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"McGonigal's remarks included a bevy of interesting facts about gaming, as well as a group play exercise - what she called "massively multiplayer thumb wrestling" - and peeks at two of her recent alternate reality games: EVOKE (2010), a "crash course in changing the world"; and Find the Future (2011), which challenged 500 student authors to write a book in one night while inside the New York Public Library. Here are five key things McGonigal wanted ISTE 2013 attendees to know about gaming and education:"

"A few weeks ago, we shared 11 sample BYOT policies to help you create your own. Unlike some learning tools, BYOT resources have to be diverse because of the inherently flexible nature of BYOT. What works for one school or district may not for another. Another challenge for educators looking for BYOT "stuff" is that what you're finding is likely scattered all over the internet. Which makes the handbook of BYOT "stuff" that convergemag.com created (and grabonlee is hosting) all the more helpful. In it you'll find 10 checklists for creating-or simply checking-your BYOT plan, covering the following topics."

"With the Common Core adoption in the United States, teaching vocabulary is no longer strictly the domain of the English-Language Arts classroom. While Robert Marzano has been promoting the instruction of academic vocabulary for years-and many school literacy plans have included reading and writing across the content areas for years-it is now a matter of standard and law. Which makes it kind of a big deal."

"One of the challenging tasks facing teachers in today's learning environments is increasing students engagement. I said challenging because our students' attention span is very short and unless you make your learning tasks appealing to them you will never succeed in keeping them on task. Some attribute this to the heavy presence of digital media in teens life and also to the negative practices that came as a result of this over indulgence in the digital such as multitasking. Below is an interesting graphic created by Mia Mac Meekin in which she features 27 activities teachers can use to increase students engagement and participation. Enjoy"

"It is always such a pleasure to see student creativity. To watch their creative muscles grow and see their fantastic imaginations blossom into works of art. Technology is a great medium through which students can craft their wonders. It offers abilities that aren't possible in other media. Here is a recommended collection of creative iPad and iPhone apps from Glenda Stewart-Smith of Surrey School District #36 in Canada. It is a diverse collection covering creativity in art, photography, music, writing, and more. What apps would you recommend to foster creativity in students?"

"Kids love learning about science with Bill Nye The Science Guy. Now they can learn about science with Bill Nye on his iPad app. The Bill Nye The Science Guy iPad app is a free iPad app on which students can watch Bill Nye videos, play games, and discover kitchen table science experiments to do at home with their parents. "

"Last night I had one of those incredibly horrifying moments that I hope you never experience. Just as I'm getting ready to go to bed at 11 PM in my hotel room I suddenly realize my iPad was missing. Losing an iPad is upsetting - knowing the damage someone could do if they accessed online accounts using my iPad was terrifying. Fortunately I knew I had some protection because I password protect my devices and had set up Find My iPad/Phone. Which can't be said for many of the educators I noticed using mobile devices at ISTE. But had I done enough?"

"Now that the social media landscape has been enriched with powerful sites in the calibre of Twitter and Facebook, nobody can ever expect where this social revolution is heading to. To finsih up this succinct synopsis on social media, let me share with you this beautiful graphic which is a vintage image od social networking between the past and the present."

"Australia's first Australian Professional Standard for Principals was endorsed by Ministers at the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA) on 8 July 2011. The content Standard is a public statement which sets out what principals are expected to know, understand and do to achieve in their work. It is represented as interdependent and integrated model that recognises three leadership requirements that a principal draws upon within five areas of professional practice."

"A few years ago I blogged about the concept of Video Tagging and how I was using it to improve performance in my PE Classes. Back then the process was much more involved and required a tremendous level of setup and expensive dedicated hardware and software. This ultimately led to minimal take up within the PE community regardless of the massive benefits to learning. Flash forward to 2013 and we are now in a position easily tag video with a couple of mobile apps, which have a combined price of $8.48. Not only is this price a mere fraction of the cost involved in the 2011 example, it is without a doubt a much more accesible option for the masses. Check them out below;"

"ZooBurst is a digital storytelling tool that lets anyone easily create their own 3D pop-up books. I've written about it in the past, and it's an excellent website. It's now even better with the launch of their free iPad App, which you can download here."

