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"Face it. Like all organizations, schools get locked into routine, impeding change. But all schools need to innovate to prepare kids for a dynamic and uncertain future. The question is, "How?" The Innovation Playlist can help your school make positive, informed change. It represents a teacher-led model, based on small steps leading to big change, that draws on best practices from outstanding educators and non-profits from across the country. The Innovation Playlist consists of albums (the big goals on the left) and tracks (the small steps on the right that help you reach each big goal). Each track can be done quickly - fifteen minutes to a day or two - with minimal downside and lots of upside. The playlist process can be led by a school's principal, by faculty at the school, grade or department level, or even by a family at home. The "Mobilize Your Community" album is the ideal place to start, letting you generate enthusiasm for innovation. Then, focus on a few tracks in coming months. Start with one (e.g., Curiosity Time), find a few eager volunteers to try it (many will!), and have them share their experience with the entire faculty. Over time, encourage the early adopters to go deeper, and others to give it a try. Innovation is contagious. This "small steps leading to big change" model means you don't risk the painfully-visible failure that inevitably comes from a sweeping top-down dictum. Each teacher can innovate as much, or as little, as fits their strengths and styles. Give permission to those itching to innovate, and let them run with it. And if a teacher isn't up for this kind of innovation, that's ok, too… It can be a good thing for students to experience a range of pedagogies."

"Learning how to ask good questions is a cornerstone of learning and living. It's a practice we use every day. So much of our success in life depends on asking the right questions. So how do we actually do it? It's easy when you have a solid process. When we ask good questions in education, the benefits are immeasurable. It lets us clearly define problems and expectations. Students' research becomes more productive. They have better team communication. It lets them view challenges proactively. It encourages deeper reflection and better learning processes."

"Adobe Photoshop is considered the gold standard in photo editing software. In fact, it can be hard to picture (see what I did there) a world without the amazing images created with this software. In the right hands, photographs can be created that would leave you believing that a magical unicorn had walked through your back yard. But, with all its power comes a steep learning curve. And that's intimidating. Simply loading up the software and trying to figure things out on your own doesn't work as well when you want to learn Photoshop as it does for other pieces of software. And, while you could try and read the manuals (which may be more effective at putting you to sleep than anything else), a more visual and interactive learning approach is almost always the better option. Luckily, a high-quality learning experience may be just a few clicks away. Here are 14 places that will let you learn Photoshop for free, giving you all of the information you could want for the most reasonable price in the world."

"With so many Raspberry Pi projects to choose from, it can be tricky to find the one you really want to build. Our advice is to find a way to marry the Pi with something you really love. One great example is TV and movie robots - iconic characters from popular sci-fi that can be rebuild at home with a Raspberry Pi built in. Once constructed, your robot might be able to utter commands when a condition is met (perhaps a sensor detects motion). Or it might move around, learning about its surroundings, or reading information to you from Wikipedia. Whatever you have in mind, it should be relatively straightforward to plan and execute. It may take some time, however. Here are five example projects that show how you can combine a Raspberry Pi 2 or later with your favorite fictional robot. 5 Things Only a Raspberry Pi 2 Can Do 5 Things Only a Raspberry Pi 2 Can Do The latest edition of the pint-sized computer is awesome. So awesome, in fact, that there's 5 things you can only do on a Raspberry Pi 2. READ MORE 1. R2-D2 We've all wanted our very own astromech droid, haven't we? Sure, no one on earth is (currently) operating a light speed drive, but Star Wars droid R2-D2 has far greater abilities than onboard spacecraft maintenance. For instance, he can hold torches, carry a tray of drinks, and launch lightsabers across pits in the desert. Okay, it's unlikely you'll manage to get your own R2-D2 robot to do that… but don't let that put you off. Check out this little guy, controlled by a Raspberry Pi. While this project was based on an existing R2-D2 toy, that shouldn't limit your ambition. You'll find plenty of R2-D2 builds on YouTube. There's a massive R2-D2 building community online. Finding one that has a drive unit should be ideal for integrating a Raspberry Pi (and perhaps an Arduino, which you can use the two together) and developing a more realistic R2-D2 experience. Arduino vs Raspberry Pi: Which Is The Mini Computer For You? Arduino vs Rasp

"At an event in New York City today, Microsoft unveiled a radically updated version of its ubiquitous Paint app for Windows 10, one that lets users build three-dimensional creations. And it turns out that the new tool will be especially useful for Minecraft players. According to Microsoft, players will not only be able to export their in-game creations to the new Paint 3D tool, but then 3D print them from the app, so you can have a real live version of your previously digital creation. There are already a few third-party options that offer similar services, of course, but given the tight integration between Minecraft and Paint 3D, this should be the most streamlined way yet."

"3D printing has brought the world some pretty awesome products, but Modio could be one of the coolest we've seen. Modio is an iOS app that lets you design your own "monster robot" from scratch, using a selection of different modules and colors. Once you've finished your amazing design, you can send it to a 3D printer and your toy comes to life, right before your eyes. "

"Have you made digital vessels on your iPad? Yes, you can create clay vases on iPad! 'Let's Create Pottery HD' is a wonderful tool to support teaching and learning in your classroom. Firstly, let me assure you that using the iPad in a creative workflow in my classroom is not about 'getting rid of clay'. Art teachers know how valuable those 'hands-on making' experiences can be for our students as they grapple with this challenging medium and the multi-step process of building a large-scale object from the ground up. The Pottery app has immense value in the classroom for other reasons."

