RCSPTW

"Very few people or organizations however constantly discuss and debate "WHY" they do something. It's only by reflecting on the question of "why" that enables us to develop and articulate a meaningful vision for what we should be doing ... and that certainly applies to education." Sam Gliksman, iPads in Education ning

"Blended learning is a disruptive innovation in education that can take many forms. Here, we look at what blended learning is, why it's spreading, and how it works in real and virtual classrooms. Join the conversation on blended learning below."

"Primary teachers leave technology to the secondary teachers; Secondary teachers leave technology to the Higher Ed Teachers; and Higher Ed teachers assume that students are "digital natives". Tech skills of Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking, Research, Social Learning, and Media Literacy in general are not being taught by some educators, but rather being assumed to be mastered by our digital natives."

Very powerful application of Google Apps to create a system of assessment and feedback for teachers and students. It's complex, but he's provided the whole template.

QR code creator add-on for Firefox.

The big dog of the link shorteners.

Quick chatroom setup for back-channel conversation.

The pen that also records audio and its location on the page. Way cool.

"Although hundreds of studies have shown that clearly communicating instructional objectives has a positive effect on student achievement, not all techniques for doing so have the same beneficial effects. In a series of studies we conducted at Marzano Research Laboratory, we found that some approaches had no effect on student achievement and that others actually produced negative results-that is, students would have been better off if the teacher had not provided an objective."

"New Horizons for Learning identifies and communicates successful strategies as a leading-edge web resource for educational practice."

"Just as effective teaching demands that teachers establish routines to guide the basic physical and social interactions of the classroom, so too thinking routines need to be established to help guide students' learning and intellectual interactions..."

"In spring 2007 I invited the 200 students enrolled in the "small" version of my "Introduction to Cultural Anthropology" class to tell the world what they think of their education by helping me write a script for a video to be posted on YouTube. The result was the disheartening portrayal of disengagement you see below."

"Educators must reevaluate the degree to which compliance has affected every aspect of the learning environment, including the use of established classroom assessments and grading systems to identify success. Many A students have earned high marks primarily because of their meticulousness in following directions, their knack for repeating procedures on cue, and their ability to expertly summarize other people's ideas."

Example of VoiceThread in the classroom. (Just keep closing the sign-in box if you don't want to create an account.)

Bruce Leslie describes his kids' experience using Skype for language learning.

"Our research shows that the argument that there is a generational break between today's generation of young people who are immersed in new technologies and older generations who are less familiar with technology is flawed," says Dr Jones. "The diverse ways that young people use technology today shows the argument is too simplistic and that a new single generation, often called the 'net generation', with high skill levels in technology does not exist." Press release: http://www.esrc.ac.uk/news-and-events/press-releases/20523/not-all-todays-students-are-tech-savvy.aspx

Not sure why he named it that, but it's an extension for Google Chrome that sends web pages to Pocket (nee Read it Later). Works great, and it's donationware so you can try it (or use it forever) for free.

"If you're always on the hunt for new ideas to implement in the classroom or want to keep up with the latest news in education, then turn to Twitter.  With teachers tweeting in droves, if determining whom to follow first is overwhelming, start by checking out these top 25 teachers, educators and experts on Twitter. By following their tweets, you will gain access to education news as it happens and numerous tips, activities and resources to use in your classroom or with your children."

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

Tons of BIo and AP Bio video resources from Paul Andersen.