The Rest of the Story(s)

After an initial flurry of activity and comments from some Twitter users, Paper.li seems to have settled in to a regular routine.  I look forward to my daily read of the Ontario Educators Daily to find out what sorts of things that other Ontario educators are reading.  It’s a great way to stay on top of the latest trends.  At a current total of 220 contributors, the group is a wide and diverse body of folks with all kinds of interests.  It isn’t uncommon to see very interesting stories in the categories of Business, Media, Education, Art & Entertainment, Technology, Media, and so much more.

Notice that I sneaked in the cellphone message from the premier?  Thanks, Jamie.

I am really impressed with the algorithm that the designers use to determine what stories are chosed to appear on the front paper.  Whatever they’re doing, it always leads to a great selection of top stories to read.  I had a discussion about this and more than one person lamented the fact that there wasn’t more to be read.

Well, there is – if you know where to look for it.  The page that appears in the notification link is the Front Page of the daily newspaper.  Like a traditional paper newspaper, the Front Page is designed to give you the highlights and get you engaged.  There are sections with lots more material.

In the banner for each section, just look to the right to the "more" and the number in parentheses.  In the section, you’re just seeing the top story. 

The rest can be found by clicking "more".  You’ll get the opportunity to enjoy all of the stories that have been contributed on that day

And, if you’re one of those people that like to read newspapers from cover to cover, check out all of the stories made available from the headline banner.

So, if you have the time, don’t just skim the headlines – check out the rest of the stories.

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links for 2010-09-15

• What is Twitter and how do I use it? | Parents as Partners
  Many of you come to read this blog may not have ventured into the world of Twitter. I encourage you to sign up and join in the conversations in which I share my passion for education. These instructions will help you set up a Twitter account and explain how to use Twitter.
  (tags: twitter parents web2.0)
• 6 Online Riddle Games to Keep You Glued to Your Computer
  If you’re in the mood to give your mind a little exercise, online riddles are a great place to do just that. One of the most popular genre of online riddle games consists of multiple levels, containing clues in the source code, in photos, and just about everywhere you can look.
  (tags: riddle online)
• WTF Is The Semantic Web? (Infographic)
  What is the semantic web?
  (tags: semantic web infographic)
• Your Internet Needs – Yes, There’s a Hierarchy(Image)
  You already know that I’m a huge fan of the folks at Flowtown. Once again I am delighted with this image that I safely assume is based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need
  (tags: internet needs)
• yolink adds CC license support to its browser plugin – Creative Commons
  yolink, “a next-generation search technology,” has added CC license support to its updated browser plugin. yolink’s browser plugin allows you to quickly scan your search results by specific key terms, effectively simplifying your more complex or advanced searches.
  (tags: yolink support creative commons)
• Ants spiral of death – how ants kill themselves | buZzhunt.co.uk
  We all know that ants is one of the most interesting and mysterious species on our planet. But did you know that ants are quite suicidal?
  (tags: ants death spiral)
• Tech Learning TL Advisor Blog and Ed Tech Ticker Blogs from TL Blog Staff – TechLearning.com
  I am an advocate for Project Based Learning in the classroom. True Project Based Learning is a process that puts the student at the center of their learning. In this post I wish to share with you some of the top sites I have found to be useful on the internet that promote true PBL
  (tags: learning projectbasedlearning PBL blog tech)
• In the context of web context: How to check out any Web page — Scott Rosenberg's Wordyard
  Though some of the details have changed in the intervening years, the basic principles for evaluating an unknown source remain relevant, I think.
  (tags: web website icsxx)
• SCC ENGLISH: All Shakespeare's Sonnets via Wordle
  All Shakespeare's Sonnets via Wordle
  (tags: english shakespeare wordle)
• Pex for fun – from Microsoft Research
  This puzzle is an interactive Coding Duel. Can you write code that matches a secret implementation?
  (tags: fun pex research icsxx)
• Funny English – Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
  How to identify misplaced and dangling modifiers, errors that can make your work sound ludicrous and unreliable.
  (tags: english funny misplaced modifers)

Help Out a School

My friend Rose is the principal of St. Anne French Immersion School in the city of Windsor.  It’s a great community and offers a French Immersion program to its Catholic students.  It’s got lots – except for a nice school yard for its students. 

