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Very cool graphic design tool that you can use to make graphics for your blog, etc.

Take off in the classroom

Innovative floating school designed and created in Nigeria

If you need help picking colors that go well together, I love color schemer for that. You can use the RGB colors even in Microsoft office or you can use the HEX for websites, etc. I teach my students about colors but even if you don't have time for that, you can at least teach them to generate a color palette.

Fascinating article on design thinking and an attempt to catalog all of the schools using design thinking. I do predict that STEM, design thinking, and creativity are going to become increasingly valued by parents and many who are disenfranchised with a testing environment that is rapidly driving everyone involved to the edge - particularly the students.

"Mapping a global movement. A global movement is unfolding, and in response to the overwhelming interest around design thinking in schools, IDEO and the d.school have created a new directory - Design Thinking in Schools - to highlight the network of institutions that are at the forefront of this movement.

The directory, launched in mid-October, already features a wide range of programs and resources. There's a mix of learning environments, from charter and district public schools to museums and summer camps. The programs are diverse, including after school "lab" environments and schools that use design thinking as the basis for subject-matter courses. "

Erin Klein shares her principles for setting up an effective classroom design with tips especially relevant to elementary teachers. Filling the wall full of charts and clutter from floor to ceiling isn't only a problem with the fire marshall but may actually be making it harder for students to learn. Listen to this awesome conversation to learn more.

This is a great iPad app which lets you make amazing games with the minimum of coding experience. Use the pre-made characters and props or make your own using your camera or gallery images. Control the behaviour of each item to make some intricate games with a flick of your finger. Your designs are only limited by your imagination. Share your games with others at the click of a button. Download the app at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/GamePress/id637370800?mt=8
http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ICT+%26+Web+Tools

Some more infographics to discus and share.

Erin Klein has great ideas for redesigning the classroom. I'm interviewing her this week for my online show (to be posted soon) about aesthetically pleasing brain-friendly classrooms. Take a look.

This lifehacker article shares some of the research that has to do with productivity. This is one I wish all schools understood "when office workers get to arrange their space, productivity is increased." Some teachers I know have no ability to determine where they put their desks or the desks of their students. At my school, we are allowed a lot of freedom with arranging our rooms and it shows. The article also points out that office plans lower stress levels. Some interesting color research as well.

This is my first question if I know every kid has a device: "What should the student learning experience be?"
That's a question that can be addressed through design. And like any design provocation, you begin by deeply understanding the needs of humans first, in this case, the learner.
And then you make sense of that, you find what you want to design around by developing a set of design drivers (such as skills, habits of the mind, the physical and digital learning spaces, etc.) and then you ideate, ideate and ideate. Ask a second, third, fourth question … Yes … and … what if … how might we? Ask those questions. Prototype an experience, put it out there, find out what works, what doesn't, and refine and adjust. Make it better.
Place the student and the learning at the center of the first question that you ask. Make it about them and what they should experience in your school as a learner. Don't make it about whether or not the device supports Shockwave.

Retired math teacher who has a model that tries to answer your question. Suggestions welcome.

http://www.textbooksfree.org/Educating%20the%20Class%20of%202030.htm

This is a 'must try' iPad app where you can design a 3D creature. Tap, drag and pinch your creation until it is just right and then 'paint' it with the patterns you want. It's a great resource to use alongside creative writing or science work. If you have access to a 3D printer you can even fabricate your design. Download the app at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/123d-creature/id594014056.
http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ICT+%26+Web+Tools

Turn a quote into a masterpiece. Lots of templates

This is a great resource for creating trading card to print on any subject. Just choose a topic, upload an optional image, fill in the facts, data of questions you what and print the set.
http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/Cross+Curricular

This site makes it easy to create images merged with QR codes. It's great for creating stylish interactive logos or add QR links or info to photos. Just choose an image, enter the QR code details, drag into place and download the result.
http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ICT+%26+Web+Tools

Create newsletters or flyers in the cloud with images, video, embed codes etc. free

I don't often talk about it, but I own a little house in Sydney bay. It's not much, but I'm proud of it. The problem is that it is only virtual and made out of Lego. This wonderful site allows you to design houses, or anything else, with virtual Lego on a virtual plot in Australia or New Zealand. It's like a simplified version of SketchUp, great for younger children.
http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ICT+%26+Web+Tools

Finland is an innovator in education and now they're doing it again. Schools need a facelift. If you're building a new school - rethink school. I'd look at the designs. Also, Ewan McIntosh wrote a great "7 spaces of schools" that is in the "Choice" chapter for those of you have bought my book Flattening Classroom, Engaging Minds - he talked about this on a boat in South Africa with me 2 years a go and is an expert to follow in the area of school design.
"Finnish students consistently have placed among the top countries on the Program for International Student Assessment, which gauges 15-year-old students' ability to understand and transfer concepts in reading, mathematics, and science. For example, in the most recent mathematics assessment, in 2009, Finnish students scored 54 points higher than their American peers on a scale of zero to 1,000. Pasi Sahlberg, the director general of the Center for International Mobility and Cooperation at Finland's education ministry, attributes the nation's academic achievement to a three-fold approach: quality of the academic curriculum, equity in educational access, "and the third one is the environment. How the environment and design of the school is supporting students' learning. When we combine these three things we can say something about the overall goodness of the school system."