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"As anyone who's ever spent hours hunched over Candy Crush can attest, there's something special about games. Sure they're fun, but they can also be absorbing, frustrating, challenging and complex. Research has shown our brains are "wired for pleasure," and that games are an effective way to learn because they simulate adventure and keep our brains engaged and happy. But what exactly do we learn from them? In an era consumed with teaching 21st-century soft skills, are games any good at building critical thinking or collaboration skills? The answer is likely yes, but, much like games themselves, it's complicated. "What you'll find from the research is that it's very much dependent on, 'under certain types of conditions, certain types of skills seem to be developed,'" explains game designer and theorist Katie Salen, a former executive director at the nonprofit Institute of Play. "I never want to make claims that games writ-large for any kid-under any circumstances-teach these sort of skills.""

"Happy New Year! We've put together a collection of some of the best Mac tips and tricks we covered from the past year, 2018. These are certainly not the most popular tips from the year prior, but they are some of the more interesting or useful tips and tricks for Mac users to know, covering a broad range of topics. Some you may know, some you may not. Anyway, browse around and take a look at the link list below, and perhaps you'll learn something new!"

"Happy New Year! We've rounded up a collection of some interesting and useful tips and tricks for the iPhone and iPad that were covered in the last year. This 2018 tip roundup covers a broad range of iOS topics, so browse around, and you might even learn something new about your portable device(s)! Onward with the roundup!"

"How should teachers - both K-12 and college - deal with the use of computers and phones by students in class? On the one hand, those sleek little supercomputers promise to connect us to all human knowledge. On the other hand, they are also scientifically designed by some of the world's top geniuses to feel as compelling as oxygen. So where does that leave teachers? Should you ban these devices in the classroom? Let students go whole hog? Or is there a happy medium? This seemingly simple topic ends up being what one professor and pedagogy expert calls "a Rorschach test for so much that's going on in education.""

"Achieving success typically means keeping a solid grip on your motivation. Otherwise, long-haul projects fizzle fast as you encounter the strain of regular challenges.  But scientists from Emory University now say that chronic inflammation is a huge troublemaker, and that it might interfere with your drive to persist and explore. According to their new theory, detailed in the paper Can't or Won't? Immunometabolic Constraints on Dopaminergic Drive, chronic inflammation puts a squeeze on your brain's dopamine supply. You probably know dopamine best for its role in helping you feel happy, but it's a chemical that keeps your brain seeking novelty, too."

"All over Canada, and at many schools in North America, today is the first day of school. Doing the work that I do today, I did not realize that until I opened up Facebook this morning and was hit by a barrage of "the first day of grade _____" pictures all over my feed.  The excitement on the faces of many students was contagious, but it also seemed that some parents were pretty happy to send their kids back to school as well What I have been thinking about a lot lately is about how we maintain that "first-day" excitement in our students throughout the year? Although this is something that I do my best to support in my work, I know that this is not an easy task for educators and schools as there are so many variables in the lives of our students and ourselves that have an impact on our experience in school. My focus here is on how do we create an experience in school that is both joyous while challenging.  The reason both elements are essential is that it is easier to "challenge" our students to grow in a space where they are excited to be in the first place. If a student hates coming to school every day, it is going to be a lot tougher to push them toward growth."

"It's important to remember that every interview is a two-way street. You should be assessing the employer just as much as they're assessing you, because you both need to walk away convinced that the job would be a great fit. So when the tables are turned and the interviewer asks, "Do you have any questions for me?" take advantage of this opportunity. It's the best way to determine if you'd be happy working for this employer, and whether your goals are aligned with theirs. "

"I don't know about you, but when I logon to YouTube, I usually end up spending hours clicking from video to video. It's probably not the most productive way to spend an afternoon, but it's hard to control myself when there are so many amazing vloggers (video bloggers) talking about books! A couple of years ago I wrote A Beginner's Guide to BookTube, in which I highlighted some of my favorite channels and videos. Since then, so many new book lovers have joined the ranks and some previously small and unknown channels have grown to epic proportions. Choosing just ten favorites was hard and I spend hours agonizing over this list, but I'm happy with the result. Without further ado, here are my top ten favorite BookTube channels in no particular order:"

"Educators never get a break. Oftentimes they see their students in their community, grade papers and plan lessons, and become emotionally invested in the lives of each of their students - all outside of classroom hours. Children of teachers can sometimes feel they rank below their parents' other "kids" at times. To avoid burnout and keep yourself happy at work and at home, remind yourself that teachers can have a work-life balance and follow these tips for creating it."

"Like a lot of children, my sons, Toby, 7, and Anton, 4, are obsessed with robots. In the children's books they devour at bedtime, happy, helpful robots pop up more often than even dragons or dinosaurs. The other day I asked Toby why children like robots so much. "Because they work for you," he said. What I didn't have the heart to tell him is, someday he might work for them - or, I fear, might not work at all, because of them. It is not just Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking who are freaking out about the rise of invincible machines. Yes, robots have the potential to outsmart us and destroy the human race. But first, artificial intelligence could make countless professions obsolete by the time my sons reach their 20s."

"Get into the Halloween "spirit" by creating these fun light-up paper circuit cards. This project is not only fun but educational. You will learn how to create different kinds of conductive circuits using copper tape, LEDs and a coin cell battery. Download the FREE Halloween project ebook using the link below. Ebook contains all 13 spooky paper circuit templates. Color them or print them on colored paper. Happy Halloween !!"

Happy International Indigenous People Day

We, a young, dynamic and public-spirited team of activists at Happiness Ville, are constantly brainstorming ideas and ways to bring about the change we always talk about and hardly put into action. Our aim is to eradicate the 'mal' out of malnutrition, 'ill' out of the illiteracy, 'in' out of the injustice and the 'issues' out of the environment.

"If you go back to the first days of the COVID crisis, when campuses across the country were shutting down, college students weren't very happy with emergency online learning. Surveys conducted then showed deep dissatisfaction, with as many as 70 percent saying they didn't like it. Low grades for remote instruction persisted for months. As the nation struggled under one of the worst public health threats in centuries, emergency instruction proceeded as the only viable way to keep higher education going, even though so few students liked it. Since then, things have taken a surprising turn. Today, 70 percent of college students give online and hybrid learning a thumbs-up."

"Much of the conversation around children's use of technology focuses on the potential risks and harms of exploring the digital world. While protecting children is an essential focus, it cannot be the only one. As children's lives become increasingly digital, we also have an obligation and an opportunity to reframe the discussion using a whole child approach, in support of children's ability to learn, create, connect, play, and, more broadly, in support of "well-being" - a state inclusive of happiness, health, safety, and comfort. With this goal in mind, The LEGO Group and UNICEF have brought together a global coalition and initiated a new multi-year project called RITEC - Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children - to empower business and policy leaders to protect and promote children's well-being in a digital age."