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Wiecking, HPA's energy lab director, said getting students away from games like Angry Birds and engaged in educational projects on their iPads isn't always easy. Getting there requires a teacher who is committed to using the devices as interactive educational tools for collaboration, research, and communication. "It's about students being engaged and on task," said Wiecking. "Simply purchasing the tools and handing them out is a lazy approach that doesn't work."

"Making the most of technology in the classroom ensures that lessons are more than just pages in a book or lines on a whiteboard; it brings them to life. That being said, teachers need to juggle many responsibilities over the course of a workweek, and simply don't have time for inefficient, time-consuming, or undependable technology. In order to even foster authentic learning experiences, first the logistics all have to line up. If you're messing with a complicated setup or fumbling your way through technology created with a poor user design, that's time that you're not spending with your pupils. It is possible to attain the best of both worlds, provided that you scout out the right technology tools to benefit your classroom. Learn more about technologies that are particularly feasible to integrate into your lesson plans below:"

"Produced in collaboration with Facebook. Social media is fast becoming as ubiquitous as the air we breathe. In recent months, many schools and districts around the country have taken steps to create social media policies and guidelines for their students and staff. In my work with several districts to draft these documents, I have seen many approaches that work well, and some that don't. That said, there is no silver bullet for administrators; every school, district, and state has a different set of circumstances. With that in mind, here are some steps that will help you determine the best approach for your own community."

"Mr. Su believes that better teacher training is needed, so that new teachers have a better comfort level with new technologies. "Teachers' colleges should really be on the forefront," he said. "They should have a compulsory course on using technology in the classroom"

"We live in a world of too much information and not enough knowledge. No one feels the strain of that digital-age truism more than journalists, who are asked to ferret out and process information with ever-increasing speed - and often at the expense of providing solid context for the news of the day. Journalist's Resource, a new online tool developed at Harvard's Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, aims to put that background knowledge at the fingertips of reporters, bloggers, or even concerned citizens by making the work of academics less opaque and easier to find. But the website, which curates scholarship on government, economics, society, and the environment, is more than just a reliable shortcut for deadline-driven journalists. "There is a real need for deepening journalism with verified, high-quality knowledge that informs the kind of serious journalism that makes our democracy work," said Alex S. Jones, director of the Shorenstein Center and a lecturer in public policy at HKS.   "It becomes very difficult for journalists, journalism professors, and students to go through and find the key items that would help them. We're trying to be a useful filter and curator."...."

"If you can't measure it, you can't manage it" said Peter Drucker a long time ago. With TweetStats, you have a powerful tool to measure all your Twitter behavior in one place. It shows you your Tweet timeline to understand how much you are Tweeting each day and each month. It also dives deep into analyzing your best times to Tweet via a Tweet Density report and follower comparisons. Pro Tip: What I like best is the @reply and Retweet analysis. It gives you a clear picture if you hit the right balance of engagement and content Tweets."  http://blog.kissmetrics.com/transform-your-tweeting-experience/

"It's often said that if you steal from one person's work, it's plagiarism, but if you steal from lots of people it's "research"."

"We hear a lot about what things are popular in terms of technology, the cool new devices that are coming out, and trends that are happening with classroom technology integration. But just because something is a trend (or even a requirement) doesn't that it is popular or liked. It doesn't mean you won't hear people grumbling about it. Often times, trends become trends because a lot of people like them, but in the case of education, trends can happen easily in the following scenario: administrators like the idea and think it is great, and teachers have to implement said idea regardless of if it is a great fit with their classroom and students. So what common education technology trends are really supported and loved by teachers, and which ones make them want to bang their heads on their chalkboards/desks/smartboards/laptops? The handy infographic below brings together data from European and North American teachers to get their points of view on the subject"

"How can Twitter, which limits users to 140 characters per tweet, have any relevance to universities and academia, where journal articles are 3,000 to 8,000 words long, and where books contain 80,000 words? Can anything of academic value ever be said in just 140 characters? We have put together a short guide answering these questions, showing new users how to get started on Twitter and hone their tweeting style, as well as offering advice to more experienced users on how to use Twitter for research projects, alongside blogging, and for use in teaching."