‘Tis the Season to stop to reflect on all that has happened over the past year, and make time to thank those who have helped us along the way. When Robert and I finished a client whiteboard animation for a mobile sales scenario, I wondered how I might create an explainer video to show my gratitude. This is my very first solo animation, to see how far I could successfully blend work and play. It was a great deal of fun reminiscing about friends old and new as I painted the sketches and brought them to life. As an entrepreneur, it’s not always easy to justify taking time to make art. But as I get older, and realize there will be fewer days ahead than gone past, blending vocation with avocation needs to become more an imperative than a luxury. So, whether we are already colleagues or friends, or someone whose future paths are destined to cross, may you enjoy this holiday wish as much as I enjoyed animating it for you.     Of course, we whiteboard serious learning scenarios and explainer videos, too. Contact us to learn more! The post Whiteboard Greetings to You and Yours appeared first on Media 1.

Natalie Krayenvenger is 4th grade teacher from Maryland and the co-moderator of #EDbeat, a weekly inspirational Twitter chat that welcomes all educators and celebrates the positive in education.   Follow Natalie Krayenvenger   This episode of House of #EdTech is sponsored by:   Audible.com   Domain.com   Listeners Like You! Become a Patron...   (5:32) #EdTech Thought - No More WiFi In Schools?   (7:52) #EdTech Recommendation - Voxer for the Web   (9:56) Interview with Natalie Krayenvenger   (40:40) House of #EdTech VIP - Lauren Thomas-Paquin   Complete shownotes: http://www.chrisnesi.com/2015/12/edbeat-with-natalie-krayenvenger.html   -- FEEDBACK Call: (732) 903-4869 Voxer: mrnesi Email: feedback@chrisnesi.com Twitter: @mrnesi Send a voice message from http://www.chrisnesi.com

Here are all the exciting edtech recommendations contained in the 2nd annual House of #EdTech App Smackdown! Adam Schoenbart Awesome Table Derek Larson - edtechbabble.net Notebook and Pen Field Notes Brand Uniball Sigmo 207 Fisher Space Pen Jethro Jones - Transformative Principal Podcast - jethrojones.com @jethrojones  Overcast Lee Araoz - thegoldenageofeducation.com - @LeeAraoz SMORE.com Emily - Thank you for helping your Dad! Next year submit your own :-) Dani Kennis - Episode 48 Bitmoji Dan Gallagher - gallaghertech.edublogs.org ScreenCastify Derek Larson - Episode 22  InstaCast DownCast - iOS & Android Josh Allen - DadsInEd Podcast  Flipboard My Appearance on the podcast Mike Marotta - http://mmatp.com/ Snap and Read Universal Brent Warner - edtech.tv Scannable Daniel Bauer - Better Leaders Better Schools  Twitter Polls Screenflow Grammerly Word Swag HeadSpace Calm Evernote Eric Fieldman - @mrfieldmanchs  Slack Josh Hanlon - @HanlonJD  Wunderlist Paola - misspaolasclass.com  IF - from If This Then That Brent Warner  The Grading Game Derek Larson  Voxer Jamie Cook - West Windsor -   SeeSaw Stephanie Hesslein - @misshesslein  Video FX Live Brent Warner Trello Chrissy Romano Arrabito  Quizalize Jennifer Gonzalez - Cult of Pedagogy Podcast  Noisli Kimberly Howell Martin Shadow Puppet Explain Everything This episode of House of #EdTech is sponsored by:   Audible.com   Domain.com   Listeners Like You! Become a Patron...   Complete shownotes at: http://www.chrisnesi.com/2015/12/2015-house-of-edtech-app-smackdown.html   FEEDBACK Call: (732) 903-4869 Voxer: mrnesi Email: feedback@chrisnesi.com Twitter: @mrnesi Send a voice message from http://www.chrisnesi.com

Christmas is a time for giving. So to get into the spirit of things we’ve put together a selection of the best free online educational resources out there to use or share with friends, class-members, teachers and lovers of learning in general! 1. GoConqr If we’re starting off with the… Read More The post Awesome free education resources for teachers and students appeared first on ExamTime.

