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450,000 Early Journal Articles Now Available | Internet Archive Blogs
The Internet Archive has ended over 450,000 journal articles from the JSTOR early Journal content or pre-1923 materials. It you work in arts, humanities, economics, politics, math and other sciences you may be interested in perusing this catalog.
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700 Free Online Courses from Top Universities | Open Culture
As you work to align and tweak your curriculum, don't ignore these college courses which can give you resources for your course.
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New 3D laser scanner can capture objects over half a mile away | The Verge
We worry about stealing music. Soon people will be able to steal anything and the key to a stable society may just be our ethics.
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QR Codes for Sight Words: Attaching audio files | Technology In Early Childhood
Awesome ways to use QR codes to help children learn to read.
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The World’s Largest Repository of Free Online Learning Tutorials » The Rapid eLearning Blog
Love the rapid elearning blog. With over 102K subscribers, it is jam packed with great material. This organized blog post has some great information and links to tutorials. "Today I am going to fix that. I have listed every blog post that has a video tutorial that shows how to create something related to online learning. So, if you’re just getting started with building online learning courses (or new to the blog), now you have a handy resource with links to all sorts of rapid elearning tutorials."
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Teen Smoking Influenced by Middle-School Peers, Parents | Psych Central News
"Investigators determined that intervention to counteract friends’ influence may have more of an effect in junior high than in high school, and that parents remain influential on smoking behavior through high school — indicating another possible intervention target. “Based on social developmental model research, we thought friends would have more influence on cigarette use during high school than junior high school,” said first author Yue Liao, M.P.H., Ph.D. “But what we found was friends have greater influence during junior high school than high school. We think the reason may be that friends’ cigarette use behavior may have a stronger influence on youth who start smoking at a younger age. During high school, cigarette use might represent the maintenance of behavior rather than a result of peer influence.”
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The Importance Of Mobile Learning In (And Out Of) The Classroom
This infographic is an impactful one helping school boards and IT departments understand the important of BYOD environments. In 2011 70% of the workforce between 22-34 used tablets and globally 46% of the mobile workforce has a smartphone. Using, managing, and maximizing these tools is an important part of modern life. Perhaps today's issues are helping students learn to focus, but keeping them out of school is shortsighted decision that will be looked back upon as a lack of vision... that is if you can help kids focus and help teachers encourage the use of them effectively. "Smartphones and Tablet sales will soon take over laptop and desktop computer sales: Don’t stick just to books – why not let students use the technology they’ll need in the future?"
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With Tougher Standardized Tests, a Reminder to Breathe - NYTimes.com
Testing students over material that is NOT in the curriculum is not fair. I think that states should have a way to mark things not covered and just take the hits across the board for not having it in their curriculum instead of causing children to suffer through feeling ignorant. Common Core may be great, however, if it isn't in the curriculum it is unfair and shouldn't be done. What can we do? Do we cause children to stress out unfairly because adults can't get their act together or it takes time to change the curriculum? I don't know the answers, but the thought of a child looking at a test and knowing that some things didn't happen in the classroom and the impact of "feeling dumb" that will happen just turns my stomach, literally. From the NEw York Times. " And they are likely to cover at least some material that has yet to make its way into the curriculum. The new tests, given to third through eighth graders, are intended to align with Common Core standards, a set of unified academic guidelines adopted by almost every state and goaded by grant money offered by the Obama administration. They set more rigorous classroom goals for American students, with a focus on critical thinking skills, abstract reasoning in math and reading comprehension."
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Mexico Education Reform: President Enrique Peña Nieto Faces Teachers' Revolt
Rebellion from teachers in Mexico who have bought and sold teaching jobs for generations without any national certification. Teachers are striking and bearing crowbars. These are reforms that most agree need to happen, but putting them in place is tough and sadly, it often hurts those we should protect the most... the children. Despite what some say, reforms need to happen in the US as well and this means upheaval here too. It can be challenging to separate the truth from the fabrications but I hope that wherever the flag of edreform is raised that people will think of children and what is best for them. What is best for teachers is not always the best for children. It might be good in my own eyes to have a job, but if I'm not a good teacher, perhaps it is something that doesn't need to happen. Interesting reading. "The conflict is fueled by the importance of teaching jobs for the poor mountain and coastal villages where the dissident union is strongest. Teaching jobs in Guerrero with lifelong job security, benefits and pension pay about $495 and $1,650 a month, depending on qualifications and tenure, well above average in rural areas, according to teachers and outside experts. They said the price to get such as job can cost as much as $20,000, usually going to the departing teacher, with cuts for union and state officials."
