"Moonshots live in the gray area between audacious technology and pure science fiction. Instead of a mere 10% gain, a moonshot aims for a 10x improvement over what currently exists. The combination of a huge problem, a radical solution to that problem, and the breakthrough technology that just might make that solution possible, is the essence of a moonshot. "

"Our world is changing at an unprecedented pace. To prepare our students, lessons must go beyond the "3 R's" and foster 21st century skills. Skills like critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity will be essential for students to take on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead."

"the more reading moved online, the less students seemed to understand."

"That is the crux of lesson planning right there -- endings and beginnings. If we fail to engage students at the start, we may never get them back. If we don't know the end result, we risk moving haphazardly from one activity to the next. Every moment in a lesson plan should tell."

"Instilling students with a strong desire to know or learn something is what every teacher lives for, and research has even shown that curiosity is just as important as intelligence in determining how well students do in school. But how much do we really know about its role in the learning process?"

"Do people read as well on screens as they do on paper? Scientists aren’t quite sure. While the type of E Ink used in the latest generation of Kindles and other tablets has been shown to be as or even more legible than printed text, other studies have indicated that — in terms of reading comprehension — the medium doesn’t much matter."

"TODAY’S education reformers believe that schools are broken and that business can supply the remedy. Some place their faith in the idea of competition. Others embrace disruptive innovation, mainly through online learning. Both camps share the belief that the solution resides in the impersonal, whether it’s the invisible hand of the market or the transformative power of technology."

"Bookworms everywhere mourned the state of our country when Pew released a poll that found 23 percent of Americans didn't read a single book in the previous year. Things aren't looking particularly encouraging for future generations, either. Experts estimate that only 1/3 of parents regularly read to their children, even though reading plays an immense role in cognitive development."

"What’s the key to effective learning? One intriguing body of research suggests a rather riddle-like answer: It’s not just what you know. It’s what you know about what you know.

To put it in more straightforward terms, anytime a student learns, he or she has to bring in two kinds of prior knowledge: knowledge about the subject at hand (say, mathematics or history) and knowledge about how learning works. Parents and educators are pretty good at imparting the first kind of knowledge. We’re comfortable talking about concrete information: names, dates, numbers, facts. But the guidance we offer on the act of learning itself—the “metacognitive” aspects of learning—is more hit-or-miss, and it shows."

"Brittany Wenger isn't your average high-school student: she taught a computer how to diagnose leukaemia."

"f you're looking for video sites for using in your classroom, look no further than this article for Edudemic by Jeff Dunn. He has compiled a comprehensive list of over 100 of the very best video websites out there, and broken them up into various sections according to different lesson theme preferences. Explore and enjoy!"

"Social media can be an effective tool for engaging with learners and communicating with parents, whānau and communities. Teachers who model good social media use will grow learners who apply positive, respectful values in their interactions on social media platforms."

To help teachers take the next steps on using technology, share this wealth of online learning resources and easy tech tools.

The BE a PRO acronym addresses what research and leading experts have identified as the known— rather than perceived— online risks for K-12 youth. Developed by iKeepSafe in 2012, the BE a PRO acronym represents the six pillars of success for online digital citizenship:

Ideally, teaching kids how to think critically becomes an integral part of your approach, no matter what subject you teach. But if you're just getting started, here are some concrete ways you can begin leveraging your students' critical-thinking skills in the classroom and beyond.

"blubbr. Play & create video trivia with friends.
You can play trivs in different categories, from celebs and music to sport and education.
Create trivs about the things you are passionate about. Challenge your friends on Facebook,
Twitter, Google+ and other social networks."

Computers have certainly aided learning in recent years, but they haven't yet fostered the promised revolution in education that has been discussed for over 40 years, according to Apple cofounder, educator, and all-around geek Steve Wozniak.

A challenge that I see emerging is that there are multiple definitions of the word technology in the Education Community. These definitions are based entirely on and limited by an individual's experience with computers/computing devices and [proprietary] software .

Earlier this week, a friend and colleague of mine asked me, “Aren’t you getting tired of 21st century learning?”

The process of validating information has not historically received a large amount of emphasis in K-12 classrooms. The primary reason was that content presented to students (via textbooks) was carefully selected, filtered, and written by academic speciali

We *really* need to get a grip on who are the 21st Century Learners. It's not about the numbers. It's about the learning.

echnology is a powerful tool that can help and enhance learning. Everyday we see technology used as a tool outside of formal schooling for communication, collaboration, understanding, and accessing knowledge. It is our goal in developing an integrated cur

a short video summarizing some of the most important characteristics of students today - how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals, hopes, dreams, what their lives will be like, and what kinds of changes they will experience in their lifetime.