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Sure, I can see the positives and negatives to handwriting but as a Kindergarten teacher I see great merit in developing fine motor skills, spelling skills (without spell check) and being able to write legibly. I remember back to my HCS and those exams where all you did was write was laborious but I think we need a balance of both.

After Google+ entered the social networking scene not so long ago, the number of online distractions hasn't really decreased. At the same time, innovations and smarter solutions to handle your actions online have fortunately continued to thrive too. Instead of the usual to-do lists, news readers, or sharing tools, they tackle things in new and more helpful ways. What's most important for me, is that they slot right into my workflow, and allow me to become more efficient without changing my behavior. A few apps recently managed to do so brilliantly. Here are my favorite new tools to help you stay focused and use the Web more innovatively.

Have you ever wanted to share your digital resources or look at what someone else has produced? Have you ever made a whiteboard lesson from scratch, only because you didn't have a place to go for quality content? Classmate gives you access to hundreds of thousands of teachers from around the world, all sharing and collaborating across multiple formats. 

"If you do a Google search about how much information Google really controls, there's a little bit of hyperbole (from users) out there. There's a litany of searches like 'Google wants to own your mind', 'Google wants to control you'. There's also a 'Google wants to teach computers regret' which is just creepy, really. Those living in fear of a barcode on their psyche have been prolific with their concerns, no doubt about it. But they're not totally barking up the wrong tree. Just ask Google. Its own mission statement says this: "Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." Luckily, its motto is 'don't be evil'. Right guys?"

Check out the G-Male movie, very funny and thought provoking all at the same time.

"It's the best of times and the worst of times to be a learner. College tuition has doubled in the past decade, while the options for learning online and independently keep expanding. Anya Kamenetz's new free ebook The Edupunks' Guide is all about the many paths that learners are taking in this new world, and we're running excerpts from the book all week. We're also asking GOOD readers to doodle your learning journey and submit the result by Sunday, September 11."

"Over the past few years, Forsyth County Schools in Georgia has been moving toward allowing students to bring their own technology to school. The district updated its acceptable use policies, beefed up its infrastructure and piloted the initiative. But the schools decide what that initiative would look like in their buildings. In all 35 schools, students can bring personal devices. In 25 schools, the initiative has permeated the buildings, and in the other 10, has made its way to some individual classes."

"Nothing like a good infographic on a beautiful breezy day. Hope everyone storing energy for another great week. "

This constantly updating embeddable table from Gary Hayes details statistics related to the development and/or use of social media including the number of tweets, iPhone apps downloaded amongst others. Fascinating.

"If you are looking at why you might consider class blogging you might find it helpful to see what others have said. Here are some links to helpful resources which provide guidance about the benefits of creating a class blog."

Have a look through this post related to class blogging for some great ideas and tips to setting up class based blogs.

Kristy Tan showed me this awesome website for resources and information about iPads in the classroom. Check it out!!

A Potpourri of tips ideas and videos related to Web 2.0 from Jeff Thomas

A range of Google getting started videos including Earth 5.0, photos & image overlays, Google Earth layers, Sketchup, 3D world, Maps and Google Earth Space.

"Qrafter is the first QR Code app that is designed for iPad instead of just taking the iPhone version and making it bigger! Qrafter is a free two-dimensional barcode scanner for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Its main purpose is to scan and parse the contents of QR Codes. It can also generate QR Codes when you purchase the "Pro Pack"."

There has been a lot of interest in the flipped classroom.  This past week the Flipped Class Conference occurred at Woodland Park High School in Woodland Park Colorado and during the pre-conference a team of flipped teachers got together to write a three-part article about the nature of the Flipped Class.  This first article is an attempt to define what the Flipped Class is and what it is NOT.