  Information technology has the power to create and enhance new proficiencies in the education arena. Information technology in education revolutionizes most of the approaches we view, receive and perceive information every day. There has been a paradigm shift from textbook based education system to a more interactive and virtual education system across the world.   Here are 7 ways information technology is changing the face of education all over the world.   Multimedia content: One of the major changes brought about by use of information technology in education is the introduction of multimedia content. Multimedia learning meets the needs of all types of learning styles. Learning through the use of videos, pictures, text and games offer a better understanding of concepts than learning in the traditional manner. Tutors can also use online learning resources and apps to present information in an easy-to-apprehend manner.   Access to quality content: Digital devices have resulted in a paradigm shift from limited information to a vast resource of quality content available online. They offer personalization, by providing direct access to all kinds of content, are interactive and mobile. The access to quality content is also at a lightning speed rather than spending hours browsing through books to pull out required content.   Mobile learning: Classroom learning has almost become a thing of the past. The use of information technology in education has led to a new concept termed as "mobile learning." Student can move from their desks, walk around, and learn new concepts. Students can now access learning modules from the comfort of their home, skype with other classes and involve in various collaborations for project learning.   Self-Monitoring techniques: One of the most appreciated changes that has been fueled by use of information technology in education is the plethora of tools available for self-monitoring and evaluation. There are numerous mock tests and applications available online that can offer real-time evaluation of the students. There is no need for classroom evaluation tests as was the case earlier. Real-time and factual test results offer an easy insight into the performance of students.   Focus on practical skill training vis-à-vis soft skill training: The utilization of information technology in education has shifted the focus of education from monotonous soft-skill training techniques to practical skill training. Most universities now concentrate their activities and projects to areas that can help students to show a portfolio of work activities to their future employers.   Students with disabilities: Recent studies have shown how the use of information technology in education has helped students with various disabilities to learn at par with other students. Tablets have helped many students with autism to communicate effectively. e-Books with text-to-speech features have assisted blind students or children with dyslexia to gain access to all kinds of learning material.   Cost-effective education: Many people argue that the use of information technology in education involves huge costs. However, if you look at it closely, resources such as eBooks, free online resources and virtual outdoor trips are in fact promoting better learning at affordable prices across students of all strata and ages.   EBooks are often cheaper and are available with interactive learning sessions, worksheets and linked dictionary tools. Think of the days when every change in information involved purchase of new books and resources. Due to digital learning techniques, most schools that subscribe to eBooks have access to constantly updated content at almost nil cost.   The availability of online resources facilitated by use of information technology in education makes informative content easier to discover, access, to change and disseminate. All these stages are crucial for teaching, study or even research work. In a nutshell, information technology in education has paved the way for digital learning.   The post 7 Ways Information Technology is Changing Education appeared first on Fedena Blog.

Over the past 4 weeks, we've challenged you to share your inspiring learning spaces on Twitter and we're so happy to have seen all the entries come in! We gathered the entries in a G+ Collection for easy viewing - take a peek here! And while it was SO hard to only choose 4 winners, we asked each one to share a bit about their journey with inspiring learning spaces below: Simon Ashby - Hampden Street School, New Zealand I was wandering around my class listening to students, motivating etc. and came across a student who said, "I'm stuck, I don't know what to write about..." a fairly typical situation.A thought came into my head, well, why not take a walk and think about it I said.Then another spark flickered, why not take your walk inside the classroom-it was a fairly cold and grey day...So I grabbed my masking tape and marked it out on the carpet in our shared (5 classes) breakout space. The first student tried it out, complete with thinking-man type facial features (finger and thumb to the chin), and after about 5 minutes, he said....I've got it!The rumour quickly spread that this was a great place to get ideas...and thus it has become popular to use.An afterthought....try and keep it to one student on the road at a time, otherwise they tend to create an F1 bumper car style race!Lori Franzen - Los Alamitos High School, CAMy students and I wanted to create a warm, welcoming space for teens. We wanted a space which would invite lingering discussion as well as open new topics.We decided to paint the ceiling tiles with the covers of our favorite books. I took the ceiling tiles down, sent them home with kids, and trusted the students would return something wonderful.....and they did! My Thanatology class wanted to open to all students the types of conversations we had daily in class; they found Candy Chang's TED talk on her Before I Die project. The students replicated the Before I Die wall in the back of my classroom and the students still write on it every single day. My #inspiringspace has become a gathering space and touchstone for students across campus. My room is FULL of students (many of whom I don't have in class) all day long. In truth, their presence is what inspires ME. Nvyette and Kevin - The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, GAWhen we first moved into the classroom a few years ago, we were intentional about making the space more student-friendly. We decided to get rid of the two clunky teacher desks in order to maximize our corner spaces. In the photo, you see our reading nook. We asked a relative who works in contracting to build the bench and purchased patio pillows to soften it up. We also added a neutral color rug and wicker baskets to house our classroom library. The bean bags add additional flexible and comfortable seating options. Instead of adding another bulletin board to display our word wall, we framed out a square area with thin molding and used twine to divide it up. Students gravitate to the reading nook - it's a great collaborative space for partner and small group work. Michael Morrison - Laguna Beach USDMichael wowed us with his many #inspiringspaces Tweets - including this inspiring space for teacher training and classrooms with HUE lighting. He also shared some videos of teachers describing their spaces.Here's an article he wrote about his school district's journey with inspiring learning spaces.Thank you to everyone that participated in the Challenge and to our friends at Smith System who donated their inspiring furniture as prizes! Don't forget to check out the Collection and to keep sharing your spaces with us online!

