Sharing a new collection of resources covering the history of digital badges in Pittsburgh, plus key considerations and design principles for developing high-quality digital badges for learning.

Unfettered access to information and news is essential for learning—but it can also be a hazard when learners lack the right tools for parsing that information. Nobody knows this more than librarians.

Student groups can enter the FilmMAKER challenge until March 24.

The election has posed some serious challenges for educators around the country. In recent months, a variety of resources have cropped up online aiming to help teachers address students’ concerns and shut down bullying and hate speech.

Whether maker education is old hat or brand new, we could all use inspiration as school starts up again and the weather traps everyone inside.

In even the most innovative learning settings, there are things a student can expect: a curriculum, or assignments. A new course in Vermont does away with such pesky conventions.

Some say cursive and spelling are two education fundamentals that have been rendered dispensable in the 21st century, thanks to word processing and autocorrect. But on the heels of the 90th Scripps National Spelling Bee, it is worth taking a look at where these seemingly “20th century skills” fit into modern learning.

Traditionally, cell phones have been the bane of teachers’ existences. Even with bans and threats of consequences for using cell phones, students have developed an arsenal of tactics for maintaining access to their devices during class. In New York, such covert cell phone use will soon be unnecessary. The city’s disposal of its stringent cell phone ban in its 1,800 public schools is partially a simple acknowledgment that cell phones are here to stay. It’s also a whole new educational horizon.

When it comes to teens and technology, social media researcher danah boyd thinks parents and educators should nix the anxiety and embrace the possibility.

Schools are working hard to engage students in computer programming and engineering, but resources are tight. And some kids lack access to high-tech tools at home. Can afterschool programs help bridge the gap?

Move over, Sochi. The biggest event this week is Digital Learning Day—24 hours devoted to incorporating new, meaningful technology into classrooms and libraries.

Last week’s Hour of Code was designed to give millions of US students who have never taken computer science their first taste of programming. The Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy took it one step further by putting high school students in the teaching role.

With more technology in classrooms than ever before, schools need technology specialists to do a whole lot more than keep the network running. Here's how these educators are collaborating to leverage tight budgets and stay ahead of rapidly changing technology.

In Pittsburgh’s East End, building a new generation of technology entrepreneurs.

How will “big data” transform assessment? Rather than waiting to assess students at the end of a unit, can technology help give educators more nuanced information about learning while it’s happening?

With guidance from Fred Rogers, early childhood educators in Pittsburgh are putting today’s technologies into classrooms in ways that make sense for young learners.

It’s Connected Educator Month and experts say more teachers should take advantage of online communities for collaborating, sharing best practices, and getting needed support.

What does it take for today’s students to succeed? What is it exactly that makes some learners so self-directed, while others lack motivation? Pittsburgh students let us in on what keeps them engaged, and why it’s not all about grades.

Making math concepts click with students is more important today than ever before. We take a look at innovations in teaching mathematics for today’s younger learners.

Games-based learning is about much more than playing. Experts say when used well, games can give students powerful learning experiences in and out of school.

Today we design our classrooms around the question, What do we want our kids to learn? Authors of a new report suggest asking instead, How do we create “need to know” in a child?

Melissa Butler writes a guest post for the Spark blog on her use of inquiry-based learning in her Kindergarten classroom at Pittsburgh Allegheny K-5.

Ready your submissions- the DML2013 proposal deadline is coming up on November 6, 2012!

WQED is searching for a Game On Coordinator and several Game On Coaches to assist at education video game events! Apply for either position today!