Here's a preview of what's coming up in August:

1. Tech Ed Resources for your Class--K-12 Tech Curriculum (with 15% discount)
2. Unconventional Research Sites to Inspire Students
3. The 21st Century Lesson Plan
4. Tech Ed Resources for your Class--K-8 Keyboard Curriculum (with 15% discount)
5. Online Mouse Skills Sites
6. Make Your Own Wallpaper
7. Tech Ed Resources for your Class--K-8 Digital Citizenship Curriculum (with 15% discount)
8. Photoshop for Fifth Graders
9. Topics to Teach in Digital Citizenship
10. Color my Grammar

I get a lot of questions from readers about what tech ed resources I use in my classroom so I'm going to take time this summer to review them with you. Some are edited and/or written by members of the Ask a Tech Teacher crew. Others, by tech teachers who work with the same publisher I do. All of them, I've found, are well-suited to the task of scaling and differentiating tech skills for age groups, scaffolding learning year-to-year, offering inclusive solutions to the issue of tech tools--taking into account the perspectives of stakeholders, with appropriate metrics to ensure learning is organic and granular.

Today: K-12 Technology Curriculum

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Pew Research recently reported that about half of Americans regularly get their news from social media. Really? Isn't SM where you share personal information, stay in touch with friends and families, post pictures of weddings and birthdays, and gossip? So why do students turn to it for news?

This stat may explain it: 60% of people don't trust traditional news sources. That's newspapers, evening news, and anything considered 'mainstream media'. They prefer blogs, Twitter, and Facebook.

So when it comes to research, are you still directing kids toward your grandmother's resources -- encyclopedias, reference books, and museums? No doubt, these are excellent sources, but if students aren't motivated by them, they won't get a lot out of them. I have a list of six research sites designed by their developers with an eye toward enticing students in and keeping their interest. It's notable that most are free, but include advertising. The exception is BrainPOP -- there are no ads, but it requires a hefty annual fee: