Group items tagged

links w/resources for teaching via TED

Cool summary of an article by Liz B. Davis -- Liz took the article and extracted the most valuable bits to her using google Docs. This methodology is fascinating, but even moreso the fact we may all begin doing this together with Diigo.

Cool summary of an article by Liz B. Davis -- Liz took the article and extracted the most valuable bits to her using google Docs. This methodology is fascinating, but even moreso the fact we may all begin doing this together with Diigo.

Cool summary of an article by Liz B. Davis -- Liz took the article and extracted the most valuable bits to her using google Docs. This methodology is fascinating, but even moreso the fact we may all begin doing this together with Diigo.

Smithsonian has placed a large batch of pictures on Flickr w/ no copyright restrictions.

Smithsonian images on Flickr w/ no copyright restrictions.

This is horrible news to most bloggers I know as many of us use Google reader and the apps that go with it like Mr. Reader and Feedly to pull information out of the web. RSS is one of the most useful features of Web 2 and I'm really unhappy w/ Google. iGoogle was a mistake, this a travesty. Google needs to read outliers and the mavens who use tools. I'll be researching new rss tools. This is ridiculous. ""While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader," Urs Hölzle, SVP Technical Infrastructure wrote. "Users and developers interested in RSS alternatives can export their data, including their subscriptions, with Google Takeout over the course of the next four months.""

I'm recording another episode of "Every Classroom matters" interviewing some of the teachers and organizers in the Chicago Early STEM college movement. As I researched for this show, I found this report out of North Carolina reporting an increase in test scores. A county here in Georgia is also implementing Early college stem as well. STEM is something every school needs (listen to the earlier show I recorded w/ Kevin Jarrett) but this is an interesting approach. "Just two years after it opened, a North Carolina high school has found that teaching students the principles of STEM can boost test scores and keep learners engaged. That's prompting the school to ask, "If we can do it, why can't other schools do it, too?" The school has a mouthful of a name: the Wake NC State University STEM Early College High School. It has attracted many students to its Raleigh campus - first generation-college students, minorities, and students from poor backgrounds - who are underrepresented in STEM fields. But in 2012, students did far better than average on the state's standardized exams, with more than 95 percent passing."

CS Unplugged learning activities that teach Computer Science through games w/out computer

Share this article with your principal and superintendent - not to pressure them but as many start seeing the wisdom that wise leaders tweet, you'll want to help them along. Principals no longer question the wisdom of writing for the school newsletter - this is just a newsletter but in shorter form and much more personal. It is something you can do. "Great schools (online, blended, and traditional) act as nurturing centers that foster creative development and high-quality art, math, and science skills; and school is the medium to advance human development and better society. The internet took our society into hyper speed and successful schools will quickly follow."

Teachers who use technology frequently in their classrooms perceive greater benefits to student learning--particularly learning 21st century skills--than teachers who are less frequent users. That's one of the major findings from a K-12 technology study released Monday by researchers out of the Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership at Minnesota's Walden University.

Online poll creation w/out signup.

HTML 5 online drawing tool, works w/out flash 2010

w/links

Great reading about the trends to watch.

This is a great read -- I particularly think that Constant Partial Attention (CPA) is something that we should be aware of in our classrooms. Excellent article. Also I find it interesting how he shares that some kids who have gotten constant positive reinforcement in schools are going to have a tough time w/ competition. Competition is part of life.

Video interview with George Siemens about connectivism.

This is an enjoyable interview video w/ George Siemens about connectivism. I love seeing their faces, it makes it more personal

Alternative to Jott worth checking out.

Liz Kolb tipped me onto this gem that I will look at. She says it does things just like Jott - it has several features for iphones. I'm going to look at it and let you know how Jott and reqall compare -- if it is worth the $3.95 a month for Jott to work w/ RTM and Google Cal.

**FOR GEEKY WEBMASTERS ONLY*** For you webmasters out there, I've found a really cool tool to make killer drop down menus that is worth the cost. Also, this is the information on how to make menus or other items appear IN FRONT OF flash objects on a web page. (I've had trouble w/ this forever!) Follow these instructions from this site: "To allow the layering of Flash content with DHTML content you have to do the following with the Flash Object tag: * Add the following parameter to the tag: ; * Add the following parameter to the tag: wmode="transparent" "

Tool for making cool drop down menus on your website AND instructions for putting the menus in front of a flash object.

Another microblogging site that is gaining notice. I'm happy w/ twitter, plurk, blipr - each for different things.

New microblogging tool that is gaining notice.

Great way to test the waters w/ this tool. Free Office 2008 tutorial through September 10th, 2008, pass this along to teachers.

Free Office 2007 tutorial thrugh Sept 10, 2008.

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!

Great post w/ new take on "Brain Rules"

Another group of teachers is forming to talk about flattening the classrooms w/ their students who are under age 11. This discussion is open to anyone who joins in. Feel free to join and discuss here. Grassroots movements to connect such as these are cropping up everywhere in many places, not just here. But this is a model example of how it is happening. These are "teacherpreneurs" in action!

Example of how teachers connect to "flatten" their classrooms.