"If you use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or Google+ then you need this. Simple as that. These are some awesome time-saving social media shortcuts for all the major social networks. You might just impress yourself with how much of a social media maverick (is there a feminine version of maverick? Mavericka?) from here on out. This visual guide from Quintly details the many ways to save time on social media. There's even a few Easter eggs in there about how to play 'Snake' on YouTube which I find quite funny."

"n iOS 6, Apple decided it was time to remove the podcasts function of the Music app and replace it with a standalone app, available for free in the App Store. Properly titled Podcasts, this app released in June of this year, but has been under much criticism for its half-baked design, lag and lack of functionality. Since then, there have been three updates to the app, the last of which arriving the day of iOS 6's release. All the same, is this app even worth the trouble Apple has gone to thus far?"

"Today at the OTA / EncycloMedia 2016 Conference in Oklahoma City, keynote speaker Shannon M. Miller (@shannonmmiller) shared a wealth of apps, websites, and project ideas in her breakout session, "Igniting Innovation and Creativity in Our Makerspaces With Digital Tools and Apps." One of the apps she shared is "MusiQuest - Music & Beat Maker." The same Denver-based app developer, Edify Technology (@EdifyTechnology) has also published the amazing musical creation app, "Sketch-a-Song Kids." The tagline of this second app is, "Compose in Color." Both of these are FREE and amazing! My wife, Shelly (@sfryer) has been playing with Sketch-a-Song tonight on her iPad, and it's remarkable! Here are a couple tutorial videos which introduce some of the basic elements of both apps."

At the heart of learning are the questions to which we do not yet know the answers and the journey to the questions we have not yet asked. Such simple truths and yet understandings that can have fundamental consequences for approach to learning and growth.

"Makerspaces are a really hot commodity in schools and the focus of a lot of the conversation that surrounds improving learning spaces.  That's exciting, and an opportunity to provide new spaces that add capability for students and teachers is always a good thing. So, given this interest, what are some design questions to consider when thinking of adding a space that has maker capabilities?  Here are my top five which focus on the design of such a space:"

"Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printers are popping up everywhere - from the home to the office; from the classroom to the workshop. PLA and ABS thermoplastic are the defacto standard materials used for these desktop 3D printers. But did you know that you could fabricate things with exotic 3D printer filament, too? You can now print in wood, metal, carbon fiber, and much more besides. As the name implies, exotic 3d printer filaments - also known as specialty or composite - filaments are advanced materials for your FDM 3D Printer. They combine thermoplastics like PLA and ABS with ingredients like metals, carbon fiber, wood, and glow-in-the-dark compounds to create hybrid materials with unique properties. With so much variety on offer, it's easier than ever to create functional, beautiful, and high performing prints in a variety of exciting materials. Read our guide to find out which 3D printer filament - regular or exotic - is right for you."

"This article is about finding the best 3D printing software for every stage of your workflow. Which 3D printing software is best for preparing 3D models to print? How about designing 3D print models from scratch? What if you're an absolute beginner? Have no fear, we've answered all of these questions, together with details on proficiency levels and where they can be downloaded. And best of all, the majority of them are totally free and open source."

"The educational acronyms of the 21st century look a bit different from those of previous generations. The "Three R's" (which, confusingly enough, weren't even R's to begin with) have since largely been replaced by STEM, and parents of the newest generation are doing everything they can to better prepare their progeny for success in an increasingly digitized world. Updated on 04-07-2016 by Lulu Chang: Cubetto finishes Kickstarter campaign as the most funded ed-tech project to date. Key to that success appears to be an early start - an extremely early start - when it comes to learning important skills like computer programming and other technical talents. Here to help is Cubetto, and adorable little wooden robot that is specifically designed for pre-literate children ages 3 and older that teaches the basics of computer programming and STEM, sans screen. "