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When it comes to professional development, Kathy thinks of it in two ways: from her perspective as a classroom teacher and from her perspective as a staff developer. "As a teacher, I was eager for professional development and opportunities to think and talk about how to improve my work and craft....I want to find an environment where professional sharing is the norm rather than the exception," Kathy explains. "As a staff developer, my first instinct is to try to figure out where teachers are with regard to their knowledge-base and their attitudes towards the topics we are studying together. I try to build a relationship with teachers characterized by trust and mutual respect so that we all feel comfortable taking risks and asking questions of each other."

"Be seen, heard, and read With CaptionTube you can create captions for your YouTube videos. It's easy to use and it's free. Offer viewers a transcript to read. Improve discoverability and searching for sales and training videos. Create and edit closed captions in multiple languages. Export captions and upload them to your YouTube account. Simple and secure sign in using your Google account."

"The main YIS website is, and will continue to be, a place to display important information about the school. The learning hub is different, it is a collaborative space intended to host communication and dialogue. Therefore at the centre of the learning hub are the students' own individual websites . These websites are a place for the students to host their projects and ideas. They serve as weblogs (blogs) and digital portfolios. The students will design and adapt their own sites to suit these different functions and will be encouraged to explore and experiment with a variety of digital tools as this project develops."

how bringing babies into schools can help students develop empathy... and lessen bullying and aggression.... 

1) They are bright and creative 2) They are optimists 3) They are good at sharing 4) They are global learners and excellent teachers 5) They are conscious and conscientious 6) They are bold and brave 7) They are challenge-seekers 8) They are active participants and problem solvers 9) They are question askers 10) They value friends and relationships 11) They are changing the world 12) They still want and need our guidance

Good visual arrangement for infographics is putting together graphic and visual elements in a manner that draws your reader's attention. The key to achieving simple, elegant and attractive content are ample whitespace and a well arranged layout. What is whitespace? White space is as its name defined-space that is unmarked in a piece of infographic or visual representation. It could be margins, padding or the space between columns, text and icons and design elements. Whitespace matters to create visually engaging content A page crammed full of text and images will appear busy. This makes the content difficult to read. It makes you unable to focus on the important stuff too. On the other hand, too much of white space can make your page look incomplete. It is always crucial to remember visually engaging content is usually clean and simple.

"Creativity is just as vital in science and engineering as it is in art and drama, argues Gerard Darby. Yet the present education system is undermining young people's natural creativity, he says, and is in urgent need of reform. He highlights some novel approaches, and explains why this matters both for the individuals, and for our wider society and economy. "

"The National Archives of Singapore (NAS) houses the collective memory of Singapore. From government files, private memoirs, historical maps and photographs to oral history interviews and audio-visual materials, NAS is responsible for the collection, preservation and management of Singapore's public and private archival records, some of which date back to the early 19th century. One of the rich resources available for public access is our oral history interviews and archival materials relating to World War II and Japanese Occupation of Singapore."

"The National Heritage Board of Singapore is proud to present the "Battle for Singapore" application for self-guided trails. Embark on a journey to experience the Battle for Singapore during World War II, learn more about our local war heroes and relive the painful experience of the Prisoners of War (PoWs) and civilians alike during the Japanese Occupation. Through the incorporation of GPS tracking technology, the "Battle for Singapore" application will offer four different trails and provide a companion guide to 32 different historical World War II sites in Singapore. As you progress through each hotspot, you will discover weapons used by the resistance fighters of Force 136 and get promoted in rank at the completion of each trail. Kindly note that this application will require GPS tracking and internet connection for the downloading of content and the transmission of pictures. Please also note that continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life so remember to turn-off the Location Services function when you have completed each trail."