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Great reflections on what is happening and finished up with the book club on Flattening Classroom, Engaging Minds. The book is about taking your journey and finding your projects for your classroom, it will likely be different for many of us.
Tuesday, 16 April 2013
Sunday, 14 April 2013
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Knight Time Technology 3 June 13, 2013 Keynote
Excited to be heading to Kendallville, Indiana this summer on June 13 to keynote the second day of the Knight-Time Technology Conference about how to influence change in the 21st century, how to flatten your classroom, how writing is being reinvented and how you can use it in your classroom and differentiating instruction with technology. It will be exciting. If you're interested, this it the link to find out more information.
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TechSplash 2013 | The University of Virginia's College at Wise
Excited to be in Virginia on July 17 at TechSplash! Hope you'll join us if you're the area. "The purpose of Tech Splash 2013 is to showcase exemplary examples of technology integration in the K12 classroom as well as focus attention on new and emerging technologies. Date: July 18, 2013 8-3:30pm Location: Lebanon High School, Lebanon, Virginia Cost: $25 prepaid, $35 onsite "
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Another Mooc, I got an email from Jeremy Short, the professor leading this course. I was a management major at Georgia tech, I love the incorporation of graphic novels into this course. Here's what Dr. Short sent me: "I’m a professor at the University of Oklahoma. My co-authors and I conducted a study that will soon be published in Business Communication Quarterly where we find that graphic novels are more effective than traditional textbooks for direct recall of material. The study used material about human motivation commonly taught in introductory management courses. In addition to the superior recall associated with the graphic novel version of the material, more than 80% of students indicated the graphic novel format compared favorably to traditional textbooks. Now anyone in the world can conduct their own study to see if their experiences match our findings, as I will be teaching a class beginning June 10 and ending July 15, that is free under the MOOC format and will feature a graphic novel textbook as well as a traditional principles of management text – both books I’ve co-authored. OU students can enroll through regular registration and take the course for credit, but anyone interested in the class can enroll for free under the non-credit option. The only cost of the class under the second option is the cost of the two texts, which can be purchased for under $100 total."
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Online chat widget |RumbleTalk group chat room platform for websites
Rumbletalk bills itself as a "boutique" backchannel chat tool for live events, Facebook events. etc. They are marketing themselves for integration into Facebook pages and events but it can be put in other places. Lots of backchannel capabilities are emerging as many educators and event planners see the value of providing, managing and leading in the backchannel chats that WILL and DO occur whether you wish they did or not.
Saturday, 13 April 2013
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There are many nations (like Finland) who have national standards but local flexibility. This technologist writes an article supporting Common Core while saying that many don't understand what they contain. Honestly, I see another person who hasn't read some of them. My biggest issue is - who controls the standards and how can they be revised in the future.In a country showing a poor ability to keep politicians from writing standards, by centralizing they become easy target to the whims and sways of the pendulum of politics in the US. That said, I think national standards are likely inevitable.I just hope they put enough different people onto Common Core that group think doesn't send us in a very bad direction. If we have national standards and make it there, they become very important to our future as a country.
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Hangout With Explorers of Land, Sea, and Sky on Earth Day – News Watch
Science and elementary teachers CAN'TMISS THIS. Every hour on earthday will mark another hangout by National Geographic with scientists and all kidsof amazing people. Get in on this! This is one of those things to forward!! 'This year National Geographic celebrates its 125th anniversary and a long legacy of exploration, conservation, and research. Every hour of every day, National Geographic explorers take to land, sea, and sky (each frontier represented by a colored band on National Geographic’s historic flag) trying to uncover, understand, or help care for the world around us.
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Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org: Break a Few Eggs - Stepping Away from Google
Miguel Guhlin is doing what many of us are doing after the last straw - Google pulling GoogleReader. He's documenting how he's going to pull his dependence upon Google. For me, my biggest decision caused by Google is that I'll be moving to Wordpress over the summer. I do think Google Sites is next although I've received several heated emails that this isn't accurate - if you look at the market share of google sites, it is far less than that of Google reader. Yes, it is something educators depend upon but you get what you pay for. I think Google would be better served to have a freemium model -- if advertising doesn't pay for it, we'll let you keep the service if you pay. I don't know how I"d move from gmail. I just don't but if I had to, I guess I could. I don't think gmail is going anywhere, but I do have my personal email boxes going into that inbox. I agree wikispaces is far superior to Google sites. It started quite a few years a go with Google Lively and it has just continued every year. Thank you Miguel for your transparency. I hope Google is listening, many of us are still HOT about Google reader going away.As great as Feedly is, it doesn't have Diigo or ifttt.com integration yet which is a problem.
