Narrative milestones can be your secret to presentations that capture the hearts and minds of your audience for both technical and creative writing. Have you ever listened to a presentation or a story and lost interest because it's just a jumble of information? Did you get the sense that the forest was being lost for the trees? Or, even though the presentation was well organized and the

As always, a wonderfully thoughtful and entertaining post from Johnny Kissko! In our standards-driven classrooms, it’s easy to forget that our students are people. The reality of high-stakes testing puts us at risk of jading perceptions of our kids by reducing their value to a test score. Most educators enter the field with the noblest of intents but quickly find out that the system doesn’t always harmonize with their values and beliefs of what it means to truly educate. At the beginning of every year, I tell my students I have two indicators that determine our success. The first, obvious method of measurement has to be their test scores. This is a non-negotiable if I’m going to maintain my job and if they’re going to advance academically. However, the second indicator is far more revealing of my level of influence on their growth and development. If they come back to visit me the following year - when they don’t have to, when their motive is genuinely guided by a desire to simply reconnect - this reveals that the values promoted in class - values embodying lifelong learning - were well-received. This is how I ultimately measure my influence and success as their educator. It’s a tough balancing act. Many times, it feels that one indicator comes at the expense of the other.  Can we really integrate a whole-person paradigm of learning - a model of learning that taps into the body, mind, heart, and soul - where development is promoted just as much as content? One dimension of learning that I feel has long been ignored in our classrooms is active engagement. Even the most passionate teachers struggle with this. We’ve long known how movement and active engagement enhance academic performance. Most of us have even attended workshops that seemingly teach content while promoting high-levels of interaction, but we find out that this is hard to replicate in typical learning environments. I’ve launched a community, KinectEDucation, to promote this dimension of learning that has been neglected in many classrooms. With Kinect technology and new software that is emerging, we will be able to promote active engagement while still focusing on standards. Coupling passionate teachers with what this technology can do, we can integrate a "connected education" - an education that truly develops the whole person within the structure required by educational institutions. If you’re one of the educators who has felt this void, join the movement.  Tell your friends.  Share with your administrators.  We really can transform classrooms if we have people advocating for relevant software and this renewed classroom model.  It doesn’t require an overhaul of the education system, just a fresh perspective. Most importantly, we must continue to be passion-driven and guided by the philosophy that every kid matters. Tools like Kinect should serve to facilitate a higher purpose; the technology itself should not become the focus. Yes, it is a touch balancing act. But together, we can make it happen. KinectEDucation’s Facebook page is KinectEDucation.  If you have ideas for classroom software or videos showing how you have used Kinect, please share them! Johnny Kissko   Related articles Best Place to Find Technology For The Classroom (eduhowto.wordpress.com) Kinect offers creative expressions in classrooms (ubergizmo.com) Effective Teacher GPA Exercise (studereducation.wordpress.com)

It is not easy to find a GIS web app builder that takes you all the way from the basic initial steps of familiarizing yourself with HMTL, CSS, and JavaScript to fairly complicated web applications.  Building Web and Mobile ArcGIS Server Applications with JavaScript, by Eric Pimpler and published by Packt Publishing has two main advantages: first, you can use high-quality GIS data (or at least