Just as farmhands were replaced by machines 100 years ago, so too will knowledge workers be replaced by networked computers in the next few decades. Last century, those farmhands had the option of moving to the city and working in factories, but what are the alternatives for today’s knowledge workers? It is not likely to be a new job, as the job itself is being made obsolete, underlined by 54 million freelancers in the USA today, accounting for almost 1/4 of working-age adults. As we shift to a post-job economy, creativity, empathy, and the ability to solve complex problems collaboratively are increasingly becoming skills valued in the emerging labour market.  This is work that computers cannot do. We see new artists emerge through YouTube and other crowd-enabled platforms. There continues to be a need for empathy as the real sharing economy emerges, not through platform capitalists, like Über, but neighbours sharing with each other. There are many wicked problems that confront society, such as climate change, resource depletion, and fundamentalism, and these can only be solved collaboratively. People who can work with others in creative and collaborative tension will find meaningful work. Helping the existing workforce transition from predominantly routine, standardized work to an economy focused on unique, customized work will alleviate the current and coming socio-economic tensions facing us today. The path to a prosperous future is not in creating more jobs. Educators, politicians, and business leaders have to shift their effort and focus from Labour to Talent. The good news is that we are not just losing standardized work but we are gaining the tools and the time to do more unique, customized work of our own choosing. Networked computers enable us to learn informally and share tacit knowledge in social networks and communities of practice, leaving the boring stuff to the droids. In the digital network era, creative economies run on ideas, not assembly lines. The automation of standardized work will benefit us in the long run, if those with power see people as Talent, not Labour. Automation is coming to a job near you. Recently, McKinsey Global Institute looked at a wide array of US jobs to see how much work could be automated using current technology, in its Automation Potential report. Paralegals 69% - Lawyers 23% Food Service Managers 32% - Chief Executives 25% Computer User Support Specialists 65% - Actuaries 15% Pharmacists 47% - Psychiatrists 7% Rehabilitation Counselors 31% - Health Educators 0% Library Technicians 59% - PreSchool Teachers 7% Training & Development Managers 38% - Legislators 4% Take a look at this interactive report and see where your job, or future work, lies. Examine the rest of your organization or business. This may be an indicator of your near-term future of work. Source: McKinsey Global Institute - Automation potential and wages for US jobs

