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Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D is an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation and human resources and a New York Times Best-selling author. He works with governments in Europe, Asia and the USA, with international agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and some of the world's leading cultural organizations. In 1998, he led a national commission on creativity, education and the economy for the UK Government. All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education? (The Robinson Report) was published to wide acclaim in 1999. He was been honored with the Athena Award of the Rhode Island School of Design for services to the arts and education; the Peabody Medal for contributions to the arts and culture in the United States, and the Benjamin Franklin Medal of the Royal Society of Arts for outstanding contributions to cultural relations between the United Kingdom and the United States. In 2005 he was named as one of Time/Fortune/CNN's Principal Voices. In 2003, he received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for his services to the arts and education. He speaks to audiences throughout the world on the creative challenges facing business and education in the new global economies.

In recent years there has been an explosion of virtual worlds intended for early childhood populations; however, because the majority of research on games and such worlds has focused on adults and adolescents, we know very little about these spaces. This article attempts to address this gap by providing a qualitative content analysis of the affordances that Webkinz World an online environment that as of March 2010 had over 3 million unique site visitors per month, offers for children's literacy and language development. Analyses suggest that the site provides unique opportunities for immersion in literacy-rich contexts and academically-oriented practices that may enhance those that are readily available in many children's daily lives. However, looking beyond the discrete linguistic and technical aspects of learning in Webkinz World reveals a designed culture with limitations on learning and a constrained set of literacies and social messages that warrant further critical exploration.

In recent years there has been an explosion of virtual worlds intended for early childhood populations; however, because the majority of research on games and such worlds has focused on adults and adolescents, we know very little about these spaces. This article attempts to address this gap by providing a qualitative content analysis of the affordances that Webkinz World an online environment that as of March 2010 had over 3 million unique site visitors per month, offers for children's literacy and language development. Analyses suggest that the site provides unique opportunities for immersion in literacy-rich contexts and academically-oriented practices that may enhance those that are readily available in many children's daily lives. However, looking beyond the discrete linguistic and technical aspects of learning in Webkinz World reveals a designed culture with limitations on learning and a constrained set of literacies and social messages that warrant further critical exploration.

Though centralized PC labs have been an important part of both campus space planning and IT infrastructure for the last two decades, this may be changing.

One of the most popular online comic creators that is very similar to Pixton, with the ability to create a private space for education for sharing/collaborating on comics.

One of the most popular online comic creators that is very similar to Pixton, with the ability to create a private space for education for sharing/collaborating on comics.

"In my last post I wrote about some iPad apps that I thought were must adds for administrators and educators alike. Since then I have received some great suggestions from my PLN and had the chance to check out other apps that I have found a use for as a High School Principal. "

Similar apps to what I am using. Interesting blog to follow.

"Just as some of us are last-minute shoppers, we also may be last-minute vacation planners as the holidays approach. For the network administrator, taking any vacation time can be a challenge. And if you are the only person in the IT shop, it can be a little daunting for your users. Here are a few tips that will help you plan effectively so you can get away!"

A handy list of 10 things to think about before school network administrators clock off for the year.

"Photo laboratory photl.com is the owner and distributor of the largest collection of exclusive free photos (Free Stock Photo Images) of high resolution for commercial purposes. All the photo images are subject to extended license on usage (Extended Royalty Free). They are absolutely free and are intended to be used in commercial activity. All the photo images can be used as a whole and also partially (their fragments). After a simple and quick registration (necessary for a better functioning of the resource) your account will be immediately activated and you will be granted with full access to our images. "

Free images available for commercial and non-commercial use.

"So while I was talking to a client today who has been agonising over the detail of the design, features and colours for their website (for the last 5 months) I was reminded of the principle of "Just Ship It" and how important it is in the new age of digital media and how even more relevant Nikes slogan of "Just Do It" has become."

Some good lessons and rules here for teachers mulling over social networking, when and where to start. Just do it.

"We invite you to explore the various features of Diigo. Become educated and informed on the powerful use of Diigo for student learning. Learn how this research tool can enhance classroom instruction and promote higher levels of student collaboration. As you navigate through our site you will see examples of valuable lessons and resources, all displayed for your use. "

Nice website for teachers to learn how to navigate the Diigo environment and examine examples of how they can use it to enhance student learning.

"A portable QR code reader for the iPhone. Fast and effective with the real-time auto detect mode. "

I am fascinated by the idea of how QRCodes could be used in a classrooms when schools acquire iPad2 tablet devices (with built in cameras)

The British citizen ship test is designed for UK citizenship seekers who are ready to take the Free Life in the UK test. Our practice tests are made so easy for applicants that will find it easy to face the UK Life Test.

Web Sites for Genealogists - An Australian gateway site for tracing your family history

An interesting starting point for those considering developing a policy or consent form for parents prior to letting students use online tools - could also be useful in 1:1 laptop scenarios.

Distributed Story Online - Workshop Template More here personalizemedia.com - Being used as part of a course but openly published for general use. Please attribute (draft in further development with other assets). This cross-genre, new format, online story development sheet should be printed A3 and ideas for each area can be sketched in. It helps media creators understand how to develop across multiple online channels and spaces and what fragments of the story can be cross connected. It is suggested that you number each instance with the 'release' date to help aid the campaign thinking. The axes indicate the likely 'maintenance' required - top right most maintenance (rich living environments) and bottom left least maintenance (ad hoc textual updates). NOTE: All the below can be on PC or mobile or console.

Transmedia storytelling template - awesome!

" The second Horizon Report for the K-12 sector describes the continuing work of the NMC's Horizon Project, a research project that seeks to 1 identify and describe emerging technologies that will likely have a significant impact on K-12 education. This report was produced in partnership with the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) and was made possible via a grant from HP."

search engine for flickr that allows you to specify to search for images that are: - free to use - and modify - commercially

oday, we are listing The Five Best Online Diagramming Tools. These would be very helpful for you to create professional looking diagrams, such as flowcharts, sitemaps, organisation charts, wireframes, and many more. If you are designer, developer, office worker, manager, supervisor, student, home user, etc but we hope that these are worth checking for all of you.

On this site you can find a collection of seven math, science and writing games that are great for elementary and middle school students. Not only can you play these interactive games right on your computer, but you can download them and use them on your computer and save them for a later time.