Yesterday I was at an e-learning showcase event in deepest darkest Devon ( I am lucky enough to live in this beautiful part of the UK) organised by LearningPool. Until recently LearningPool were the e-learning arm of the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) but they have been cast adrift to make their own way in the world.  I think this is probably good for LearningPool but I’m not sure why IDeA gave up on e-learning (I guess because they never really got it - most of their high value stuff is face-to-face). There is an interesting quote in the press release regarding the sale however: "The local government sector currently spends in the region of

Our Very First @NCSNJ Elementary Student 3D Creation!     Ari K. (2nd grade) made this in Minecraft via the free and fabulous Printcraft server. I’ve asked her to redo the design to remove the hanging block at the top as that likely won’t render effectively, even with supports. Well done, Ari!

Teleseminars offer a low-cost, low-tech alternative to synchronous training.Post from: The eLearning CoachUsing Teleseminars For Training

Recently I was at an event going through the business case for e-learning, and comparing a typical classroom event with an online programme and the following thought struck me: ‘E-learning is the greenest form of learning’. No travelling across the country….spending time in jams….pouring more carbon monoxide into the environment. OK I know that this is pretty obvious, but with the recent Stern Report in the UK maybe it’s time that we took more notice of the green credentials of e-learning.  We are all becoming more aware of the damage we are doing to our environment and it’s time to make our own individual actions count - let’s do a little more learning at our desks, or even better at home (so we even cut out the commute). This ties in nicely with the cool book I bought recently: ‘I Count; Your step-by-step guide to climate bliss’. Buy it and help save the planet….(and do some e-learning too). Links:Stern Key Pointswww.icount.org.uk

This is part of a series of blog posts about free 3D design software for my students and their parents to use at home. Check back for more! PLEASE NOTE: WHEN YOU WORK WITH A 3D DESIGN PROGRAM THE FINAL RESULT IS A FILE WITH AN .STL EXTENSION WHICH ON A WINDOWS COMPUTER WILL BE REFERRED TO AS A ‘CERTIFICATE TRUST LIST’.  THIS IS NORMAL. THE FILE CANNOT BE READ OR OPENED BY YOUR COMPUTER. JUST SAVE THE FILE AND SEND IT TO ME (OR PUT IT ON A FLASH DRIVE AND GIVE IT TO YOUR STUDENT TO BRING TO SCHOOL) FOR PRINTING! Interest 3D printing has *EXPLODED* in our elementary school. It’s like a dream come true. *THIS IS WHY* we push the envelope in my class, why we constantly try new things, why we relentlessly pursue classroom applications for state-of-the-art technology. I’ve been besieged by students and parents who want to learn how to design in 3D. We got that started with my previous post on Printcraft (I still think Minecraft is the best design tool for kids who play it) but what about people who don’t? Well, Tinkercad (one of several free 3D design tools I will be sharing here on my blog) might be just the ticket. You can be designing within seconds of arriving at the Tinkercad home page, you just press "Start the Editor" above. You’ll be given a chance to view a short tutorial video. DO IT! It will help. From there, you will be walked through a series of mini-lessons designed to get you hands-on experience with the most critical tools and functions. You can access the tutorials (they are called ‘Lessons’) anytime from your dashboard: But let’s be honest, you want to start designing, so, get right to it! It’s literally a drag-and-drop environment: The right side menus give you plenty of help - just click them to expand: Exporting to a 3D printer file is a quick trip to the Design menu - just be sure you have selected (clicked on) the object first. (You can also press CONTROL-A, that will select EVERYTHING on  your workplane, then be sure to press ‘Group’ in the toolbar [top right].) Then, download your file for printing! Check out the cool key ring I made: And here it is ready to be 3D printed: I will post pics once I get to school and print it! Ready to try Tinkercad? What are you waiting for? Mr. Jarrett p.s. here it is printed!

Need more interactive options in your courses? Check out these Flash Interaction Templates from the eLearning Brothers.Post from: The eLearning CoachFlash Interactions The Easy Way

Image credit: Michael Ein, Press of Atlantic City Nice piece in our local paper about BYOD and other tech happenings at NCS. Click the photo above or this link for the story.

The departure of Donald Rumsfeld after the recent Republician US election disaster led to the Guardian to review some of his ‘insights’ - here is my favourite: "The message is that there are no knowns. There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say there are things that we now know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don’t know we don’t know." It’s easy to see why KM is so hard to do - especially in the US Department of Defence!

Hi everyone, Need a last-minute gift idea? Heard about this book on Facebook from my friend Brooke Mulartrick and wanted to pass it along. It’s called "Leo the Maker Prince" and it’s about the adventures of a girl named Carla and her 3D robot companion, LEO. Quoting from the publisher: LEO the Maker Prince teaches children (both young and old) about 3D printing by following Carla and LEO’s journey through Brooklyn. LEO is a walking, talking robot who has the magical ability to to print (in plastic) any object that Carla draws. The other robots have their own special capabilities: H1-H0 prints in metal, Sinclair-10 can find and print objects from a huge catalog of designs, and the others (including AL1C3-D, IRIS-7, and NiXie) have unique talents, too. Readers can come along for the journey, too: all of the objects in the book are printable one way or another. I have not read the book but this interview with the author provides a glimpse into the storyline and characters: You can get it here on Amazon for about $12. The school is ordering one for the library! Yay! There is also a website: http://www.leothemakerprince.com. Enjoy! Mr. Jarrett    

Interactive learning may be more powerful than you think. Read why.Post from: The eLearning CoachThe Power Of Interactive Learning