Interesting ideas are developed in this "Digital Education Revolution" document that arrives to a conclusion we have been flirting with as well: "Perhaps the most important finding from our analysis is that technology leadership has greater leverage on desired outcomes than does technology infrastructure and expenditures"

This article presents some reasons to the question: "Why wikis for school leaders?" It also reviews the book "Wikis for School Leaders" in case you want to dig deeper.

Thought you might find interesting what this course offers school leaders in terms of technology and leadership: ""While the program is geared toward technology issues, it's more than that - it's about leadership,"

A blog for school leaders, aspiring school leaders and teachers where all those questions we have been asking ourselves and each other are openly discussed. Since we have been walking the walk ourselves, you'll find it enjoyable!

Have you ever said or thought this: "We didn't have [x] when I was a kid and I turned out okay"? You might be interested on an article shared by George Couros in Twitter. The author says if this argument is valid, so these others are too: "Buses? We walked to school barefoot, in the snow, uphill both ways!", "Electricity? Pshaw! Do you know how dangerous those wires are? When we were kids we had oil lamps and candles and everything was fine.", "Agriculture? Hah! It's the ruin of society! Kids are just sitting around getting soft while they watch the crops grow. When I was a child we actually had to run after our food. We were tough, not like these kids today.", etc… Check it out!

It's just nice to hear another teacher, just like us, talking about TPACK as part of a technology class, just like ours...

This is a very useful article which not only gives you a theoretical background, but it presents some criteria to examine the TPACK framework and identify weaknesses. It suggests at the same time fields that must have a deeper theoretical development. Comprehensive but succinct.

As an ESL teacher, this is the type of article I definitely wanted to find. This paper discusses new literacy practices that can be enabled through "the creative repurposing of digital technologies" as the author calls it. The article supports the idea of teachers as designers of curriculum, who "repurpose" existing technical tools for pedagogical purposes. And, all is focused on literacy practices. Definitely, a clearer view of integration between technology, pedagogy and content.

This document pinpoints how to realize the benefits of technology, schools must develop a plan for integrating technology into the curriculum. It explains that an effective technology plan is based on the shared vision of educators, parents, community members, and business leaders who have technological expertise. And how it strengthens existing curricula and supports meaningful, engaged learning for all students. There are many enriching links to go deeper into the several aspects that the article mentions.

Ooooops!!! Pretty old!! I just checked my other posts, three are fine but two are quite outdated... I'll pay more attention to dates the next time... :P

This article shows how technology not only aids student learning, it motivates students, builds confidence, creativity and problem solving, increases content knowledge, helps students with special needs thrive and reflects the demands of the modern world. And, therefore, it gives relevant info to make a successful technology plan. It offers as well an interesting comparison between what digital learners vs. what many educators prefer when it comes to education.

This document, prepared by graduate students at Mississippi State University, is a comprehensive guide to elaborate a successful technology plan. It considers not only what must be taken into account technology wise, but the actual mechanics of the plan. It can be a good guide for those with less experience wishing more detailed advice.

This is actually a document written as well by John See, the same author who wrote the article on the previous post, "Developing Effective Technology Plans". It is an improved version of it, where other aspects are considered. I think the author brilliantly condenses the most important aspects that we must take into account in any tech plan that intends to look at technology from the perspective of a new era. Norma Acero.

"Effective technology plans are short term, not long term. Five year plans are too long. Technology is changing so fast that it is almost impossible to plan what type of technology will be available for use five years from now..." Along with this worthy advice that shows how up-to-date we must be as educators, the author mentions very important aspects to have in mind in a technology plan, like: *Effective technology plans focus on applications, not technology. *Effective technology plans go beyond enhancing the curriculum. *Effective technology plans define technology as more than computers. *Effective technology plan stress integration of technology into the curriculum. *Effective technology plans are tied to staff development plans. Norma Acero.

Well, this article couldn't be more interesting... It dates back to 1997, it is in the Journal of Technology Education by Virginia Tech. It seems that since 1990 the number of students graduating with technology education teaching degrees had plummeted notoriously and the doomsday for the tech teacher preparation programs would occur by 2005... I guess it didn't happen!

Hmmmm... That's true! I've been trying to remember how things were in Colombia a couple of years ago, and it seems the same phenomenon has happened. I remember how in college I took some technology courses for specific kinds of programs... then, they started disappearing and if I wanted a refresher I had to teach myself or find a friend. In my schools here I can see how the technology classes are used as a means to do something else through technology rather than studying technology by itself... It stopped being the object of study and became a means to achieve objectives in other areas. A clear sample of that: The technology teachers at my two schools started going to two or three schools, they are more kind of facilitators than instructors... I guess that's pretty bad for the kind of student who needs to learn formally, step by step, in a classroom setting.... For our students... well, my younger students know way more than me! And they didn't learn it form anybody! Just trial and error!

OK, this one has a little bit of everything and very concise and clear, but what I loved the most was the quotes... An example: "Computers in the future may weigh no more than one and a half tons." -Popular Mechanics, Forecasting the Relentless March of Science, 1949.

Now, this is another timeline but it focuses in the last decades on how tech has been used in education. It ends in 2007, and the next heading is "2008 and beyond..." How cool is that we can already write the history under that heading!!

Just thought it would be interesting to see in this link how a tech museum in California creates activities to promote active interactive learning, and how this kind of museums make everyone feel technology can be mastered by all of us.

This is just a cool ensemble of pictures of what it would be now considered "old technology"... It reminds me so much of my ESL students doing their state test last year... There was a picture of a typing machine in the test and to my surprise none of them knew what it was... most of them wrote "a kind of very old computer" he he... Well, maybe it is!!

I know!!! Tech is advancing so fast, it makes us feel even older than we are!! :P

Very detailed but concise timeline of every event related to technology in several fields... I loved they mention of one of my fav movies: "1999: The release of the movie "The Matrix" once again steps up the computer generated graphics technology field." Always thought movies have played an important role in the advance of technology... Movies make people dream about things that are not inspired by our daily lives...

An interesting, holistic (philosophical if you may...) study of internet as part of modern society, whether accepted or resisted to... It shows as well how people have adapted to it, so that total privacy won't be lost, and, of course,the fear of social media...