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"Ever wonder what it would be like if we let our students pick the tools we use in class? This collection of web 2.0 tools is just that- a list of tools and ideas for what students see as being useful for their learning in and out of school. To begin the project, 8th grade students were engaged in a conversation about what school would look like if all of the rules we currently had were disbanded. They were no longer bound by walls, schedules, age restrictions or standardized tests. No technology was outlawed. It was a bit of a hurdle for them...after eight years of the current school arrangement, it was difficult for them to imagine anything else. With a little encouragement and a push they rose to the occasion, and here are the tools they think we ought to consider using. As this is a dynamic site, there may be some entries in need of editing. We will get to them! We left the duplicates in for emphasis as well as different points of view. Enjoy!"

This is amazing, you need to READ it!!

You need to explore this CNN iReport site. , look for Kevin Honeycutt's report on Inman, KS. HINT: you are gonna do one of these!!

"You don't need to venture into the Old West or shutte into space to be a pioneer. These Top 12 pioneers in education have explored much rougher terrain to shape modern learning. "

"Time to MOVE ON! Technology Integration into Core Curriculum Written by Lisa 18 March 2010 8 Comments If you believe "integrating technology into the classroom" should mean more than just having an interactive whiteboard sitting in the room…you NEED to read this post… And join me for an online Show and Tell (click here for details)."

Kevin Honeycutt, I Need My teachers to learn: check this out. The last ten days were a blur. I started in the Chicago suburbs and did a staff development day at a good friends school. I swung by the ICE conference and hung out with friends. Later I stayed with a friend and his family and colored pictures and made music with his kiddos. Next I did online safety presentations for kids and parents int he same location and it was off to Raleigh NC. Starbuck, my dog was with me for the first leg of the journey. Once in Raleigh, I spent three days at the NCTIES conference. I presented and met wonderful teachers but soon it was off to Monroe Louisiana. I spent the day with lots of educators and ate gumbo for lumch. It was goooood gumbo! Finally I traveled home and it was great to see my family again!

"Although search engines provide a great starting point when you're searching for someone online, with all of the new social sites that have popped up over the past few years, they're often just not enough. In our recent State of Blog Search 2009 post we discussed the various reasons you may choose to use any or all of the following blog search tools: Technorati, Google Blog Search, Ice Rocket, Ask.com Blogsearch, and FriendFeed. While these blog search engines are great to fill specific needs, they're also another great place to look for your footprints on the Web. "

"Learning new vocabulary can be quite daunting for most students. We just have to look at the literacy rates to see how much children struggle with vocabulary. Rote learning of vocabulary does not really work. Experience has taught me students remember what they use and explore. Students need to have fun, engage with the material, and explore how their new knowledge works. Vocabulary lists are boring, but word clouds can be quite engaging. Therefore, I am sharing my favorite ways to help your students begin to explore new vocabulary through various word cloud tools, tips, and resources."

"A Simple Way To Convert Text To Speech No Software Needed. Download the MP3 file."

"If you're new to computers or simply need a refresher course on how to get the most out of your Mac, you've come to the right place. Welcome to Mac 101: Your guide to using a Mac effectively and efficiently. If you've switched to Mac from Windows, Switch 101 is just for you. Whether you want to learn how to get around your Mac desktop (or find out what a desktop is, for that matter); figure out how to connect your printer, iPod, digital camera, or other device; discover email and the Internet; learn how to do various tasks; learn how to use the software that came with your Mac; or even find out what to do when things don't go as planned; we have the answers. "

The purpose of this resource is to provide "Just in Time" training through an online interface for K-12 educators based on the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). These standards are the basic technology skills every educator should possess. In the process, educators will develop their own skills and discover what students need in order to meet the NETS for Students, as well as the new MMC Online Experience requirement. Participants who fulfill all of the requirements have the opportunity to earn SBCEU's. To learn more about the session, look under the tab "The 21 Things". We hope you take advantage of this unique opportunity.

FillAnyPDF.com is a website where you upload your PDF form and link to it so other people can fill it out and sign it online. No software is needed. Any PDF form can be used, even if it's not "interactive", so you can get started right away. You can even invite a group to fill out your forms and track the results. Anyone that collects signatures or filled out forms will find FillAnyPDF.com to be a valuable time-saving resource.

Preston Girls' Secondary College Reading Wiki to show and share with students and teachers how web 2.0 tools can inspire students to respond to set texts in a more creative way. Making book trailers Filming their own '60 second recap Making animotos Creating toondoos Using Flickr to make a showbag Developing a glog Creating a Google Lit Trip Making a Prezi Creating VoiceThreads and responding in Twitterature style are just some examples of how students can creatively respond to a book. Each link explains how the tools can be embedded into the curriculum and shows examples of how other people have used these sites to develop a book response. Some responses are better than others and it would be good to discuss with students beforehand what made certain examples better than others. For some of the presentations, students may need a Flip camera (such as 60 second recap) however the rest of the presentations could use photos and images from the internet. A lesson on Creative Commons and Wikimedia before students are let loose would help them understand their responsibilities in terms of selecting appropriate images and music to use. Once finished, students could show their presentations to each other and have them critique their work. Permissions allowing, presentations could also be uploaded to the school website or shown on parent information evenings or parent/teacher nights. Challenge: My challenge to you is to ask students to use one of these tools (can be in conjunction with a written response) in their next text response.

"Tim Ludwig is a grade 12 student and member of the Ontario Minister of Education's Student Voice Panel. He is talk is: "What teachers need to hear from an 'at-risk' student."" Only 7 minutes long, very powerful message about schools and teaching.

"Are our schools teaching the 21st Century skills that students need and employers are looking for? Watch this video and let us know what your think!"

Need to know how to do something in iWeb, check out these tutorials on YouTube.

Policy for the Masses Need a policy? Not a Lawyer? Get started today. PolicyTool is a policy generator that simplifies the process of creating guidelines that respect the rights of your employees while protecting your brand online.* It's easy. The streamlined process simply requires you to answer a brief questionnaire and provides you with a complete Social Media Policy customized to your company. PolicyTool has been developed by rtraction in collaboration with Harrison Pensa lawyer David R. Canton, one of Canada's leading authorities in internet and technology related legal issues.

"Last week blogger of the week, NJ Principal Eric Sheninger, spoke out against fellow NJ Principal Anthony Orsini and his efforts to his students from using social media tools. This week, Sheninger takes time out of his administrative duties for an interview including tips and advice for administrators and teachers on incorporating social media and web 2.0 in the classroom. "

Great artilcle that needs to be read by teachers and EVERY FUTURE teacher.