PBS recently aired a documentary called the “Digital Nation”.  It does a terrific job of outlining the concerns of many educators about students growing up with the digital medium and relying so much on it.  It also presents the topic from the point of view for students.  The students claim they are expert multi-taskers while teachers claim they are not.  Read more... (197 words, estimated 47 secs reading time)

There are literally hundreds of websites that list various sources for ebooks.  It has been my experience that many of the sites they recommend are lackluster, difficult to navigate, or no longer exist.  Below you will find my favorite sources for ebooks.  Many of the ebooks can be downloaded as pdf files and then read on nearly any mobile device, including the soon to be released iPad.  Go ahead and get your collect of ebooks ready.

ebook Search Engine

 Read more... (384 words, 7 images, estimated 1:32 mins reading time)

My previous post about iPads mentioned the power the iPad has for dramatically changing the way that teachers teach and students learn.  I also casually mentioned that the success of the iPad will depend greatly on the apps that will be developed for the iPad.  There are apps out there for the iPod Touch and the iPhone that may be similar to what I will describe below, but my intention is not to copy what others have already created.  Instead, my intention is to provide the conceptual framework for three apps the iPad will definitely need in order to succeed as a game changer in schools.  The three concepts relate to note taking, studying and reviewing, and individualizing curriculum.  In my previous post I outlined how the iPad can impact these areas.  Below is a description of the function of the apps necessary to make this work.  Read more... (1327 words, estimated 5:18 mins reading time)

I have recently become aware of two documentaries about education that will be coming out later this year.  The two documentaries are Waiting for Superman and Race to Nowhere.  Both of these talk about the current state of education in America and what needs to be done to fix the problem.  These two documentaries may have just enough punch and support behind them to finally get America’s schools back on track.

Waiting for Superman  Read more... (385 words, estimated 1:32 mins reading time)

At the end of January I wrote an article about the iPad and it’s potential impact in education.  Since that time I have done more research and pondering on the topic.  I have also convinced my wife to allow me to purchase one when it goes on sell.  I can hardly wait!  Read more... (1854 words, estimated 7:25 mins reading time)

I have searched the web for websites that allow teachers and others to create webpages for their classes.  You could do likewise, but if you do not know what to look for, you may soon become overwhelmed with the number of options out there.  The purpose of this article is to guide you to ten sites that allow you to make various kinds of websites for your class, anything from a class blog, to a class wiki, to a website where students can submit digital assignments.  Read more... (456 words, estimated 1:49 mins reading time)

For many educators not familiar with the internet and the different types of websites, the new terminology can be quite confusing. If you are wanting to create a class website, you must first decide what kind of website you want to create. Currently, the three main kinds of websites that educators use are webpage based, wikis, and blogs.

Webpage Based Websites  Read more... (728 words, estimated 2:55 mins reading time)

The term “21st century skills” has become a cliche in public education and education reform.  It has been tossed around during the past two decades to describe the set of skills people will need to succeed in the 21st century.  Many educators still do not quite know why there is the need for a different set of skills.

What are 20th Century Skills?  Read more... (887 words, estimated 3:33 mins reading time)

Late last week I found two articles written by Marc Prensky about something he refers to as digital natives and digital immigrants.  I will briefly outline and describe both of these articles below, as I feel it is important that educators realize there is a huge difference between the students from twenty years ago and students today.  Read more... (712 words, estimated 2:51 mins reading time)

I was reading through some various articles on Edutopia’s website last night and ran across a great article about technology in the classroom.  The author, Mark Prensky, ingeniously said there is a four step process to integrating technology more into the classroom.

1. Dabbling
2. Doing old things in old ways
3. Doing old things in new ways
4. Doing new things in new ways
 Read more... (192 words, estimated 46 secs reading time)