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Dr. Lodge McCammon is a Specialist in Curriculum and Contemporary Media at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation (www.fi.ncsu.edu). His work in education began in 2003 at Wakefield High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he taught Civics and AP Economics. He finished a Ph.D. from North Carolina State University in 2008 where his work at The Friday Institute continues to bring innovative practices to students, teachers and schools. He developed a teaching and professional development process called FIZZ which encourages and models best practices in implementing user-generated video and online publishing in the classroom to enhance standards-based lessons. He is also a studio composer who writes standards-based songs, with supporting materials, about advanced curriculum for K-12 classrooms. More information, user-generated videos, and songs can be found at Lodge's website (www.iamlodge.com).

"Last September, a man in his twenties was found dead in Portman Avenue, a suburban street in west London. He had suffered horrendous injuries to his head and face. He had no identity papers on him and no one had reported him missing. A reporter follows the Metropolitan police investigation into who he was and how he arrived in Portman Avenue. It is a story that spans two continents and eight countries."

In July, 2011, the AASL Board approved the Position Statement on Labeling Books with Reading Levels. The AASL position statement defines standard directional spine labels and compares them to reading level labels (associated with computerized reading programs) as they are often applied in school libraries. The statement also offers suggestions for concerned librarians to be aware not only of the possible negative effects of these  labels on children as they browse, but also offers suggestions for voicing those concerns. There are proponents and opponents to how computerized reading programs are implemented in schools and their effects on school library collections and students' free access to books of their choice.  A school librarian (name withheld) shares this story of how labels affect students' choices in her school. "Recently I helped a student who came to me while his class was in the library browsing. As the librarian of a middle school library, I often see situations such as this one. The boy had been most recently reading about George Washington and Ben Franklin. His class assignment that day was to checkout two computerized reading program books within his tested reading level and thus was "allowed" only one free choice book. "But I'd rather not have to check out labeled books and there are some books I'd like today that don't have the dots or reading level labels on the backs of the books. Does that mean Ican't check them out?" he asks me. The boy went on to say that he'd rather be allowed to check out three books on his favorite non-fiction topics, regardless of reading level. As he expresses his frustration, he lowers his voice and moves toward a corner of the library where there are no other students. "I'm a pretty good reader," he said quietly, "and I really like reading about the American Revolution. But I have to stay within a certain range. I can't find many books in my reading level that are really interest

When Dublin university student Shane Fitzgerald posted a poetic but phony quote on Wikipedia, he said he was testing how our globalized, increasingly Internet-dependent media was upholding accuracy and accountability in an age of instant news.

Primary School is the foundation of a child's educational life. How is he/she going to perform and what kind of attitude he/she exposes towards receiving education depends completely upon the care and assistance one receives in their primary school level. So, it is the responsibility of every conscious parent to provide their kid with the best care and support during the most formative period of their life. To support them successfully and completely, enrolling them in a primary school is not the only thing you have to do. They need extensive care and only an efficient primary school tutor can create the environment which will enable them to learn, making it an extremely enjoyable act.

This 1947 college newspaper essay from Martin Luther King is the source for his oft-cited quotations on the function of education as it relates to critical thinking. With the essay he also notes the import of character and the transmission of culture.

Supports the implementation of the New Curriculum for Information Literacy in HE. Contained on the wiki are case studies, teaching resources, training materials for librarians who will deliver, skills audit tool and much more. The curriculum and supporting documentation can be found here: http://ccfil.pbworks.com/f/ANCIL_final.pdf

Data on the benefits of reading fiction.

For many individuals working in higher education, it is the subject level where most networking and exchange takes place. That is why support at the subject level remains at the heart of our work. We continue to develop and deliver the subject-specific services that are most valued by the sector, including: workshops and seminars, teaching development grants, journals, support and guidance for staff new to teaching, resources and networking opportunities.

"Google CEO Eric Schmidt created buzz (and some shock and criticism) when he suggested in a recent Wall Street Journal interview that, in the not too distant future, "every young person…will be entitled automatically to change his or her name on reaching adulthood in order to disown youthful hijinks stored on their friends' social media sites.""

"This documentary on Texting and Driving is haunting. It focuses on four accidents, some of them fatal, and Herzog aims his camera squarely at the faces of both victims and perpetrators, asking them to describe in detail what happened and the aftermath. Herzog emphasizes the change in civilization he perceives in part by examining an accident in which an Amish family was killed and another in which a horse-shoer's truck was involved." For Senior Students.

"One of the most common questions math teachers hear from their students is, "why does this matter?" They are constantly trying to convince students that math is useful and could help them in their everyday lives. But it can be a tough sell. Word problems alone often feel contrived and students see right through them. Thomas Petra has taught math at every level for more than 20 years and encountered dubious students at every grade level. That's why he developed Real World Math, a free website with lessons based on Google Earth aimed at grades 5 - 10. "I was trying to show them actual applications of the math ideas that they see in the textbook," Petra said."

"As is he habit once every month, I feature here in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning a list of some new educational iPad apps that I came across in different blogs and websites. Of course I can not include every single app I bookmarked because the list will be too long, however, the suggestions I have below are the ones that stood out to me from the rest. I invite you to check them out and probably share them with your colleagues."

"he Digizen website provides information for educators, parents, carers, and young people. It is used to strengthen their awareness and understanding of what digital citizenship is and encourages users of technology to be and become responsible DIGItal citiZENS. It shares specific advice and resources on issues such as social networking and cyberbullying and how these relate to and affect their own and other people's online experiences and behaviours. "

A great overview of Lance's research into the effectiveness of libraries.  He answers the question: Do school libraries or librarians make a difference?  His answer (A HUGE YES!) is back by 14 years of remarkable research.  The point is proved.  But this information remains unknown to many principals and superintendents.  Anyone interested in 21st century teaching and learning will find this interview fascinating.

Robin Good - Communication Designer and New Media Explorer - has compiled this great mind map of the top collaboration tools for 2011 that he updates ... weekly! Check out the other mind maps he's created from the list on the right-hand side.

JISC Digital Media exists to help the UK's FE and HE communities embrace and maximise the use of digital media - and to achieve solutions that are innovative, practical and cost effective.

This is a terrific mini lesson from Barry Lane. He shows (not tells) how to explode a moment into a full page of rich writing. The visuals in this video will catch any student's attention. I've called this technique the Magnified Moment. It's also tied to the idea of using imaginary binoculars to really see the details of an event. Fun to watch, this video is part of "Barry in a Box", a book and dvd Barry is selling on his website: www.discoverwriting.com