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Aligning My Project to Standards - Flat Classrooms
Yes, you can align your global collaborative projects to standards. The difference between this and a worksheet is that flattening the classroom is a fantastic way to engage, excite, and intrigue students while giving you a teacher-partner in another part of the world and a second set of eyes and inspiration for both of you. Flattening is a fantastic way to teach.
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The Current State Of Education In The U.S. (According To The Census)
US Census data is out and is being sliced and diced liked done on this edudemic article: 98% of students aged 6-14 are enrolled in school; 93% aged 14-18 are enrolled in school. 60% of 3-5 year olds are enrolled in nursery school; 92% of 5-6 year olds are enrolled in kindergarten. These numbers represent huge increases for the 3-6 year olds compared with 1970. In 1970, 20% of women and 27% of men attended college, compared with 38.6% of men and 47.5% of women in 2010. Generally only about 52% of school expenditures are for instruction. 29.7% go to ‘support services’ (a category that is not clearly defined here) Only four states spend more than $9,000 per pupil per year. 20 states spend $6,000 to $8,999, leaving the vast majority of states spending under $6K per year, per pupil.
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9 documentaries that you need to see this year | TED Blog
I haven't seen these and some may not really be something I'd watch, but many of you are thinkers and I want you to know that this list is there and being circulated. Lots of video for thought. As always, screen before you show anything to students and some of these don't look appropriate for them.
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Google+ Passes Twitter to Become Second Largest Social Network, Study Finds - SocialTimes
So, people are clicking the plus signs. I've always struggled withGoogle plus and find it clunky but many are using it, and now it is supposedly the second social media website behind facebook, surpassing Twitter.
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Using Edmodo and FaceTime - Flat Classrooms
Edmodo and Facetime - how interesting. Some of the coolest ideas come from the Flatclassrooms educator ning and this is one of them. Learn more.
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Bard High School Early College, a Second Chance for Disadvantaged Youth in Newark - NYTimes.com
College / high school is being done in Georgia with the ACCELL program. I think the biggest issue is that it is accelerating classes and perhaps might be ahead of high school, but I promise, it isn't college. I have some concerns but am glad that it is helping people get started towards college. I just think care must be taken to ensure the quality and calibre of teaching and content, particularly if transfer credits are being required in state.
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BBC News - Google launches tool to determine data use after death
This is an important issue. Google will be the first to let you designate what happens to your data when you die. This is a great move and something important but can be misused if it isn't handled properly
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Why your 8-year-old should be coding | VentureBeat
I totally agree, students should learn programming and be exposed to it. I love Kevin Jarrett's STEM lab and what he's doing. Read this and discuss. It doesn't matter if you don't know how to code or if your teachers are afraid they are going to have to learn. Make it a priority. If you want to add volleyball, you find someone to coach it. If you want to add programming, find someone to teach it, it is that simple. I think this model of "everyone integrates" is great b/c everyone SHOULD integrate but to think or fantasize that technology integration is the same as teaching Computer Science is to think that a kind who can skate is ready to drive a car - not even in the same ballpark.
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Steps and Leaps Into Next-Gen Learning - Forbes
Must read article on blended learning (in particular if you're an elementary teacher or principal, you'll want to read about the "Rocketship model" of lab station rotation instead of learning centers. This was written by Michael Horn for Forbes Magazine on March 28, 2013.
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10 Apps For More Organized Project-Based Learning
So, you can look at this list but I totally disagree with it. Trello should be on the TOP of the list and secondly dropbox (which links with Trello.) Trello is based on agile. You can look at this list and talk about what it is doing, however, as a teacher, I use a totally different set. I'd put 1) Trello, 2) Dropbox and 3) Screencastomatic (ok, I do post screencastomatic to youtube.)
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2013 ON for Learning Award Winners
Common Sense media is an excellent organization and they've given their 2013 awards to many apps by age. They separate the apps by age and rate it by Learning. This is a credible source of information about the apps that you'll want to look into if you're using apps to help students learn.
