Technology is revolutionizing the way the world works, and there seems to be no end in sight. Information is everywhere and easy to find, so today's students will need to know what to do with it to be prepared for the overly stimulating, technology-driven, problem-riddled world they will soon face. That's why critical- and creative-thinking skills…

Educators often say that technology is more than a gimmick or add-on, and that it should engage, enhance, or extend learning in ways that traditional tools do not. Yet they seldom stop to define these terms, and they can be confusing, especially for teachers and preservice teachers. Recently, while collaborating on an English language arts and…

In the impassioned debate about school reform, there is one point that all sides agree on: Classroom teachers have a huge impact on student success. Great teachers don't just teach. They inspire, they captivate, and they motivate their students to create, investigate, solve, and continue learning long after their school years are over. This…

The costliest tornado in U.S. history descended without warning on the small community of Joplin, Missouri, USA, on May 22, 2011. People across the country watched the devastation on TV and YouTube. But the thousands of students and staff of Joplin School District lived through it. Recognizing the need to restore normalcy throughout the community,…

Mooresville Graded School District (MGSD) in North Carolina, USA, was in a tough situation that is all too common for districts across the country. Its student poverty ratio rose significantly from 2007 to 2011 because of the economic recession, and it was ranked 99 out of 115 school districts for per-pupil expenditure in the state. No less than…

International Society for Technology in Education's award winners exemplify what it means to be innovative, engaging, and connected. It is not difficult to find excellent educators among ISTE's membership. After all, people who join ISTE tend to be some of the most innovative teachers in the world. What is difficult is selecting the best from the…

Hampton High School, located 10 miles north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, serves 1,100 students in grades 9-12. The school district has a strong academic tradition, and more than 90% of graduates continue their education. For four consecutive years, Hampton has been ranked among the top 6% of the nation's high schools by "Newsweek"…

It is known that every learner is unique and that one-size-fits-all instruction does not work for most. How can a classroom environment be created that gives each learner voice and choice? The co-founders of Personalize Learning, LLC, offer a detailed six-step approach. This article provides the background on what is and what is not Personalized…

When it comes to technology, many schools know what they want. They want targeted and scalable solutions that enhance learning and meet the NETS.S. And the teachers in those schools want simple, strategic instructional frameworks for developing their students' basic and digital age skills while meeting diverse learning needs. But as many…

In the fall of 2009, Van Meter Community School in Iowa adopted a one-to-one laptop initiative in grades 6-12 and a strong technology focus throughout the district. Since that time, an atmosphere of respect, creativity, collaboration, and connection as well as independent thinking and learning has prevailed at the school. Today, Van Meter has…

In 1999, Richard Lee Colvin published an article in "The School Administrator" titled "Math Wars: Tradition vs. Real-World Applications" that described the pendulum swing of mathematics education reform. On one side are those who advocate for computational fluency, with a step-by-step emphasis on numbers and skills and the…

This article discusses how one school system achieved districtwide technology integration through an ongoing professional development (PD) program that encouraged its teachers to learn and lead together. In an effort to prepare students of Kannapolis (North Carolina) City Schools for success in the 21st century, the author, together with three…

When new leadership assumed responsibility for the Glen Cove School District back in 2005, it was in dire need of a makeover. State test scores were dismal, and its high school had fallen onto the New York Schools in Need of Regents Review list. Failed budgets had forced the district to operate under contingency restrictions, including a…

Instructional technologists can succeed in implementing 21st-century skills instruction only when those skills are seen as relevant to the pressing agendas that coexist in their schools. Otherwise they run the risk of being just more noise that teachers must respond to and may filter out. So how can they be seen as part of the solution instead of…

A participatory culture driven by user-generated content has emerged in the world outside schools. Each day, more than 100,000 videos are uploaded to YouTube alone. According to the Digital Ethnography group at Kansas State University, 80% of the two-minute video clips are created by the users who post them--teenage authors working outside school.…