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An emerging group of leaders in Canadian education has attracted thousands of followers. They've made Twitter an extension of their lives, delivering twenty or more tweets a day that can include, for example, links to media articles, research, new ideas from education bloggers, or to their own, or simply a personal thought. At their best, edu-tweeters are adeptly leveraging Twitter to brand themselves, to reinvent teacher PD, and perhaps to accelerate the transformation of our Canadian education systems. Twitter is being used to extend formal PD conferences beyond their venue to followers on Twitter in real time; it's facilitating informal discussions ("unconferences") among educators with common interests; it's allowing best practices to "go viral" on the Internet; and it's allowing innovative classroom teachers to challenge the status quo.

"Distraction is the dominant currency in our digitally focused culture. I personally find it hard to concentrate when being plugged on particularly when the task I am working on is so important that it requires a high degree of mindful consciousness like for instance scribbling few pages  on my thesis, writing a journal article, doing a literature review...etc. Anytime I embark on one of these tasks I always make sure to turn off WiFi and put my phone on flight mode. My brain can't handle the distraction coming off these devices."

"You are never alone when teaching online. As a writer and teacher, I'm here to share my experiences and insights so that you will not hit the ground. We all know there are a lot of great articles out there on the web that talk about what you should do when you teach online. But sometimes what a new online teacher really needs is a list of what NOT to do when teaching online."

"My goal in this article is to help you understand the available Evernote search tools, so that you will find it even easier and more enjoyable to use, than it already is. And if you're not a current Evernote user, to encourage you to take a look (or another look) at it. Note that these methods can be used in both desktop and web versions."

Incredibly powerful article on the power of social media and the lives it touches

"In a recent post, I critiqued the claims in Ferris Jabr's Scientific American article, "Why the Brain Prefers Paper" that addressed the differences in comprehension between reading from paper and reading from screens."

"E-readers and tablets are becoming more popular as such technologies improve, but research suggests that reading on paper still boasts unique advantages"

"Want to see something amazing? Visit a college classroom. You'll be amazed, perhaps astounded to learn that today's classrooms look completely - like the ones you sat in five, 10, or even 50 years ago. Despite revolutionary technology, the information explosion, and an interconnected planet, not to mention improved teaching and learning methods, the typical college classroom is fixed in time like a museum diorama."

"The world of educational technology can be intimidating. Bloggers help make sense of this ever-changing industry with wit, insight and tactical advice. EdTech is proud to recognize this latest crop of the top K-12 IT bloggers."

"Twitter is turning out to be the most useful for teaching resources; it was cited by 66 percent of participants. Pinterest came in second at 38 percent. LinkedIn, taglined as the "world's largest professional network," is referenced by a mere 11 percent"