Learn By Doing

A Lifelong Learner Shares Thoughts About Education

  • Clipboard by Diigo for Google Docs

    The Clipboard Add-On by Diigo is useful for writers. The tool streamlines the editing process by providing users with a sidebar clipboard for managing content. The content on the clipboard is accessible from any Google Doc. The tool helps users  collect and manage content, and use it again when needed. Just open an existing Google Doc, clip selected content to save it to your clipboard, then use it again when working in any of your Google Docs. Contents on the clipboard remain there until they are deleted by the owner.

  • And it works with my class Moodle

    #Moodle Mobile 1.5 is now available on Google Play with new features and improvements: https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=264282

    moodle15update

  • When what to my wondering eyes did appear, in my Diigo Top feed, but a list of the Best RSS Feeds for Educators.  I have added a number to Feedly

    Education

    1. Edutopia – Add feed

    The perennial favourite, Edutopia dishes out practical classroom strategies and tips, lesson ideas, personal stories, and innovative approaches to improving teaching practices.

    2. Free Technology for Teachers – add feed

    One of the most popular feeds created just for teachers, ‘Free Technology for Teachers’ does exactly what is says on the tin. Free… Technology… For… Teachers.

    3. Mindshift – add feed

    Created by KQED and NPR, MindShift explores the future of learning in all its dimensions, covering cultural and technology trends, innovations in education, groundbreaking research, education policy, and more.

    4. TED Ed – add feed

    The education spin-off of the ever popular TED talks, these engaging animated videos can be used for lessons, supplementary material or even just a bit of ‘educational’ fun.

    5. Fractus Learning – add feed

    With a focus on technology in education, Fractus Learning publishes articles, insights and ideas for educators who are passionate about technology and learning.

    Technology

    6. TechCrunch – add feed

    The original (and in some minds the best) Technology blog, TechCrunch is the most popular tech blog around, offering the latest technology news and information on startups.

    7. The Next Web – add feed

    The Next Web is my personal favourite of the technology blogs. Going a bit deeper than just the latest tech, the articles focus on international technology news, business and culture.

    8. The Verge – add feed

    Broadening the term of geek, The Verge looks at the intersection of technology, science, art, and culture, offering in-depth reporting and long-form feature stories of impeccably high quality.

    9. Google Blog – add feed

    This is the feed to follow for all you Google-heads, delving into insights from Googlers (Google employees) on their own products, technology, and the Google culture.

    10. MacRumors – add feed

    The place to be for everything Apple, MacRumors is something of an institution for finding out the latest whispers that have ‘leaked’ out of Apple HQ.

    Creativity

    11. Brain Pickings – add feed

    A real mix of anything and everything… As long as it has ‘interestingness’ and creativity. The core ethos behind Brain Pickings is that creativity is a combinatorial force of knowledge, insight, information and inspiration.

    12. Adafruit – add feed

    With a focus on technology and electronics, the Adafruit blog is the ultimate ‘makers’ feed. Covering 3D printing, engineering, DIY, open source hardware, arduino, raspberry pi, art, hacking there is something for every maker.

    13. Recyclart – add feed

    Recyclart combines two wonderful activities. Recycling and Art! This feed is chockablock full of creative ideas based on repurposed, recycled, reused, reclaimed, upcycled and restored things.

    14. MAKE – add feed

    One of the most popular feeds for makers and DIYers around, the Make blog is the digital home of the ever popular Make magazine.

    15. Behance – add feed

    One of my newest favourites, the Behance feed delivers amazing artwork submitted by some of the greatest artists (of any form) from around the web. Get ready to have your mind BLOWN!

    Leadership

    16. 99u – add feed

    Many of the best leadership insights from around the world are collated by 99u. With huge variety in content, every post still resonates for anyone looking to lead.

    17. A Principal’s Reflections – add feed

    The personal blog of principal and author (Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times) Eric Sheninger, this feed is the best of the best when it comes to leading in education.

    18. Leadership – Fast Company – add feed

    The Fast Company is one of the greatest publishers on any front, and their leadership stream is no exception, particularly if leading the digital frontier is your focus.

    19. Seth Godin – add feed

    One of the most well recognized leaders in business and digital, Seth Godin’s teachings are applicable and relevant to any forward thinking leader. Well worth investigating.

    20. Zenhabits – add feed

    A very different type of leadership feed, Zenhabits looks at leadership with a more holistic approach. Living well. Productivity. And finding simplicity in the daily chaos of our lives.

    Life

    21. Lifehacker – add feed

    If I could only subscribe to one feed for the rest of my life, this would be it. Lifehacker covers every little tip to make life just that little bit easier. Give it a try and I promise you will be addicted.

    22. TED Talks – add feed

    We all know TED Talks by now. But, with so many great speakers it is easy to miss the one that might just change your life. I find having them in my feed is the perfect way to make sure I don’t miss a beat.

    23. Create RSS Feeds for Twitter – learn how

    One more adventurous use for your RSS feed is to add in tweets. Twitter streams including search results, user timelines and even lists can be added to your feed with this littleworkaround.

    24. Serious Eats – add feed

    OK. I have just put this one in to prove a point. I love this feed. Why? Because it’s completely non-work related and makes me happy every time I see some delicious food in my feed. Broaden your reading and try adding something obscure.

    25. Cute Overload – add feed

    Yep! Cute cats and so much more!

  • From Slashdot
    AP Computer Science is taught in just 10% of our high schools,” lamented The White House last December as President Obama kicked off CSEdWeek. “China teaches all of its students one year of computer science.” And the U.S. Dept. of Education has made the AP CS exam its Poster Child for inequity in education (citing a viral-but-misinterpreted study). But ignored in all the hand-wringing over low AP CS enrollment is one huge barrier to the goal of AP-CS-for-all: College Board materials indicate that the average 11th grader’s combined PSAT/NMSQT score of 96 in reading and math gives him/her only a 20%-30% probability of getting a score of ‘3’ on the AP CS exam (a score ‘4’ or ‘5’ may be required for college credit). The College Board suggests schools tap a pool of students with a “60-100% likelihood of scoring 3 or higher”, so it’s probably no surprise that CS teachers are advised to turn to the College Board’s AP Potential tool to identify students who are likely to succeed (sample Student Detail for an “average” kid) and send their parents recruitment letters — Georgia Tech even offers some gender-specific examples — to help fill class rosters.

  • From TeachThought

    At the end of every school year, you lose dozens of relationships that changed you. That’s no small thing. Teaching is a personal act that binds teacher and student together even if that binding isn’t made in mutual affection. To teach and learn is to come together.

    Every year when students walk out of class for the last time, there can be a lot of emotions. I always have the urge to leave them with one last nugget that they can take with them and use when they get in a tight spot. Hopefully the school year was full of these, but the last day of school–well, that’s it. Your last shot to make that kind of impact.

    Yes, through email, social media, and return visits to the school you can still “talk” to students, but once they’re gone it’s not the same. It changes somehow.

    So below are 30 ideas to get you started, based off a similar post we did last year. You may have to adjust them for your own grade level and content area, but then again, don’t you always?

    (more…)