Kevin Blissett: Out of the Cave

I’m currently enrolled in a master’s class from Lehigh University labeled “Supervision and Professional Development.” As part of the class we were asked to contribute a “best learning experience.” Given my enthusiasm for classroom tech, I offered the following submission:
“The best learning experience I’ve had in the last couple of years is one that not [...]

Wow! I just came across a great resource via Free Technology for Teachers Blog: Google Advanced Books Search. Up to this point, if I’d wanted to find an online book, I’d just do a normal search for the book. Using Google’s Book Search is a much more powerful option.
Instructions:

Go to <books.google.com>.
Click Advanced Search to the right [...]

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills serves up an informative and useful white paper about structuring schools for the challenges inherent in this century. Included in the paper is a discussion of these topics:

Structures for learning
Time for learning
Tools for learning
Communities for learning
Policy in support of learning

This paper should be required reading for teachers and administrators. Give it [...]

As mentioned in several previous posts, I began including classroom blogs as part of my high school English curriculum this year. (I know, I should’ve been doing a long time ago!)  The Tidertechie blog outlines more great reasons to include them as part of any class curriculum and includes suggestions on how to set things [...]

A study by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) reveals that though U.S. school districts recognize the importance of web 2.0 tools, not many districts are fully embracing nor implementing them.
James Bosco, EdD, Principal Investigator of the MacArthur Foundation grant and Co-Chair of CoSN’s International Advisory Council [stated], “If U.S. students are to be the [...]

 
As a follow up to my previous post on Twitter’s classroom applications, I touted the microblogging service as a nice agent for collaboration but struggled to come up with additional uses. In reading a Lifehacker article by Adam Pash, I realize that I may not have given Twitter enough credit for classroom application, especially as a [...]

Tony Karrer investigates the Twitter phenomenon, particularly as it relates to learning and/or classroom application. I have to say, I’m finding it difficult to see how Twitter could be a major tool for learning in my classroom or personally, though it certainly can be a good tool for collaboration if used correctly. (As we cannot [...]

Jane Hart at Jane’s E-Learning Tip of the Day lists her compilation below of the top 10 e-tools for learners and top 10 e-tools for professionals (hat tip: David Hopkins at eLearning Blog//Don’t Waste Your Time).
Top 10 Tools for Learners
The current Top 10 list of tools for learners, based on contribution of 47 Learners AS [...]

Charles Sipe at The School Principal Blog directs us to Yahoo Answers, a site which functions to answer any question that might be on your mind, but which also has a sizable education community for students with nagging homework questions. Sipe explains:
It can be a good alternative for students who need help and can

So the UK’s Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls, assures a teachers’ group the the recent revamping of the national curriculum will not forgo inspiring the nation’s children with a strong dose of history so that it can include skills related to Twitter and other social media. Well, isn’t that special!
First [...]