There are many ways to reduce stress levels; going for a walk, listening to music or drinking tea are all popular ways of winding down. None of these will come as much of a surprise, but have you considered the stress reducing benefits of regular reading? A 2009 study by the University of Sussex found that reading for just six minutes can reduce stress levels by up to 68%. (The Telegraph, March 2009)

The modern workplace's vogue is informal information exchange. We sit in open floor plan offices so that we can spontaneously collide, chat, and collaborate. An office setup for generating ideas can be fizzy and energizing, though when sparks aren't flying, the colliding can be noisy and distracting. Jeff Bezos takes a totally different approach to management, far from that madding crowd. He has a contrarian management technique that's peculiarly old school - write it down.

With billions of dollars in research funding at stake, higher education institutions have several reasons to reconsider their approach to academic IT.

Personal Knowledge Mastery PKM is a set of processes, individually constructed, to help each of us make sense of our world, work more effectively, and contribute to society. PKM means taking control of your professional development, and staying connected in the network era, whether you are an employee, self-employed, or between jobs. Personal - according to one's abilities, interests & motivation. (not directed by external forces) Knowledge - understanding information and experience in order to act upon it. (know what, know who, know how) Mastery - the journey from apprentice to disciplined sense-maker and knowledge catalyst. (masters do not need to be managed)

For many students, the college experience includes game days watching athletes wearing the school colors take the field or court. But in today's environment of rising costs, soaring student debt and declining enrollment, college and university leaders are sometimes finding they have to explain the need for what has become an "arms race" among athletic departments. The argument might be made that much of the money that is required to keep college athletic teams going comes from ticket sales and outside sources such as alumni contributions. The other side of that coin is that some of the cost is borne by students, even those with no interest in sports. In the case of private institutions, it is up to school officials to decide whether the expense is worthwhile. The public has an obvious and greater role in the determination of the role and funding of sports in state institutions.

Ever wonder how your co-worker gets so much done in so little time? They know how to put their time to best use. In this episode Josh and Shelby talk with productivity expert Laura Vanderkam about the weekend habits of highly productive people. Learn how being mindful about your 48-hour weekend can make it feel longer and more productive. Vanderkam shares ways to take advantage of your weekends and why tracking your time can be a difference maker. Plus Josh and Shelby discuss the three myths that are killing your productivity, and what you can do to overcome your limited time.

Dropbox is broadening its sales focus from targeting mostly corporations to trying to attract paid users in higher ed, too. Officials say the intent is for those collaborating on research and potentially sharing high amounts of sensitive data and information to be able to do so in a secure environment that is controlled by the campus CIO. PC World reports the company does not see Dropbox Education as useful for "undergrads who may just need to turn in a paper or two."

University groups previously decried "a time of limited and sometimes shrinking budgets for higher education," and called on the Labor Department to lower the threshold and adjust for regional and sector differences. Institutions have pushed back against the significant financial burden associated with raising salaries to meet the threshold or paying overtime for additional hours worked. Though faculty members are still exempt, the status of postdocs with light teaching loads is still in question, and many support staffers are eligible for the increase.

Micro Learning Useful resources about MicroLearning and its contribution in the eLearning process. Share our posts or submit your own article. See more.

Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership - starting with a golden circle and the question "Why?" His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers ...

The Babson Survey Research Group released its last annual survey of the online-education landscape on Tuesday. You can read its report on the survey here, and below are some of its key findings:

What do teachers that use technology believe (as it pertains to teaching with technology)? This will read a lot like a pro-education technology post because it (more or less) is. I tried to get in the head of both teachers skeptical of "edtech" and teachers that have embraced it full-on. I've speculated before why some teachers are against technology in learning. This time I thought I'd take a look at the other side and see what kind of beliefs a teacher that uses technology with vision, expertise, or enthusiasm might believe. Of course, not all of these will be true for all teachers. Many of these can be thought of as underlying assumptions of technology use in learning. It doesn't mean, though, that these statements are all accurate. This is-as is all reality-a matter of interpretation.

Social Media - Citation guide for writers.