Jon Callow, author of the book Image Matters, writes about assessment of students' visual literacy, in the current issue of The Reading Teacher. The essay is not available via the IRA website, unless you are a member. But if you have access to any number of library subscription databases, you may be able to locate this valuable piece.

Two Canadian researchers who conducted a study of teens use of Instant Messaging, believe that text-message short forms represent "an expansive new linguistic renaissance". Details in the May issue of New Scientist magazine and online here. Other details in this press release.

This Read Write Web blog references digital images resources not found in the usual places. From the blog:
Sometimes you stumble across something that really makes you say "wow" and reminds you that there's so much more to this internet thing than just the latest web app. Case in point is this article describing some of the visual resources available on the web. The deep web. These images won't show up in search engines' image searches or on Flickr (save one exception), but instead can only be accessed via the links below.

The images are a part of online collections created by institutions in the U.S. Some of the images may be a part of the public domain, but many will require permission or accreditation in order to use. So, no, these aren't necessarily images you can use in your next blog post, but that doesn't mean they're not useful. Instead, if given permission, these images could be used in the classroom, in private study, or even included in a media project or publication.

A blog post from ASCD: Ranging from questions about the best way to use computers in the classroom to the pros and cons of social networking and the use of cell phones in school, the use and misuse of technology is a perennial debate in education circles. In fact, similar questions were asked in generations past about another game-changing technological advance: the television.

This teacher's commentary urges others educators to think about embracing youth media and technology in the classroom.