Learning has always been based on exposure to new stimuli, research and communication. Ideas are formulated through external opinion, reflection and conclusion

For twitter to work you need to follow the right people. As an educator I needed to follow those who contributed to #ukedchat and there I found items of interest (@ICTEvangelist). Not only was it interesting to read the 140 character snippets but also the links that were posted. I was introduced to a range of teaching discussion that stimulated thought. There were blogposts that led to conversations in the staff room and links that could be passed on to colleagues.

As educators and learners, the power of the highlighting marker and sticky notes has long been established.

"Getting information off of the internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant."  -Mitchell Kapor, founder of Lotus Development Corporation

Another changing paradigm in education is the demand for differentiated and individualized instruction. The challenge in this environment is how to manage appropriate information flow for each individual learner without the educator working one-at-a-time guiding each learner along a prepared path followed by assessing the learner's progress and understanding.