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In Flanders Fields – Lest We Forget – YouTube
In Flanders Fields – Lest We Forget
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Geoloqi – A Private Realtime Platform for Location Sharing
Unlock the power of your smartphone with
real-time location sharing, location-based
reminders and more. -
Cascaad – Connect your interests
Cascaad Reader lets you easily keep up with your Twitter and Facebook networks, surfacing the most relevant content in your streams and recommending new stuff based on your interests.
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Partners in Learning Ireland (N+S) | Microsft and Education in Ireland (N+S)
Microsoft Partners in Learning Ireland
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Clive Thompson on Why Kids Can’t Search | Magazine
We’re often told that young people tend to be the most tech-savvy among us. But just how savvy are they? A group of researchers led by College of Charleston business professor Bing Pan tried to find out.
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What is a Digital Story?
A digital story is created using multimedia it weaves together images, music and voice. It takes the audience on a multi-sensory journey.
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Microsoft Office in the classroom
Discover tips on helpful ways to refresh your lessons, manage class assignments, make quick work of daily tasks, and share information with colleagues, students, and parents.
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A Social Network Can Be a Learning Network – Online Learning – The Chronicle of Higher Education
A Social Network Can Be a Learning Network
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Making Circles Smarter: Google Acquires Kantango to Improve Google+ — SiliconFilter
Google just acquired Katango, a service that can automatically organize your friends on social networks into groups
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Keyboard shortcuts for your Documents List – Google Docs Help
Below you’ll find the current list of keyboard shortcuts to use when navigating your Documents List.
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37 Awesome Streaming Music Sites
When you’ve heard everything on your MP3 player…
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Mobile applications resource site
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Bugs and fixes: When OS X Lion slows to a crawl – Feature – Techworld.com
I want to tell you about how I tracked down, identified and ultimately eradicated a mysterious bug for which there seemed no immediately obvious cause.
Monthly Archives: November 2011
A Pittance of Time
Background information to “A Pittance of Time”
In Flanders Fields – Lest We Forget
Tour of Washington
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“I’m at Canadian Embassy (501 Pennsylvania Ave NW, 5th St NW, Washington) t.co/shFvykQk
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“I’m at U.S. Capitol – West Terrace (U.S. Capitol Complex, Washington) t.co/2ZmPiZG2
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“I’m at National Museum of the American Indian (300 Maryland Ave SW, at Independence Ave and 4th St, Washington) t.co/ZZtXl31x
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“I’m at The National Mall (U.S. Capitol to Lincoln Memorial, btwn Constitution & Independence Ave NW, Washington) t.co/SRT84Ax2
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“I’m at Smithsonian Institution Building (The Castle) (1000 Jefferson Dr SW, btwn 9th & 12th St SW, Washington) t.co/B8a2bHTZ
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“I’m at United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (100 Raoul Wallenberg Pl. SW, Independence Ave. SW, Washington) t.co/r1lCwbVn
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“I’m at Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (1850 W Basin Dr, Washington) t.co/N6h1ossZ
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“I’m at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial (1964 Independence Ave SW, Washington) t.co/T6KYJ51Z
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“I’m at Korean War Veterans Memorial (Independence Ave, West Potomac Park, Washington) w/ 2 others t.co/z3zx2pmT
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“I’m at Vietnam War Memorial (The National Mall, Washington) t.co/gAb4Asvi
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“I’m at Lincoln Memorial (Lincoln Memoral Cir SW, Washington) t.co/mjyLLIqE
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“I’m at GWU – Ivory Tower (616 23rd St NW, at G St NW, Washington) t.co/zD1G5KxE
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“I’m at George Washington University Hospital (900 23rd St. N.W., Washington) t.co/93WeINgq
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“I’m at Embassy Of The Netherlands (2347 S St., NW, 23rd St, Washington) t.co/cgyPIabm
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“I’m at Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil (3006 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC) t.co/LpwHSn0K
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“I’m at Washington National Cathedral (3101 Wisconsin Ave NW, at Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington) t.co/fhIk4cdF
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“I’m at Embassy Of The Vatican City (3339 Massachusetts Ave NW, at 34th St, Washington) t.co/QmnwSmhJ
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“I’m at Sir Winston Churchill Statue (British Embassy, on Mass Ave NW, Washington) t.co/cJf64dlH
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“I’m at Embassy of Japan (2520 Massachussetts Ave NW, Washington) t.co/fYFqHJRr
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“I’m at Dupont Circle (1 Dupont Cir, at Connecticut Ave NW, Washington) w/ 5 others t.co/LzDKo7hW
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“I’m at Johns Hopkins University Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (1717 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington) t.co/aFNcJeaU
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“I’m at Embassy Of Australia (1601 Massachusetts Ave NW, at 16th St NW, Washington) t.co/IUOuWc0T
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“I’m at Thomas Circle (Thomas Circle, M St NW, Washington) t.co/eEKquN7g
PILGF, Day 2
I had every intent of visiting every display in the exhibit area that I missed yesterday. I admit it; I failed. My problem lies in the fact that I want to talk to everyone who has poured their energies into supporting student work on their projects. But, a quick look at the floor map made me realize how fruitless that was going to be in the two hours that I could devote to the floor. Now, I could do a speed walk through but that just wouldn’t do justice to any of the displays. So, I decided to continue with my theme of going to booths where there were just a few people so that I could get some personalized attention.
