The Classroom 2.0 Book is now live, and I am proud to have a chapter ( No Genius Left Behind) in this free e-book that was created as part of Classroom 2.0′s 5th Anniversary Project.  This year’s book project was put together by three fantastic leaders in education: Steve Hargadon, Richard Byrne, and Chris Dawson. As of now, 40 chapters have been uploaded with contributions for our communities brightest and best minds. Here are just a few of the entries you have to look forward to:  (Did mention that the book was FREE!!!) Curation for Professional Learning - by Kristen Swanson Keeping Students Engaged in a 1:1 Environment - Ann Michaelsen The Flipped Classroom Model - By Jackie Gerstein Digital Writers Workshop - By Erin Klein Setting the Stage for 1:1 - By Patrick Larkin Tried and True Tools to Get You Going - By Lisa Neilson Happy Reading Friends!  

Moodle Course Design Best Practices (PacktPub, 2014) is now available! Designed to be an easy-to-follow guide to help you create or update your Moodle course, this book will help people who use Moodle for training and education in colleges and universities, schools for ages 5-18, corporations, professional associations, and other organizations. With all content rigorously reviewed by four

"I believe we all have a duty to share our genius and make a difference in the world; and it’s in tapping into our truth that you will ultimately unleash the genius from those we lead, love, and serve."  Recognizing genius in our students is more than an act of encouragement or a well meaning attempt boost self esteem; it is critical in our efforts in preparing our students for a global environment that thrives on critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, innovation and effective communication. To ensure "No Genius is left behind" , we must consider and commit to a culture and curriculum that honors, nurtures, and sustains the genius in every individual. A culture that requires and expects students to demonstrate their genius, and empowers them to share their personal genius with the world. What can happen when students are recognized by their teachers, peers, parents, and community members and understand that it is their duty to share their Genius with the world? Read On….

One of the biggest challenges in online math education is being able to show the students how to go through the process of working problems and equations. One solution has been developed by an automated math tutoring website, MathCelebrity. Welcome to an interview with Don Sevcik, president of MathCelebrity. www.mathcelebrity.com 1.  What is your name and your relationship to elearning?  My

My mom called him Crink. My sister and I called him Chrissy. To most he was simply Chris. He was funny, handsome, strong, driven and talented beyond compare. He was pilot, a wine enthusiast, a boater and made a mean BBQ. And two weeks ago today, he took his own life. For reasons beyond our comprehension, Christopher never saw himself as we all saw him and as he truly was - a loving husband, a devoted son, an army veteran, a wonderful friend, a great uncle, and of course a cherished brother. Chrissy lived in two different worlds. The real world in which he was so successful, and the world inside his head, where he couldn’t see what a positive influence he was on so many people. He battled depression and over the years, learned to mask his pain from the people he worked with, his friends and family. Even those who spoke with him that day were all caught off-guard by what happened. None of them could comprehend that he was even depressed, let alone suicidal! And for me, caught off guard does not even come close to describing my anger and dismay. It was just two short days before, I was talking with him about my upcoming trip to Arizona to see him. I still have the message, "Hi Big Sis, excited to see you this week; call me when your plane lands - Chrissy. I never got a chance to respond. Unable to get through to him that day, I called my sister from the airport, a bit angry that our "little brother"  was standing me up. I remember telling her that he had not returned my calls. I heard here say that he was dead, but at the time I was riding in a noisy airport tram, rushing to get to my gate. I think I responded with a quick and sarcastic " You bet he is, and I’m first in line." The train stopped and the words began to sink in. Still on the line, I hear my sister clearly now.  "Angela he is dead. He just shot himself. He’s dead. He’s really dead." I remember dropping the phone and sinking to the floor in the middle of the terminal. The next hours and days that followed are a blur in my memory. With the graciousness of strangers, I arrived in Phoenix to be greeted instead by my grieving family.  Each and everyone read and reread a note he left behind, searching desperately for answers to our most burning questions. How did this happen? What provoked it? Was he planning it? How could he do this?  Were there signs we missed? Why him? Why now? Why that way? WHY? WHY? WHY? Why could he not have waited a few more hours, and I would have been right there to talk it out with him. I would have told him that he was needed. He had options. He had help. He was desperately, unconditionally loved. I can’t remember if I ever told him these things while he was alive. That I appreciated him, I was proud of him, and most important that he mattered to me and so many. So Why am I telling you this? I am telling you all this because I am making a choice not to be silent. I am making a choice not to be ashamed of what he did. As much as I hate it;  I hate more whatever it is was caused him to feel that his life had no value. Most importantly, I am telling you so that you can make the choice to let the people in your presence know how much they mean and matter to you. It is my hope that in some way, I can raise a little awareness for this difficult subject. It is my hope we can talk about openly and honestly with one another about the need we all have to live a life that matters. It is my hope that by sharing my story, others will share theirs, and together we can work toward helping those who suffer among  us similar pain and hopelessness. My biggest ambition as an educator has always been to young children know how valuable their contributions and lives are to the world. As a teacher, I took an oath to elevate their genius, and prepare them to enter the world confident and ready to change it. When I’m talking to group of kids I ask them first of all who believes they are a genius and has something the world needs? In KG every hand fly into the air.  Not so as the years pass. I am lucky if one or two hands go up in a class of 30 high school students. When I’ve finished the lessons, my goal is for every single student to be raising their hand high.  I ask them to look at someone who is a world changer, a champaign for a cause, a courageous difference maker. I ask them to consider the difference between themselves and that person, and then I wait… Because there is no difference - we’re all given the same gift, and life’s greatest gift is free choice. Unfortunately, even with that privilege, humans make poor choices. The worst choice we can make as human beings is not believing that we matter and that our actions have no value. My brother was a gift. To honor his contribution to my life and to the world, I am making a pledge to work even harder to let people know they matter.  I have just launched a campaign called Choose 2 Matter. Please join in our fight to do work, live lives, and contribute genius to the world in ways that matter. Take the time today and let these words resonate with you. Words I wish I would have said and shared with my brother. Chrissy - you are missed and loved more then you will every know. Safe journeys little brother, rest in peace.  I love you and I forgive you. A.

