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Osterweil, research director of MIT's Education Arcade, is one of the masterminds behind a new science game made for the Smithsonian Institution. The game is a National Science Foundation-funded experiment in "alternative science education."

"Victorian high schools will trial the country's first Year 12 computer science subject next year, in a bid to reverse a long-term decline in enrolments in hardcore computer science and engineering courses in Australian universities."

"Well, we are two Ukrainians who studied computer science at a university a while back. Both deeply passionate about computer science, sometime ago for our gradate work we developed an algorithm for detecting plagiarism in content. Once the project was completed, we saw what it has become. It was an amazing and useful tool for students and teachers to check if they or someone they know has plagiarized. Now finished with school, we thought this could really be useful to the public. So we gathered like-minded people to help make our service useful and popular throughout the world."

"READING, writing and - refactoring code? Many professors of computer science say college graduates in every major should understand software fundamentals. They don't argue that everyone needs to be a skilled programmer. Rather, they seek to teach "computational thinking" - the general concepts programming languages employ."

"It is a common view that "if only someone could break this down and explain it clearly enough, more students would understand." Khan Academy is a great example of this approach with its clear, concise videos on science. However it is debatable whether they really work. Research has shown that these types of videos may be positively received by students. They feel like they are learning and become more confident in their answers, but tests reveal they haven't learned anything. The apparent reason for the discrepancy is misconceptions. Students have existing ideas about scientific phenomena before viewing a video. If the video presents scientific concepts in a clear, well illustrated way, students believe they are learning but they do not engage with the media on a deep enough level to realize that what was is presented differs from their prior knowledge. There is hope, however. Presenting students' common misconceptions in a video alongside the scientific concepts has been shown to increase learning by increasing the amount of mental effort students expend while watching it."

The current programme of information and communications technology (ICT) study in England's schools will be scrapped from September, the education secretary has announced. It will be replaced by an "open source" curriculum in computer science and programming designed with the help of universities and industry.

"Australian researchers report they've made a breakthrough in quantum computing. So how does their discovery fit in the race to build a supercomputer?"

"CS Unplugged is a collection of free learning activities that teach Computer Science through engaging games and puzzles that use cards, string, crayons and lots of running around. The activities introduce students to underlying concepts such as binary numbers, algorithms and data compression, separated from the distractions and technical details we usually see with computers."

"For hundreds of years, people have been obsessed with taking the shortcut over valleys and rivers instead of going around them. To do that, we use bridges. In this module, you will have the chance to become a bridge engineer and design and build your own. You will also learn about some of the different types of bridges and how to decide which one to use in different situations."

I have been working on a bridge building technology unit and this pysical science unit looks interesting if you are a science or physics teacher.

"The Cisco Binary Game is the best way to learn and practice the binary number system. It is great for classes, students and teachers in science, math, digital electronics, computers, programming, logic and networking. It is also a LOT of fun to play for anyone who likes to play fast-paced arcade games."

"This is a generic version of a class "Computer Programming for Information Management" that I taught twice a year at the School of Library and Information Science, Indiana University Bloomington. The materials in this course are mostly self-explanatory and can be used for self study."

"Scratch is often cited as one of the best introductory languages for teaching kids - or anyone, really - to code. So it's no surprise that a Rutgers University honors class called "Programming for the Masses" would utilize Scratch as part of its goal of making programming a more accessible, everyday skill. What is unique - and if I may say so, pretty fun - is the direction that a research project, an outgrowth of the class, has taken since. The project is called Scratchable Devices, and with it, computer science Professor Michael Littman and some of his students are working to make it easy for anyone to program their household devices by using Scratch."

"Traitorware is not some science-fiction vision of the future. It is the present. .. We believe that your software and devices should not be a tool for gathering your personal data without your explicit consent. "

Interesting IT issue related to the gathering and use of personal data.

"It doesn't seem to matter what age group or demographic that I talk to, kids (and adults) everywhere are fans of Angry Birds. As I was playing around with Angry Birds (yep I'm a fan too), I started thinking about all of the learning that could be happening. I have watched a two year old tell an older sister that "you have to pull down to go up higher". I have watched as kids master this game through trial and error. Being the teacher that I am, I started dreaming up a transdisciplinary lesson with Angry Birds as the base. I happened to be writing an inquiry lesson that has students look at inventions throughout time and thought: the catapult-that is an invention that has technology and concepts that are used even today. This is one of those inspirational moments that comes when you are drifting off to sleep and has you frantically searching for paper and pen to record as fast as the ideas come. So what did I do? I got myself out of bed and went to work sketching out a super awesome plan. Here is the embedded learning that I came up with"

"Welcome to the Assessment for Learning website. This site has been developed by Curriculum Corporation on behalf of the education departments of the States, Territories and Commonwealth of Australia." "There are 32 assessment tasks, covering the learning areas of English, Science, Studies of Society and Environment and Health and Physical Education, Languages Other Than English, Technology, The Arts and Mathematics - or their State and Territory equivalents.

"Project-based learning is centered on the learner and affords learners the opportunity for in-depth investigations of worthy topics. The learners are more autonomous as they construct personally-meaningful artifacts that are representations of their learning. This article examines the theoretical foundations of project-based learning, particularly constructivism and constructionism, and notes the similarities and differences among implementations, including project-based science (Blulmenfeld et al., 1991), disciplined inquiry (Levstik & Barton, 2001) and WebQuests (Dodge, 1995). In addition, an anatomy of a model case will be considered using a WebQuest example developed by the author, describing seven characteristics common among the various implementations of project-based learning. Finally, practical advice and recommendations for project-based learning are discussed, including beginning slowly with the implementation, teaching students to negotiate cooperative/collaborative groups and establishing multiple forms of performance assessments."

"Computational thinking (CT) involves a set of problem-solving skills and techniques that software engineers use to write programs that underlay the computer applications you use such as search, email, and maps. Below is a list of specific techniques along with real world examples from our every day lives. "

Some great programming challenges that can be used to stimulate learning and thinking.