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During 2008, we've tried to bring you the best how-tos for achieving more with social media tools: everything from Google products to blogging to online video to productivity and beyond. Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, Friendfeed, and Delicious all got the How-To treatment. Today, as the year draws to a close, we bring you a hand-picked selection of Mashable's social media How-To articles in 2008; some holiday reading, perhaps, or something to refer back to once you restart the daily grind in 2009. Enjoy!

For most of us, science arrives in our lives packaged neatly as fact. But how did it get that way? Science is an active process of observation and investigation. Evidence: How Do We Know What We Know? examines that process, revealing the ways in which ideas and information become knowledge and understanding. a case study in human origins In this case study in human origins, we explore how scientific evidence is being used to shape our current understanding of ourselves: What makes us human-and how did we get this way?

"On October 29, 2014 the Alliance for Excellent Education hosted a webinar in its Project 24 leadership series. Project 24 is a systemic planning framework around the effective use of technology and digital learning to achieve the goal of college and career readiness for all students. This webinar focused on the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1998 to protect the online privacy of children. More than fifteen years later, as digital learning constitutes a critical component of education both in and out of school, COPPA has become yet another hurdle between teachers and connecting students to digital learning opportunities. The webinar explored what educators need to know about this law, and how they and school administrators can successfully navigate COPPA to ensure that students are afforded the full benefits of online and blended learning opportunities.  It showed how teachers can provide consent for students to register for online websites.  It explored whether or not students who are under thirteen years old can even use Web 2.0 resources without running afoul of the law.  And it dealt with how school districts assume the duty of COPPA compliance. During the webinar, Mark Cheramie Walz gave educators straight-forward answers on how to comply with COPPA without sacrificing the potential that digital learning and online resources afford. Tom Murray from the Alliance moderated the discussion. Mr. Cheramie Walz and Mr. Murray also addressed questions submitted by webinar viewers from across the country."

Learn it in 5 is a powerful library of how-to videos, produced by technology teachers, for the purpose of helping teachers and students create classroom strategies for today's 21st century's digital classroom. These step-by-step how-to videos walk teachers through Web 2.0 technology, demonstrating how to use Web 2.0 applications like blogs, social networks, podcasts, interactive videos, wikis, slidesharing and much more. Read more: http://www.learnitin5.com/#ixzz0xW08i1dV

"What are the benefits for the teacher and learner in the context of open education and OER? How does a blended-learning school boost student achievement? How can we design the schools for 21st Century Learning? How will be the classroom of tomorrow? What are the tools and resources for the 21st Century Educator?"

"Google Forms are amazing tools, allowing you to do some really advanced tricks with forms as the front-end and spreadsheets at the heart. Once you get started you'll be amazed at just how much you can achieve with this basic premise. Today we'll look at how to create a self-grading quiz using Google Forms. From there, you'll no doubt find a lot more ways to use forms and spreadsheets."

Children need to be taught proper Internet principles while they are young. The Children's Way Woogi World™ Program is a free program for elementary aged students (K-6) that teaches children how to balance their lives, how to use the internet for good, and how to serve and contribute to their local communities. These activities are created with the No Child Left Behind Standards, and reinforce what your children are learning in school. Children participate in these educational activities in a virtual World called Woogi World™.

How is energy generated? How much does it cost? How does it affect the environment? These are extremely important topics today, and are no longer just the domain of engineers and industry experts. ElectroCity was developed to increase public awareness - particularly among students - of the basic "common knowledge" of these topics. That is, the general terms and concepts of the industry and the dilemmas that go along with them. Our goal is not to provide students with a sophisticated understanding of the controversies in the various energy debates. Rather, our goal is to spark an interest and lay an unbiased foundation for later learning.

"Welcome to Historical Thinking Matters, a website focused on key topics in U.S. history, that is designed to teach students how to critically read primary sources and how to critique and construct historical narratives. Read how to use this site."

So where do you start learning how to integrate technology into your classroom as well as how to use it for your ongoing professional development? And how do you stay current with the almost daily changes in the technology landscape? To find answers both general and specific, I talked to three strong advocates for incorporating technology into the learning process: Darren Draper, director of technology services for the Canyons School District, in Cottonwood Heights, Utah; Louise Maine, a science teacher at Punxsutawney Area High School, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania; and Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, a digital-learning consultant and a cofounder of Powerful Learning Practice, a professional-development company that aids educators in adopting 21st-century teaching and learning practices.

"The issues surrounding copyright have never been more visible. But the classroom presents its own copyright-related challenges, for students and teachers alike. How is an educator to know what the rules are? How do those rules apply in the classroom? And how can we make sure that students know the rules as well? To help educators answer these questions, the Copyright Alliance has established the Copyright Alliance Education Foundation. Working with Young Minds Inspired, the Foundation has developed a comprehensive program for teachers. Additionally, we have compiled a library of free curricula that helps teachers of all grades and subject areas incorporate copyright into existing lesson plans."

"US Copyright laws may be years behind the fast-paced world of social media and blogs, but they still control how a copyrighted work can be used. And while there are aspects of Copyright law that have "gone digital," the Digital Millennium Copyright Act doesn't provide anything new when it comes to explaining how to properly use another person's photos or images online. And because most people won't read the law and even those who do may not understand exactly what it means, I offer you these to help you"

"How can we best prepare children and adolescents to thrive in the 21st century? This question is at the heart of what every educator attempts to do on a daily basis. Apart from imparting content of knowledge and facts, however, it's becoming clear that the " noncognitive competencies " known as grit, perseverance , and tenacity are just as important, if not more so , in preparing kids to be self-sufficient and successful. To that end, the Department of Education's Office of Technology has released a report called Promoting Grit, Tenacity, and Perseverance"

"Digital citizenship is a key component of the technology and media literacy. We do not teach our students how to be  good citizens in the real physical world  but how they can be good netizens of the online world  as well.Today's learning requires alot of use of technology and most imprtant of all, our students are using technology on a daily basis- text messaging, blogging, Facebooking, Twittering, watching videos, gaming and networking. They live in two different but interconnected worlds. What they do online can have a severe repercussions on their real life if not properly instructed on digital safety issues and this is where digital citizenship fits in."

"Customizing your teaching to suit each child makes eminent sense. Kids are different, they learn differently, so we should teach them differently, right? But when you're staring out at 20 or 30 students as individual as snowflakes, you may find yourself asking that ever-daunting question: "How?" The short answer is: one step at a time. Teachers at Forest Lake Elementary School in Columbia, South Carolina, have made it their mission for the past decade to differentiate instruction for their diverse students. They started small, and they've grown and honed their strategies each year. Here are their tips -- combined with some advice from Edutopia bloggers and members of the Edutopia community -- on how you can get started. And please use the comments field below to ask questions and add your own suggestions! "

"As educators focusing on 21st Century Learning, it is important that we are able to share examples of powerful student work that we can share with educators around the world. It is important that we have this opportunity to not only talk about how we can empower students, but as examples of how this has ALREADY affected student learning." A nice listing of 21st century student work examples. Add your own!

"Last week I asked for your ideas on how you make connections with kids on the first days of school. I am overwhelmed by the response. With right at 80 ideas there is surely something here for everyone, or at least a new idea to try."

A brief guide showing how to use www.animoto.com.

This slideshow provides the framework for a discussion about how educators can model 'creative integrity' and how they can assist students in leverage the Creative Commons as content creators