I don't know if you noticed my shiny new badge on the top left of this blog. I have no idea who nominated me for it, but I presume it must be someone who reads this blog regularly, so no doubt you will read this post. Whoever you are, thank you. I'm flattered.See here to learn about the other 49 recipients.

I was recently interviewed by Blog Interviewer in respect of this blog. You can see the results here.

The whole theme of reward or cause-and-effect is exercising my mind lately. Mostly it just goes in circles.I'm not about to disinter Pavlov, but I can't help feeling that we should be looking to reward desired behaviours in education, in the workplace and even in society in general.Obviously, the nature of the reward would have to be made appropriate to the context. I can't see us giving a newly appointed manager a star for sharing his crayons with the person at the next desk.Recently, my elder son asked me to intervene in a situation for him. He had lent a sum of money to his younger brother. It seems my younger son was going to repay this debt at £5/month, interest free. But that would take several months, by which time my elder son will have finished school and started his gap year in Australia. So he asked if I would give him the money, and let my younger son repay me at this rate.I agreed, but I shouldn't have. The thing is, my elder son lent the money to his brother without establishing the terms of repayment first. This is not a very wise thing to do, and in taking over the debt, I have rewarded his poor choice. It isn't a lot of money in the grand scheme of things, so this would have been an ideal opportunity for a bit of tough love. A lesson to be learnt at no great cost.I'm too much of a softie!As I see it, the exam system also rewards the wrong behaviours. I know some kids who seem pretty dense, to be honest. They seem to know nothing about anything, and are utterly unable to hold a meaningful conversation about anything of substance. And yet they are in the top set for all their subjects at school, raking in the A grades. If education is preparation for life, the behaviours that should be rewarded are surely things like the ability to find information on a given subject, establish whether information is valid/reliable, apply information to a situation that does not exactly mirror a case study, work as a team, delegate responsibility, meet a deadline, be innovative with limited resources, overcome obstacles. You know... real life stuff.We're a long way from that, I reckon. Probably mainly because we're a long way from knowing how to assess those skills!I used to share a house with a few long distance truck drivers when I was a student. These guys were paid a certain fee to haul a load from point A to point B. They would get a bonus for doing it extra quickly. Not only that, but if they managed to shave a day off the delivery time, that gave them an extra day to start earning on the next project. So any time saved gained double rewards, financially speaking. So these guys would drive for 24 hours at a stretch, overdosing on caffeine in attempt to stay awake. There is no doubt that they constituted a hazard to other road users and themselves. In fact, I heard a couple of years back that one of them had been killed in an accident.But the system was such that they were rewarded for this behaviour.I have heard many tales of teenage girls in the UK, fed up with their parents restrictive rules, deliberately becoming pregnant in order to qualify for additional benefit payments and perhaps get a council flat. I'm not pretending to know a better way to respond in this situation, but it strikes me that this is another example of rewarding the wrong behaviour.Like I said, my mind has been going in circles on this subject. I'm not sure I have any constructive answers, but I guess a change to the education system wouldn't hurt!

The Fast Company has posted their 2010 list of the most influential women in technology. Of course, there will be those who are surprised to have been included, and those who are furious not to have been listed. But the list makes for interesting reading.

The Natural History Museum is currently running a census of cherry trees in Britain. The idea is for people to go on walks and spot cherry trees and then record them on a map.Guidance is provided on how to identify cherry trees and how to distinguish between the various types.I really like these attempts to engage the wider public, and to publish this user generated content. My parents regularly participate in similar exercises in respect of birds and plants in South Africa, setting off at ridiculous hours of morning to count parrots or heading off on some jaunt to record clivia numbers (they're very keen on clivia, my folks!)At the moment, my town shows only four cherry trees, two of which I recorded. I know for a fact that there are hundreds more. Let's hope that we see more being added.If you're based in Britain, or even if you're just here for a conference or business trip, why not add to the census?

For those who don't live in the UK, you may be unaware that we go to the polls on 6 May.I'm very conscious of the fact that mine is the only vote our family gets. It's somewhat ironic that I need a permit to live in this country, but I get to vote in the national elections. On the other hand, my husband and sons are EU citizens and need no such permit to live here, but they can only vote in local and EU elections.Be that as it may, it's been quite interesting to see the methods being used to try to help me decide how to cast my vote.For the first time ever, there have been presidential type TV debates featuring the leaders of the three main parties. Since we're not voting in a leader but a party, this is fairly odd, because it panders to the personality brigade. I tend not to watch the debates themselves, but to read up on the summaries afterwards.There are also several quizzes online, where I can identify my stance on a series of issues, and discover which party's policies most closely match my own.Then the Christian Institute has provided listings of how each MP has voted on a series of moral issues, so that I can decide whether I'm happy that my views are being represented in Parliament (whether or not you agree with the CI's estimation of what constitutes morally right and wrong decisions, it still helps to provide a sense of where your MP stands on sensitive issues).Yet in spite of all this, apparently only one in three first time voters will go to the polls. Apathy is a real issue, here. Fewer than two in three voters overall are likely to cast their vote. So, chances are that the party that gets in will in fact represent about 20% of the country's eligible voters. That's hardly a strong platform on which to lead a recession-ridden country into an uncertain future.

This strikes me as being a really fun option for teachers of the sciences (among other things).A company called ASPEX, which produces scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) and microanalysis software has kicked off a campaign called Send us your Sample, which invites anyone to send in an object of their choosing and have it scanned free of charge under one of their SEMs.You can send in anything you like - a toy bunny, a dead bug or an old toothbrush. It's pretty cool. See their image gallery here.They also have a rather fun thing called 'name that sample' where you have to guess from the 'after' picture what the object is. Could you have guessed that this was an image of Hall's cough drops? If so, you might have won yourself an Apple iPod Touch.

