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1
The Educator's Village: Creative Commons for Classroom Lessons
Andrew MarcinekMay 22, 2012
Tags Lesson Plans, Online Learning, Open Education Resources, , Teacher Development, Technology Integration, All Grades

In March, Burlington High School hosted the New England 1:1 summit. This event brought together over 350 teachers, superintendents, IT administrators and some parents. One of the highlights of the day was our student panel. The panel was comprised of eight Burlington High School students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, who led an interactive session with the audience. Our students did a great job answering questions, but I was particularly moved by response from one student. The questioner asked, "How do you refrain from the obvious distractions that the iPad presents while in class?" The student took the mic and answered, "Distractions are nothing new in the classroom, however, why don't teachers take the tools that distract us and turn them into learning tools?"

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8
12 Reasons to Get Your School District Tweeting This Summer
Joe MazzaMay 8, 2012
Tags Media Literacy, Parental Involvement, , Technology Integration

Everyone is on Twitter these days, so why not your school district? Twitter provides an easy platform to keep your followers updated -- moment by moment, if necessary! -- about developing situations, sudden brainstorms and calls to action. Following are 12 reasons to get your school district tweeting this summer so that you can hit the ground running at the start of the next school year.

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1
Kids and Tech: Failure Might Be The Best Option
Matt LevinsonMay 3, 2012
Tags Bullying, Media Literacy, Parental Involvement, , , Technology Integration, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8)

What parent wants their child to fail? Well, when it comes to the use of technology, failure might just be the best option.

In fact, failing early and often provides fertile ground to educate kids around responsible use. The question is how best to handle online transgressions -- and when or if to involve the school?

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11
Beyond the Teachers' Lounge: The Emerging Connection Gap
Mary Beth HertzApril 30, 2012
Tags Digital Divide, Professional Learning Network (PLN), , Teacher Development, Technology Integration

We often pontificate about the "haves" and the "have-nots" in our schools -- the unfair way that schools are funded, the ways in which some of our students are robbed of opportunity while others are awash in it.

What we don't reflect on enough is how some educators are connected to the global community, emerging trends and research, and larger conversations around reform and the direction of global education in general -- and how so many other educators are simply not tapped into that world.

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1
A Parent's Guide to Twitter and Education
Joe MazzaApril 18, 2012
Tags Parental Involvement, , Technology Integration, All Grades

As more and more people join the world of Twitter (460,000 signups per day), school parents and teachers are more commonplace on this global social media tool. According to a recent Pew Internet Study, 84% of all Twitter users are between the ages of 18-49. Why is this important to school officials? The age range includes the majority of our school parents.

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1
Social Media Guidelines
Steven AndersonApril 11, 2012
Tags Classroom Technology, Media Literacy, , Technology Integration, Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

Editor's Note: Check out the series of "How to Create Social Media Guidelines for Your School" articles that Steven Anderson wrote for Edutopia in May 2012, or download the full version as a PDF.

Look what happens on the Internet in one minute.

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2
Connecting School and Home: 360-Degree Communication
Matt LevinsonApril 9, 2012
Tags Community Partnerships, Media Literacy, Parental Involvement, , Technology Integration, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8)

"Parenting is not for the faint of heart," novelist Harlan Coben writes. Let's face it, parenting is really hard, especially when parents feel that "a vast and frightening Internet culture is hijacking their kids," as New York psychologist Ron Taffel notes.

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5
Writing with Ethos, Logos and Pathos in 21st Century Authentic Texts
Todd FinleyMarch 9, 2012
Tags Integrated Studies, Literacy, , Middle (6-8), High (9-12), English Language Arts

Protégé of Plato and instructor to Alexander the Great, Aristotle was the archetypal learner-teacher whose contribution to modern writers were three rhetorical proofs: pathos, ethos and logos. When combined with 21st century communication platforms, Aristotle's proofs shower rocket fuel on rhetorical efficacy. Using these rhetorical pillars, students can analyze how texts persuade and how unpersuasive texts can be reconfigured.

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5
On Twitter: To Follow or Not to Follow
Nicholas ProvenzanoMarch 6, 2012
Tags Media Literacy, Professional Learning Network (PLN), , Technology Integration, Middle (6-8), High (9-12), All Grades

Recently, I have had students discover my @TheNerdyTeacher Twitter account and follow me. It usually only lasts a few days before they unfollow me -- a few days of my flooding their feed with blog posts, education news and Edutopia articles. The big question I get from kids is, "Why don't you follow me back?"

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2
Blended Learning: Adding Asynchronous Discussions to Your F2F Classrooms
Eric BrunsellMarch 2, 2012
Tags Blended Learning, Classroom Technology, Project-Based Learning, , Student Engagement, Technology Integration, Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

This post was co-authored with Elizabeth Alderton, Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.
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We have all done it: "participated" in a face-to-face discussion, nodding along in agreement, but not really present. Many of us have sat in discussions, afraid to throw in our two cents because we might sound silly. On other occasions, we have had a fantastic idea to share, but the conversation passed by before we had a chance to contribute.

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