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9/1/17 - A new ebook from Church.mag. Shopping page includes free links to PPT and audio of a church presentation. Save 20% with code "levelup" "Unlike most books on social media which focus on building a following or making money, this guide focus on the purpose, proper use and the possibility of redemptive use of social media. It's a guide for personal use but also for educating a congregation and small group."

I thought Martin might like this. Plus, you can't beat the price tag!

Has anyone ever used something like this in his classroom?  I have students that greatly enjoy having some music playing in the background (I limit it to classical piano, mostly).  Anyone know of a study that demonstrates if this helps students learn?

I've used Simply Noise in my classroom of 5th graders and I have had mixed results. Some kids really like it and some hate it. I tend to prefer the brown noise as opposed to white or pink noise. I think I might make less of a deal of it with my next class next year and just use it for a little longer period of time to get a better read on its effectiveness. I took my students to on a field trip to Environmental Systems Inc in Brookfield, WI and they use brown noise generators throughout their office/cubicle area to mask ambient noise. I found it very soothing. They used to have it timed to go off at 4pm and they found that their employees subconsciously sensed it was time to leave for the day. Not wanting to encourage them to leave early, they decided to gradually bring the volume of the noise down over the course of 30 minutes and that took care of their issue. Not necessarily applicable to what you were asking about, but kind of interesting.

Recap of this week's keynote at the FETC Conference in Orlando by Jaime Casap, Global Education Evangelist at Google. He told attendees about the ways technology has -- and will continue to -- change K-12 education. Among other things, Casap said technology is causing students to learn in new ways and is providing them with almost constant access to information. The changing landscape, Casap said, makes it even more important for teachers to have access to professional development and for there to be a focus on digital leadership in schools.

59 Tips - Results of a focus group discussion on how to create a great screencast - From TechSmith

Video podcast from my friends at TechSmith - edtech focus - screencasting and iBooks tips

A number of useful Google Apps scripts that have a classroom focus and for other uses.

In the world of web presence, most focus efforts on design when the real work is CONTENT! Having a content strategy and calendar to support it is a great way to systematically organize your efforts.

He makes an excellent point, to consider who our audience is when we reach out. ""I have to explain (to church leaders) that there aren't thousands and thousands of Episcopalians out there looking" for a place to worship, Dell said. Instead, congregations must focus on "outsiders," people who weren't raised in a faith community or who are hoping to explore a new denomination, and who are likely to turn to the Internet in their search."

What to learn from Steve Jobs even though he was clearly an abusive jerk.