If you have spent any time in the ed-tech world you will no doubt have realized that there is a swirling cloud of acronyms that attend the subject, from ISTE, CoSN to NMC and P21. A veritable “alphabet soup”, as my Mom would say. I therefore thought that a definitive quick reference guide to the major players, with a brief description would be a handy resource for our readers. So here are eight of them.

There would be little point in highlighting the benefits of a blended learning environment, where students — empowered with digital tools and access — take control of their learning, if we did not also acknowledge that digital access at home continues to disadvantage students after school, where they are expected to conduct digitally-enabled homework assignments and projects. So here are some of the best digital access initiatives.

Infographics are powerful, shareable pieces of communication. Learning how they work well, and understanding one’s subject matter in the process is in turn a powerful way for students to appreciate perhaps complex or arcane details. There is no reason to shy away from these important data visualizations, but they should also be approached with care, as simply mimicking their form will not necessarily yield their effect.

The use of VR techniques in classrooms is becoming a more common practice, as Virtual Reality provides meaningful and novel ways to connect with both students and teachers. But despite its many benefits, there are some common misconceptions about virtual reality that keep people from embracing this type of technology. Here are some of the more common ones.

More and more teachers are using online tools to connect their classrooms globally. Specifically, there is a range of ways teachers are using technology to connect their students — in an organized education-specific manner, with classrooms in other parts of the country and the world. What are the benefits of trying this new global approach to teaching? Is it worth the effort? The answer seems to be YES, it is well worth it.

It is too soon to establish how e-learning technologies will feature in this brave new action plan of academic/technical streaming, although there can be no doubt that they will. Be assured that we will keep a ready eye on developments in the UK, with the hope that they find a winning formula in providing young people with practical, necessary qualifications that ensure equality and social mobility for everyone willing to learn.

Student-centered learning is a hot topic among educators around the world. No matter if their students have just joined the education system or they are enrolled in Higher Education, more and more teachers and various other stakeholders turn to the student-centered approach to education. Student-centered learning is better aligned with the 21st Century learning needs of students.

Digital citizenship is no doubt an important part of any school curriculum, even in schools that only have a moderate to small amount of digital or blended teaching. Teaching digital citizenship can result in online citizens in your area that are more aware, sensitive, respectful of themselves and others and physically and digitally safe, so tune in for some DOs and DON’Ts on how to do it.

After exploring what computational thinking is, and why teachers should consider teaching it in their classrooms, the time has come for actual examples. From Green Dot to TedEd, there are plenty of online resources of great computational lesson plans teachers can use in their classroom instruction. Plus, I made a list of extra professional development resources for those interested in computational thinking.

Computers are programmed to approach problems in a systematic way, relentlessly seeking solutions – in a way that is undaunted and fearless – and which many educational experts feel could be a valuable asset to the thinking tool-kit of students. Wing goes so far as to say it should be taught to youngsters alongside reading and maths.