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The presentations on this site were originally inspired by Tom Barrett's 'Interesting Ways' presentations. These Google Docs presentations were created by Tom, with lots of contributions from the fantastic teachers who read his blog and are part of his Twitter network. Mark Warner decided to try something similar, based upon 'Amazing Ways to Inspire Writing'. He was really pleased with the response, in terms of contributions from others, and positive comments about the idea and thought that it was worth making a site to host the presentations, rather than relying on people to remember long and complicated Google Docs addresses. Tom, Doug Belshaw and Joe Rowing have also kindly given their permission for their 'Interesting Ways' presentations to be embedded here for others to see. If you have any amazing ideas to add to the presentations on the site, or you can suggest a new topic, please get in touch, via email or Twitter.

Looking at the use of apps like Foursquare and Gowalla to geotag this article picks up on both the positives and negatives. A great read keeping in mind the process in which other similar technologies develop and grow.

"Connect.ed is an innovative, self-paced cybersafety education program offered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) as part of Cybersmart. Connect.ed provides teachers with the flexibility of a self paced environment to learn about current online behaviours of students, potential risks involved in these activities, a teacher's and school's duty of care and the appropriate tools, resources and strategies to help students to have safe and positive experiences online."

"Integrity1 My daughters class flip chart list to describe Integrity. Can you name a few people around you, or in the public spotlight, that seemed to have missed that day in first grade? Promises Mrs. Dillon's first graders are well aware of the power of keeping promises. They know that promises are a contract between two people. One person expects things when that promise is made. Multiple kept promises, those smart kids know, helps build trust. They feel comfortable making friends with those they trust. In class they know it is much easier to finish things together if the other kids keep their promises. The really bright ones know that promises and promises kept are the deposits and withdrawals into and out of the account of collaboration, effort and success. Things get better when you manage that account- you know, positive change. Truthtelling Those little ones know early on what it means to not lie, to lie and to be dishonest. What Giordan's class has figured out is that being aware of the truth and revealing it, even if you know the result might be hard to deal with, is a good thing. The one who added this to the list might have done something wrong, separate from a lie, felt bad and fessed up. Smart he/she was to know that those consequences were much less severe than the ones that follow silence. Mistakes These kids are 7. I will let you figure out who, in the public limelight in those years, might have made mistakes and never admitted them- despite resounding evidence to the contrary. They have some negative role models. On their own level they know there is lots to be learned from having to explain a mistake, from gathering the courage to do so and from the connection that gives you to better future decision making. altruism First grader, kids in general, have a knack for the real kind of black and white. The kind where you know if someone might get hurt, you know if you might get hurt and you just feel what is right or wrong. They al

A really well made cautionary YouTube tale about how Twitter can be used in facile ways. It opens up the topic of addictive use, though it does ignore completely the positive aspects of its use. Info says; A young man struggles against the pressure to Twitter his life away. From: "SuperNews!" An animated sketch comedy series airing on Current TV. Every Friday night at 10 PM ET/PT. For more SuperNews! go to www.current.com/supernews."

YouthLearn's Learning section -- aimed at after-school programs that integrate technology -- has guidelines for creating lesson plans and projects; examples of tools for designing projects (e.g., curriculum mapping, tutoring/mentoring and inquiry-based learning); learning technique examples and guidelines (e.g., peer observations and animation) and staff recruitment and development tools (including sample position announcements).

"It is a common view that "if only someone could break this down and explain it clearly enough, more students would understand." Khan Academy is a great example of this approach with its clear, concise videos on science. However it is debatable whether they really work. Research has shown that these types of videos may be positively received by students. They feel like they are learning and become more confident in their answers, but tests reveal they haven't learned anything. The apparent reason for the discrepancy is misconceptions. Students have existing ideas about scientific phenomena before viewing a video. If the video presents scientific concepts in a clear, well illustrated way, students believe they are learning but they do not engage with the media on a deep enough level to realize that what was is presented differs from their prior knowledge. There is hope, however. Presenting students' common misconceptions in a video alongside the scientific concepts has been shown to increase learning by increasing the amount of mental effort students expend while watching it."

Social networking communities are here to stay. Facebook has over 500 million users, while Twitter has over 200 million. That's not even counting blogs or YouTube video blogs. There's no doubt that students are actively engaged in online communities, but what kind of effects are these sites having and how can parents counteract the bad and bolster the positive?

Developed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority's Cybersmart program, Tagged is recommended for use with students aged 14 and over. Tagged is supported by lesson plans and compelling character reflection interviews. It explores themes of personal and peer safety and responsibility that are crucial to maintaining positive online behaviours and digital reputation into adulthood.

"Digital citizenship is not just about teaching students what not to do, but also what they should be doing, to create a positive online impression. It can not be taught in a one-off lesson but needs to be embedded into lessons and "lived" or owned by everyone going about their daily lives "

It is generally accepted that learning is enhanced by the inclusion of deliberate, reflective practice. Indeed the act of reflecting on the impact that our actions have towards the achievement of any goal (learning oriented or other) is shown to have a positive impact. Reflective practice is defined as the praxis (interdependent and integrated theory, practice, research, thought and action) of individuals or groups to move from 'better thinking to better action' as a result of reflection for, in and on learning (Harvey et al. 2010 p140). With this in mind, it is worth considering what reflective practice might look like and to consider it in a range of contemporary contexts. 

MS Dhoni movie, constricted screenplay and good presentations make this one a great watch. Director: Neeraj Pandey Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Kiara Advani, Disha Patani, Bhumika Chawla, Ram Charan, Herry Tangri Once a director chooses to pick a topic like MS Dhoni, it is positively a very big duty. The fabulous cricketer has proved to the world ...

This year is the fiftieth birthday of Harvard's Project Zero, a research project designed to explore the nature of thinking and learning and from this suggest pedagogies which align with what we know about the mind. For its birthday celebration Project Zero shared insights from its five decades of research with presentations from Howard Gardner, David Perkins, Shari Tasman, Steve Seidel and Daniel Wilson. The presentations revealed the changing nature of the work of Project Zero from its early days and focus on arts education to its current position as a research organisation with broad interests across education but with a focus on thinking, understanding and the workings of the mind.

There are three cognitive loads that impact the efficient formation of schemas. Extraneous cognitive load are those not directly required to master a task and have a negative impact on schema formation, reducing these is desirable and can be achieved through efficient design. Intrinsic cognitive load is that which is inherent in the task and for the most part cannot be reduced. Tasks with high intrinsic cognitive load are by nature more complex for an individual and in the long term are managed through equally complex schema. Germane cognitive load refers to the mental resources devoted to the efficient formation of schemas and is seen to have a positive effect on learning. Understanding these things will allow us to more effectively target our efforts as learners and teachers ensuring the cognitive load theory has a valuable role to play.

The annual "What's Your Story?" international video contest that empowers youth to be leaders in educating others about being safe online.

"Mobile devices are now found in the hands of most children, and school leaders are using that to their advantage by incorporating devices that students already own into classroom lessons and projects."

Of all the topics that can be discussed around Education, homework is possibly the one most likely to cause heated debate. It is either an essential component of learning, the foundation of positive behaviours for learning as an adult or a waste of time and energy that robs students of valuable time with family and friends. But can we make homework something that benefits everyone?

With the end of the year approaching and holidays looming for some now is the ideal time to share some suggestions for books and papers to read. A great book can provide the inspiration required to begin the new year positively and this list includes some of my favourites from 2015.