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Integrating technology into a high school classroom isn't a one-step process. "You can't just slap a netbook [computer] on top of a textbook and say, 'Great, now we have technology," says Bob Wise, former governor of West Virginia and president of the Alliance for Excellent Education, an advocacy organization.Wise says that digital learning starts with teachers, whose performance is enhanced by technology—not the other way around. That's also the idea of Digital Learning Day, which the Alliance is spearheading.

ning practices," says Sarah Hall, director of the Alliance's Center for Secondary School Digital Learning and Policy.

Blackboard SMU uses the course management system Blackboard.  For help creating Blackboard courses and learning the basics, consult Academic Technology's Blackboard help page, as well as this Blackboard online tutorial. Access your Blackboard courses here. Presentation Software Sometimes it's helpful to provide visual aids to complement teaching, stimulate discussion, or allow out-of-class teaching. Tools designed for this purpose, such as PowerPoint, can be used well or used badly. Click here for resources that provide advice for thoughtful use of PowerPoint, as well as a few additional presentation tools. Classroom Response Systems ("clickers") One way to encourage student engagement is by using electronic devices that allow students to record their answers to multiple choice questions and allow you to instantly display the results. The anonymity encourages participation, and their answers help the teacher know when further discussion is needed.  Use of clickers can also serve as a catalyst for discussion.  Click here to learn more about using response systems effectively.

Converting a Face-to-Face Course to an Online Course Teaching online, whether in a hybrid course or a wholly-online course, requires different techniques and different tools.  Without the F2F contact, professors will need to be even clearer about setting and articulating expectations for digital work and participation.  Encouraging interaction between professor and student and among students is an additional challenge, as is monitoring student learning as the course progresses.  The online environment requires the use of basic technologies to digitize course materials as well as mastery of the university's learning management system.  And various tools like Skype allow synchronous communications, while blogs and Twitter can encourage asynchronous interaction.  Here are some ideas to get you started.

As a member of a large online community of educators through Twitter and other social media outlets, I know how much of an impact the Internet has had on educators and their classrooms across the world. I was not surprised to read that 92% of teachers "say the Internet has a 'major impact' on their ability to access content, resources and materials for their teaching." As an urban educator, I was also not surprised to read that only 21% of teachers in high-income schools said that lack of access to digital technologies is an issue for their students, while 56% of teachers in low-income schools reported this an issue for their students. Cash-strapped school districts and districts with a large number of high-needs students do not have the resources to provide schools with digital technologies, such as classroom projectors, that many more affluent schools would consider commonplace.

"Kevin can be far more involved in group activities. He can converse with his peers, participate in class discussions, and do his homework, no matter where he is. This has increased his ability to be an independent member of the school and the community."

traditional assistive technologies have converged with consumer technologies

today's smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices come equipped with universal access functionality, making it possible for users to deploy built-in or easily downloaded assistive technologies.

Too often we look for a single solution when it comes to technology, yet our needs constantly evolve.

Now, we have a multitude of options for how we provide access to class resources, collect student work, and archive learning

Cloud-based solutions, such as Google Drive, iCloud, and Office 365, regularly dot the landscape.

Google Classroom (http://classroom.google.com) is available to schools with a Google Apps for Education (GAfE)domain.

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Traditionally, teachers arranged desks in rows, and expected quiet behavior, while lecturing and administering tests. Technology encourages discussion and critical thinking by way of community based data collection

Computers are extremely patient and uncritical when children make mistakes---marvelous characteristics which make them quite effective for young children¹s learning. Not only that, the newer interactive software allows young children to explore and experiment in a safe environment where there is no wrong answer and where a child may experience success, sometimes for the first time.

Both verbal and nonverbal children can use the computer as a communication tool. Software provides both subjects and purpose for conversations for those who are able, and willing, to speak.

Make your voice heard during this unprecedented opportunity to increase funding for school broadband across the nation. Share your story about how broadband connectivity is facilitating learning and teaching in your classroom, school or district and providing students with a rich 21st century education. Explain how broadband connectivity is critical to your work, and outline any challenges you face due to insufficient broadband connectivity. ISTE will submit your story to the Federal Communications Commission in the official record.

6. By now you're probably feeling like there is not enough time to "cover" everything you want your students to learn. As you look at the standards, your school's requirements, etc., think about how each type of content and concept could be learned in the most efficient way. For example, if students need to learn the parts of the cell, can they practice this using an app or software? When they need to experience and discuss how cells are transformed during the process of osmosis, they will most likely need a hands-on experience or a discussion. What content can be delivered and assessed online?

. Put kids in touch with the world. The classrooms of brilliant teachers [hokey metaphor alert] have no walls. Those teachers "get" the flat world challenge, understanding that tomorrow's citizens and workers will have an advantage if they can work successfully with other cultures. From "keypals" back in the day to Vicky Davis's Flat Classroom Project today, brilliant teachers give even the most remote students a glimpse and dream of the bigger world -- and help them both communicate and empathize with those in it.