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"GFW High school  in Minnesota is really leading the race at this point.  I  read the blog Ed Galaxy by Kevin Cummins regularly.  Kevin frequently shares great stuff.  Today is a wonderful article, The Ultimate Guide to Using iPads in the Classroom. In that article, he links to the GFW iPad Policy, Procedures and information.  It is chalked full of good information for any school thinking about 1:1 with iPads.  So, I did a little diggin and found their school website, including the iPad initiative pages that has even more useful information.  They are in their 2nd year of this, so, clearly they have a lot of the bugs worked out.  No need to re-invent the wheel, take their lead and learn from them!!  What more can I say, but WOW!!"

The Blue School in the news.

Good thoughts on setting goals for technology use in a school, rather than allowing the technology to define the school's goals. "In the end, our advice is: be sure your school defines clear goals for what it seeks to achieve by having computing devices in the hands of its students."

Blog and news about NYC public schools

"schools are spending billions on technology, even as they cut budgets and lay off teachers, with little proof that this approach is improving basic learning."

"the school's chief teaching tools are anything but high-tech: pens and paper, knitting needles and, occasionally, mud. Not a computer to be found. No screens at all. They are not allowed in the classroom, and the school even frowns on their use at home."

"what we know-from industry and neuroscience-is that organizational structure, environment, and human performance are deeply intertwined. It is inevitable that schools must be completely redesigned if society wants to tap the wellsprings of creativity and exploration that the industrial system subdues." Wow.

"By working together on problem sets in math and sharing their perspectives in roundtable discussions in English, students at The College Preparatory School are making collaboration the driving force in their learning." Some great examples of collaboration -- both in practice and theory.

On the growing trend of public school students (and parents) opting out of standardized tests.

"Children may perform better in school and feel more confident about themselves if they are told that failure is a normal part of learning, rather than being pressured to succeed at all costs, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association."

A wonderful authentic learning scenario in which 3rd graders create a multimedia documentation of their community. They team with high school kids who help with the use of technology, and with local experts to gain knowledge; then the students create a lasting document of their understanding. Just great stuff, and totally relevant across many age levels. "Third graders become historians, writers, and videographers as they explore the geography and geology of their community."

"Technology has become a core component of almost every facet of our daily lives but modernizing education requires significantly more commitment than simply providing students with access to technology." Sam Gliksman, iPads in Education ning

At a time when U.S. political and business leaders are raising concerns about the need to better nurture creativity and innovative thinking among young people, several states are exploring the development of an index that would gauge the extent to which schools provide opportunities to foster those qualities.

Smart post by Sam Gliksman on the reasons for classroom iPad use. A lot of what he says applies to technology in general.

Report from 2006 which summarizes the state of research into educational technology's effectiveness. Positive results for different types of tech use in schools are categorized into a taxonomy of learning goals. This is a very comprehensive review. As usual technology is shown effective only when supported well and integrated into teaching and learning with fidelity.

A surprising but encouraging contribution to the debate about same-sex education vs. mixed.

Truly amazing notetaking software. I've used it for my grad school classes and personal notetaking. We have this software installed on every RCS computer, and you can install it on your own devices for free. From their site: "Save your ideas, things you like, things you hear, and things you see. Evernote works with nearly every computer, phone and mobile device out there. Search by keyword, tag or even printed and handwritten text inside images."

very cool - I'm sharing it with my girls too :)

A study that sheds light on the debates and the intersections of technology and 21st century skills from the vantage point of school-based educators. Attitudes of more than 1000 educators is explored