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" What amazed me most about Classtools.net was not the valuable tools provided, but the ability for teachers to easily customize these tools and use them in any subject area. If that is not enough, how about the ability to embed your newly made instructional resource on your own classroom website, wiki, or blog? Any educator will also like the fact that students have no need to log in or sign up for an account… and neither do teachers! Need tutorials… they are provided! Do samples help you understand better… you will find plenty! Is budget a problem… then free should be affordable! Classtools.net is the work of educator, Russel Tarr, Head of History at the International School of Toulouse, France. Upon entering the site, educators will see the listing of tools. Clicking on a tool allows teachers to individualize that specific tool for their own classroom needs. Teachers then have the option of copying a generated link to place on their own web site or of copying a generated code to embed as a tool (widget) on their classroom site. Also, on the front page, are some video links that will provide further information. Two videos that provide excellent information are the 1 Minute Overview and How to Create Games. The Listing Of Over 20 Digital Tools For Your Classroom The tools that you can even customize are included below. Along with this tool listing you will find descriptions of each tool, an overview of and samples of specific tools (if provided), and any related video (if provided). * Arcade Game Generator - Allows teachers to create concept builders, practice exercises, and reviews. Best of all, one set up feeds into five different game possibilities at the same time The teacher can choose which game, or allow students a choice. Make sure you check out all the examples and pre-made games in (overview and samples). Also watch the How to Create Games . * Random Name Picker - Can be used as an activity management tool or skip the names.

"BUILDING THE FUTURE NOW We are dedicated to the proposition that educators themselves-whether in schools, library, museums, or community organizations-are central to the task of reimagining education in an era of Connected Learning. Educator Innovator gathers educators, partners, and collaborating organizations to support and invest in building this future together."

"Why the Maker Movement Is Important to America's Future"

" The Future of Online Learning By Jeff Borden / August 2011 Print Email Comments Instapaper Higher education is undergoing an explosive period of transformation that embraces the digital age. From tablets to smart phones to wikis and blogs, today's digital environment makes communication, collaboration and information sharing easier than ever before. "

"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."

Netbooks, cloud apps encourage collaboration Students who have access to mobile devices at home constantly communicate on Facebook, Twitter and other sites, said Wayne Weber, the Laconia High School principal. But at some schools, administrators tell them, "Stop collaborating, stop communicating and put those devices away."

"he mission of the Common Core State Standards is to provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy. "

Considering the heavy female demographic happening on Pinterest, we were surprised to find the U.S. Army had a well-stocked profile, until we checked out the rest of their online goings-on. The Army is all up on the Internet. And, in a very active way -- it doesn't just have social media profiles to have its hand in the future. It has robust profiles on various sites, ranging from the big social media players like Twitter to newbs like Pinterest, each appropriately using the platform as a PR tool. It's really quite impressive for such an established, bureaucratic organization that one would assume would stink at the Web.

Launched spring of 2012, the mission of the Flipped Learning Network™ is to provide educators with the knowledge, skills, and resources to successfully implement Flipped Learning. The goals of the FLN are to provide professional learning opportunities on Flipped Learning; to conduct, collaborate and disseminate relevant research on Flipped Learning; and to act as the clearinghouse for distributing best and promising practices for current and future "flipped" educators.

"The mission of the Library of Congress is to make its resources available and useful to Congress and the American people and to sustain and preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations. The goal of the Library's National Digital Library Program is to offer broad public access to a wide range of historical and cultural documents as a contribution to education and lifelong learning. The Library of Congress presents these documents as part of the record of the past. These primary historical documents reflect the attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of different times. The Library of Congress does not endorse the views expressed in these collections, which may contain materials offensive to some readers."

A Christmas Carol is probably best known now as a story exploited by Hollywood repeatedly in straight adaptations (Disney's included) and altered versions such as the Bill Murray comedy Scrooged. Regardless of how it is now known it is certainly well known, and its anti-hero Scrooge represents curmudgeonly and stingy attitudes outside the context of the book. It was published a Christmas book in 1843 and is quite a simple tale but successful for that reason. Scrooge is avaricious, misanthropic and heartless, showing no feeling for the Christmas spirit After he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Marley, he sees visions of his past, present and future that inspire him to become a zealously kind and amiable individual who sends a turkey to his clerk Bob Cratchit and gives to Christmas charities generously. It is a somewhat saccharine tale and is not one of Dickens' finer works but the story itself is heartening and is a proposed alternative to the grim and stern Puritan values of the Victorian age.

"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."

Cell phones have the capability to become the "Swiss army knife" for student research and organization. First, we explore using cell phones as data collection tools: audio recorders, digital cameras, and digital camcorders. Additionally, we consider how classroom projects can be developed for cell phones: creating ring tones, text messaging, mobile WebPages, and mobile surveys. Finally, we contemplate the future features of cell phones and how those features play a role in learning.

"To out-educate, we must out-innovate Posted by michael_horn | Under Online learning, Schools Thursday Feb 10, 2011 In his State of the Union address, President Obama urged the country to out-innovate the rest of the world. If we want to bolster America's competitiveness now and for the future, there's no better place to start than education, where Obama also said we need to out-educate the rest of the world."

ClassLink LaunchPad-2011 reinvents the experience of instructional technology. It’s a true blended learning solution that delivers a personalized learning experience to any device, anywhere. Students and teachers can access tools for creative thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity. Leveraging virtualization and cloud computing, this is the future of instructional technology.

Stream your broadcast live and capture it for the future

"The Future Ready Framework helps district leaders address seven major topics (or "gears"), plus leadership, as seen in the image to the right. Connections between each of the topics highlight the need for systemic planning throughout digital learning implementation and school district transformation."

"Prepare for a robot invasion. It will change the way people think about technology "