Most would agree that iOS technology is downright cool. But it is more than cool for a person with a visual impairment--it is accessibility built right in. At first glance, an iOS device, such as an iPhone or iPad, does not appear to be an appropriate tool for the blind. It has only a few physical buttons, and it seems to make sense only for…

Chicago Public Schools librarians have discovered that iPads engage students in developing their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills while expressing their creativity. Their librarians embarked on a year-long experiment with the mobile devices that inspired them to completely reinvent the way they teach. This article presents tips…

Students 8 and younger have access to screens everywhere--on smartphones, tablets, handheld games, and laptops, to name just a few places. How do you know if students are using these tools effectively? Are the students participating in digital environments in ways that encourage critical thinking, active engagement, and contribution, or are they…

A QR (quick-response) code is a two-dimensional scannable code, similar in function to a traditional bar code that one might find on a product at the supermarket. The main difference between the two is that, while a traditional bar code can hold a maximum of only 20 digits, a QR code can hold up to 7,089 characters, so it can contain much more…

What will technology-based teacher professional development look like in the next few years? In this article, teacher training curriculum designer Mary Burns presents her 5 top picks from the professional learning technologies now emerging around the world: (1) IPTV; (2) Immersive Environments; (3) Video; (4) Social Media; and (5) Mobile…

What can Mali, an impoverished, land-locked West African nation, teach educators about mobile technology? Little to nothing, one might think. Yet in Mali, as in much of sub-Saharan Africa, teachers and students are increasingly using mobile technologies for learning and teaching. While educators in the United States have debated whether, why, and…

In honor of International Society for Technology in Education's (ISTE's) 30th anniversary, "Learning & Leading with Technology" conducted a poll asking members to cite their favorite teaching tools. After asking members of ISTE's Special Interest Groups to name three tech tools they felt were the most influential in education over the course of…

The ability to distract has put the use of laptops, netbooks, cell phones, PDAs, iPod/MP3 players, and portable game players on the banned list in many schools. Educators are discovering that students are more interested in online resources, such as Facebook, game sites, chat, and YouTube, than classroom lectures and textbook chapters about the…

For a kindergarten teacher trying to find a new way to help his/her students learn about shapes and patterns or a high school science teacher hoping to bring ecology alive, there is a tool that could be just right for them. This article presents five learning tools that have the potential to transform lessons: (1) Lego Education's WeDo Robotics…

The convenient format, delivery, and accessibility of information offered by podcasting has made it a hot new trend. One of its limitations in educational applications, however, is its implementation primarily as a push technology--one that simply feeds users information. Podcasts tend to focus listeners inward and rarely encourage human…

Learning is becoming more personal, yet collaborative and networked, portable and situated, ubiquitous and durable--and increasingly at odds with formal education, as more and different types of learning are happening outside of the classroom. In this article, the author provides a glimpse of what the not-so-distant future of education might…

Each August, teachers from around the state gather for the Arizona K-12 Center's Tech Camp, a week-long immersion in technology for the classroom. The Arizona K-12 Center's mission is to improve teaching and learning in Arizona's schools through high-quality professional development and teacher leadership. The formula Tech Camp follows is a simple…