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I often say that technology is just a tool to use when it meets our needs (like a pencil), but hearing this sentence made me re-evaluate my own perceptions. After all, what is a tool? * something I use when it suits me * something I control *

To avoid such scenarios happening again (at least to me!), I have created a 'Master List' below of all the juiciest resource lists compiled on ZaidLearn. Trust me; some of these resource lists are really yummy. Interestingly, some of these resource lists

18,000 Resources, 1,200 Lessons, and a great space for students to search, study, and practice. I like this site quite a bit. It is run by a nn-profit, which has me hopeful for what's to come.

A couple of quick takeaways for me are that it's nice to see professional development called out as something we need, but we really have to get away form the paradigm of thinking it's something we do "to" teachers or is done "to" us.  The other takeaway I have after reading this is around a question I've asked before. If we're truly "blending" our teaching and environment, what does the space look like? How can we professionally develop as teachers to be better prepared to adapt and modify our existing learning spaces to better meet the needs of a flexible, student centric, tech infused learning environment? If shifting the ENTIRE teaching model paradigm upside down is NOT an option, what is? Is this something that needs to be built, modeled, and then iterated? I culled some nuggets from the reading.

Google Hangouts keeps getting better and better. I've been really impressed thus far with its consistency, ease of use, and functionality. Screensharing is a must, Bigger video, less so for me, but the ability to draft, ,collaborate, and draw out ideas in this setting seemingly super easy is great.  As an aside, I'm wondering how much I'll be using gmail, since Google plus, pretty much does everything I would need from an email already and then some.

A closer look at using a social media platform ... The last 2 weekends I have included a couple of short presentations that I have been producing to help organisations (business and education) understand the concept of social learning and how a social me

Tutorials and Guides * A Wiki Walk-Through, from TeachersFirst. * Welcome to the World of Wikis - Help pages put together to use with primary schools in the UK - Sally. Thanks to wikispaces for the help they have given me! Good Luck! * Using Wik

"For me doing mathematics has always been like playing a game. At Manga High we've been working hard to bring out the playful side of maths while ensuring that students get the essential skills to master this important subject."

My administrators have been supportive; for the most part. I don't believe my principal is aware of the extent of the "digital reach" I offer to my students because although I've shared links to projects, our blog, etc. I've not received any response. My assistant principal, on the other hand, has taken the time to let me know that she has checked out some of our work and thinks I'm providing some great learning opportunities.

I have found that providing students with progress reports via audio files is a very motivating alternative to providing written feedback on their progress. Generally, I do both. I am required to enter written feedback in the online records kept for my students. However, there are several things that don't overly excite me about this: I sometimes find them to be overly formal and (on occasion) stilted. They occur too infrequently - usually mid- and end-of-semester - to provide students with useful information. They can (on occasion) fall prey to ticking-the-boxes syndrome and thus can (on occasion) not be so overly heartfelt.

Google me? I'll Google you! Google has become the de facto public record these days but most people remain in relative obscurity there and/or fear of what past indiscretions Google will expose to people who search for them.