EST430

"Twitter users often make the decision of whether or not to follow someone in seconds, meaning that you have very little time to impress. We looked into why people chose not to follow profiles on Twitter, and crowdsourced a variety of reasons that users give for not hitting that "Follow" button."

"Here are the Top 100 Tools for Learning 2013 -  the results of the 7th Annual Learning Tools Survey - as voted for by over 500 learning professionals worldwide. (Released 30 September 201s)"

"Wikipedia can be a nightmare for a teacher, or it can be their best friend. For those teachers that have papers handed to them by students that are clearly copied from another source, Wikipedia tends to turn up early in the search and show that the students have indeed, been checking out what Wikipedia has to say. It's no wonder that teachers often have questions about what is good about the tool and how it might benefit their students. Today, we're taking a look at some more general facts and figures about one of the world's largest free, collaboratively written encyclopedia. Which is a pretty awesome concept, if you ask us. The handy infographic below will let you in on some interesting facts that you probably weren't privy to - and some of the numbers are pretty staggering! Keep reading to learn more!"

"Below are some samples of good  online talking storybooks teachers can use with their students."

"In many schools/organizations, we have the tail wagging the dog and our technology departments are often dictating the type of learning that can happen in the classrooms. I am not saying that this is an issue with the departments, but often with leadership that has seen technology as an "extra", as opposed to an essential. Focusing on learning and relationships first, often helps us to make much better decisions about what we are doing with technology. It shouldn't be the other way around."

"Gliffy Diagrams is a Google Chrome app that makes the process of creating all such diagrams a lot easier. You can not only create a vast range of diagram types, but also modify them in plenty of ways, save the output as image files, and even export it to Google Docs, presentations, or web pages."

"The use of the internet by younger children, from 0 to 8 years, may have both benefits and risks. Research into how the Internet is used by young children and the effects on children's development is relatively uncommon compared to research about older learners. However, more and more young children are using the Internet yet so little is understood about the impact on their growth and development."

"Today while I was editing a shared document one of my colleagues sent me over Google Drive , it dawned on me to compile a list of some interesting extensions I am using on my Google Drive. Using these apps will make your Google Drive experience way better than you have ever imagined. They will also increase your productivity and overall workflow. Needlesss to say that these extensions are only for Chrome browser."

For the last couple of years Vimeo has offered free music to download and re-use in your video projects. Now YouTube is offering the same thing through the YouTube Audio Library. This library is slightly different than the free music available when you use the YouTube slideshow creation tool. The music in the YouTube Audio Library is music that you can download to use in projects online and offline. You can search the library of music according to genre, mood, instrument, or duration. You can listen to the tracks before downloading them as MP3 files.

"One of the great things about Minecraft is that there's not just one version. It exists as a stand-alone game, but creative players also create modifications, or "mods," that add all sorts of upgrades, features, and options for every taste. One of the most popular mods for classrooms is MinecraftEdu. Since it's targeted at classrooms, teachers may be tempted to ignore Minecraft and head straight for MinecraftEdu -- but not so fast! Both Minecraft and MinecraftEdu can serve as great learning tools. So which version is right for you and your classroom? Consult this list of pros, cons, and suggestions to make your decision."

"Being able to write clearly is an essential skill for all students. It can be hard for kids to pen what they mean, though. With simple online writing tools and blogs like these, students get practice writing informally in settings that aren't too daunting. Get them writing with their peers and they may soar even more."

"If for any reasons you do not want to upload your classroom videos to YouTube and are looking for another free hosting video that can allow you to upload and share your videos Google Drive is one of your best options. Only few Google Drive users know that there is a functionality in Google Drive that enables anyone with a Google Drive account to instantly upload their videos and after the upload you can get an embed code to integrate your video anywhere on the web. Here is how you can do it."

"In one second on the Internet there are..."

"In a sixth-grade classroom in Greensboro, N.C., a dozen middle-school social-studies teachers were getting their second of three days of training on tablets that had been presented to them as a transformative educational tool. Every student and teacher in 18 of Guilford County's 24 middle schools would receive one, 15,450 in all, to be used for class work, homework, educational games - just about everything, eventually." This article from the New York TImes looks at the Amplify Tablet

"When a teacher, school, or district tells parents and community members, "We're going to do Project Based Learning!" the response may vary. You're lucky if some say, "Great news! Students need to be taught differently these days!" but a more typical response might be: What's Project Based Learning?  That's not how I was taught. Why do we need PBL, if (a) our school is already doing well, or (b) what we really need is a better literacy/math program to raise test scores?  Isn't that just a trendy new thing that doesn't really work?  How is this going to affect my child (and me)?  Basically, they're asking for the what, why, and how. Here are some successful strategies we've seen to answer these questions."

"During this semester-long course, you will be spending a lot of time playing video games (woohoo!) but you'll also spend time getting critical about the games you play and the way in which video games reflect and shape your attitudes to other people, yourselves and the world! Of course, you will also get to be creative as well by creating your own online game reviews and designing your own video game. "

"The day when your hat can extrapolate your mood from your brain activity and make a spa appointment on your behalf may not be far away. The next big thing in the digital world won't be a better way for you to find something. If a confluence of capabilities now on the horizon bears fruit, the next big thing is that information will find you. Welcome to contextual search, a world where devices from your phone to your appliances will join forces in the background to make your life easier automatically."

Grovo.com is the leading Internet training platform that sharpens your Internet skills with 60-second, personalized videos. Featuring 3,500+ video lessons covering 100+ Internet tools and cloud services - and 15 lessons added daily - Grovo is the fastest and easiest way to become a better Internet user.

"Here's a quick look at how to get started with eduClipper Presentation Portfolios"

"Around the world, Minecraft is being used to educate children on everything from science to city planning to speaking a new language, said Joel Levin, co-founder and education director at the company TeacherGaming. TeacherGaming runs MinecraftEdu, which is intended to help teachers use the game with students."