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Only a handful of years ago, it was common to hear people laugh at Wikipedia. Anyone can edit it! How could you take it seriously? These days, just as blogs are, wikis are on their way to winning a reputation as serious publishing platforms.

"I don't use sarcasm and I don't resort to ad hominem attacks in the name of "humor." However, I joke around often in class. It might be a wise crack about pop culture, a musing on something ironic or the fun of wordplay. These uses of humor are intentional. I believe humor is a good thing in the classroom. Here are a few reasons why:"

"I absolutely love all of the new robotics toys that have been coming out for elementary age learners.  I have been using them for my summer maker camp, with my gifted education classes, and for my upcoming Saturday morning program. One of my gifted girls noted, "Where do all of these robots come from?" I laughed and told her, "It's actually has become one of my passions. Collecting them has become a major hobby of mine." I usually use them for an hour per week with my two groups of gifted learners.  I am an advocate of student-centric learning and giving them choices as to which instructional activities they would like to engage. For their robotics hour each week, I am giving them the following choices with their goal of using five of the robotics to complete five of the tasks provided. My robotics-type devices include:"

"Here are 10 QR readers for your iPad - all bar one for Free. QR Code scanners can be lots of fun in the classroom. We have used them to generate discussion around types of data, presented classroom information as well as presenting clues to treasure hunts. The treasure hunt idea is always a popular way to finish a unit of work. We normally use QR codes to give hints to the next clue or to the location of the clues. The students have to use the information from the unit of work to solve the clues along the way. Lots of fun, lots of laughs and lots of learning. "

"It's hard work to parent a teen. In a recent New York Magazine article, Jennifer Senior writes, "It's dicey business, being someone's prefrontal cortex by proxy. Yet modern culture tells us that that's one of the primary responsibilities of being a parent of a teen." Of course, it's no surprise that the last thing teens want is to have a parent looking too closely into their lives. It's a constant push-pull phenomenon for parents and for teens. One minute, a teenager can descend into grumpiness, isolation and solitude, and in the same breath, that teen wants a hug, affection and a laugh. And, when we throw social media and texting into the mix, the equation does not always balance out. "

"He also argues that in our standards-focused world, we need to take time for joy within the curriculum, and because it is a great thing to do even if it is not part of required learning. He shares five pieces of advice: 1) Be mindful 2) Create something 3) Commit regular random acts of kindness 4) Turn pseudo learning into real learning 5) Be silly and laugh everyday"

"Every year I try to have various community building activities for the kids to do on those first few days of school. And while I detest ice breakers, in 5th grade, we do like the occasional get to know me activity. Though the years I have used various scavenger hunts, time capsules, and bingo games to get to know them a bit better, to get them to know each other, and also for me to keep until the end of the year. Then when summer beckons and we cannot believe that the year is over, I pull out the forgotten letters, the time capsules, the about me's, and we reminisce and we laugh and we shake our heads at the answers we gave so long ago. "

"These are the best TED Talks for any educator because they make us laugh, warm our hearts, break down barriers, and always inspire us to dig a little deeper and push a little harder."

"These are the best TED Talks for any educator because they make us laugh, warm our hearts, break down barriers, and always inspire us to dig a little deeper and push a little harder, challenging your educator perspective. 50 Inspiring TED Talks For Teachers: Updated For 2014"

""What's it called again, Craftmine?" I wondered aloud with a confused look on my face to a classroom full of nine year olds, playing dumb the whole time. "It's MINECRAFT!" they all yelled back in unison, smiling and laughing at how out-of-touch their teacher was with their world."

"My colleague and I walked into a room filled with a dozen fifth-grade girls snacking on pretzels and huddling around a LEGO robot they had named Kitty. Two of them were laughing about the goggles they had made out of robot wheels, while another small group crowded around a laptop to program wheel rotations. The rest attempted to drive Kitty through what looked like an obstacle course. It was our first glimpse into life as mentors for the Girl Scouts of Western Washington's LEGO League, a competition that combines programming LEGO Mindstorms robots, team project planning, and creative problem solving to get kids excited about science and technology."

