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If you have ever wanted to feel like a professional news reader, download this free app. You can use it on your ipad to type in what you want to say and set the speed the text moves. I used it when I was filmed in a video for parents; easy-peasy!

" September 3, 2015/0 Comments/in Ed Tech Trends, Online Higher Education /by Rochelle Diogenes With the increase in digital distractions, interest in how we pay attention has grown. Although researchers continue to delineate definitions, most agree with the early psychologist, William James: Everyone knows what attention is. It is taking possession of the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seems several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought. Focalization, concentration of consciousness are of its essence. It implies a withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others. Attention is really selective attention.  We consciously or automatically choose which things to ignore and which to focus on. You are more likely to pay attention to something that affects you, interests you, or has deep meaning. What we pay attention to is contextual and subjective. At a play, we think it's important to focus on what's happening on the stage without distraction. If an 8-year-old points out that there's a man behaving oddly in the next row, he will probably get shushed. But these days, if he makes the same observation as his mother rushes him to catch a train or plane, Mom will probably pay attention and report it to security personnel. Attention is the gateway to learning, to remembering and processing information. Instructors competing for student attention isn't new. Remember when we thought all students were taking notes, but many were doodling, or writing love letters, or passing notes to other students? Remember when daydreaming was a common class distraction? Cell phones may just be a more efficient way of channeling wandering attention. Researchers have shown that students texting/posting on their cell phones while watching a video lecture tested more than a grade level below their phoneless counterparts. They suggested that instructors discuss cell phone use policies with their students. That's a start, but

"Who Knows What About Me? A Survey of Behind the Scenes Personal Data Sharing to Third Parties by Mobile Apps"

"The Hottest Chat App for Teens Is … Google Docs How a writing tool became the new default way to pass notes in class"

Multiple intelligences app/survey for early childhood by Peter Reynolds, children's book author

A favourite tech tool, and one that I shared today with my table. This tool allows you to easily take screenshots and edit and add to them right away. Free to use.

"FaceApp"