Technology should enhance learning. There is no value in just having access to it but more important how it is used.

Technology in the classroom can help students become capable users, information seekers, problem solvers and decision-makers.

in order to teach to the standards and enhance literacy in this multicultural environment, technology has to be integrated into the classroom in one way or another.

Audiobooks increase language skills and literacy.

Audiobooks pave the way for a lifelong love of reading and extend the genre.

By increasing a student's language skills, audiobooks make reading more accessible and appealing.

Movies can be an effective method of drawing reluctant readers into story analysis. Features such as plot, setting, characters, problem, and solution occur in films just like they do in texts.

By teaching them how to analyze plot and characters, how to describe setting and main idea, and how to identify the problem, solution, and climax in a movie, we give them tools to then navigate fiction texts.

The pause button is invaluable when using movies in the classroom.

Using movies in the classroom can be an effective way for teachers to engage students in course material if teachers take some important precautions.

Using popular movies in the high school or college classroom can engage students who might not otherwise read course material and/or help students to better understand course material by being able to relate that material to a medium with which they are more familiar

Teachers should work with their schools or departments regarding policies, securing permissions, and designing optional assignments if some students are prohibited from watching the film.

I hit upon the idea of using TV to teach notetaking, main idea, and summarization. As a middle school language arts teacher in a low-income,minority population community, I knew these were skills my students needed to practice and master.

The students eventually became so sophisticated that they not only wanted to discuss the news, but also to analyze it.

The skills are equally important whether you are 13 or 30: notetaking, main idea, summarization, and particularly the analyzing of media presentations. Through analysis, we all become better decision makers.

On the positive side, this means our students have access to a huge array of valuable information—primary resources, up-to-the-minute news, and networking opportunities they never would have had before the Internet age. But sending young people out into these uncharted waters without understanding what Alan November refers to as "the grammar of the Internet" can be dangerous indeed.

it is equally unsafe to send students out on the Web without the ability to validate the information they find.

The Internet grammar he proposes teaching them includes "a range of critical thinking strategies, from decoding Web addresses to understanding the pattern of links to searching for the owner of a site."

Learning is the acquisition of new knowledge and/or skills. It also encompasses the updating or improvement of existing knowledge/skills.

Traditional learning New Model Learning Learning takes place in the early part of life, from infancy through early adulthood. Learning takes place throughout life to keep pace with rapid change. Learning takes place at particular times and places, as specified by the educatiing body. Learning takes place at the time and place convenient to the learner. Learning occurs in the presence of a human teacher. Learner interacts more directly with learning content (as opposed to human teacher). Primary communication is from teacher to learner. Learner communicates with teacher(s) and peers. Everyone following a particular course learns from the same syllabus. Learning is individualized. Every learner follows a unique “course”. Learners can control what is learned and how learning is delivered. Everyone following a particular course is presented with the same learning experience. Learners can learn in different ways depending on their particular learning style and preferences. Learning is a full time activity. Learning is flexible, it can be part-time, full-time, face-to-face, distance or blended. Learning occurs in parallel with life (work, family etc). Part-time, distance learning is the dominant mode. Learning is a passive experience of memorization followed by regurgitation. Learning is quickly forgotten after exams, if not applied in daily life. Learning is an active experience. Learning becomes part of the learner (constructivism). Theory is learned before being applied in practice. Theory is learned in parallel with practical application.

Surface or shallow learning is learning in which the learner tries to do just enough to avoid failure. It involves committing facts to memory without any attempt to understand their meaning or add them to the learner’s internal knowledge model. Shallow learning is often used by immature learners, or learners for whom the learning itself is not the primary goal

he "blogs" are gaining traction in education as an online forum for classroom discussion, and to develop students' critical thinking, writing, and reading comprehension skills.

he Weblog traffic has since grown to encompass different students and schools, making it clear to our students that others are reading and learning from their work. This "sense of audience" gets students excited, and helps to facilitate discussion, debate, and participation, even among reticent students. Blogs also motivate students to become more engaged in reading, think more deeply about the meaning of their writing, and submit higher quality work.

The flexibility of this online tool makes it well suited for K-12 implementations. Teachers can use blogs to post homework assignments, create links, pose questions, and generate discussion. Students can post homework, create a portfolio, and archive peer feedback, enabling a virtually paperless classroom.