The school is participating in Pepsi’s “Refresh Canada” program where Pepsi is looking to assist those who would like to make a positive impact on their communities.

In the case of St. Anne, they are looking for some assistance in providing a green school yard for its students.  If successful, they have parents and other community members ready to jump in with their own tools and time to change the environment for their students.

Their plan:

Goals

• To increase the amount of shade and reduce the temperature of the yard
• To decrease students’ prolonged exposure to the sun during recess
• To encourage active living while greening our corner of the planet
• To improve our neighbourhood by planting more trees and native plants
• To provide students with a chance to learn in a healthier environment

How can you help?

It only takes a couple of clicks.  Consider heading over to their proposal site and vote for this project.  It only takes a couple of seconds and can make a huge difference for the St. Anne students.

links for 2010-09-14

• YouTube – docs's Channel
  Google drawings makes it easy to create charts, diagrams, wireframes, and other schematics.
  (tags: googledocs youtube googleapps tutorials docs howto)
• fileminx – Free and Easy Real-time File Conversion
  fileminx converts all sorts of document, video, music and image files to the format of your choice in three simple steps – directly from your web browser.
  (tags: Conversion converter tools fileminx free file)
• News: Open-Source Lecture Capture – Inside Higher Ed
  Now, a new project from the online educational technology collective OpenCast, called Matterhorn 1.0, could open up a new front in the battle between open-source and proprietary — on a landscape that still has plenty of unclaimed territory: the lecture capture market.
  (tags: open source lecture news)
• YouTube Starts Testing New Live Streaming Platform
  YouTube has announced it will start a two-day trial of its new streaming platform, which enables broadcasters to stream live video directly into YouTube channels.
  (tags: youtube testing streaming)
• BCLocalNews.com – Need for constant contact
  Thousands of kids returned to school last week in the Central Okanagan, and many arrived with more than the traditional pencils, pens and paper. They showed up wired—or to be more precise, wireless.
  (tags: need bclocalnews)
• Students blaze high-tech trail | livingstondaily.com | Livingston Daily
  Pinckney New Technology High School students were provided laptop computers they'll use until they graduate, but only after they signed a "digital constitution" they created themselves.
  (tags: students tech high blaze)
• Killer Infographics by Submit Infographics | Share Your Infographics and Rate Others | Infographic Gallery
  Repository of user submitted infographics
  (tags: infographics killer share)

links for 2010-09-14

• Social Networks in Action – Learning Networks @ UOW
  SNAPP is a software tool that allows users to visualize the network of interactions resulting from discussion forum posts and replies. The network visualisations of forum interactions provide an opportunity for teachers to rapidly identify patterns of user behaviour – at any stage of course progression.
  (tags: networks social LMS tools analytics learning discussion)
• Eye on Education Catalog 2010, Volume 2
  New and bestselling titles from Eye On Education
  (tags: education books catalogue)
• Google's World – a set on Flickr
  Google's World
  (tags: world google)
• Cool Infographics – Cool Infographics – FarmVille vs. Real Farms infographic
  FarmVille vs. Real Farms infographic
  (tags: infographics farmville farm)
• Internet Evolution – Jart Armin – Righthaven: New Troll Under the Copyright Bridge
  Bloggers and Webmasters beware: The litigation company Righthaven LLC has been causing a stir since its inception in March with 117 copyright infringement suits, and counting. The latest is against politician Sharron Angle, who's running for the US Senate in Nevada.
  (tags: internet evolution copyright)

Teaching About Chilean Mine Disaster

It is impossible to escape this issue when you turn on the news, or read the newspaper – the 33 miners trapped under ground in the copper mine in Chile.  Movies of the men document the situation and the abilities to cope.  Between this event and the situation with the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, new ways of addressing the issues in the classroom have arisen.  There has always been the internet to provide the latest updates but the power and reach of this tool brings new resources for the classroom.

