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A number of organizations offer public map data through Google Maps, but finding it can be tricky -- if you even know it exists. That may not be an issue now that Google has just launched its Maps Gallery. The web portal showcases location info from both Google and a slew of its Maps Engine partners, ranging from the World Bank's internet usage stats to National Geographic's historical overlays. This is really just the start of the search firm's map discovery efforts, though. Google tells TechCrunch that it wants to surface public maps in regular search results, and it would also like to draw attention to Maps Engine Lite data created by amateur cartographers.

"When most people first try augmented reality(AR) in education, they start with applications that have the AR content already built into the app. Apps like AR Flashcards, PBS Kids CyberChase Shape Quest, and ColAR Mix have this, and are a great way to get your feet wet. As educators, we know the power of creation. Hopefully one of the following 6 platforms will help you and your students dive in to creating your own augmented reality!"

A great outline of where to start in regards to texts and resources associated with digital literacies.

"If you go to the Getty Images website, you'll see millions of images, all watermarked. There are more than a hundred years of photography here, from FDR on the campaign trail to last Sunday's Oscars, all stamped with the same transparent square placard reminding you that you don't own the rights. If you want Getty to take off the watermark, you'll have to pay for it. Starting now, that's going to change. Getty Images is dropping the watermark for the bulk of its collection, in exchange for an open-embed program that will let users drop in any image they want, as long as the service gets to append a footer at the bottom of the picture with a credit and link to the licensing page. "

"What does 2014 hold for your online life? If you're young, it probably won't involve Facebook that much. This year marked the start of what looks likely to be a sustained decline of what had been the most pervasive of all social networking sites. Young people are turning away in their droves and adopting other social networks instead, while the worst people of all, their parents, continue to use the service."

"In our book, Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom, Gary and I took what I would consider a fairly even-handed view of the current fad of celebrating "failure" in the classroom. I'm starting to reconsider a more radical stance."

During your time at school you will complete many projects and research assignments that require you to find and use information from a variety of sources - many of which will be online. Sometimes, however, searching on the web can feel like you are lost in a jungle of information? You may feel overwhelmed and ask yourself the following questions... Where do I start? Where am I going to get the information I need? How do I know what is 'good' information? Which are the best websites for this assignment? Well, the Research Safari is designed to help you navigate your way through the 'jungle of information' to help you create a dynamic assignment.

"Curious about Google+, but don't know where or why to start? Check out "Get Into Google+: A Guide For Everyone", the latest free guide from MakeUseOf. This guide, by author Maggie Marystone, teaches you everything you've ever wanted to know about Google"

ToS;DR is still very new (started in mid-2012) so the number of sites that have report cards are limited, but it is an excellent example of the positive change that can occur through global connectivity and collaboration, and the project is actively growing. This is a grassroots project, created by citizens and volunteers who take their responsibilities very seriously; they engage in a peer-reviewed process of rating and analysing to create each rating, and they are committed to Creative Commons and Free Software licensing. While this site does not take the place of legal advice, it does help users make some sense of the pages and pages of fine print before we click, and ultimately that offers us the chance to make better online choices.

New web-based course development with drag to the page interactive widgets. Free in beta. Fresh approach from a start-up.

"Minecraft -- the blocky game of breaking blocky blocks and building larger blocky things while avoiding death at the blocks of blocky bad things. Millions of people play this game worldwide!"

"Twitter is a fantastic resource for educators around the world and I am indebted to past, present and future folk willing to contribute, inform and debate. The common goal is to enhance learning for our students and educators on twitter are so pro-active it makes you proud to be amongst them (sobbing starts again)."

Google+ for Schools is a short guide created by Eric Curts, a Google certified teacher. The Google Doc document walks you through a step by step process to learn everything you need in order to start leveraging the power of this social networking platform in schools.

"LETTERBOX has been looking into the effects that the digital age is having on younger minds and has generated the fascinating infographic below that's teeming with interesting details. For example, did you know that there are more than 5 million users below the age of ten on Facebook, despite the minimum age requirement being 13? Of these users, over 200,000 of them are aged six or younger. These statistics and others listed below all point to the incredible fact that the average age for a child to start regularly consuming online media is now only 8-years-old."

"This visualization attempts to organize a series of emerging technologies that are likely to influence education in the upcoming decades. Despite its inherently speculative nature, the driving trends behind the technologies can already be observed, meaning it's a matter of time before these scenarios start panning out in learning environments around the world."

"Online streaming services aren't new. There are innumerable ways to stream audio and music online, but SoundCloud has some advantages over the competition. Founded in Berlin in 2007, SoundCloud has since expanded to an extensive app that encompasses a streaming service, a distribution platform and an online community. For musicians, it's a great way to upload original music to share with your fans. For fans, it's easy to keep tabs on your favorite artists and stream on continuous play. And increasingly more for other types of media, SoundCloud provides a way to stream embeddable audio pieces for news and sports media outlets. Once you decide what's best for you, getting started with SoundCloud is simple. Check out some of the best and most useful SoundCloud features below in our beginner's guide."

"Starting today, we are introducing the ability to create custom timelines in TweetDeck. Custom timelines, which were just announced, are a new type of timeline that you control by selecting the Tweets you want to include."

"There are lots of different skills that go into game development. This course is about key technical concepts in game development, and has been developed for people of many different backgrounds and skills. Some programming experience would be nice but is not required. We start by looking at the central role of game design and common development processes used in the industry. You will see how game software can be broken into parts that work together, and in particular the idea of game engines. We'll explore the relationship between game design, balance and player experience. Lastly we'll look at enhancing player experience though the use of AI techniques."

"Live.pics.io recreates the experience of real-world slideshows, when your guests would come by to see photos and hear you tell the story behind the shots. Drag some images and start the conversation."

[via @rmbyrne]

"The progression of where online learning started and how it has grown is really quite staggering, especially since it has only become a discussion staple for most of us pretty recently. The handy infographic below gives us an interesting timeline of digital learning, shows some of the different categories that digital learning comprises, and offers up some interesting statistics on the number of people participating in online learning and the growth that it has seen over the years. Keep reading to learn more."