GIS on a Mac

This is the GIS that we've recommended to our geography teachers...

http://openosx.com/grass/

1:1 Classroom Management

The Tech & Learning online publication offers some fabulous reading and ideas for teachers integrating technology. The following article, on managing a 1:1 classroom, offers some very practical strategies.

http://www.techlearning.com/article/7638

VoiceThread

VoiceThread is a tool our teachers began using last year are very excited about - http://voicethread.com/

"VoiceThread is a web-based communications network for K-12 students and educators. Simple, powerful and safe, Ed.VoiceThread is a place for creating and collaborating on digital stories and documentaries, practicing and documenting language skills, exploring geography and culture, solving math problems, or simply finding and honing student voices."

Acquisition Tools

Kodak's Zi6 is a great little still and video camera for primary research, in-class recording, documentary field work, etc

Technology Rubrics

This site has lesson plans, worksheets, teacher tools, and tech rubrics targeted at different age/grade grouping. There are rubrics specifically for podcasting, video, multimedia projects and more

http://www.rubrics4teachers.com/technology.php

Professional Learning Communities

This site is a social networking site for teachers of English - http://englishcompanion.ning.com/

There are social networking sites for all disciplines and grades. To keep up with the constant changes to teaching and learning, teachers we are encouraged to create their own professional learning communities. www.ning.com is a great place to start

You might even consider creating a ning.com for your own students.

Primary Research

In the past, students would be expected to conduct primary research once or twice in their entire time at school. With the shift to learner centre, holistic practices and access to ICTs students are expected to personally engage in their own knowledge building - this means students need to gather and analyze data from original sources and surveys.

The Writing Lab, The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University have put together this site is provide teachers and students with direction for Primary Research - http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/559/01/

Blog Worth Exploring

Westley Fryer writes on his site, Moving at the Speed of Creativity, that he uses the site to "...digitally document my own journey of learning and collaborate with other educators and lifelong learners around the globe."

This site is worth exploring - there are many interesting resources embedded in the blog. For example, what happens when a child's (his daughter) YouTube video gets 70,000 views and people leave both supportive and hurtful messages. The article is well worth reading for teachers and parents in 1:1 initiatives - http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2009/09/10/criteria-for-moderating-comments-on-a-viral-video/

A Blog/Wiki Worth Exploring

Educational Origami - http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/

This is a great site to explore to find ideas and strategies for engaging students in higher order thinking in technology rich learning environments. Andrew Churches, the site creator, has done a great job identifying the importance of using Bloom's Revised Digital Taxonomy to focus technology integration - http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom%27s+Digital+Taxonomy.

There are also valuable resources dealing with Learning Styles, Multiple Intelligences and an interesting check list for the use of digital alternatives to traditional approaches to teaching and learning - http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Traditional+and+Digital+Practice

Intel Resources for Assessment

Intel provides some good resources for your consideration of assessment.

http://educate.intel.com/en/AssessingProjects

There are many useful ideas on this site. The link below is to checklist for, as the site indicates, "... an overview of the methods, purposes, and instruments used for checking for understanding and encouraging metacognition. These methods help teachers check for understanding while they help students think about their own learning."

Checking for Understanding and Encouraging Metacognition
http://educate.intel.com/en/AssessingProjects/AssessmentStrategies/CheckingUnderstanding/

Florida Center for Instructional Technology

The USA state of Florida introduced a massive state-wide 1:1 programme started in 2003 with Apple. The state has put a lot of resources into supporting the initiative. This site has a lot of useful ideas.

Home - http://fcit.usf.edu/

Technology Integration Matrix - http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/index.html

Wireless Laptops in Education - http://etc.usf.edu/plans/default.htm