What is YUDU? YUDU is an ePublishing library and marketplace that lets you read, publish, buy, sell and share digital content.

So with the caveat that I am only halfway through Mark Bauerline's book The Dumbest Generation, I have some early impressions to throw out there. While I think there is some merit to this side of the debate (much like Keen's Cult of the Amateur) what really bothers me about this book so far is, as the title suggests, this sense that our kids are at fault. Let me put it plainly: our kids are not "dumb" nor is this generation "dumb" simply because they spend a lot of time in front of television screens and computers or because they haven't worked out for themselves how to get smarter using the Read/Write Web.

Social Media search Samepoint is a conversation search engine that lets you see what people are talking about. Discover, learn and share new web sites and ideas.

"AudioTool lets you create music by mixing a lot of different instruments in any way you want. Instruments and variations available include drums, guitars, synths, perc, bass, house, vocals, dub and lots of other effects. You also have on your hands some advanced tools like splitter, merger, minimizer, kobolt and audiotrack. Just drag and drop the equipment you want to use and connect them in any way you want. You can start from scratch or tweak music already created by other users."

"One of the most common criticisms leveled at teachers who do attempt to integrate technology into their classroom environment, is that this often results in a lot of 'faffing around' or time wasted while struggling to get the technology to work properly. To some extent I feel that this criticism is fair, but I don't think it's a criticism that should be leveled at teachers, but would be better directed at the people who control the way technology is layered onto the classroom environment, so lets look at that."

ne of the most common criticisms leveled at teachers who do attempt to integrate technology into their classroom environment, is that this often results in a lot of 'faffing around' or time wasted while struggling to get the technology to work properly. To some extent I feel that this criticism is fair, but I don't think it's a criticism that should be leveled at teachers, but would be better directed at the people who control the way technology is layered onto the classroom environment, so lets look at that.

Noteflight® is an online application that lets you display, edit, print and play back music notation with professional quality, right in your web browser. You can work on a musical score from any computer on the Internet, share it with other users, and embed it in your own pages. And it's free for individual use.

Noteflight® is an online application that lets you display, edit, print and play back music notation with professional quality, right in your web browser. You can work on a musical score from any computer on the Internet, share it with other users, and embed it in your own pages. And it's free for individual use.

"I believe that every single child is gifted and that every kid has a talent which we as educators should help uncover. This is not easy when you have a curriculum to follow and tons of material to teach. But that given we need to make time to work with kids in a different and more creative setting. It's important to let them explore new things that may not be present in your curriculum but are in your students' heads all the time. This is how we can awaken curiosity in young children and help them develop creative thinking. Interestingly though, this idea does not originate in education or teaching practice. It was actually inspired by Google's "20% Time" rule, which encourages employees to spend 20% of their time working on their own projects and ideas outside Google. This concept inspired the idea of a "Genius Hour" at school."

Buy Verified Cash App Accounts Introduction Similar to Venmo, Cash App is a peer-to-peer payment tool that lets users transfer funds to and from loved ones. The program is accessible on both iOS and Android smartphones, and there are no fees associated with sending or receiving money. Buy Verified Cash App Accounts What Is Cash App Accounts? Similar to Venmo, Cash App is a peer-to-peer payment tool that lets users transfer funds to and from loved ones. The program is accessible on both iOS and Android smartphones, and there are no fees associated with sending or receiving money. Users of the well-known payment app Cash App can send and receive money instantaneously. There are no fees to send or receive money using the app, which is accessible on both iOS and Android devices. Cash App accounts are instantaneously transferable to and from a user's bank account because they are linked to that account. Additionally, users have the option of investing their funds in a Cash App account, which provides a number of investment possibilities.

Buy Verified Cash App Accounts Introduction Similar to Venmo, Cash App is a peer-to-peer payment tool that lets users transfer funds to and from loved ones. The program is accessible on both iOS and Android smartphones, and there are no fees associated with sending or receiving money. Buy Verified Cash App Accounts

"Nearpod is a service for delivering lessons, quizzes, and polls to students through iPads. I reviewed Nearpod when it launched to the public in May. This week Nearpod introduced some convenient updates to their offerings. One of the the new features that I like is Web Share which lets teachers share websites with students in a safe browser environment. Another option that I like is a PIN system that allows students to access content that teachers share with them before a class meeting."

"So you want to do some doodling and sketching on your iPad. Well, we have some great apps to help you do that. We have meticulously selected some of the best iPad apps you can use to create diagrams, doodles, idea maps, sketches, and many more. It is all up to your creative powers. You can think about different ways to use these apps and we are pretty sure the end product will definitely look unique and special. You can also share this list with your students and let them try some of them in their projects. They will find them very useful. "

"Note-taking is a small yet important part of anyone's digital routine. That's why apps like Evernote prove extremely useful for anyone who needs to jot down pieces of information at any given time. It lets you quickly jot down text notes or take shots of important documents from any device you're using, or directly from your web browser."

"Zeen (@zeen_com on Twitter) is a free, online platform in beta for creating digital magazines. The website lets you quickly pull photos from Flickr, Instagram, Facebook, as well as videos from YouTube and integrate them into slick, multi-page online magazines. Today I created a travelog magazine about our family's recent fall break adventures titled, "Boston & Maine: Fall Break 2012 Highlights & Memories." The screenshot below doesn't do the platform justice: Visit the actual website to scroll down pages and use the navigational table of contents links on the left and right sidebars to move within the document."