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If you have to order tshirts or come up with theme ideas, I love this website. It has more than sports slogans but slogans for just about anything. People vote them up. Very cool site for organizers of anything and principals. Enjoy!
Friday, 12 April 2013
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Students Leading – Let’s Listen!
Student Voice Summit is in New York this Saturday. You can participate. Here's some more information from my friend Anne Ostholthoff, host of the Ignite Show. "Listening: This Saturday, April 13 in NYC, the first-ever Student Voice Summit happens. It is presented LIVE and sponsored by Dell and hosted by Microsoft in their NYC Office. You can be there – no matter where you are via Livestream: http://new.livestream.com/Dell/stuvoicelive . Also, be sure to follow these students via the #StuVoice hashtag on Twitter @stu_voice and http://www.stuvoice.org/ Here the hope is for a meaningful exchange between stakeholders in the education policy debate"
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globalcollaboration - Flat Classroom Workshop 2013
If you're heading to ISTE and you're ready to collaborate globally, Julie Lindsay, Flat Classroom cofounder will be hosting a Flat Classroom workshop at the International School of San Diego on June 20-21 - here's the information. "Julie Lindsay, co-founder and Director of Flat Classroom, award winning global collaborative projects, and Flat Classroom Conference and Live Events Inc. unique collaborative live events for teachers and students, announces the June 20 & 21, 2-day 'Flat Classroom Workshop - Seven Steps to Global Collaboration'. Educators who want to transform their learning and embrace global collaboration in their curriculum are invited to join Julie for a unique professional development experience at International School of the Americas in San Antonio, Texas."
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I really love Nozbe. This tip lets you create a nozbe task using ifttt and email. Make sure you use the * in the body of the email to create the task. They weren't showing up for me, it was because I didn't do that.
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John Langley, teacher, keynoted our Flat Classroom and NetGen projects talking about collaboration and how it should extend from entertainment into schools. If you want to see how a "keynote" works asychronously, this is the format we use. John works with the student leaders on NetGen to help them facilitate their videos. "As digital natives, your generation (labeled by Don Tapscott as the Net Generation) have become naturals at communication and collaboration. You have grown up with technology tools at your fingertips. My four year old daughter has proficiently used her iPod to play games and listen to her favorite Taylor Swift songs since she was one and a half. My 14 year old daughter stressed about one of her best friends getting enrolled in an academic program next school year across the country until she realized the Skype conversations that they have nearly every day will not change. The Net Generation is used to communicating and collaborating for fun. The business world is already using technology tools to communicate and collaborate, to be more efficient and productive, to reach a wider, more diverse market. It’s our responsibility as educators and students to use technology tools in education to communicate and collaborate through projects like the Flat Classroom projects that will prepare students for global citizenship."
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Understanding "Centrality Bias" in Teams | HASTAC
We all tend to think we are more central to a project than we really are. This is no surprise but is very important for those who think they are indispensible because you're not. ;-( I just think being realistic is important. This is also a challenge for us in Flat Classroom because students think they are important and central EVEN if they aren't communicating and reaching out to partners and this is a problem. I've had kids claim they "did all the work" and when looking at the words, it doesn't bear out. They are shocked when they realize how little they've done. I think this thought process is a a problem for collaboration. No matter what people do, they think they did it all even if the wiki says otherwise or data says otherwise. For this reason, it is important to point out this disparity to teammates and also how to quantify the participation of others. "Do you provide information or materials which are necessary for them to do their job? To what extent are the tasks you each do related? Now imagine that everyone in the group does a similar exercise, quantifying their own relationship to everyone else. According to research from Jonathon Cummings of -Duke's Fuqua Business school, you are likely to overestimate the degree to which others on your team depend on you!"
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Feedly Channel in IFTTT – Customer Feedback & Knowledge Base for Feedly
Feedly is not yet integrated with ifttt and we really need that (as well as Diigo integration. I can't find another RSS reader except Google reader with the integration. Content sharers automate everything and I'm hoping this will happen or there will be room in my dashboard for the first RSS reader that does.
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Tips for Google Reader users migrating to feedly | Building Feedly
If you're moving to Feedly from Google Reader, go ahead. Nice tool. The only drawback is lack of Diigo integration. I hope you'll go over to Feedly and ask for that if you use it like I do so we can have voices asking for it! Here are the steps.
