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HHelping students learn how to learn: That's what most educators strive for, and that's the goal of inquiry learning. That skill transfers to other academic subject areas and even to the workplace where employers have consistently said that they want creative, innovative and adaptive thinkers. Inquiry learning is an integrated approach that includes kinds of learning: content, literacy, information literacy, learning how to learn, and social or collaborative skills. Students think about the choices they make throughout the process and the way they feel as they learn. Those observations are as important as the content they learn or the projects they create.

The COETAIL program (Certificate of Educational Technology and Information Literacy) is based on best practice student-centered online learning theories and techniques. Harnecing the newest and latest in Web 2.0 technologies the program leads educators through a process not only demonstrates how to use technologes but allows educators to apply their learning in their own school and classroom.

"Discovery, inquiry, exploration and engagement combine to ensure rapid learning."

This is the process behind the Inquiry Hub, a new initiative by Coquitlam Open Learning and School District #43.  The COL Inquiry Hub is a full-time grade 8-12 program which brings students together in a technology-facilitated environment and encourages them to explore their own questions from key themes: Community and global issues Environmental sustainability Media Art, design and technology

Rich Internet Applications for Language Learning Online programs for recording, uploading, mixing, and interacting

You know what the iGeneration in your classroom looks like. They're the students willing to experiment their way through anything, confident that trial and error can crack the code better than reading manuals or following directions. They're turning to the Internet first and the library second when assigned research projects. Their minds are working fast, but not always as deeply or as accurately as the adults in their lives would like. Yet teachers can capture the attention of the iGeneration and help them grow by integrating technology into classrooms in a way that focuses on the skills that have been important for decades. Teaching the iGeneration shows how to integrate proven instructional strategies with 21st century tools to make learning more accessible to today's technology-savvy students. Each chapter identifies an enduring skill that students need to acquire-information fluency, persuasion, communication, collaboration, and problem solving-and offers a digital solution to enhance, rather than replace, familiar practices to teach that skill. With this book, educators can make learning more efficient, empowering, and fun. Authors William M. Ferriter and Adam Garry provide: Practical solutions for using technology to teach essential skills A guide to understanding the pros and cons of Web 2.0 resources Over 70 handouts and activities for each skill and digital tool

February 2010 | Volume 67 | Number 5 Meeting Students Where They Are Pages 73-74 Why Teachers Should Try Twitter William M. Ferriter I've got an embarrassing confession to make: Until recently, I wasn't convinced that differentiating learning opportunities for students really mattered. Like many teachers, I would deliver one lesson each day, keeping my fingers crossed that I met everyone's needs. And even though I've always had a sense for the strengths and weaknesses of my individual students, I rarely drew on that knowledge to make specific changes in instruction or assignments.