The Indiana Department of Education is thoughtfully considering exactly how to incorporate technology into the classroom, resisting buying new technologies based on trends or marketing pressure or the desire to keep up; they are trying to carefully select tools that will help children learn in the classroom and improve performance rather than have technology for technology's sake. I think that this is a very important difference and one that every school that is purchasing new technologies for the classroom should consider very carefully.

A recent study looking at Facebook use and student grades found some evidence that students who share links and participate in "lurking" had higher grades while students who posted status updates had a higher likelihood of lower grades. 

This company has raised $7 million dollars in venture capital money to develop an online test prep web site that hopes to encourage students to spend time preparing for tests such as the SAT by eliminating deterrents such as scheduling conflicts and location issues and adding a social networking aspect.

A fascinating video about using an existing technology (wireless headsets) as a vehicle for an emerging technology (augmented reality).

As new technologies appear and become incorporated into existing systems, new problems and opportunities for abuse are also created. 

This article highlights how virtual education can transform the learning experience for students with special needs, as well and low and high performing students by allowing them to slow down or speed up according to their needs. As more and more students enroll in online courses, public schools are trying to figure out how incorporate virtual learning into their districts.

This is an editorial discussing how emerging technologies can help eliminate the need for annual standardized testing of students by tracking their progress constantly throughout the year through technology use. IPads, Khan Academy, data analysis, KIPP schools, the achievement gap, online courses and their innovations through emerging technologies are discussed.

LitReactor is a new web site offering writing classes, workshops and social networking, but only a small portion of it's content is free. 

A discussion on the NYT Learning blog asking whether apps are streamlining our online reading or wasting our time. It's an interesting discussion that has no one right answer. How efficient an app is likely depends on what it is for and how you are using it, but can often be effective tools.

This is the .gov web site listing PDFs of all current Education policies, research,studies and initiatives.

A new free app called Hoot.me allows students to collaborate on Facebook to study and do homework without being distracted by status updates.

Twitter founder Biz Stone talks about his foundation which focuses on education and conservation.

The US Department of Education announces the Digital Badges for Learning competition which asks for prototypes for educational digital badges that will help teachers and students keep track of what they have "mastered".

The White House announces the creation of a national center called Digital Promise that will focus on transforming education through learning technologies.

This is a captivating video made by a group called Iowa Future that was premiered at the 2011 School Administrators of Iowa Conference. Though it is aimed at Iowans in particular it is applicable to all of us as it highlights the staggering pace that the world has progressed to our current state of technological overload. It features shocking statistics about digital media use that are quite fascinating and applicable to the entire world.

This is an interesting concept. I think that the determining factor for me is dependent on who will have access to that information. If it is private and stored on the tablet that could be an incredible time saving tool. It is probably more likely that that information would be owned by the company making the tablet, as well as Google or whatever search engine you are using on the tablet, which could have some negative ramifications such as personalized advertising. Since that type of information already exists and can be somewhat controlled through our personal settings on our computer, it could potentially have some positive aspects such as helping us to further wade through the digital sea of information.

A recent study about fast-paced television programs and children's development finds that attention, problem solving and other skills under the umbrella of "executive function" are harmed by watching some shows.

Ed.D. and TED Senior Fellow Juliette LaMontagne discusses her best ideas to fix K-12 schools. Her vision includes increased informal learning, greater access to emerging software and online content such as Khan Academy and project-based work that allows students to apply what they learn to real world situations.

This article outlines four ways that Quick Response codes scanned with smart phones could be used in formal education settings. The ideas are intriguing, such as keeping track of a students work throughout their school career and opening up lines of communication to parents.

This is an engaging animation/talk from Sir Ken Robinson about the links between some difficult problems facing schools and how a paradigm shift is necessary to fix them.