Thursday, 11 April 2013
Here's what I've observed.
The poo-poo-ers
These people ALWAYS complain and NEVER EVER do anything but complain. Our society loves a good controversy so these people gain a group of followers of bitter, angry people who feel the world is out to get them. Everyone is a hypocrite? (OK, I agree on that one, but still, the person saying it better watch out too. ;-)No one is ever right, everyone is corrupt and only a few people in the world are ok -- the poo-poo-er him/herself and his/her buddies. Don't waste your time trying to please this person -- you'll just get -- yep, you know what - all over you. You'll never be good enough.
These people show up at board meetings and church meetings and everyone groans when they stand up because you know that you'll all feel much worse and sad to be a human being after they sit down. These people see the world through poo-covered glasses. I guess there's a place for this kind of person, but just not near me. Pew!
The look-through-ers
These people are always reading and looking at the latest greatest. Like perpetual shoppers who have all of the catalogs and look at them daily but never buy, these are often veritable repositories of information. They know a lot and are exposed to a lot.If not careful, they can become paralyzed from making a decision and doing anything because they know that something new will come along tomorrow that they'd rather have instead. So, instead of doing something, they often just continued to look - finding lots of answers but never the answer for their situation.
The get-round-to-ers
These people know what they need to do but never quite understand the difference between the urgent and the important. It is always on their list, they always plan to do "it" but "it" -- the important, visionary thing that really needs to happen -- never gets done.These people are often afraid to let go and delegate the minutiae of their jobs because that minutiae is what makes them feel job security. If they do a thousand tiny things, they'll never be replaced because they're "indispensable." They never figure out that people can be hired to handle minutia but a true visionary is the one that gets the big bucks.
The froo-froo-ers
These people will curl the hair on a poodle before sending him out to be a bird dog -- the things they do are lovely, embellished and often beautiful but ill suited for the task at hand. Like putting on lipstick before sitting down in a dentist's chair, they often focus on things that are so trivial and banal and unimportant -- but they insist these things be done painstakingly well -- that others groan when they come to a meeting.I've seen some in authority this way and it means that there will be several ill-fitting mis-guided Oscar-awards-like experiences that just don't fit what is needed. When people tell them it is froo-froo -- these people just assume everyone the critics are poo-poo-ers who don't understand that "everything" should be done with excellence.
No, not everything should be done with excellence. Sometimes, marginally important jobs can be done sufficiently to get the job done -- for example, napkins can be put on the table in the lunchrooms without tying a ribbon around it. Maybe the ribbon might improve learning in the school -- but I doubt it -- just give the kids the napkins, let them eat and get back to class.
The pontificators
These people pontificate and analyze everything. They sit on the sidelines and watch others do and analyze everything about what they done. They've always been able to find a misplaced comma in that brochure or a mis-said word quoted in the paper.Count on them for a great analysis of what should have been done and could have been done. They'll give you great wisdom after the fact, but ask them what to do next week and they'll hedge their answer and give you both sides in the hope that one of the sides will be right and they can easily forget that they didn't give you an answer.
They have a huge need to be fortune tellers of the future so they say a lot of words, like throwing spaghetti against a wall, hoping something will stick. They sound smart and most of them are, they often lack the backbone to make a decision but wish they could.
The never-follow-through-ers
These people start down great paths but can't quite finish. It is kind of like the person who leads in a cross country race but decides to run another race halfway through the first one and takes off across town to get to the starting line. Call it short attention span or just an inability to finish anything they start -- they start things alright but they just can't seem to finish. It might be fear or indecisiveness but these people have to learn to get the job done.They blow bubbles of progress that pop moments after they are born. Lots of hot air but not much permanence there.
The preener seeners
These people love to be seen. They are great at picking winning causes and positioning themselves at the front to be seen. Sometimes they swoop in at the last minute and take credit. Because they are often well spoken, they are put out front to speak and give the sound byte to the media.There are times that a good, honest doer may look like a preener seener, because they are well spoken and have their act together, but there are times that charlatans look like do-ers but really are just stepping up to take a bow and another step up. Don't mistake having a public job like a superintendent as being a preener seener.
There's one big thing that separates the preener seener from the do-er who has a job that needs to be public: the willingness to share the spotlight. A preener seener wants all of the focus to be on him/her -- perfectly coiffed - this person says "I" a lot and takes credit for everything.