Professionals are talking about this and sharing ideas for how to approach this in the classroom.  Last night, Ontario educator @aforgrave offered this.

Where do you turn to get your facts straight?

News Sources – This is the traditional route.  Take any online news source and you’ll find the latest.  Close to the source is http://www.chanarcillo.cl/

Wikipedia – The world is already documenting the mine and the incident.

Infographics – This is perhaps the newest and one of the more innovative ways of taking the facts and making them understandable in a contemporary format.

• From the Telegraph
• From Live Science
• From Elmundo
• From Newsweek

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links for 2010-09-13

• Upcoming Education Conferences | Parentella
  Our Community Manager extraordinaire, Amanda Henson has compiled a list of all the Education Conferences coming up.
  (tags: upcoming education conferences)
• Quora
  A continually improving collection of questions and answers created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it.
  (tags: answers social q)
• The Do Lectures | Speakers
  Do is the action behind your beliefs
  (tags: lectures speakers)
• Dropbox Tips for Teachers: Why You Must Get Dropbox!
  Put away your flash drive, and stop emailing yourself files, because once you get Dropbox, the ways you deal with moving, sharing and backing up your files will change forever. These Dropbox tips for teachers will show you how to get the most out of this versatile backup tool at school, and at home.
  (tags: dropbox technology teachers education sharing storage file sync)
• The MY HERO Project
  The mission of MY HERO is to use media and technology to celebrate the best of humanity and to empower young people to realize their own potential to effect positive change in the world.
  (tags: project collaboration Hero myhero learning heroes)
• In Schools of the Future, Students Learn Best by Doing, Vigorously and Digitally | Connected Principals
  It’s not about the computer
  (tags: education future schools web2.0)
• Felocity.org Textify
  Cute application if you ever need rainbow coloured text.
  (tags: textify felocity rainbow text)
• How to make drop-down menus in Google Docs
  It’s now easy to make dropdown menus in Google spreadsheets in Google docs. Google just announced this option, and rightfully mentions one big advantage of dropdown menus in spreadsheets
  (tags: googledocs google dropdown menus howto)
• Progradebook.com – Proficiency Based Gradebook Solutions
  Progradebook.com was created by a teacher who was excited about the idea of proficiency based grading, but was overwhelmed by the paperwork.

  Progradebook.com is in the beta stage of development. If you'd like to try our gradebook for free please create an account by clicking here

  (tags: gradebook proficiency progradebook assessment grading)
• Species List
  The main Ensembl site focuses on vertebrate genomes – scroll down for links to our sister sites covering invertebrates, plants, bacteria, etc.
  (tags: list species genome biology)
• Social Networks in Action – Learning Networks @ UOW
  SNAPP is a software tool that allows users to visualize the network of interactions resulting from discussion forum posts and replies. The network visualisations of forum interactions provide an opportunity for teachers to rapidly identify patterns of user behaviour – at any stage of course progression.
  (tags: networks social LMS tools analytics learning discussion)
• Eye on Education Catalog 2010, Volume 2
  New and bestselling titles from Eye On Education
  (tags: education books catalogue)
• Google's World – a set on Flickr
  Google's World
  (tags: world google)
• Cool Infographics – Cool Infographics – FarmVille vs. Real Farms infographic
  FarmVille vs. Real Farms infographic
  (tags: infographics farmville farm)
• Internet Evolution – Jart Armin – Righthaven: New Troll Under the Copyright Bridge
  Bloggers and Webmasters beware: The litigation company Righthaven LLC has been causing a stir since its inception in March with 117 copyright infringement suits, and counting. The latest is against politician Sharron Angle, who's running for the US Senate in Nevada.
  (tags: internet evolution copyright)

Getting Caught Up

I was originally drawn to this by name but I’m really “getting” its functionality in completely different ways.    The resource is a website called “Twitter for Busy People“.  As you may know, I love innovation and this is a unique approach to getting caught up and more.

Now, if you are on Twitter 24 hours a day, the power of this application may be lost on you.  But, if you check in periodically and just to find out what’s going on, you’re going to really like this.  Usually, when you check into Twitter, you find yourself in the middle of an intriguing conversation.  (or not)  It’s a great way to find out what a particular person or group of people are thinking about but if you’re limited to a certain number of messages, you’ll be wondering what everyone else is doing!

