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* Manage tasks from anywhere * Get email, SMS or IM reminders * Share your tasks * Access from your phone * Manage tasks offline * Use with Google Calendar * Add tasks from iGoogle * a free version

Excellent productivity tool that operates with iGoogle seamlessly.

My thought for this site is that you could use it to generate an interdisciplinary writing task with students. They select a starting location then find its opposite; the writing task is that they narrate the journey from the starting point to its opposite. They could research the different places they pass through and choose their own line of travel (making it either more realistic or fanciful). Integrated activities might include geography (different environments); mathematics (distance and measurement); science/physics (distance & displacement).

An important part of the role of any educator is that of planning learning sequences. Perhaps you are tasked with designing curriculum or more likely you are translating a mandatory curriculum into workable units of learning. The task is complex and there are multiple arrangements. The goal is to design units that connect students with learning in ways that are meaningful and relevant. A well-designed unit of learning fits seamlessly alongside other learning opportunities and the overall sequence of learning should match the learners developing expertise. As we plan units of learning we must consider a great variety of factors which impact the learning we design. Our knowledge of our students and where they are with their learning is crucial and a strong place to start. We also need to know what it is we are required to teach and have a grab bag of pedagogical moves that bring this content alive.

Looking at the New Directions for school leadership and the teaching profession discussion paper, the only evidence presented to support the assertion that Victoria's education outcomes are not improving is the report "Challenges in Australian Education: results from PISA 2009: the PISA 2009 assessment of students' reading, mathematical and scientific literacy" Specifically the New Directions paper focuses on reading literacy, where in 2009, 14,251 students were given a two-hour pen and paper comprehension test. To get an idea of what types of competencies the reading test is assessing we can look at the sample test , with questions range from comprehension about a letter in a newspaper, the ability to interpret a receipt, comprehension around a short story, an informational text, and interpreting a table. While it doesn't seem unreasonable to want our students to be able to accurately perform these kind of tasks, these tests are not a true or accurate representation of the skills and competencies our students need in today's technology driven world.

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 More Knowledgeable Other. is anyone who has a better understanding or a higher ability level than the leaner particularly in regards to a specific task, concept or process. Traditionally the MKO is thought of as a teacher, an older adult or a peer" (Dahms et al, 2007),

Some good inquiry-based science assessment tasks here... http://t.co/VGv0s93N - Trevor Hinchliffe (TJHinchliffe) http://twitter.com/TJHinchliffe/status/267583455934689280

Several lists of digital tools you can use for these activities. Icebreakers are " discussion questions or activities used to help participants relax and ease into a group meeting or learning situation" (Dover, 2004). Icebreakers are very important in the learning-teaching process that takes place within the classroom. They can help in creating and maintaining a healthy and successful learning environment for students and are also the best warm-ups to get students engaged in a learning task." 

You can also insert the term "Tablet" for iPad: the questions and arguments for thinking about the task before the technologies are still very valid and worth considering. 

Post contains a nice chart that compares the difference between simply using technology (more as an adjunct to classroom tasks) and integrating technology so that the use is seemless and part of the learning that is going on.

A useful chart showing shortcuts to use on Gmail. The graphic can really help you minimize the time you spend carrying out tasks on Gmail.

Managing a list of cell phone numbers can be a daunting task. Here are seven services that educators can use to easily send and manage group text messages.

"A workshop for classroom teachers and teacher librarians which: defines information literacy, introduces tools for developing problems, tasks and questions that involve higher order thinking; and identifies opportunities for embedding technology in the information literacy process." (ran in 1999)

Creating a quality infographic is not an easy task and not everyone can do it properly. Here is an infgraphic that tries to give a step-by-step guide to haw to create a better one.

Haven't you yet built your first ROBOT, when it's become so easy a task. Come on, lets make one in just three days.

"Formative assessment is useful tool assist teachers assess the learning needs of their students. Such knowledge allows teachers to modify their teaching to meet the needs of their students. The digital formative assessment tools listed here offer a range of approaches to help teachers undertake this task. "