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The disappointing results from San Jose State's experiment with online courses shouldn't be interpreted to mean that such courses can't help students. But the classes the university offered in collaboration with online provider Udacity were practically a model of how to do online education badly: rushed into existence and sloppily overseen.

"As part of Microsoft's continued focus on promoting digital literacy in education, the Bing for Schools program offers daily lesson plans designed to teach search skills, Bing Rewards enhancements to help earn Microsoft Surface RT tablets for schools, and, for schools admitted to the pilot program, a tailored Bing search experience for K-12 students when on the school network. Schools participating in the search pilot will receive ad-free Bing search, strict filtering to help block adult content, and augmented privacy protections. School districts can register for these search enhancements now; a limited number will be accepted into the initial pilot, with other schools being notified about future eligibility. But many of the educational features of Bing for Schools are available to non-pilot schools as well, so be sure to explore all the ways you can support digital literacy in your school."

"CoderDojo is a movement orientated around running free not-for-profit coding clubs and regular sessions for young people. At a CoderDojo, young people learn how to code, develop websites, apps, programs, games and more. Dojos are set up, run by and taught at by volunteers. Dojos organize tours of technology companies, bring in guest speakers to talk about their career and what they do, and organise events. In addition to learning to code, members meet like minded people, show off what they've been working on and so on. CoderDojo makes development and learning to code a fun, sociable, kick ass experience. CoderDojo also puts a strong emphasis on open source and free software, and has a strong network of members and volunteers globally. "

"4 Features to Look for in a 21st Century LMS Two districts share their experiences of choosing a learning management system that does a lot more than help teachers post assignments."

"The traditional notion of "going online" often evokes images of a desktop or laptop computer with a full complement of features, such as a large screen, mouse, keyboard, wires, and a dedicated high-speed connection. But for many Americans, the reality of the online experience is substantially different. Today nearly two-thirds of Americans own a smartphone, and 19% of Americans rely to some degree on a smartphone for accessing online services and information and for staying connected to the world around them - either because they lack broadband at home, or because they have few options for online access other than their cell phone."

"The modern world is an age of rapid growth in scientific knowledge, much of which is quickly utilized in the creation of new technology. Science and technology have also made the world very small, so that we no longer live in the confined world of our town, region, or country, isolated from what is happening in the rest of the globe. This has changed the way we consume information and we expect more out of our learning experiences."

 For those unfamiliar with the term, a learning style is a way in which an individual approaches learning. Many people understand material much better when it is presented in one format, for example a lab experiment, than when it is presented in another, like an audio presentation. Determining how you best learn and using materials that cater to this style can be a great way to make school and the entire process of acquiring new information easier and much more intuitive. Here are some great tools that you can use to cater to your individual learning style, no matter what that is.

ZooBurst is a digital storytelling tool that is designed to let anyone easily create their own customized 3D pop-up books. Using ZooBurst, storytellers of any age can create their own rich worlds in which their stories can come to life. ZooBurst books are completely web-based and can be experienced using nothing more than your browser outfitted with the Adobe Flash plug-in. Books can be inspected from any angle from with a 3D space, and rotating around a book is as easy as dragging and dropping your mouse. In addition, the author of a book can choose to make items "clickable," allowing you to learn more about individual characters within a story. You can choose to experience a ZooBurst book in a number of ways, including in Augmented Reality. If you have a webcam installed on your computer simply click on the 'Augmented Reality' button at the top of the screen and watch as the book appears in the palm of your hand!

One Laptop per Child and Marvell have joined forces to create a tablet computer that delivers a a better educational experience for schoolchildren in developing countries. This partnership may go a long way toward the nonprofit's group of getting $100 computers in the hands of every child.

"Who says you can't have fun at work? Cool Cube Toys is dedicated to delivering a first class shopping experience. We offer office toys , fun usb drives , and usb gadgets that are perfect gifts for friends or co-workers dealing with the boredom of 'cubeland'. "

Launched in 1989 and an independent non-profit organization since 1993, Global Kids' mission is to educate and inspire urban youth to become successful students, global citizens and community leaders by engaging them in academically rigorous, socially dynamic, content-rich learning experiences.

Travis Allen I'm here to share with you my life as a 21st century student and how I use my iPhone to change my college experience dramatically.

" We're putting everything you need to know about learning to use iPad at your fingertips. So now is a great time to get started exploring the possibilities. See how iPad gives you and your students the best way to view videos, engage with content, create projects, and turn learning into a hands-on experience."

"Hamilton Chan is CEO and founder of Paperlinks. With the free Paperlinks iPhone app, featured previously by Apple as the #1 New & Noteworthy app, consumers can scan and view QR code content with a native app experience. Paperlinks also provides a powerful platform for generating QR codes, hosting content and tracking their performance."

"Ever wanted to make presentations a more interactive, Web 2.0 experience? The PowerPoint Twitter Tools prototypes are now available. Created using SAP BusinessObjects Xcelsius (but requiring only PowerPoint for Windows and Adobe Flash to run), the twitter tools allow presenters to see and react to tweets in real-time, embedded directly within their presentations, either as a ticker or refreshable comment page."

"So you have heard about blogging with your students and you are considering taking the plunge but just not sure what or how to do it? I am here to tell you; blogging with my students has been one of the most enriching educational experiences we have had this year, and that says a lot. So to get you started, here is what I have learned:"

Welcome to PD 360! This is the world's first and largest online, on-demand professional development platform for educators. We're glad you're here. What's new to v5.0: * Simplified reports, Focus Objective creation and organization, and user account management * Easier to use courses for effective structured learning experiences * Common Core Standards content and training videos * Improved community features * User Uploaded Video * Integration with Facebook and Twitter * Enhanced integration with Observation 360 And so much more! Feel free to explore all the new features. New to PD 360? Get free access to a library of over 1,500 videos on 97 topics from 120 experts and free lifetime membership to the world's largest community of verified educators-just sign up for a free 30-day trial on the right! For more information, contact us! 1.800.572.1153 support@schoolimprovement.com www.schoolimprovement.com

An experience like the Google Teacher Academy is now available to any educational institution. Simply host a Google Workshop for Educators!

"We know how important it is to protect and educate young people on using the Internet and want to provide all of our users with a safe experience. When it comes to family safety, we aim to: * Provide parents and teachers with tools to help them choose what content their children see online * Offer tips and advice to families about how to stay safe online * Work closely with organizations such as charities, others in our industry and government bodies dedicated to protecting young people "

" Pixel Pushers is an educational game and modification project based out of Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center under the supervision of our client, MinecraftEdu. We are creating a toolset that allows teachers to create lessons in the popular indie game Minecraft, easily share those lessons with other educators, and allows them to effectively monitor and review their students' progress. Further, we aim to explore what academic subjects best lend themselves to the game's format through a series of proof-of-concept lessons. Finally, we want the student experience to be as safe and constructive as possible, whether sessions are being held in real classrooms or virtual youth centers."