half).

Predictive ads about "future" technologies from 1993 (by AT&T). How many of these predictions have come true?

In my opinion, one of the least realized of the predicted technologies is the one about education. What do you think?

An article from TheApple.com about 5 ways to provide virtual field trips for students, including augmented reality and a class trip to the moon.

This is a flash game where the player manipulates variables related to a trebuchet to meet various challenges. It involves concepts of momentum, angle of release, gravity, wind, potential energy, etc.

Another fun physics game. Use a trebuchet to hit targets, demolish walls, or just go for distance.

A highly amusing flash game for learning physics concepts. How might a teacher use this in class?

What age group would benefit most from this? What could the teacher do to make sure students learn about physics and not just learn how to manipulate the simulation?

Some interesting videos with James Paul Gee et al. discussing issues related to video games and learning. Videos are under 5 minutes each.

Some interesting videos with James Paul Gee et al. discussing issues related to video games and learning. Videos are under 5 minutes each. What do you think about what they have to say?

This Web site shares various ideas for integrating technology into curricula in many subject areas. Worth looking at to get some thoughts flowing.

Link via Free Technology for Teachers Blog. I don't have time, but some of you may want to sign up to hear Steve Wozniak (aka The Woz) talk about education this Thursday.

Someone mutilated an XO laptop in the name of art... or something like it. You can buy the finished result for $26,001 (free shipping!) on ebay (80% goes to the OLPC Foundation). Watch the video to see how the laptop responds to extended exposure to microwave radiation. Anyone else amused/disturbed by the results here?

This sounds interesting. An interactive game right here in Boston. Would you consider this augmented reality? Anyone want to get a group together and play? It says we "must represent [ourselves] with a senior member of the organization." Would you be interested, professor/TFs? (Post a reply to this link if you do and send me an email just in case - jhnsn.c@gmail.com)

This is a pretty good web-based audio editor. This could serve as a good replacement for Audacity or GarageBand. It has some great effects and a good library of sound clips. It operates in much the same way as Audacity of GarageBand, just in your web browser.

Some Chinese school officials have gone against the wishes of the national government and removed Internet filtering software becuase it "has strong conflicts with teaching software we need for normal work." On the other hand, many public schools in the US not only tolerate draconian filtering policies, but elect to implement such policies on the local level! Why are we willing to sacrifice educational opportunities for some imagined sense of security about our children? If you haven't looked over the "Unmasking the Digital Truth" Wiki, I highly recommend that you do so. It discusses some of the common misconceptions about Internet filtering in schools and associated laws. (http://unmaskdigitaltruth.pbworks.com/)

Article about how some schools in China have uninstalled the controversial Internet filter (Green Dam), which was required to be installed on all public systems by mandate of the Chinese government.

A series of reference materials for software from MS Word to Vim to Linux. Highly useful for people who want to become more efficient in software use.

This is a Slashdot article that points to a research paper (unfinished) that analyzes which elements are most important in the success/failure of a game. The abstract and conclusion sections of the article are succinct and accessible. The results are quite telling. One wonders if the results are consistent across game genres/audiences/distribution methods.

This is a great and easy-to-use site that allows you to create professional looking Photoshop-style effects with little effort. Do you want to see yourself on the cover of Rolling Stone, as a painting in an art gallery, or as a tattoo? Select an effect from the front page, upload a picture, make any necessary adjustments (e.g. zoom in on face), and view the result. Just be aware that all original photos and the resulting images are publicly viewable.

This "Web documentary" provides a unique way to expose an important political and social issue. Focusing on the issues surrounding China's exploitation of its land and people related to coal, the site casts the viewer as an investigating journalist. You can choose to visit the sites and see the conditions for yourself or you can talk to people along the way and gain insight into their lives (as well as the political system). The content is deep, has high replay value, consists of very high-quality media, and represents an innovative approach to sharing experiences about important world issues.

For people interested in the new HTML 5 standard, there are some great things that will be possible. This article gives a quick overview of Canvas, which will use JavaScript to allow some pretty complicated visual effects. This guide assumes a good grasp of the current standards and of typical digital design tools.

Good utility since many people will likely be sharing documents via Google Docs while working on projects for coursework.

OffiSync (currently in beta) allows users to access and modify Google Docs from their MS Office applications (like Word, Excel, PowerPoint). The tool requires Windows XP, Vista, or 7 and MS Office 2003 or 2007. Some errors are to be expected in the beta stage, but the benefit of conveniently editing Google Docs is worth the minor annoyances.