Catherine Cardno of Education Week’s Commentary staff, has compiled a list of books newly released in the field of education and technology. The following books are targeted toward school leaders and teachers:

There is an ongoing debate about whether the investment of creating digital classrooms, especially in budget-strapped school districts, is worth the money being spent. Although acquiring technology for the classroom often comes at a hefty price, does it really pay off in the end? Are the students benefiting from this investment, and learning the necessary skills that will give them an advantage after they graduate? From my own experiences as an educator, I know that beyond the technology itself, the skills that are imparted to the students as they utilize the technology are what truly matter. The opportunities they have to leverage the different forms of technology set them apart from their peers in a positive way, which in turn keeps them actively engaged and motivated to learn. But most importantly, technology brings them together in a way that traditional teaching strategies and classroom environments cannot.

More important than ensuring that our students are learning grade level material, as educators we must also prepare them with necessary skills to be successful in school, work and society. Don Knezek, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has developed a list of 5 lessons to help move education into the digital age:

1. Give social media a chance

In order to truly understand the potential value that social media can play in business or personal promotion, you have to be willing to learn how to use it and establish credibility.

2. Social media is just that - “social”

Rather than simply sharing your own information or promoting yourself, you should spend time interacting with others, sharing and commenting on their posts.

It may seem pretty obvious to many, but a recent study found that college students who use Facebook or text during lectures tend to perform poorly on quizzes. No real surprise there. But a 2010 study also found that professors who utilized social media, like Facebook or Twitter, as part of their lectures may actually be helping their students learn better. So it sounds like it’s not whether social media is used or not, but it’s more of how those technologies are used that makes the difference.

As more teachers are turning to the digital community to find resources to supplement their classroom instruction, finding relevant content has proved to be somewhat of a challenge. However, YouTube has launched a new “Teacher Channel” where educators can watch, upload or share their videos at no charge - http://www.youtube.com/teachers.

The channel contains resources for elementary, middle and high school level, with lessons in each of the major subject areas. In addition, there are also playlists of videos that align with common core standards. Teachers can personalize playlists that are relevant for each student's learning needs, which will allow students to access additional explanations of lessons outside of class.