"Understanding those on the verge of or in the trenches of middle school can be like finishing a complex puzzle only to realize there is a single missing piece - just when you think you have them all figured out, they pivot and leave you just as confused as you started. They sometimes feel like a walking contradiction: they want your love, but would prefer you did not show it in public; what makes them laugh one day, brings them to tears the next; going to school used to be the best part of their day, now they dread it. Whatever the contradiction is in your household, it is important to remember that the journey that these soon to be adults are traveling is a difficult yet AWESOME one. They are in a constant state of learning and discovery and as parents and guardians, we GET to be along for the ride!"

"Google Chrome, the free web browser, offers applications (but if you don't want the kids to laugh at you, be sure to call them apps), that function like software programs in the computer. With these apps, you and your students can get work done more quickly and easily. Although many apps are mostly for fun, others can be extremely effective in helping students stay organized and productive."

"It really all started with the 20+ iPads we loan out to educators. Those suckers are constantly in demand and constantly in need of charging. They're each firmly encased in Fintie Kiddie cases, which, laugh all you want, those things can stop a bullet. And they stand up. And they recline, have carrying handles and come in neon colors, perfect for locating 20+ loaned out units during the chaos of an event, but that's a whole other blog post. Anyway, we've been loaning these iPads out in tote bags, and just tossing the chargers in higgledy-piggledy. Mainly because if you have done any shopping around for charging carts you likely have needed to be resuscitated at least twice when looking at the prices. The cheapest we could find that works with our beloved Fintie cases started at $399.00, and there was no guarantee everything would fit. We've borrowed another department's iPad charging tray a couple times, but a) it cost them closer to $1,000.00, b) weighed close to 25 lbs and c) had no wheels, thus entailing that their tech guy** lug it four blocks each way. The thing about the Fintie cases is that part of their magic durability is that they surround the iPad in thick molded foam rubber - perfect for tossing in bags and bike panniers (guilty!) but problematic for trying to buy a pre-made charging cart, as the slots in those are generally cut for slimmer, uncased iPads. Plus can we get back to the whole cost thing? Are school districts really running around with so much cash? I know I'm not. And thus, with no more rambling, I present: How to Build Your Own iPad Charging Cart Out of Office Supplies"

"If someone suggested you play music or light a scented candle while you slept to better remember what you learned earlier in the day, you'd probably laugh."

Excellent quote Gandhi - " First they ignore you, Then they laugh at you, Then they fight you, Then You win!" Mohanda Gandi

Direct link to comic: http://cstrips.bitstrips.com/0b5c66611088660ea35fdd9a95f3c27b.png

The best "PG" guide to the internet. Cool Like Pie is the brainchild of two internet-loving teachers. We collect all the coolest stuff to make you laugh and make you think. Appropriate for ages 9-99. Our mission is to provide a fun website for anyone 9 or older without corporate sponsorship. We keep it clean by following these 4 rules: #1-No Hatred #2-No Violence #3-No funny business (wink wink) #4- no foul language

"I went home last week and did everything one normally does over the holidays: I got together with my family and, in the spirit of Christmas, grilled my teenage cousins about what apps they're using on their iPhones. They named two of the usual suspects, Snapchat and Instagram. They laughed in my face when I asked what they thought about Facebook. "It's for mums," one explained to me.  Insightful, but not out of the ordinary. Then my 13-year-old cousin asked me if I knew what AirDrop was. AirDrop is a feature on newer-model Apple devices. It uses WiFi and Bluetooth to let you transfer any kind of file - photos, videos, phone contacts, and even Map locations - from one person or device to another nearby."

"Getting students actively engaged and learning by leveraging the power of gamification in the classroom is a hot trend these days. The idea of getting students learning, sharing, and laughing by using gamification shows great promise, to be sure. But where should you start in terms of finding the tools that will actually help you out?"