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iPad Creative brings you a wide range of articles with a focus towards the creativity and fun. Much like the iPad itself this blog isn't just for geeks, it's for everyone!

Education has 99 problems, but the desire to solve those problems isn't one. But because we can't cover 99 problems in one story, we'll focus on seven, which the League of Innovative Schools identified as critical to educational innovation.

"The PC is dying, long live the PC! These headlines have been thrown around for years, as sales of laptops and desktops have continually dwindled downward. The tablet has long been pinned as the murderer of the traditional computers and it certainly looked like it was going to be the one to do away with them (perhaps in a few years), with the focus of many companies such as Apple and Microsoft shifting towards a tablet-first world."

Gravity is a tool for creatives to quickly sketch their ideas in 3D space using immersive augmented reality. A pen and a pad specifically designed for sketching in the augmented environment. Free from any screen or computer, Gravity allows you to focus on what really matters, developing your ideas in an intuitive way. As you start to draw, objects will take shape in front of you. Through the landing pad controls, you can adjust the plane in which you sketch, giving volume to your creation. With augmented reality glasses, Gravity reinvents how you and your collaborators visualize and contribute to each other's ideas.

We're surrounded by gadgets that demand our attention, constantly fragmenting our ability to properly focus on the task at hand. Living with technology doesn't mean we have to live with an addiction, however. Here's how to beat tech burnout.

I presented twice at a great two day conference in Melbourne called 'Arresting Audiences'. The irony of the title not lost on this writer as the real intention of the event run by Film Victoria (a traditional film funding organisation) was commendable - finally focus on 'users', 'watchers', 'participants' aka as old school 'audiences'. Most of the talks explored new marketing, basic demography and obligatory future trends with a couple of inspirational 'write for your inner audience' highlight talks from the likes of Jane 'buffy/BSG' Espenson, but I was asked to look at the social and transmedia aspects that affect and impact on audiences/communities so below is:

"This is a continuing article in my series "The Googal In Google" This posting will focus on the art of searching using the basic Google search engine. I have tried to include the obvious and the not so obvious techniques. As you look through, I am almost certain you will learn something new. Please share this article with other educators and students. Just understanding these ten concepts will assist anyone into being a more productive researcher. As always, please feel free to follow me on twitter at (@mjgormans), I will do the same. Also, please take a moment to subscribe to this blog by email or RSS. I am always finding useful information to share! Let's begin our search. - Mike"

Interesting article commenting on the results of the annual "PBS Digitally Inclined" report indicating '76 percent of K-12 educators said they use digital media in the classroom, up from 69 percent in 2008. Of those teachers, 80 percent are frequent or regular users'. This type of data is of value to teacher librarians when reviewing their role within schools. If you don't have a focus on multimedia, here is proof that it's time to have a closer look.

Initiated and funded by AusAID to support its Global Education Program. This is an Australian website with an Australian focus on world issues. The objective of the Global Education Website is to increase the amount and quality of teaching of global education in Australian primary and secondary schools. The site supports the AusAID Global Education Program which aims to raise awareness and understanding among Australian school students of international issues, development and poverty, and to prepare them to live in an increasingly globalised world and to be active citizens shaping better futures.

"Most of what we do is for the students. The focus of this and many other blogs and websites is about learning, and rightly so, but there are also apps that will make our jobs easier too. I am talking about that catergory of apps that are designed specifically for the classroom teacher. There are plenty and I am sure as more and more teachers gain the confidence to design their own apps, there will be more suitable one to come. Here is a list of apps that you can use to make your job easier."

"Emerging Practice in a Digital Age explores how colleges and universities are embracing innovation and using emerging technologies to enhance learning in a climate of economic pressure, changing social circumstances and rapid technological change. Aimed at those in further and higher education who design and support learning, the guide draws on recent JISC reports and case studies to investigate how the emergence of new and more powerful technologies together with an increase in personal ownership of these technologies are changing the way we connect, communicate and collaborate, and how these changes can benefit learning. The focus of this guide is on emerging practice rather than emerging technology."

Managing priorities mind map

"MissionV is providing a highly creative, totally immersive, game based learning environment for primary and post primary students. We're putting the focus on 21st century skills, helping chidren to become original digital creators with 3D modeling and programming skills. MissionV allows high potential students from all backgrounds to connect, create and collaborate in a 3D world entirely of their own making."

"WordPress 3.2 is the fifteenth major WordPress release in the project's eight-year history. The focus in this release was to make things faster, lighter and more streamlined. We've spent some time with WordPress 3.2, both in its various betas and in the final version, and put together this guide to what's new, improved and enhanced."

This report is designed to give an accessible overview of media literacy among UK children and young people aged 5-15 and their parents/ carers (-1-). The purpose of this report is to support people working in this area to develop and promote media literacy among these groups. This report is the third full report since our survey began in 2005. It is therefore able to show trends over time for many of the questions asked. Due to different survey periods and focus, some comparisons are made with 2005 and 2007 data, and others with 2007 and 2008, and change over time is highlighted against either 2007 or 2008 accordingly.

"There has been a lot of talk about iBeacons since they launched with iOS 7 last fall, but much of the focus has been on how they benefit retailers and add to the in-store shopping experience. They have a much broader range of potential use, however, and part of that is consumer-focused, too. Placed is a new app that shows you how iBeacons might benefit anyone at home, by tying iBeacons to specific apps and offering quick-launch capabilities."

Digital classroom tools like computers, tablets and smartphones offer exciting opportunities to deepen learning through creativity, collaboration and connection, but those very devices can also be distracting to students.

Simple to use. Go to the site to access the expanding library of jigsaw puzzles created by others. You can search for puzzles based on a theme, by puzzle difficulty (easy is 60 pieces or less and challenging puzzles have 240 plus pieces). In the puzzle work space, you can zoom in or out to give yourself more room to work. The 'full screen' mode removes other distractions and helps to focus on the challenge at hand. The site requires the Flash plug-in to make the puzzles interactive. If you create an account (it's free) you can upload your own images to make your own jigsaw puzzles to share. This will also remove ads from the puzzle pages. The tool does not require an email address to register.

"To be released in 2014 this new publication will focus on the link between technology and education by investigating how the connected society is transforming learning. The rapid spread of digital platforms, increasing connectivity, the potential for massive online collaboration and "networked intelligence" are not only opening new doors to lifelong learning but breaking down generational, geographic and disciplinary boundaries." Graham Brown-Martin @grahambm