Fire up T4BP and you’re there.

You’re presented with bands of icons of the folks that you follow.  Want to see what they’re up to in the last hour?  Last day? Or, more than one day ago?  Just move your cursor over an icon and a pop-up window will display their latest message.  If you’ve logged in to Twitter, you can retweet or reply to the message.  Isn’t that a great concept?  In a few minutes, you can determine what all of your community is up to.

But, don’t be limited to just your community – enter anyone’s Twitter ID using “Peek-A-View” and find out what their community is up to!  You’ll find this a very productive use of your time in the quest to getting caught up.  I’m also thinking that this is a terrific way to demonstrate the power of your Twitter network.  Rather than wading your way through the latest messages, know who is tweeting quality information and mouse over them.

Just when you think you’ve become productive, get ready to slow it on down when you click on the “game” link.  You’re going to find this tough if you’ve been indiscriminately adding people to your network.  Can you match the icon with the name?

The only thing that would put this over the top for me would be able to use this functionality on one of your Twitter lists where you’ve already identified a group of people to follow.  At this point, it’s still listed as “coming soon”.  That will be an awesome feature.  Search is “coming soon” too.  But, imagine the power of current, now, research on a particular topic or trend?

For the time being, though, enjoy the service to get caught up with your community.  Or, what the heck?  Find out what your friend’s community is doing at the same time!

