Speak Up, a national online research project facilitated by Project Tomorrow®, gives individuals the opportunity to share their viewpoints about key educational issues. Each year, findings are summarized and shared with national and state policy makers. Participating schools and districts can access their data online, free-of-charge.

The purpose of the project is to:

• Collect and report the unfiltered feedback from students, parents and teachers on key educational issues.
• Use the data to stimulate local conversations. 
• Raise national awareness about the importance of including the viewpoints of students, parents, and teachers in the education dialogue.

Register to voice your opinion today! The surveys will be open until December 17, 2010.

Please visit the Speak Up website to learn more about participating in Speak Up. This website includes How-to Guides, lesson plans, promotion materials and more.

Social media addiction. Crackdowns on abuse. Passion for progress. Differing opinions have come to a head this week between those who would retain or recover pre-information-age social qualities and those who believe online social tools are an inevitability to be harnessed and prepared for.

Anyone who has attempted to pass a public funding referendum for education knows how difficult it can be to convince John and Jane Q. Public of the merits of certain types of teaching.

After a decade or more online, many of us have become jaded or indifferent to the hostility people sometimes show toward each other in the relative anonymity of the web. If we stray outside social internet communities that are rooted in our physical ones, we find people we're likely to never meet, and they often don't show us the same respect or decency that they would face-to-face. Eventually we may reach a plateau of tolerance that's much higher than it should be, especially when children  are involved.

National Thrift Week had a 50-year run in our history before being dispensed with in the 1960s. It began on Jan. 17, 1916—the birthday of Benjamin Franklin, the “American Apostle of Thrift”—and soon spread to more than 300 communities. Everyone from the YMCA to the Jewish Welfare Board to the National Education Association sponsored the event. Indeed, educators, partnering with financial institutions and businesses, played a key role in promoting thrift during the week.

Nineteen states have enacted legislation to prevent cyberbullying. Each state has different requirements as to how the policies are implemented; some have introduced new laws where as others have modified previous laws to include various pieces of electronic equipment.

As I write this I am in seat 54D on the flight home. We are about to cross the International Date Line and get our lost day back;* we have traveled about 2600 miles since take-off and only have 5700 miles (about 9 hours) remaining. :-)

It's easy to complain that we have to be on a plane for 14 hours, in somewhat cramped conditions, (The person in 53D is reclined, so the monitor on my laptop is only about 70% open and to type I have to press my elbows against my seat back so my fingers don't overshoot the keys), with food that we may not make at home. There are some inconveniences, to be sure. There are only a dozen bathrooms on board for about 500 passengers, there are only 2 meal choices, and though I asked for Pepsi with a lemon they only had Coke and a lime.

It's easy to say “... if only...”, but let's break that down a bit:

Hello from Sydney! We spent today as tourists, (so far we have only been “travelers”), riding a bus to Featherdale Wildlife Park and The Blue Mountains. Featherdale started as a koala refuge and now is home to probably 50 different Australian critters—fins, feathers, flippers and fur all included. It was a delight to kneel next to (and pet!) a “free range” kangaroo relaxing in the sun and have a photo shoot with a snacking koala, (or his buddy in a eucalyptus-induced stupor!) Those non-bears are so adorable, and just watching a kangaroo move is a good lesson in physics. We loved the little penguins, and I think the wombat is probably the cutest thing on 4 legs.

What was most fascinating, however, was the behavior of some of the other guests at the park. We were “nudged” out of line by impatient adults and then waited through juvenile antics and various exhibits. Worse, though, were the folks who showed no respect for the animals. An eating wombat was pestered incessantly, first by folks putting their flash camera within inches of its face and then leaning over the rail of the enclosure trying to pet it. Later, a group of people took turns dancing with a kangaroo who was obviously not interested. As the roo got more and more agitated they tried harder and harder to be successful and get their photo, paying no regard to the animal and concerned only with satisfying our wants and needs.

This morning I presented the topic, "Becoming 21st Century Ready" to a group of teachers and administrators from international schools around the world. We started the presentation by discussing what everyone thought of when they heard the term "21st century skills." To my delight, this group developed a list that was directly in line with the skills that Atomic Learning promotes. "The ability to research," "living a balanced life," "the ability to use technology," and "the ability to communicate" were just a few of the skills shouted from the group.

But as we went on to discuss the topic more, Mrs. K from the audience brought up an interesting point. She said, "I think we have forgotten an invaluable skill that we, as teachers, need to develop in our students.

For millions around the world, one gang of friends commemorates childhood: The Sesame Street bunch. Here's a shot of some of them posing for a recent Google promotion. I guess you can't escape fame, even if you're a muppet.