Digital Learning Now! (DLN) recently released the 2012 Digital Learning Report Card, a measurement of effective digital learning practices in all 50 states. The report highlights both recent advancements in digital learning and calls for states to modernize public education for the next generation of learners.   Continue Reading...

We recently introduced our new Professional Development Calendar, meant to be a single place where teachers can find a wealth of upcoming opportunities.   Continue Reading...

When you talk to educators about professional development, there tends to be a mindset that favors events like conferences, workshops, and webinars. Even though studies have shown that these forms of professional development are limited in their success, teachers still cling to them as ways to connect with other educators and get new ideas. That's not to say that these forms of professional development are entirely without merit, just that by relying on these staples we close ourselves to other opportunities.   Continue Reading...

While there is a plethora of research about the quality of schools in America, there is little information about the state of bricks and mortar school infrastructure across the country. According to a recent assessment from the Center for Green Schools, there is a $270 billion spending gap in repairing and maintaining school buildings. In order to update and modernize schools across the country, it is estimated that state and local officials would need to spend nearly $542 billion.   Continue Reading...

Looking for something new to spice up your lessons? Check out our top resources of the month!Storybird – This is such a great tool. Available in both free and pay versions, this website allows you and your students to create picture books with relative ease. Have younger students? They'll love selecting art from all the available options and watching their story come alive. Teach an art class? Your students can upload and share their own art. Seriously, the true potential of this tool is endless.   Continue Reading...

Technology in the classroom isn't just for catering to various student learning styles, nor is it simply engaging students through social media, YouTube, and email. Teachers across the country know that students must be prepared for a tech-integrated world and many are benefitting from professional development that incorporates 21st century technologies. In an effort to establish best practices for technology professional development, experts assert that we must research proper methods to benefit all stakeholders.   Continue Reading...

Teachers in the classroom today all remember being issued their textbooks in grade school year after year. Immediately outdated content accompanied by the occasional pencil drawing have been standard issue for generations. With the dawn of new technologies, textbook publishers are rushing to meet the needs of a new generation of students.   Continue Reading...

Technology is fundamental to our global progress. The forward charge of digital resources has forever altered how we communicate with each other and how we conduct our daily lives. Students are tethered to their iPads, smartphones, and laptops, while chalkboards, textbooks, and overhead projectors have become relics of the past. As educators, we must work to ensure that our students are prepared for our current digital world and, more importantly, the days yet to come.   Continue Reading...

Yesterday, AAE staff was in attendance for the Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee hearing about the improvements technological innovations are making for K-12 education.   Continue Reading...

U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee Holds Hearing on Challenges and Opportunities Facing America's Schools and WorkplacesLast week, the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee held a congressional hearing to explore the challenges and opportunities facing America's workforce and K-12 students. In testimony by several prominent education and business leaders, witnesses argued that our nation must prepare our students for the jobs of the 21st century.   Continue Reading...

As part of the Digital Learning Day (DLD) celebration today, the Alliance for Excellent Education has brought together education experts for a series of chats on the best practices in digital learning and how to improve the educational experience and outcomes for all students.   Continue Reading...

Today the 2013 annual membership survey was released by the Association of American Educators. The survey was conducted this fall, polling AAE members from all 50 states on issues relating to education and labor reform.   Continue Reading...

Last Wednesday, I went to lunch with my friend Paula and her husband. Paula, an elementary teacher, was currently taking a graduate course on educational technology and had just gotten her first ever smartphone. These two events converged to introduce Paula to Twitter for the first time. We spent some time introducing Paula as to how to use Twitter to connect with other teachers and find resources.   Continue Reading...

Last week AAE staff had the pleasure of attending "Web 2.0 Free Tools for School," a session at the Florida Charter School Conference in Orlando. Presenter Melissa Borchers, an intensive reading teacher at McKeel Academy of Technology, shared several useful tools for integrating the internet into the classroom.

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It's no surprise that the internet is rapidly becoming the primary means of communication between teachers and parents. However, community demographic differences often bring varying levels of computer and internet accessibility across the country. Some parents may not be able to afford the internet, while others may not be computer literate.   Continue Reading...

I've always learned the most about teaching by watching more experienced teachers in action. That's why one of my favorite resources is a website called the Teaching Channel, a relatively new entry to teacher-resource websites. The Teaching Channel is not the first, and probably not the last, site that came up with the idea of providing teachers virtual professional development, but it is among the highest quality. Best of all, it's FREE!

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Teachers, there's a great bunch of professional development resources being produced and used all the time. They can add flavor and spice to your classroom and/or make things easier. Below are the five that we liked best from the month of October.   Continue Reading...

Welcome to the Association of American Educators' online biweekly publication, Reform Matters. This education reform-focused publication features both original AAE content and a compilation of the latest news from the growing education reform community.   Continue Reading...

Have you ever pondered the idea of a Google-like search engine exclusively for educators and students? Look no further—instaGrok is here! The new online platform is a low cost option for teachers seeking age-appropriate resources for K-12 students.   Continue Reading...

Cyberbullying, or the use of the internet and related technologies to harm other people, has become a very real threat to American students. Unable to simply "unplug" at the end of the day, students from across the country are experiencing relentless and often anonymous teasing and threats via social networking websites and blogs. While coverage has overwhelmingly focused on student victims, teachers are now beginning to feel the adverse affects of cyberbullying. In North Carolina, a law aimed at protecting teachers has sparked conservation about online educator harassment.   Continue Reading...