So, I did look at the exhibit throwing and catching fish at the Fish Market but elected not to stand in line. But, it was amazing what could be done with a Kinect system!
I did, though, get a lesson in making paper birds as part of a unit dealing with the migration of birds. I have a new found skill – I can do it! But, the documentation proof is tough when you’re the guy holding the camera. We did have a nice conversation, without an interpreter, of the migration patterns in Taiwan. I was able to give back a bit and talk about the Monarch butterfly migration through Essex County. For both the exhibitor and for me, it was an opportunity to show off our parts of the world via Google Maps. Fortunately, I remembered where the instructions were as the computer was not set to the English language. It was such a delightful experience.
My next stop was for a prolonged conversation with an Indian Business/Entrepreneurial Studies teacher. Over the course of three months, her students using some solid Problem Based Learning as they researched, developed, and then put into place a marketing and business plan for the management and promotion of their products. If anyone is looking for a great idea, one of the students had proposed a computer carrying cases that actually charged your laptop while you rolled it, picking up on the energy from the cart as you go!
The project featured developing marketing campaigns using Web 2.0 technologies as well as traditional desktop applications. Everything was driven by a blog where students would work on timelines and deliverables. It was a massive project. I still can’t believe the quality of work that was made possible in such a timeframe.
Digital citizenship, bullying, online identity were the order of the day for this Columbian project. My timing was bad for the poor exhibitor but I loved it! Her translator had gone for lunch and there was fear in her eyes as I asked about the project. She was very nervous to go it along but did a wonderful job. We talked about the problems that were the impetus behind this project. Do they seem familiar? It’s somehow comforting to see that educators all over the world are dealing with these issues. In this case, every bit of social media was explored. My host was totally surprised when I indicated that many school districts block Facebook and Tumblr which were two of the tools at the heart of this project.
These were primary level students and one of their methods for delivering the message was through the creation of Audiobooks. The auditory part, of course, left me behind but the visuals from the personally crafted drawings was perfectly clear. The students understood the problem and were using this media to address it. The class had their projects published on Facebook where parents as well as students were invited into the closed group to enjoy and discuss the student work.
The powerful theme throughout the sessions that I attended was about changing the world – or at least one small part of it. At a British display, www.askthemusicteacher.co.uk, a secondary school music class talked about their use of technology to create original music. In the movie studio, the students used a Kinect system to explore new avenues for creating and pushing their understanding of music.
Rather uniquely, the backdrop was actually an infographic to convey the message from the booth. Visitors got to wear headsets to listen to the original creations. And, cooly enough, a group formed a band, were signed to a recording label (we got complimentary copies of the CD!) and these lads are off and flying.
Click to play their first single “Flowdem”
It was an amazing day. While I was there at lunch, some of the exhibitors were out. I missed the Canadian contingent but did grab a couple of flyers. Mr. MacDougall’s Campbellton Middle School in New Brunswick explored Visual Poetry for perspectives on global events. And, J.D. Touchie’s class from the same school focused their attentions on creating Historical Novel Movie Trailers. Both were such great ideas and I’m sad that I missed demonstrations. There was also a very significant project from an Egyptian display. It’s the creation of a wiki entitled “Welcome Back, Egypt“. Devote some time to it and just picture how students can help change the world.
And, yes, the hashtag #PILGF was global again. Thanks to SocialBro, I was able to snag this picture of who in the world was contributing.
The time to view exhibits was cut short as we were up for 1:1 interviews with Lauren Woodman and Anthony Salcito. And, of course, there was the very motivating morning keynote about Big History from Dr. David Christian. There’s more to come about all of this when I get home.
Tomorrow night, though, is the big gala with the awards given now that the judging is complete. It’s going to be great!
OTR Links 11/10/2011
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5 Government Procurement Practices That Stifle Innovation
This is a good read. You could substitute “Your Local School Board” anywhere that the word government appears. We constantly talk about change in education and it’s increasingly more difficult to get the new tools when you have to work your way through old processes. There is certainly a need to have a procurement policy in place to ensure that you’re getting the best value for the dollar and to honour the needs of the vendor by a solution that falls between the old process and desire to use the new technologies needs to be found.
