Many teachers who opt for the flipped classroom strategy are not pursuing a student-centered approach to teaching and learning, says Shelley Wright. The traditional model is simply being reversed — not reinvented. The lecture (live or on video) is still front and center. “Learning isn’t simply a matter of passively absorbing new information while watching a lecture on video,” she says. “New knowledge should be actively constructed.”

Over the summer, Voices blogger Margaret Haviland taught her first online high school course — a survey of US History in six and a half weeks! Margaret journaled about her experience at her personal blog. We found her account rich in useful detail. Any teacher about to embark on a first-time online teaching experience will likely find Margaret’s narrative helpful, so we’ve posted excerpts here.

In this post I want to highlight my favorite Mind Mapping program – MindMeister — and talk about several ways I use mind maps in my classroom. If you think you might like it as much as I do, you can participate in an opportunity to get a free professional account for a year. (Editor’s note: Winners of the MindMeister giveaway are announced in the comments section of this post.)

Embedded technology is not evidence of a transformational shift in teaching practice. It’s possible to embed technology into every aspect of teaching and learning and still have a completely teacher-centered classroom, with the teacher in control of what is learned, how it’s learned, and for the most part, how students show their learning.

In this new interview with Canadian edtech leader Doug Peterson, PLP consultants Brenda Sherry and Peter Skillen talk about the theories of learning that undergird their advocacy for 21st century teaching strategies and their Minds on Media professional learning model.

Have you mastered the 21st century skills every teacher should know? That means, says teacher Susan Lucille Davis: Being a model learner for your students and fellow educators; stepping up and taking charge of your own learning to gain the skills you need; learning from the best teachers you can find, and, finally, giving back to your professional community by sharing what you learn.