I have the privilege each year of speaking to auditoriums full of aspiring young leaders, anxious to go out into the world and make their mark. They are looking for the "book", the "roadmap" , the "words or wisdom" that will guide them to the things they need "TO-DO" next. As we know, success in leadership and in the world is not only attributed to what you do; it is dependent on who you are and why you do.  Who you are comes across more strongly than what you sell or say.  We set young leaders up for a fall if we encourage them to envision what they can do before first considering the kind of kind of leader they want to be. In supporting the kind of leader they must be, we enable and elevate their ability to influence, catalyze, and transform the future in a way we have not yet seen. I have detailed the following TO-BE List for theirs and your consideration: Be a Learner: You may have graduated from school, but never graduate from learning. Being a lifelong learner is what empowers your relevance for the rest of your life. Eric Hoffer captured it best when he said, "In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists." Don’t be equipped for irrelevance- keep learning. Be teachable Teachability leads to excellence and excellence makes people take notice. Being teachable reveals your desire to improve, grow, and be excellent in all you do.  It’s the excellent that often lead in any given field or industry. Don’t fail to learn all you can from those who went before you or to grow from your mistakes.  Seeking out coaches and mentors will push you light years ahead of where you would be if you travelled alone. Be A Question Asker.  I have been teaching and writing about the importance of asking great questions for a long time.  Great questions are the best way to have a meaningful conversation, the best way to rope in a mentor AND the best way to look like a star performer.  Make it a priority to listen to people asking great questions. Be in charge of the questions you ask and keep a list of the best questions you hear.  Use this to create a question toolbox you use and can apply to every conversation and interaction you have. Be Courageous. If there was ever a time to dare, to make a difference, to embark on something worth doing, IT IS NOW.  I understand jumping into the world as leader can be scary, but now is not the time to be timid.  We don’t serve the rest of the world or ourselves by playing small. Humanity’s misfortune is when we don’t realize the very gifts we have, or the impact we have the opportunity to make. It is imperative that you own and honor your genius, and seek to make a contribution that matters. Be Kind:  We lead our lives in the company of others, and that is where we leave our legacy.  Truly kind leaders - regardless of their title or position  - are the ones we all remember. They’re the ones we are grateful to.  It’s the quality of our relationships that most determines whether our legacy will be momentary or long lasting.  Don’t ever pass up a chance to let others know they are noticedand that they matter to you. Be Patient and Persistent: I want you to be fully rewarded and recognized for your contribution to society. I also want you to realize, however, that most things of lasting value take time and discipline to achieve. HAVE FUN. DIG DEEP. STRETCH. DREAM BIG. Know that things worth doing seldom come easy. There will be good days. And there will be bad days. There will be times when you want to turn around, pack it up, and call it quits. Those times tell you that you are pushing yourself, that you are not afraid to learn by trying. I promise you the wait is worth it. Be Passionate- Passion is not only a differentiator; it is a difference maker. Passion makes the impossible possible.That’s what makes a passionate leader effective. He or she conceives of possibilities and opportunities for progress whereas dispassionate persons only see roadblocks and reasons why a vision can’t be achieved. The more passionate you are to achieve your purpose the stronger your fire and internal desire will be to strive for your mission and purpose. Be Confident:  You will not always be able to solve all the world’s problems all at once.  But don’t ever underestimate the impact you can have. Your efforts might not always draw the world’s attention, but as Teddy Roosevelt liked to say, "I hope that you will commit yourselves to doing "what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are," because in the end, that is what makes you a lion.  Not fortune, not fame, not your pictures in history books, but the refusal to remain a bystander when others are suffering, and that commitment to serve however you can, where you are. Be confident in your power to be the change. Be Hopeful: History has shown us that courage can be contagious, and hope can take on a life of its own. No doubt, we live in challenging times. We also live in a time where nearly ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. As a leader your ability to be hopeful and dispense hope is crucial to helping those you serve thrive in face of difficulty. And there is much to be hopeful for. Believe in the incredible power of the human mind. Of doing something that makes a difference.  Of working hard. Of laughing and learning.  Of all the things that will cross your path. Of the ability to start something new. All these bring the hope of something great to come.  So, what do you think? Would you follow leaders with these traits and qualities? What can we add or do to help nurture those who seek or are called to serve? Leadership is a choice. The choice is ours to help them make; TO-BE or NOT-TO-BE. That is certainly of the question of our time.  This post was original published on switchandshift.com

While technical and professional writing goals have remained the same, the world in which such writing is being produced has not. Smartphones, tablets, social media, GIS-enabled extreme interactivity have changed the way we communicate dramatically in just the last 18 months. What is the impact on you? How must you change your approach to maintain effectiveness? View an archived webinar,