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Soundproofing the Skype Studio | ZDNet
Fortunately, the soundproofing and sound-sculpting materials work and work quite well. The room is now virtually silent and I’ve been able to get excellent recording and broadcast sound quality.
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Core77 / industrial design magazine + resource / home
Design Magazine and Resource – terrific resource for digital inspiration
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Walmart Goes Mobile With New Apps For iPhone & iPad | TechCrunch
Today, Walmart is launching an updated iPhone application and a new iPad app, in an effort to better connect customers’ offline and online shopping experiences. The iPhone app in particular brings a number of new features, including voice-enabled shopping list creation, barcode scanning and integrated manufacturers’ coupons, while the iPad app offers the ability to find items both online and at the local store.
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Apps in Education: Great iPad PD Session – from BalancEdTech
This is an excellent prepared inservice for staff or students on the iPad. This is a very extensive introductory self contained learning module. Have a look at the comprehensive links that BalancEdTech have included in this 6-12 hour set of iPad Professional Development.
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CPSR – The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics
The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics
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Content curation: Best practices
Best practices in Content Curation Presentation
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Presentation Sins « Ralph Talmont | Pictures, pixels & pages
As we all know, presentations can be either informative, interesting and inspiring or bland, boring and just plain bad. (Couldn’t resist the alliteration, eh.) What is interesting is that given the fact that both the presenters and the audience are usually drawn from the same pool of people, and no-one likes to attend boring presentations, why does it continue to happen? Doesn’t everyone already know what makes a dreadful presentation and what to avoid when making one?
This just in…
…or maybe it’s been around for a while and I just noticed it. Twitter just became a lot more like Facebook. There’s a new option on your navigation bar. Stuck between your mentions and your searches, “Activity” appears. This is a feature that third party clients have used for a while. It’s a summary of what’s happening to your community other than posting messages. You’ll see who followed someone new, who favourited one of your messages, etc. Whether it provides insights or is creepy is all your perspective. Just don’t be following …
PILGF, Day 1
Day 1 is in the books and I am so tired. How tired am i? I’d give anything for a mouse to make blogging easier – that’s how tired!
And yet, through the blurry eyes, I have a profound sense of pride in the teaching profession and a real sense of humility for the size and scope of everything that education can do. As is my custom, when I attend conferences, I dumped my swag on my hotel bed. This time, it’s a different swag. So often, it’s the cheap plastic stuff that vendors push on you – pens and more. It’s not that I don’t enjoy a good pen but this swag is totally different. It’s a unique collection and I’m taking it home to treasure and reflect on the amazing things that I saw today and the amazing people with whom I chatted.
The showcase was open and we were invited to go in and enjoy. Enjoy, I did. I admit that I was slow but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to take in the magnificent classroom projects on display. When I walked into the display hall, there were two directions one could turn and I took the one least travelled at that time. I ended up with a chance to see largely projects from South / Central America. I had a wonderful opportunity to talk to educators about their projects. Three or four of them involved video production. These weren’t your run of the mill videos – one was created by deaf students, another had incorporated video production into everything his class does, and yet another took on bullying within the school with statistics claiming that physical fights had dropped from regular to just one in the past while. Such is the power of the media. The other interesting aspect in all of this was that the teachers I talked with spoke in their native tongue but the message came through with the aid of an interpreter. I couldn’t get over the sophisticated productions that are possible with the use of Photostory and Movie Maker.
I know it only makes sense but it is so interesting to see foreign localizations of programs like Media Player or Powerpoint. And, if there’s any question that this is a global event, check out this visualization that I captured from SocialBro about the hashtag #PILGF.
Moving along to projects from other locations, I saw a class that had not only created a WII Mote device but illustrated a whole slew of mathematics activities made exciting by its use. I got to relive a class investigation wondering why the Xiaofu River doesn’t freeze. We had a great time chatting through an interpreter as we compared the Xiaofu to the Detroit River. And then, there was the Danish solar water filtration system with a desk lamp substituting for the sun!
The online writing that went along with the project really showed the spirit of collaboration among the students, at the same time dealing with a very important social issue. In other water related projects, I checked out a hydroponics project. Such terrific ideas. I’ve got a couple of projects in mind for what will be my favourite, but I’m reserving comment until I work my way through the room!
We did have a great opportunity to listen to Anthony Salcito, VP of Education and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in the morning keynote. I have extensive notes from their keynote address as well as the 1:1 plus Angela interview with Siegfried Behrens, Education Manager. I’ve got the opportunity to do a couple more interviews tomorrow as well as finish the exhibition hall. I think I’m going to reserve comments on that for a separate posting at the end of the conference. There’s a great deal to mull over to do it justice. Images have been posted to Flickr but all rights are retained by Microsoft so, rather than an embed, here’s a link to the Flickr page.
I must confess that, tired as I am, I’m still on an unique buzz from what I saw. I can’t wait to experience even more tomorrow.