The do-er, however, will call the names of others when in public and make every effort to take others and put them on stage to give them credit, with a particular attention to those who can do nothing to help their career in return.
The jump-in-to-ers
Haste, rush, hurry, NOW NOW NOW. I've read that the most successful people are slow to make a decision but after the decision is made, they are slow to change their mind and stay committed to the cause.This person is the antithesis of that-- jumping in and making quick decisions without all the facts is what this person does. Sadly, this person doesn't stay committed and will just as quickly change course. If this person was a boat, they'd be riding in circles in the bay - -never coming into harbor and never going out to sea.
The I-know-everything-because-I'm-rich-er
Being rich means that a person is very likely good at managing money - that is it. Being rich is not a stamp of intelligence, higher learning, higher morals, or a higher calling. Mother Theresa gave up her worldly goods to help others and was the person you called on if trying to understand how to help the poor in India.Wealth is a blessing and those who wear it well often hide it from the world and use it to help great causes. Beware of the arrogant wealthy person who arrives with money and opinions in tow - they will spend all of their money to prove they are a good, knowledgeable person. Honestly, I'm not going to ask the person born on third base how to hit a home run, I will however, ask the kind of person who has earned money from nothing because those are the action oriented kind of people I like.
If you can find a wealthy person who is humble and helpful, they are truly a blessing upon this earth and treat them well. That is the kind of person who should be rich. Being wealthy isn't a sin so don't treat someone poorly or disrespectfully because they are wealthy -- wealth doesn't mean a person is obnoxious, I've known many very great men and women who were wealthy and saw it as a responsibility to help others.
The slackers
Yes, these people are there. They show up, clock in, go through the motions, clock out and go home to veg in front of the tv. Their goal is to expend as little energy as possible so it is saved up for R&R. A good day is one that is uneventful as possible so they sign up for as little as possible.They often like a good story and enjoy hanging out, but doing something is an anathema to them. They miss the point that legacies are built when you work hard and work worth doing and live for the weekend.
Having this person in your group makes you feel like you're a mule harnessed to a dead horse.
I say "wake up the horse or bury him, too many people want and need jobs to let these hang around." Of course, sometimes people look like slackers because their hope is gone and don't think things will ever change. Sometimes a do-er (see below) can look like a slacker because froo-froers or never-follow-through-ers are in charge and the do-er is frustrated because nothing ever gets done so they feel it is hopeless to try.
Be very very careful if you're a leader when you criticize the slackers. The slackers in a demoralized organization may actually be your do-ers who are sitting out rather than taking the cheapshots and potshots of a toxic organization of negativity or dysfunctional management.
Many doers take vacations as slackers until they decide they are ready to do again. Good managers recruit doers. A former doer who looks like a slacker is most likely just a doer taking a break. Good leaders know this and resist the desire to criticize people who do nothing. A lot of great leaders may be in this category at this point in time for various reasons.
If you're taking a vacation as a slacker, ask yourself if this is really the right thing for you to be doing? You can be more.
The do-ers
Doers are rare, beautiful, practical people. They don't always know the answers but have a habit of looking at the facts, making the best decision possible, staying committed and getting it done. Doers are known and sought after because they DO IT.They have an uncanny ability to cut out the froo-froo, ignore the poo-poo, use the wisdom of the look-throughs to make a decision, and even to recruit some of the do-ers who have been taking a break in the slack-stack to come out of retirement and start doing again.
If you have a doer on your staff, their doing is contagious so treat them well, you have a gift. Because doers can get discouraged. If too much of the other roles are taking a lead in the organizations - most doers will tune out and quit. It would be like trying to pull a truck out of the mud when the back of the truck was chained to a tree -- why would you keep pulling?
Doers are practical people with one exception. Sometimes doers spend so much time doing that they don't spend time being. We are human be-ings not human do-ings. Your self worth isn't measured in how much you do -- sometimes you just have to be. Take time off and take a break - your kids and parents are getting older and so are you and none of us lasts forever. Will one more day at the office really make you a happier person?
How can we all become doers?
Don't be discouraged if you think you're one of the first few I named. This is just an unscientific observation from a person who is most often a do-er but sometimes takes a trip into other roles too. We all have tendencies to be each of these at different times. I've been ALL OF THESE at some point in my life, probably far too much than I wish to admit.When I'm at a standstill in life I have to ask myself:
- Am I trapped in my own negativity?