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links for 2010-09-12

• Google's Android to be world No. 2 in 2010 – report | Reuters
  Google Inc's Android software will become the world's second most popular operating system for cell phones this year, leapfrogging rival offerings from Microsoft Corp, Research in Motion and Apple Inc, according to a new report.
  (tags: google world android)
• Tony Vincent's Learning in Hand – Blog – App Store Volume Purchase Program Explained
  In the past Apple had no mechanism for downloading an app more than once, so schools would purchase an app one time and distribute it to all their iPod touches, iPads, and iPhones. This arrangement made app purchases for class sets of handhelds inexpensive but was not properly compensating app developers.
  (tags: apps ipad Apple purchase volume learning store)
• 6 Top Free Online Tools for Supporting Teaching and Learning
  These web based resources offer the ability to integrate online technology into some of the best practices for engaging students in learning activities.
  (tags: tools free top online web2.0)
• Favstar.fm FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions (and their answers)
  We asked some of our users who've been coming here for a while. @wondroushippo summarized it well – 'A site tracking what you, your friends, and everyone else is favoriting on Twitter.'
  (tags: favstar twitter favourites)
• YouTube – SOUR '日々の音色 (Hibi no neiro)'
  This music video was shot for Sour's 'Hibi no Neiro' (Tone of everyday) from their first mini album 'Water Flavor EP'. The cast were selected from the actual Sour fan base, from many countries around the world. Each person and scene was filmed purely via webcam.
  (tags: youtube sour)
• OpenStudy
  Join the world's largest study group.
  (tags: collaboration collaborative_learning web2.0 openstudy study)
• TwitterForBusyPeople – Home
  A Fun New Way of Interacting With Your Twitter Universe!
  (tags: home twitterforbusypeople)
• Most Stunning Twitter Visualizations | chethstudios Design Magazine
  Twitter twitter twitter.. don't you get bored listening to that? haha wait if you are getting bored of the web interface and wanna see tweets in a new style then check out these. Well guys these were the top visualisations I came across ever since I joined twitter.
  (tags: twitter stunning design)
• Tomorrow's tech in todays schools: Facebook project
  We've had a lot of fun in my district doing a Facebook project. Teachers from almost every subject have jumped into this.  Includes a link to download the Facebook project template.
  (tags: facebook template project tech schools Presentation Social_Network)
• 5 Signs Why Mathematics Should be Chosen as a Career Option | Mathematics Education Research Blog
  If you have an interest in and natural skill for mathematics, seriously consider what a career in the field can do for you and in terms of reaching your professional goals. From academia and education to technology and computer science to business, math is an expansive discipline that holds real promise for those with talent.
  (tags: mathematics education)
• http://www.jeffbullas.com/2010/09/10/69-ideas-for-your-blog-to-make-the-dead-take-notice/
  This post started with an article earlier this year on “30 Tips To Make Your Companies Blog Rock” and I had quite a few comments by readers and so added more tips on other keys to making a blog successful. I then added to that post with some ideas from readers and more of my own with a post titled “50 Ways To Optimize Your Blog“.
  (tags: com jeffbullas 2010 blog tips)
• dushare – Real-time P2P file transfers
  Send files to friends directly without uploading to a server
  (tags: filesharing dushare p2p tools time file real tool)
• 10 things every blogger must know! | Globalthoughtz
  There are millions of bloggers around the world and there are more coming up every day. Blogs are written to express, for opinions, and with different purposes by different people. Now that there are so many bloggers, there is heavy competition among them too. Everyone wants there blog to be the best and most read. There are couple of things that bloggers should keep in mind, to make it look good and more appealing.
  (tags: 10 things blogger blog promotion)
• Sustainability
  Climate change. Population growth. Poverty. Environmental degradation. Conflict. Global health crises. Intractable global problems? We don’t think so. At Facing the Future we believe in the transformative power of widespread, systemic education to improve lives and communities, both locally and globally. Our positive, solutions-based programming is designed by and for teachers, and brings critical thinking about global issues to students in every walk of life
  (tags: sustainability global curriculum issues education environment)
• Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire
  Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire
  (tags: learningstyles learning education questionnaire survey teaching tools styles)
• Free online image and photo editor – Aviary.com's Phoenix
  From basic image retouching to complex effects, Phoenix delivers the key features of a desktop image editor with the simplicity and accessibility of a web-based application.
  (tags: graphics image editor tools online photos free)
• Project-Based Learning Strategies and Research for Educators
  Project-Based Learning grabs hold of this idea and fosters deep learning and autonomy by using technology to help students engage in issues and questions relevant to their lives. This resource will direct you to a variety of resources on this approach, the research behind it, and how you can use it in your class to transform your students into engaged and interested independent thinkers.
  (tags: pbl project_based_learning learning project research e-learning based teaching)
• Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org: 21 GoogleApps Solutions from Google Certified Teachers' (GCT) List
  21 GoogleApps Solutions from Google Certified Teachers' (GCT) List
  (tags: google Google_Apps solutions)
• BBC – KS3 Bitesize: Game – Whack Attack
  Use your Maths, Science and English wisdom to buy you time and whack the medieval characters, mad professors and aliens. Can you get on to the high score board?
  (tags: bitesize bbc game math science english)

Image Editing

When you’re a professional image editor, you spend a lot of money buying some of the great image editing programs.  When you’re an amateur image editor, you may go out and buy the same software package in the hopes that it will make you the next professional image editor!

If you’re frugal with your dollars, you may head for an open source solution where there are spectacular products that can do the same sorts of thing.

The reality is, though, that it takes more than a piece of software to make you a genius image editor.  It takes great software, to be sure, but it also requires that flair for the artistic, the ability to see and blend colours, the ability to design with the end in mind, the elements of design and story telling through imagery, and so much more.  I profess, I have none of these skills.

In fact, my image editing reality is limited to some brightness and contrast adjustment, perhaps some creation of text to highlight key points of the image, maybe a little composition via layering, and some other things that would seem pretty primitive by people that know their business.  And, I may do it on a Windows machine or a Mac and I may or may not own the machine.  And, the requisite software may or may not be installed.  Oh, and I need an undo function!

That’s where a web-based solution is very desirable and into the mix.

Aviary has a suite of online multimedia tools and Phoenix, the image editor has all the functionality that I need.  (and, quite frankly more…)

 

Because the utilities are online, you save yourself a great deal of storage space on your hard drive and the hassles that come along when something goes wrong with the software, requiring a reload.  The products are web-based, and just work.

I’d be willing to bet that, for most of people’s editing needs, Phoenix more than fills the need.  At a price tag of free, it’s worth the time and effort to learn and share.