OZ/NZ educators

"Classrooms are infused with technology. Many lessons ask students to use for online or digital tools. Accomplishing this so it serves educational goals isn't as much about knowing how to use the tools as constructing knowledge in an organic, scalable way. To prepare students to make the cerebral leap between tools used for a particular project and tools available as-needed requires preparation in eight areas discussed in this post."

"Google's Chrome browser is packed full of an incredible amount of extensions that add all sorts of functionality. It's tough to sift through the store to find what's useful though, so Lifehacker has put together a collection of the best Chrome extensions."

"Google Earth is a great app to have on an Android tablet. It can be used in many ways in schools. Google Earth for Android now has an upgrade in the form of 3D and aerial imagery. The update will allow you to navigate in 3D through different areas. There are short tours of places. Much like a tour in the desktop version of Google Earth, the tours on the Android version of Google Earth include snippets of information about the places that ymanyou virtually visit."

"OneNote is a unique tool that makes it easy to gather lots of information in one place, and is great for collaboration, sharing, projects, group work, and much more. It is free for use in education, and is often included with MS Office "

"In four small schools scattered across San Francisco, a data experiment is under way. That is where AltSchool is testing how technology can help teachers maximize their students' learning. Founded two years ago by Max ­Ventilla, a data expert and former head of personalization at Google, AltSchool runs schools filled with data-gathering technology. Information is captured from the moment each student arrives at school and checks in on an attendance app"

The BBC have come up with what they think are the 25 Biggest Turning Points in Earth's History. Our planet has existed for 4.5 billion years, and a lot has happened but these turning points shaped our world significantly. They include leaps forward in evolutionary leaps, devastating asteroid collisions, mass extinctions and finally the coming of man

"Over the past year more and more schools across the globe have embraced the concept of making to learn.  This phenomenon trickled into schools as the Maker Movement became more popular and natural connections to learning became quite evident.  To begin to understand the educational value of making we must look at the roots of this movement."

"Google Chrome is actually much more than just a web browser. Google has tucked away a lot of hidden functionalities into the Chrome browser. Jotting notes on a built in notepad, playing a dinosaur themed browser game when the wifi is out, and even finding your lost cell phone on a Google map, are just a couple of the cool things most people can do. These are six of our favorite hidden Chrome tricks you can try out right now"

"A new study is the latest to support the use of video games, in particular the popular children's game Minecraft, in classroom learning"

From Dept of Ed & Child Development, SA. "We have thought deeply about what we value for our students' learning, how this is represented in the learning areas through the essence, and how this essence helps us work with all the components of the learning area. In this section we work with our colleagues using the BitL tool to ensure our pedagogy brings the essence of the learning areas to life in the classroom. It helps us engage our learners as scientists, as mathematicians, as historians, and as great communicators - so that they not only know about the important understandings and develop the skills within each learning area, but can bring this understanding to bear in their everyday contexts in powerful ways."

"For decades, schools have attempted to build and maintain this crucial bridge to lasting learning. Research shows that the stronger the connection between home and school, the greater the academic achievement can be for students. There are some new tools listed here that all educators can leverage to easily maximize parent-teacher-student communication"