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The Department of Basic Education briefed Members on its Second Quarterly Performance Report from 1 July 2011 to 30 September 2011; on the progress on delivery of infrastructure development for technical schools; and on the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign.

"Wikibrains is a neat website designed to help you brainstorm in a web format. When you brainstorm on Wikibrains you're also performing a basic Internet search at the same time. To create a brainstorm web on Wikibrains start by entering one word or phrase. When you enter a word you will be prompted to add more words by completing the phrase, "Makes me think off..." Each new word or phrase that you enter will be added to your web. As you enter words on the right side of the screen you will see links to search results about each word."

While I'm strongly in the camp of 'everyone should use Twitter because we all use it in a different way,' this humorous Twitter flowchart was just too interesting to not post. It's basically a visualization that helps you critically think about why you should or shouldn't use Twitter.

"This ADL Mobile Learning Handbook is compilation of mobile learning resources. This is a living document and will be regularly updated. This Handbook is separated into the following sections: Basics - What mobile learning (or mLearning) means, its capabilities and use opportunities, potential benefits and common concerns. Planning - List of choices to consider for appropriate use of mobile devices in learning, including questions to assist in planning. Examples - Examples of mobile learning projects and initiatives of interest. Best Practices - Tips and advice for designers and developers. Design & Development - Design considerations and development options. Resources - Recommended links for additional information on mobile learning. Glossary definitions."

"Nowadays it is hard to not see QR codes printed in advertisements, on products, and everywhere else. QR codes are one of the biggest trends in marketing right now, and you might wonder: can QR codes be of any use for academics? I say yes, and I urge you to use your own QR code everywhere it makes sense. That is, whenever there is an opportunity to supply an offline audience with additional online information including, but not limited to, your personal webpage, a research paper that accompanies your talk, or web resources that supplement your lecture. This post is about the basics of why, where and how to use QR codes in your research and teaching. In addition, it will also suggest a few design tweaks that allow you to blend QR codes with the surrounding context (e.g., the keynote slide or a poster). And if you invest some time you can even closely integrate a QR code with your overall self-branding efforts."

"So the idea is, there is some sort of information transfer (basic information about a learning concept) outside of the learning environment (classroom) allowing for further discussion or extended learning when in the learning environment. (I made that sound all fancy. Neat!)"

This free online course will help you switch to Excel 2010 from a previous version of the software, and will give you a thorough knowledge and understanding of Excel and its applications if you have never used it before. You can use Excel to analyse data, for example, in accounts, budgets, billing and many other areas. You learn how to navigate this revised version of Excel, exploring the menu bar and the different tasks that can be done with it. You will work on sample spreadsheets doing basic math, adding and deleting columns and rows, and preparing the worksheet for printing. You will learn how to represent your data visually to show trends, patterns and comparisons between the data in a chart, table or other template, and how Excel 2010 will automatically do all the calculations for you once you add in the formula. This course will be of great interest to all professionals in business, finance and many other areas that need to analyse data in accounts, or keep records of stock or schedules, and to anyone trying to keep track of their personal finances at home. Excel and spreadsheet use has found its way into daily life that few of us would ever have imaged just a few years ago. If you have done previous ALISON courses such as our Microsoft Excel 2003 course or ABC-IT, our comprehensive free introductory computer course, you will find MS Excel 2010 is the perfect next step to bring your spreadsheet skills to the next level.

As part of Search Education, Google has shared a bunch of lesson plans that are organized by degree of difficulty. So, if you consider yourself and / or your students Google experts, you should try out the more advanced plans. If you don't know what 'boolean' means, then you probably should start with the more basic stuff.

 "I've provided a primer on note-taking strategies, many of which I personally used during my academic career. A lot of this is fairly basic stuff-there are no "secrets" to note-taking success. But hopefully a few of these tips will help you start taking notes more effectively."

Gone are the days where students sit neatly in rows all prepared with the same back to school supplies ready to consume instruction. As the 2012/13 school year approaches, one thing is clear. One-size-fits-all is out and personalization is in. This doesn't only apply to the classroom instruction, it also applies to the mobile devices your students choose to use for learning. Today student choice = personalization. The teacher sets the learning goals, but students choose their own tools or learning. 

"I've been seeing a lot of people on social media looking for a social media policy and / or an acceptable use policy. So I offered to help spearhead an initiative where some of our amazing readers could help craft these policies from scratch. It started out very basic but, 400 edits later, has materialized into a thoughtful and well-organized document that's a great template for any school."

"These videos are intended above all for teachers who are new in using ICT/IT in and around the classroom. Find simple, to the point explanations and instructions for different functions of personal computers and laptops! "