OTR Links 11/09/2011
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Doceri – The Interactive Whiteboard for iPad.
n a nutshell, Doceri is the ultimate tool for presentations and lessons. Through the Doceri Remote iPad app and Doceri Desktop software, you can control a computer (Mac or Windows), easily launch any document or application, and annotate over them at any time
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Isle Of Tune – chilledteaching
I do love it when you come across an app which makes you think, “Wow, I can see how this could work in a school!”, and although this app could easily activate a head-ache for the poor teacher, it is one of the most creative music composition apps I have come across…not only for the iPad, but online as well.
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Math Game – Flash
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Zooniverse – Real Science Online
With your help, we are looking for planets around other stars
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Embedding a group into Google Sites (new UI) – Google Groups Help
You can easily embed Google Groups discussions into your Google Site by embedding a group gadget:
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Create and study notecards for your textbooks
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BBC – Starship – English – Story Plant
Grow your own story from the story plant.
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The BioDigital Human is a 3D platform that simplifies the understanding of anatomy, disease and treatments.
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We built Kinect to revolutionize the way you play games and how you experience entertainment. But along the way, people started using Kinect in ways we never imagined. From helping children with autism, to helping doctors in the operating room, people are taking Kinect beyond games. And that’s what we call the Kinect Effect.
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Elementary School iPad Apps
This page will house suggested iPad apps for Elementary Schools. -
Why Johnny Can’t Opt Out: A Usability Evaluation of Tools to Limit Online Behavioral Advertising
We present results of a 45-participant laboratory study investigating the usability of tools to limit online behavioral advertising (OBA).We tested nine tools, including tools that block access to advertising websites, tools that set cookies indicating a user’s preference to opt out of OBA, and privacy tools that are built directly into web browsers.
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Research finds that privacy tools don’t work | Naked Security
Steve, a medical illustrator, was looking to spend a little money on an electronic drawing device as a tax write-off before year’s end. After looking at one such device online, he noticed that related marketing was following him around like a homeless puppy. Everywhere Steve browsed, ads for Wacoms followed.
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The Learning Commons EMPOWERS students to globally EXPLORE for information by CONNECTING them to the world. Students will inquire, collaborate, and critically think as they gain knowledge, draw conclusions from skillful research, and ethically use new information to CREATE final products.
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BalancEdTech – iPad Exploration
Professional Development activity – introduction to iPads
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Publish Digital Magazines and More Online for Free | YUDU
Explore the YUDUfree library to read online magazines, free eBooks and other digital content. Browse thousands of free digital magazines or buy titles in the YUDUfree Store. Self-publish your own digital magazines, eBooks, digital brochures and more with our free publisher software.
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Learning Faster
Warming up for #PILGF
This afternoon and evening were a warm up for #PILGF (Microsoft Partners in Learning Global Forum). The setting is a couple of downtown hotels in Washington and the potential to be blown away is immense. Over 700 educators from around the world have been invited to share and show off some of the terrific things that are happening in classrooms from over 70 countries. According to the backgrounder, nearly 200,000 projects have been part of the process and by Thursday, the 18 best will be formally recognized with Global Forum Educator Awards. The event starts in earnest tomorrow but for tonight, it was a social event at the National Museum of American History.
It was in the Great Hall that those who will be participating were welcomed to #PILFG and the Smithsonian museums.
So, in this big group, it is nice to not be alone. My friend and fellow blogger Angela Maiers (@angelamaiers) and I met up with Lee Kolbert (@teachakidd) to enjoy some stories and to walk about and meet at least some of the folks in attendance.
We’re already off to a fabulous start meeting some of the teachers who are guests for the event. Ever in search of something new, I just had to introduce myself to a group that were wearing white scarves with lettering that I couldn’t make out as they all had it turned over at some point. The group was from El Salvador and through their interpreter, I got a good sense of their project. I’ll wait to actually see their exhibit before going into details. Part of my discussions also involved Computer Science teachers from Florida and Maryland.
Between discussions, I just had to take in some of the exhibits (albeit very quickly) but got to meet others as they were touring as well. Sadly, there were things like the original Stars and Stripes that where in areas were photos were not allowed. However, in more camera friendly areas, I managed to snag pictures of:
The Ruby Shoes from The Wizard of Oz
Michael Jackson’s hat
Archie and Edith Bunker’s chairs
I sure wish that I had my good camera.
Yet, in the midst of all of this history, the stories remain with the teachers in attendance. Over the next three days, I’ll have the opportunity to talk and take pictures and share some of the stories here. The entries will be judged in the areas of: Extending Learning beyond the Classroom, Collaboration, Knowledge Building and Critical Thinking, Innovation in Challenging Contexts, and Cutting Edge Use of Microsoft Technology for Learning.
