EduClipper Launches Its “Pinterest For Education” Back in 2007, Adam Bellow launched a site called eduTecher to aggregate and surface the best educational resources and content on the web. A high school teacher, Bellow set out to highlight new technologies and educational tools that could be used in the classroom to improve the learning experience. When a new generation of community curation tools began to take hold on the web, like Pinterest, Bellow decided to leverage the increasing popularity of crowdsourced curation to take eduTecher to the next level. This week the teacher-turned-entrepreneur officially launched eduClipper, a platform that allows teachers and students to explore, share and contribute to a library of educational content. The idea behind eduClipper, Bellow says, is to give students the same power of social curation they would have with Pinterest, allowing them to locate and publicly broadcast the best learning resources. For more, find eduClipper at home here.
IDEAS Share your expertise with Google Helpouts [video] Today Google has a launched a new service powered by Google+ Hangouts, Helpouts, to allow users to share their skills and expertises to the masses via one-on-one video chats through your computer or mobile device. Essentially, Google is allowing individuals to give lessons to those who desire to learn about a specific skill or need one time help with anything including classwork, automotive issues, or a new language. Currently the service is not operational; however, starting today, Google is asking experts who want to get involved in the service to sign up before the service fully launches later this year. There are different categories of Helpouts to signup for including Arts and Music, Computers and Electronics, Cooking, Education, Fashion and Beauty, Fitness and Nutrition, Health and Counseling along with Home and Garden. How it works The help section has gone live, which has given some insight to how the service will work. Requirements
Starting the Year on a Positive Note Back in May, I asked readers to think of five things they'd done well over the last school year. I followed it up with a post on my personal blog reflecting on what I thought I did well. Now it's time for the school year to rev up again, and I'm hoping to not only keep doing what I did well, but also set some goals for the coming year. As this blog is a tech integration blog, I want you to think about something you want to do better or something new you want to try this year. With the proliferation of Web 2.0 tool lists, blogs about successes teachers have had with particular endeavors, webinars, wikis, online communities and more, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. Don't Try to Be a Superhero Pick one new tool or site to try with your students during the first report period (making sure, of course, that it fits nicely with what you will be teaching). Some Ideas for Implementation see more see less
Building the European City of Scientific Culture | OPEN Places The core of the PLACES project is formed by more than 60 European City Partnerships in almost 30 countries. The City Partnerships constitute alliances of science communication institutions and local policymakers. The partnerships have been the basis for collaborative work between local stakeholders to develop Local Action Plans targeting science communication policies in European cities and regions. In many cases, City Partnerships have grown to involve media, non-governmental organizations, universities, research institutions, companies, and other interested parties. The Local Action Plnas are strategic visions that inform science communication policy at the local level for many years to come. An extensive series of Pilot Activities have tested innovative approaches to communicate science-based solutions in cities. Annual Conferences, Science Cities Workshops, training opportunities and Thematic Working Groups will bring PLACES stakeholders together in a united effort.
WP Login Box WordPress Login Box (WPLB) lets you add a log in/out box to your website. WPLB includes an options panel which gives you control over your form. Features: Different styles Highly customizable Lightweight Can be integreated with any theme Works well with other plugins Hackable This plugin lets you choose custom links for a forgot your password page,and registration page. It also lets you choose a url that you users will be redirected to after they log-in/out. Classroom Manager Classroom control, management, and collaboration at the click of a mouse Now available for: Evaluate student comprehension Administer surveys, quizzes and tests Use keyword tracking to ensure comprehension Distribute and collect assignments digitally Listen and record language lessons Encourage collaboration Record results and progress with Digital Journals Form chat groups to discuss topics Share student work across all systems Interact via virtual whiteboard Monitor student activities Restrict website and application access Single click launch of website and applications Screen and device locking Block or limit printing to reduce ink usage Easily support teachers Message teachers 1:1 or en masse in a matter of seconds Provide teacher support through direct chats with IT Monitor and access devices Communicate & Collaborate Save Time
Creative Little Scientists Web.AppStorm | Web Applications Reviewed, Rounded Up & Explained - Part 4 It’s US Thanksgiving today, the day we set aside to eat turkey, play (or, more likely, watch) American football, and hopefully spend at least a few minutes of reflection about what we’re thankful for from the past year. And so, why not think about the web apps you’re most thankful for at the same time? They’ve changed how you worked, freed you from legacy apps, made you more productive, and likely saved you money. That’s a lot to be thankful for. And it’s been a great year for web apps, especially as a writer, with so many new writing web apps coming out. It’d still be hard for me to pick my favorite, but I must say that I’m very grateful for Draft, Editorially, and Penflip, all three of which have already proved useful in my work this year. That’s far from all of the new web apps this year — it’s hard to think of the world of web apps in 2013 without thinking of Typeform, Apple’s new iWork for iCloud apps and the redesigned core iCloud apps, and more. (more…) (more…) (more…) (more…)
Deeper Learning: A Collaborative Classroom is Key What's ideal when it comes to collaboration in our classrooms? Here's one coveted scenario: several children gathered at a table engaged in a high-level task, discussing, possibly debating an issue, making shared decisions, and designing a product that demonstrates all this deeper learning. As teachers, we'd love to see this right out the gate, but this sort of sophisticated teamwork takes scaffolding. In preparing our students for college and careers, 21st century skills call on us to develop highly collaborative citizens -- it's one of the 4 Cs, after all. So how do we begin this scaffolded journey? Establish Group Agreements Deciding on group norms, or agreements, right at the get go will give each student a voice and provide accountability for all. Accountability is an important factor in group working agreements. Teach Them How to Listen Good listeners are both rare and valued in our culture. Save The Last Word is a great activity that allows students to practice listening.
GoGo Labs Create the last resume you'll ever need.