Mark Zuckerberg and wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, put personalized learning in the spotlight this month by pledging billions to support it. Here’s what others are saying about personalized learning. Personalized Learning is the Future APLU Awarded $4.6 Million to Advance Personalized Learning and Proactive Advising at Public Universities The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) will use a Gates Foundation grant awarded in November, 2015, to speed up the development and adoption of personalized courseware in higher education. According to APLU President Peter McPherson: When fully realized at a public university, personalized learning encompasses an institution-wide commitment to student success and degree completion, flexible technologies to inform classroom instruction and prompt advising interventions, and accessible tools that help educators know and advise students. 3 Ways Higher Ed is Making Learning More Personal by Daniel Greenstein Greenstein explains that personalized learning is the way to go in higher education by describing 3 examples including Carnegie Mellon’s Open Learning Initiative (OLI) in biology at UC Davis. REAL Personalized Learning for ALL, Now That Is Innovation!  by K. Lirenman Lirenman, who has taught for 23 years, predicts that personalized learning will be the most important innovation in education in the next ten years. She describes her initial experience with personalized technology: …with the introduction of technology into my classroom the reality is that as much as open-ended activities are good, utilizing technology properly allows me to provide what feels like endless opportunities for personalization and individual learning. Personalized Learning and Blended Learning  Learners, Teachers, and Technology: Personalization in 2015 and Beyond by Kristen DeCerbo DeCerbo reviews how personalized learning is evolving and how technology can be used to personalize learning in the blended classroom. She explains that technology drives the scalability of personalization: The technology allows the use of big data to investigate the learning outcomes of students who take path A versus path B through content. Even more, the technology-based systems can look at how these outcomes vary for students with a variety of characteristics and interests. Finally, the technology allows personalization to scale to a whole classroom whereas making separate paths for 30 students is a big request to make of a teacher. The Power of Personalized Learning for School Improvement by Cameron Pipkin. Pipkin reviews studies since 2007 on personalized learning in blended learning environments, He concludes that "new intelligent technology, designed from the ground up to support personalized learning" is very powerful in conjunction with teachers who are trained to lead blended learning classes. Blended Learning: It’s Not the Tech, It’s How the Tech is Used by Preston Smith Smith is an advocate for personalized learning in a blended learning environment. He argues that technology and teachers dedicated to personalized learning are the key to success in the blended classroom. Personalized Learning Technology Really Works Adaptive Learning and the Quest to Improve Undergraduate Education featuring Eric Frank In his presentation at the Center for Online Innovation in Learning, Eric Frank, CEO at Acrobatiq, explains how personalized learning courseware based on learning science really works.

This week’s Fierce resource was originally published on Forbes and uncovers six ways to get the most out of the holiday season rush.For most of us, December is a mad dash to the New Year filled with performance reviews, holiday parties, and year-end strategy meetings. It’s easy to get swept up into the madness and forget about setting up our new year on the right foot.Make sure you set aside some time to focus on enriching your workplace relationships. The article How Successful People Take Advantage Of The Holiday Season provides a simple guide for getting the most out of your holiday season.Are you struggling to make that personal connection? It might be time to put away the keyboard."Pick Up the Phone. In our digital world, we are all pre-programmed to shoot over a quick email or text message when reaching out to someone. We’ve forgotten about the power of a phone call, which has only gained effectiveness since becoming phased out by the keyboard. This is the perfect time to pick up the phone, whether you’re inviting someone to a holiday get-together or just calling to say hello."Read the article.The post Fierce Resource: How Successful People Take Advantage Of The Holiday Season appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

"You influence more by your actions than your words. You operate as the message, not the messenger, with an alignment between your words and actions." - Nan Russell This time of year can be so busy that there is barely any time to think about what is next, let alone spend time alone with your thoughts. And guess what? It is too costly to skip reflection time, despite all of the legitimate excuses you have.As Master Facilitator, Beth Wagner, mentioned last week in our Fierce webinar, reflection is very important and often overlooked. Many studies have shown the critical role that reflection plays in performance and learning. Leaders and employees alike who take time to reflect on their successes and their mistakes at work, perform 20-25% better than those who do not.So, if that’s really the case, it is your responsibility to find the time to reflect. What’s at stake? The difference of performing 20-25% better the next time you do something. Yes, this is definitely something your manager and organization want. Sometimes, you may just have to remind them of reflection’s importance."I don’t see a lot of organizations that actually encourage employees to reflect—or give them time to do it," Gino says. "When we fall behind even though we’re working hard, our response is often just to work harder. But in terms of working smarter, our research suggests that we should take time for reflection."So given that, let’s make 2016 a year that reaps the benefits of thoughtfulness and allowing ourselves the space to think. This week’s tip is to find time to reflect on your past and future conversations.Here are seven questions to dive into:Do you go into your conversations open and willing to be influenced?Consider what is at stake for you when the conversations that you are a part of remain one way, superficial, or inauthentic in some way. What is the cost of unreal conversations?What is at stake for you when you are not present? What is at stake for colleagues, friends and family? Who would benefit from your undivided attention?What were some times when obeying your instinct helped you reach a goal or avoid a negative outcome? What instincts or internal messages have been beckoning you?What kind of emotional wake do you typically leave with your colleagues? With your direct reports? ? At home? How can you ensure your intent meets your impact?What might happen if you said less, listened more, and provided time to think about what has - and has not - been said?  Now, schedule this time into your calendar. I look forward to hearing about it.The post Fierce Tip of the Week: Spend Time Reflecting appeared first on Fierce, Inc..