RCSPTW

Information on approaches to blended learning. Summary of the three NIIT models: Skill-Driven, Attitude-Driven, Competency-Driven.

"Browse and use standards-aligned curriculum." Some free, some paid.

Totally free to educators. "Can the expertise we have developed over the past 25 years enable us to produce technologies that enhance learning? The answer-an enthusiastic Yes-came only after deliberating with educators. SAS Curriculum Pathways is the result of those deliberations."

"Exploring the intersections of education, learning, and technology"

"For the inquisitive educator, there are some jewels herein that can lead to stimulating discussions, new resources, and an ongoing supportive network. You just have to know where to look."

"Lessons Worth Sharing." Remains to be seen whether they'll work for flipped classrooms, but some good ideas and videos here.

An overview of Twitter for professional development as well as some links. "Teachers who are fans say they appreciate the easy-to-use tool as a quick way to network with colleagues. They like being able to ask and answer questions, learn from experts, share resources, and react to events on the fly."

Valuable reading, as understanding how these cycles reinforce learning leads to better planning for blended learning. The Pedagogy and Technology Workshop employs a cycle much like the first few diagrams. 

Several multimedia explanations, and some readings and resources, about the flipped classroom. 

Resource from the NYSAIS Teaching w/ Tech. Workshop 2/2012

Flipped classroom information and links.

A classroom music experience in which 24 kids (many on iPads) and several professional musicians collaborated on a piece of digital music. The piece they created may not shatter any sales records (though it is actually on sale in the iTunes store), but it's certainly not bad for student work. It's unclear how long they worked on this piece, or how many takes were involved, but the resulting music and video are good. And the students are left with a downloadable song that they created. So here are my questions: - are these students learning music? - is their learning transferable to real instruments? - to tweak Sting's words: is technology a legitimate teacher in this case?

iPad classroom integrations and information.

Don't know if they're actually "the best," but there are a lot here -- and they cover multiple interests and disciplines.

"Today, though, as we move into Personalised Learning in the Age of Technology, it is time for us to break the shackles of traditional thinking regarding writing and technology. We can no longer afford to dwell on the negative impacts of spellcheck and copy/paste. Instead, let's focus on the benefits."

"This then leads into a discussion of ... the reconstructive and associative nature of long-term memory. ... when we remember information, it is a combination of what we have experienced and what we know about the world." Memory as constructed experience. Beautiful.

"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."

"Researchers who have investigated expert and novice performance have uncovered important distinctions between deliberate practice and other activities, such as work, play and rote repetition. Rote repetition - simply repeating a task - will not automatically improve performance. Effective practice is deliberate."

Information and resources on PLNs for educators.

Tips and tools for educators on how to build a PLN, with lots of examples of great content and resources. 

Skip Via explains personal learning networks, or PLNs. Slightly out of date at this point (e.g. Google Wave is gone) but a great explanation of how differentiated learning can happen online.