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Article about how people look at web pages.

As you design web pages for use with your students -- do you wonder why they don't sometimes SEE what you're putting in front of them -- it is because of eye movement. It is design!!! This paper writes about the effect of website design on eye movement. Those who are desigining online curriculum need to understand this. My sister, Sarah, has been an onlien professor for Savannah College of Art and Design for a while, ,and this is something she talks about in her courses and shares with me. This is why I emphasize wiki layout and design w/ my students (like having a table of contents and white space.) If it is not attractive, it just doesn't exist, because it IS NOT READ! Educators will do well to remember that!

Free online conferences are an amazing part of the new learning landscape. I'll be presenting at Eye  on School Success in March on Tuesday, March 20 at 4:15 but this is the link to many different presenters at this conference. Todd Whitaker is keynoting this one and Barbara Blackburn is also presenting as well as many other great authors who I don't know personally yet.

This lesson is intended to help students begin to think about how we categorize and organize people in the world around us. Students will focus on the familiar, schools and textbooks, as they learn about Jane Elliott's "blue eyes-brown eyes" experiment and survey their own textbooks.

This great cartoon can be used to talk about eyes and color but is also funny. You might want to share this with students if your class talks about these topics. Wow, the Mantis Shrimp has the ability to see this many colors?

This list is a collection of resources I've found concerning internet safety. My students will be creating a presentation to give to their parents on the teens-eye view of internet safety. Please feel free to leave any comments and/or suggestions.

This is a great resource and is a list of websites for Internet Safety purposes. What a great tool.

This list is a collection of resources I've found concerning internet safety. My students will be creating a presentation to give to their parents on the teens-eye view of internet safety. Please feel free to leave any comments and/or suggestions.

Transformers and Science - More than meets the eye The idea that one item can become another is something they find fascinating and you can tap into that curiosity via these lesson plans, "did you know" facts, and take-home project cards available here. All highlight the fact that science is transformation in action. These tools also help learning and fun come together which at The Hub, we believe can lead to endless possibilities. Join us in sparking student interest in the power of transformation and the science behind it!

Many Eyes is a data visualization platform designed by IBM and provided for free. Since it's IBM it should remain fairly stable and free for a long while. 

Use LetterPop to create eye-popping newsletters, actionable presentations, irresistible invitations, beautiful product features, sizzling event summaries, informative club updates, lovely picture collages, and a whole lot more.

"Pong may be simple, but it is a great game for hand-eye coordination, and this 21st century 3D version from is fast and fun. You can also share the link and play together online. Requires Chrome to run at its best."

An interesting project. "Circling the globe from east to west, urban or rural, we each live in a unique community. What can we learn from our area, from our varied citizens or natural resources? This standards based project seeks to tap into the creative nature of students as they look at their community with new eyes and explore ways to share their findings with others using videoconferencing and technology as a resource."

In a recent PEW study, National Writing Project (NWP) and Advanced Placement (AP) teachers said that "a top priority in today's classrooms should be teaching students how to 'judge the quality of online information.'"  Furthermore, teachers are concerned that students don't get past Google, Wikipedia, and YouTube into deeper (and more accurate) ways of collecting information. If you want to discuss research sources, social bookmarking is the best way to do this. We should see more classrooms using Diigo (the most superior bookmarking service, in my opinion) or Delicious as they discuss and share the documents they will use in their research papers.  I've found when topics need deeper research or when the sources of research are in dispute, that social bookmarking is the best way to facilitate those discussions. It is a powerful form of pre-writing for students. If they can begin the conversations around research articles and sources, then more accurate information will emerge in their final document. Often students don't verify the sources of information and should learn to view all online information with skepticism and a critical eye as they converse over what makes a good source. Social bookmarking is a key source of discussion, data collection, and citation in the modern classroom.

Many governments are under political and economic pressure to turn around their school systems for higher rankings in the international league tables. Education reforms often promise quick fixes within one political term. Canada, South Korea, Singapore and Finland are commonly used models for the nations that hope to improve teaching and learning in their schools. In search of a silver bullet, reformers now turn their eyes on teachers, believing that if only they could attract "the best and the brightest" into the teaching profession, the quality of education would improve.

The virtual presence ishere. This set of wheels, stand, and extending arm turns your ipad into a virtual you. So, for $2K you can have a presence at a location and facetime into the classroom. The price is $1999 but there are applications for this.  "Double is the simplest, most elegant way to be somewhere else in the world without flying there. The minimalist design and intuitive touchscreen controls allow you to freely move around without inconveniencing others. You can stay at eye level, whether sitting or standing, by adjusting your height remotely, which makes conversations fluid and real. Retractable kickstands will automatically deploy to conserve power when you are not moving around. Efficient motors and lightweight design give Double the ability to last all day without recharging the battery."

Rebellion from teachers in Mexico who have bought and sold teaching jobs for generations without any national certification. Teachers are striking and bearing crowbars. These are reforms that most agree need to happen, but putting them in place is tough and sadly, it often hurts those we should protect the most... the children. Despite what some say, reforms need to happen in the US as well and this means upheaval here too. It can be challenging to separate the truth from the fabrications but I  hope that wherever the flag of edreform is raised that people will think of children and what is best for them. What is best for teachers is not always the best for children. It might be good in my own eyes to have a job, but if I'm not a good teacher, perhaps it is something that doesn't need to happen. Interesting reading. "The conflict is fueled by the importance of teaching jobs for the poor mountain and coastal villages where the dissident union is strongest. Teaching jobs in Guerrero with lifelong job security, benefits and pension pay about $495 and $1,650 a month, depending on qualifications and tenure, well above average in rural areas, according to teachers and outside experts. They said the price to get such as job can cost as much as $20,000, usually going to the departing teacher, with cuts for union and state officials."

"Italian psychologist Geatano Kanizsa first described this optical illusion in 1955 as a subjective or illusory contour illusion. The study of such optical illusions has led to an understanding of how the brain and eyes perceive optical information and has been used considerably by artists and designers alike. They show the power of human imagination in filling in the gaps to make implied constructions in our own minds. Kanizsa figures and similar illusions are a really useful way to encourage learners to 'say what they see' and to explain how they see it. It offers a chance for others to become aware of the different views available in a diagram and share their own thoughts without the 'danger' of being wrong; many people see different things."

Apple app for animating photos by adding talking mouths and eyes to inanimate objects. Record audio for the objects to say to make explanation videos and more.

This article from Brooklyn is one educators should read. School playgrounds are "hunting grounds" for pimps. Yes, slavery exists and yes, schools should open their eyes. Pass this article around to create awareness, please.

No undoing for you! Face scanning uses the measurements between your eyes and a few other dimensions to determine if a person is old enough to buy something out of the machine. But the fact that it is put on a jello pudding machine is pretty funny to me. Guess junior will need an older sibling tonget that jello for him. Humor aside, there could be use for this in areas served by kids and adults although kids do get around obstacles when they want to.