Texture Press's Poems for the Writing: Prompts for Poets, by Valerie Fox and Lynn Levin with illustrations by Don Riggs, is a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards for 2014. The finalists will be officially announced in late May, but the editors and authors received notification in early May. Poems for the Writing: Prompts for Poets The Next Generation Indie Book Awards is the

The 2012-2013 school year has officially begun for thousands of excited teachers and students. I love reading the stories and hearing from schools who have planned to make this year a remarkable one. The faculty and staff in Orange City Iowa have kicked off a new school year with a bang. In this opening message from school superintendent, Dr. Gary Richardson, and this wonderful tribute to the teachers; there is no doubt these teachers and students know how much they matter. Wishing the same for you. Please share how you, your school and community are starting off the year right.   Have a great year friends!

With new capabilities for collaboration and posting performance, it is more important than ever to develop programs that inspire learners of all ages and from all background to develop their creativity and to share that journey. One great example is the Oklahoma Arts Institute at  Quartz Mountain, which offers two innovative programs for arts. Welcome to an interview with Emily Claude, Vice

This is a guest post by Laurie Hansen What enables you to create groups, each with a unique web address, host web meetings, manage events, share files, send emails, text, send video messages and voice blasts-all for free? Wiggio: An online collaboration tool that includes all of the aforementioned features and a whole lot more! See for yourself: Test drive Wiggio, no strings attached! Wiggio is widely used and very effective.  How do I know? Sarah Perez of Tech Crunch shares in her article that Wiggio "now reaches over 2,000 universities and 120,000 students groups around the world, as well as several national organizations." In the same article, according to founder and CEO, Dana Lampert, Wiggio is "designed to be dead simple." I can attest to that.  And guess what?  There’s even a Wiggio iPhone app! #Choose2Matter and use Wiggio for your school project, team collaboration or non-profit organization. As their tagline says, "Wiggio is the easiest free way to work in groups!" Yup. Totally rocks. Click on below to view the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jcsXTu93CU

Booth Tarkington’s novel, The Turmoil (1915), negotiates the psychological minefield of rapid industrialization / technological shifts / structural social change due to new innovation and rapid growth. While it was written almost 100 years ago, the disruptive technologies and their impact on social structure and individual psychology hold true today. The Turmoil is first of the Growth Trilogy,