Documentary about trash-pickers in Brazil and about the art of Vik Muniz and his series Pictures of Garbage

<< Smarthistory.org is a free multi-media web-book designed as a dynamic enhancement (or even substitute) for the traditional art history textbook. Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker began smARThistory in 2005 by creating a blog featuring free audio guides in the form of podcasts for use in The Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Soon after, we embedded the audio files in our online survey courses. The response from our students was so positive that we decided to create a multi-media survey of art history web-book. We created audios and videos about works of art found in standard art history survey texts, organized the files stylistically and chronologically, and added text and still images. >>

Article re how the color and shape of rooms affects the thinking that goes on inside the rooms... "They tested 600 subjects when surrounded by red, blue or neutral colors-in both real and virtual environments. The differences were striking. Test-takers in the red environments, were much better at skills that required accuracy and attention to detail, such as catching spelling mistakes or keeping random numbers in short-term memory. Though people in the blue group performed worse on short-term memory tasks, they did far better on tasks requiring some imagination, such as coming up with creative uses for a brick or designing a children's toy. In fact, subjects in the blue environment generated twice as many "creative outputs" as subjects in the red one. Why? According to the scientists, the color blue automatically triggers associations with openness and sky, while red makes us think of danger and stop signs. (Such associations are culturally mediated, of course; Chinese, for instance, tend to associate red with prosperity and good luck.) It's not just color. A similar effect seems to hold for any light, airy space."

Interesting interview regarding the potential future of Digital Media Literacy

"the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education reflects the broadened mission of the Institute: to overcome prejudice, intolerance, and bigotry-and the suffering they cause-through the educational use of the Institute's visual history testimonies. Today the Institute reaches educators, students, researchers, and scholars on every continent, and supports efforts to collect testimony from the survivors and witnesses of other genocides."

Girls and Games: What's the Attraction? Games are increasingly recognized by educators as a way to get kids excited about learning. While the stereotype of a "gamer" may evoke the image of a high school boy holed up in a dark room playing on a console, in reality 62 percent of gamers play with other people either in person or online, and 47 percent of all gamers are girls. Game developers and academics who have been studying the elements that go into making games more attractive to girls found that those very same qualities are also important components of learning. For instance, girls are more drawn to games that require problem solving in context, that are collaborative (played through social media) and that produce what's perceived to be a social good. They also like games that simulate the real word and are particularly drawn to "transmedia" content that draws on characters from books, movies, or toys.

Throughout my nine years in the classroom, I've been eager to test out possibilities for improving teaching and learning through technology use. It's a messy process. Back in February 2010, I broadcast my eagerness to use cell phones in the classroom inEducation Week. Then I changed my stance, arguing in May 2012 that too much social media and gimmicky technology application in the classroom could lead teachers to neglect teaching students substantial skills. Since then, I've tested out Edmodo and continued to explore. After years of experimentation and reflection, here's my current take on smart-and not-so-smart-ways to use technology in the classroom:

Kids are growing up in a digital world. They connect, share, learn, explore, and play in way unimaginable just a  generation ago. This is the only world they know and their parents, teachers, political leaders and even the media  are all doing what they can to catch up. The emergence of social media, in all its extraordinary forms, is pushing the  boundaries of what we think of as private while giving us all, and our children, a platform to express ourselves anytime,  anywhere.  It can be an unnerving prospect to a parent or teacher to see their kids pack so much processing power in their  pockets. The media have played on these fears with screaming headlines and nightly news leads about cases of  online predators, pornography, cyberbullying and sexting. Some lawmakers have proposed online safety legislation  based on a single event, such as a suicide that had an online component to it. At least RQHVtate Dttorney  Jeneral suggested raising the age limit for kids accessing social media to 16 years.  While understandable, these reactions are not always helpful or healthy

As an instructor of undergraduate and graduate students at University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University, I created a syllabus for the benefit of other college/university level instructors. I created a copy of the original syllabus for modification to use with high school students (probably juniors or seniors). I will rely on actual high school teachers to help me modify this source document. Please feel free to use, modify, and share this syllabus in your own way. Reorder the modules, add or subtract required or recommended texts and learning activities. Use your own assessment methods. If you wish to help improve this seed document, contact howard@rheingold.com and I will add you as a commenter and/or editor.