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This article focuses on the importance of using technology in schools. The author, Seymour Papert, compares how the introduction of computers into a school setting is very similar to providing pencils to people in a community who communicate entirely using oral language. How will the computers and pencils get used by the people in their communities? Papert expresses the realization that educators are often hesitant to change their practices and sometimes when implementing new concepts or tools, teachers find trivial ways to use them rather than seeing their full potential. Papert goes on to explain how technology can "intellectually engage" those not interested in the traditional learning that schools often offer to students. He gives an example of how a disengaged student can use technology to intellectually challenge himself, develop the ability to persist, and collaborate with people that have common learning interests. In addition, Papert says that the use of project based learning and technology allows students to "acquire knowledge for use" and not to just pass a test. The concept of being able to access learning regardless of the time of day and the learner's location is also discussed. Technology offers greater learning as it allows students to learn from a wide community of people and not just those the same age and grade. Even with the objective reasons provided by educators, to limit the amount of changes in schools, Papert believes that the students' knowledge and expertise that they acquire while using computers at home will drive schools to embrace technology. He knows that institutions believe change cannot happen due to the lack of funding available, limited teacher understanding and assumption of what "school" should look like. However, Papert believes that change will occur because children will require schools to keep up with the learning they are doing outside the school setting when it comes to the area of technology.

Video presentation of  evolving and changing data in an ever weaving world wide web. A think piece on the bigger picture of digital technology and web 2.0 where rules and ideas of digital society require constant rethinking. How context changes with every click in a Web 2.0/3.0 world. Ideas shared belong to a greater digital forum. Use with teens and adults. Length: 4:30 minutes

This article highlights the shift from traditional teaching, termed transmission, to 21st century inquiry-based teaching, termed transformation. The digital age has changed the learner and if formal education is to remain relevant, the approach must also change. If students are to be equipped to solve the complex problems of society, the foundation of their learning must be critical inquiry which encourages critical thought. The article outlines the tools needed for inquiry-based learning, valid assessment and how it is more than having the students 'think outside the box'. It is a thorough overview of inquiry-based learning and what it can look like in a modern classroom.

John Seely Brown: Tinkering as a Mode of Knowledge Production

This is a different world we live in, one of peer based learning within communities where people learn from each other. Moving into a world of change. "Tinkering is taking your imagination and building something from It". Tinkering with ideas around us, asking good questions, being open to criticism, accepting the criticism and learning from it. Yes, developing critical thinkers." Create, Reflect and Share - peer based learning, kids learning from each other. Working together shoulder by shoulder. Allowing students to find the idea and take their learning where they want it to go. Constructing a new kind of learning environment teaching and understanding each other. The teacher being a mentor in the learning environment, constructing an environment were we are always constructing and teaching one another. Relating tinkering to technology is simple. Tools in the digital world allow learners to take an idea, make change for better or worse, play with knowledge. Developing ideas not necessarily new ones, but grown ones that exist. It allows learners to create knowledge on the fly and foster imagination. What an amazing video, definitely a must to watch, it fostered my ideas of peer based learning. Loved the way it related back to education way back where one teacher taught kids of all ages, where tinkering was definitely the way education was driven. Older kids helping younger. This is the way John thinks we should be going in education, I feel we are moving in that direction but it is evolving. Watch the video and enjoy!

Thomas Carroll wants the reader to truly think about this question and if your answer is no then he wants to know what are you doing about it.  It is discussed that today's schools bring the learner to the knowledge and tomorrow's schools should bring the knowledge to the learners.  To do this several things have to change such as teachers and schools.  If we want schools to be different we have to prepare teachers differently.  A Network Learning Community is suggested.  Its members would collaborate to achieve common goals, learning together as they develop solutions for problems they are addressing in common.  Everyone becomes a learner and the distinction between students and teachers fade away.   Within this Network Learning Community there would be expert learners, novice learners and mature learners.  An expert learner would help others learn through collaboration to solve problems and achieve goals they have in common.  They would organize and manage the learning.   Everyone would start out as a novice learner at birth and may remain a novice learner in on field while becoming a mature or even an expert learner in another over time. An ideal setting would be a problem in the middle, several learners surrounding it and an expert learner as well.  The learners would be novice up to mature learners and the expert learner would be the person that structures the learning activities, but is also constantly learning more and modeling the learning process, as oppose to the teaching process.

In this article, Dr. Teresa Franklin, discusses the importance of being mobile in today's society and how technology is shaping our beliefs and the way we learn. By using mobile devices our learning is not limited by the time of day or our current location. If and when we want to communicate with others or research information about a topic, we can. Today, the importance of being mobile has gotten to the point that it has become an "epidemic". Throughout the article, Franklin, defines many concepts. To ensure common understanding by all readers she explains the following terms: mobile learning, mobile devices (including, highly mobile devices, very mobile devices, and mobile devices) learners, social networks, apps, and the tipping point. In addition, Franklin, explains what it means to be a mobile user and why it is important in today's society.  The article focuses on three complexities that need to be considered when using mobile devices in an educational setting. The first complexity looks at the area of pedagogy and how it relates to the use of technology. Next, Franklin writes about the need for institutions to have the correct infrastructure in place to support these devices. The third complexity she explains is the challenge that schools have to create effective ways to communicate when using mobile devices. Franklin thinks a practical, collaborative approach with incremental steps is the key when creating a mobile delivery model. Lastly, the author looks at the role of the teacher and the concerns that technology creates for staff and students. She believes educators need to shift from traditional teaching practices to incorporate more relevant skills that will create positive citizens and prepare them for the ever changing workplace. In saying this, Franklin understands that there will be

This article begins with a discussion of "connectivism" as a learning theory and it's acceptance by the educational community. It extends beyond the traditional theories of behaviorism, congnitivism, and contructivism to describe learning within a network. Connectivism is a theory in which complex learning occurs through recognition and adaptation of patterns in social, technologically enhanced networks. He explores the overlay vs. transformation paradigm now occurring in education and provides an interesting historical perspective, the introduction of electricity to factories. Originally factories were designed to take advantage of a single power source. Electricity was introduced and replaced the original power source but was simply overlaid - used to power the original device on which the entire factory was dependent. If a problem occurred with this device, the entire factory was incapacitated. It took a complete redesign of the factories, utilizing multiple power sources, to fully realize the improvement brought by the new technology. Next, Siemens examines the various metaphors for educators in recent literature. The first is of the master artist, as in the atelier or studio model, in which the students learn from each other and are guided by the more knowledgeable and experienced teacher. Another is of the network administrator who assists students in forming connections and creating learning networks. Next is the concierge who acts as a tour guide, assisting with resource acquisition and permitting student exploration. Finally, he settles on his preferred metaphor of the educator as curator who creates learning spaces and allows learners the freedom to explore and make connections. Siemens proposes that we should consider the change caused by our networked society and rethink and reconsider our view of learning and knowledge, as well as our approach to teaching.

This is an ad by Dove showing an experiment they did to show that we see ourselves with a much more critical eye than others. It is very moving.

I really liked her mention of how her grading practices had to change with the use of new technologies