- If my cell phone's voice recorder was accidentally triggered in the day and my words were broadcast over the PA, would I immediately try to figure out if I was having a negative conversation that I wouldn't want heard?
- Am I continuing to look at options without making a decision?
- Are the people around me sensing it is time for me to make a decision and I'm still "looking at options?"
- Am I letting the urgent things in my day keep me from focusing on important, visionary things?
- Do I need to delegate some less important things and clear my schedule to DO something important?
- Am I listening to those around me about the importance of what I want to do?
- What is the body language of people when I have a new idea that we're going to do?
- Do I let other people contribute to help get my ideas more central to the mission of my organization?
- Do I spend a lot of time talking and hoping to be right?
- Am I always saying "I told you so?"
- Do I wish more people would just "listen to me" but never offer solutions? Maybe I need to put myself out there and make some decisions.
- Do I finish anything I start?
- Do I start new things before enough old things have closure so I can make forward progress?
- Am I focused on being seen, getting credit and moving forward my career or will I call attention and give credit to others who deserve it?
- Am I a slacker?
- Am I too tired to do anything or have any ideas?
- Am I so discouraged that I've moved myself from do-er status to slacker status just to heal up before I start again?
- Am I a doer?
- Do I pace myself and take care of myself and my personal relationships?
- Do I take time to be a human being and not just a human doing?
It helps if we all step back and take a look at where we are and where we're going so we'll know what success looks like when we get there.
Hope you've enjoyed my unscientific observations on the world and that you'll consider the kind of person you want to be in your life, your classroom, your community. Life is short and we need people who are unselfish, hard working, and have character.
You have already shown yourself exceptional because you are reading what others write. Take some time for introspection time today.
Take this article for what it is, a rambling view into the weaknesses of most of us. It isn't scientific nor meant to be and there are more things in life than this. In fact, I've let this post sit in my draft for over 3 months knowing that someone is going to email me about this or that, but you know what. I've reread this again and I think, the observations of people are right on. ;-) So, I'm going to do it and move on! Have a great day!
If you were writing an article on the kinds of people you've known, what would be your categories?
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15 Fantastic Ways to Use Flipboard
Flipboard is an excellent tool (now it has curated magazines you can distribute for your classes.) It is a wonderful RSS reader and monitoring tool.
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Create an All-iPad Class Radio Show with AudioBoo, Bossjock, GoodReader, & SoundCloud
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
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Transitioning from Google Reader to feedly | Building Feedly
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ScreenChomp for iPad on the iTunes App Store
This app is by Techsmith, makers of camtasia. Right now it is free. You can import PDFS and use screenshots. Powerful tool that is free.
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Teach for iPad on the iTunes App Store
KNowmania is a very cool website which now has an app. You'll want to look at the online site, but if you're looking at flipping and have detailed screencasts, etc, this is a nice site. It is also an interesting app to have children use to create their own screencasts. "Knowmia Teach is a new free lesson planning and recording tool for teachers. It helps you create short video lessons on any subject and publish them on Knowmia.com so your students and the public can find them. Knowmia Teach makes it easy to bring in visual aids from multiple sources, organize them in steps (like slides in a presentation) an"
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ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard for iPad on the iTunes App Store
This tutorial maker has a nifty groups function ($5 per month) that lets teachers create groups, etc. It is designed and billed as a "flipped classroom" tool to make it easy to record, etc. For teachers who struggle with flipping, this would be a good solution to test. The app is free to try.
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ReplayNote for iPad on the iTunes App Store
This app "records your writing and voice" and sends it to YouTube for you. NOte that I've found that large files from ipads can sometimes be hard to upload to YouTube so Dropbox is important and was recently added to a new version of this. For me, Dropbox Integration is a must-use for any app.
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Doodlecast Pro for iPad on the iTunes App Store
This app does one thing well - you quick draw and record. It saves it to your camera roll and then you take it from there (can upload to dropbox, etc.) "The app records your voice as you draw to create quick presentations. Doodlecast Pro saves videos to the camera roll making it easy to import them into popular video editors or presentation tools such as iMovie, Keynote, or iBooks Author. Perfect for teachers, students, business"
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Explain Everything ™ for iPad on the iTunes App Store
You can screencast and create from your ipad using Explain everything. It currently costs $2.99 in iTunes. Pretty robust editor.