This is guest post by Drew McLellan We know… it’s crazy. But Gavin and I are ready to do it again. This time, we’d like Age of Conversation to take on a much more personal tone… how is social media impacting you, your work, your family and your view on life? Your chapter might be as elaborate as a real case study or it might be as simple as your best time saving trick. But it’s about you and how you "do" social. This time, we’re doing both one and two page chapters. (see below) Here are the sections for the book: ONE PAGE CHAPTERS One page chapters are grouped into "sections" to provide a sense of cohesion to the topics covered. (One page = 400 words or so) This year’s sections are: Secrets - what is a secret, what is your secret and what are the limits of privacy in the Age of Conversation? Transparency - what does it mean for a business to be transparent? How do you go about making your brand or business transparent? And what happens if transparency fails? Authenticity - what does it mean to humanize a brand? What happens when business gets personal and how does so-called "authenticity" impact you on a personal and professional level? Unexpected Consequences - anything from a painful lesson learned to an unexpected cross the globe friendship. Share your journey in this Age of Conversation How Do I … - share your tips and tricks on social media. What do you do well and how do you achieve the outcomes you want? CASE STUDIES - TWO PAGE CHAPTERS We’d love to have your case studies. (Two pages = 750 words or so) They need to be projects that you have worked on or have been responsible for. You must include measurable results of some sort. We’re not going to get into the whole ROI discussion…but you need to show how it played out. Please don’t propose case studies based on other people’s work. Want to join in on the adventure with us? We’d love to have you with us! To sign up —  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dGhydDdoTmVtZXFLT3V0YzY2ampDUlE6MQ We’ll be closing the sign ups pretty quickly so if you’re serious about writing a chapter — sign up soon!

If you are using GIS applications, you need a guide to help you install and manage a solid backbone architecture that will allow you to incorporate all the newest and most integrative GIS services.    Administering ArcGIS for Server Administering ArcGISfor Server (Packt Publishing, 2014) by ESRI award-winning Hussein Nasser is a clear, easy-to-follow guide which takes you all the way

Animated learning objects that bring together images, audio, and interaction are a perfect place to engage students. Now that many translate to HTML5 and are designed to be responsive so that they play well on tablets and smartphones (and on all platforms) as well as laptops, etc., they're a great way to deliver mini-lectures. Click to see one that I created for the purposes of this blog.

I am very excited and appreciative of the opportunity to celebrate and participate in the first, and hopefully annual, Learning 2.0 Conference celebrating the passion and power of Connected Educators. We invite you to kickoff your year and join myself and an esteemed lineup of keynote speakers for what promises to be an exciting week. The conference  will be held August 20 - 24.. All events, presentations, and discussions will be online, in multiple time zones over the course of five days and is free to attend! The Learning 2.0 Conference is a unique chance to participate in a global conversation on rethinking teaching and learning in the age of the Internet. Subject strands include social media, 1:1 computing, "flipped classrooms," digital literacy, maker spaces, gaming, open educational resources, and building a digital presence. You will have access to special interviews and hear from world renowned speakers and connected educators like:  Yong Zhao, Alfie Kohn, Howard Gardner, Rob Fried, Gordon Dryden, Tony Wagner,Heidi Hayes Jacobs, Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, Marc Prensky, Michael Strong and many more.  Keynotes and Conference Schedule is HERE  A full strand list is available 
HERE. To be kept informed of the latest conference news and updates, please 
join the Classroom 2.0 network. You do not need to join this network to attend, but doing so will also allow you to correspond with the presenters and other members, and to comment on sessions and discussions.  You can click HERE for more information about details of how you can participate. See you online; it is going to be an amazing conversation!

I am delighted to announce that E-Learning Queen's writing resources guide, Writing Survival Guide, which consists of a large set of original worksheets, templates, and flowcharts for use in writing and composition classes has been peer-reviewed by MERLOT and received a great rating! Here is MERLOT's portal page of the Writing Survival Guide. As you can see, the site has been in MERLOT since