Guide to Online Schools recently published a list of their top 37 instructional design resources, aimed primarily at teachers looking to improve their skills in this area.Of course, this is not to say that those of us outside of the education system won't also find much of value in the list. For example, several of the blogs in their list are on my daily reading list. It has long been my wish to see the wall between workplace and academic learning come down, after all!

Sometimes we are called upon to design things that we know just shouldn't be designed. Sometimes the client simply won't take no for an answer. Sometimes you want to throw the book at them... or at least lend it to them.Increasingly, we need less design and more substance. Instead of an expensive elearning course, there are times when a free wiki containing a series of user generated screen capture videos is enough. There are times when we need a YouTube channel more than we need an LMS.All of these thoughts came thumping home to me recently, when I picked up a few packs of microwave pizzas (as you do, when you have hulking great teenage boys in the house) and saw that they have a special offer give-away thing for a knork.Now maybe you already know what that is. Heck, maybe you have a whole set of silver plated knorks in your cutlery drawer. But - pardon my ignorance - I had never heard of them before. I had heard of a spork: a hybrid of spoon and fork. I have even used one from time to time, since a few takeaway places issue them with their meals. To be honest, most of the time, I have thought a spoon would do, but the spork has been innocuous enough.But a knork...? A hybrid of knife and fork...? What the...?Let's think about this.I know that cutlery usage can be a little different in the US, but in the UK, we use a knife and a fork simultaneously. One in each hand. The fork holds the food still, while the knife is used to cut it. How do you achieve that with a knork? How do you hold the food still and then cut it when you have only one utensil?Then there is the little matter of sticking the knork into your mouth. If it has the characteristics of a knife, I presume this thing has a blade on it. In fact, if it caters to both lefties and righties, maybe it has two blades! Now I reckon Pippi Longstocking is right when she says that grownups are superstitious and think it's 'bad luck' to stick a knife into your mouth. I think it could be extremely bad luck indeed. On the other hand, if the blade isn't sharp enough to do you any harm, then I can't see it enjoying much success in the cutting stakes (or even steaks) either.And so here we have a utensil that is both impractical and potentially harmful. It looks to me as if someone designed it because it could be done, without giving any thought to whether it should be done.So, yes. We can design a whole series of 20 minute elearning tunnels and stick them into an LMS. We can make it all trackable so that, at any given moment, you can see who has used which materials. But should we?Will they really add value to your organisation's learning experience? Will they improve performance? Or will they join the list of a long line of expensive things that seemed like a good idea at the time? Could something else do the job better? Maybe an elgg space will suit your purposes just as well. Maybe the solution already exists somewhere in someone's personal job aids, and is just waiting to be shared with the rest of the team.So before you go out and spend a fortune designing and developing a knork, just check your cutlery drawer to see whether you haven't already got something that can do the trick.

In case you've been wondering, here is a video that explains the ins and outs, and the pros and cons...Web 3.0 from Kate Ray on Vimeo.

It's getting so a person dare not recommend anything anymore. Let's consider a scenario:Person A recommends product/approach XPerson B adopts that product/approach for a projectProject fails and person B slags person A off publicly for the bum steerOne of my new Twitter followers described how he was taking flak at his place of work for having recommended Ning, now that Ning has decided to start charging for its services.How did that become his fault?Based on the functionality of the space at the time, and the requirements within his place of work, no doubt it was a good fit. And while the space was free, I presume it served their purposes well, or they wouldn't have felt the wrench so keenly when Ning decided to start levying a charge.The person in question is quite a young man and this experience could well have damaged his confidence so much that next time he will be reluctant to recommend anything before researching it exhaustively to see whether it will remain stable for the (un)foreseeable future, by which time the need may well have passed. So his recommendations will be slower in coming forward until he is caught up in a cycle of analysis-paralysis... and the organisation will turn to someone else to make recommendations that are more timely (perhaps starting the whole cycle again).I sincerely hope that this approach does not start to extend to the likes of Jane Hart and her invaluable e-learning pick of the day. Any time I am faced with a challenge and need a new tool to meet it, I pay a visit to her site to see what she recommends. Sometimes the tools do the job for me, sometimes they don't. I am not about to start holding Jane liable every time it doesn't work out.I sincerely trust that, when I feature something on this site, you're not expecting it to set the world alight for you, okay? I can do without that kind of pressure. ;o)

TrainingZone magazine is running an interesting article by Neil Davey, looking at the rise of social media in the workplace.Of course, many organisations have a blanket ban on the use of such media... or at least, they think they do. A closer inspection will almost certainly reveal the presence of all manner of social tools in the workplace. This tells me a few things.Firstly, the understanding among senior execs (and even the IT gatekeepers) of what constitutes social media is often as full of holes as a Swiss cheese, which results in inconsistent bans and rules. So there are often workarounds to access various social media.Secondly, people are more resourceful than management gives them credit for. Where such bans are in place, many users are resorting to using their phones to access them. At a recent Twitter workshop, several attendees 'owned up' to using Twitter via their phones because of the ban at work.Thirdly, the 'threat' aspect has been identified, but the 'potential benefit' aspect has been ignored. Davey's article picks up on one significant aspect of this and cites Ann Bevitt of Morrison Foerster:"Although employers cannot control employees’ use of social networking sites outside the workplace, they can provide guidance where such use could be associated with employees’ employment. For example, if employees choose to identify themselves as employees in their personal social networking activities, they should be encouraged to make clear that any views expressed are their own and not those of their employer. Moreover, no links should be provided to employers’ websites."This harks back to a topic I have touched on many times - that grey area. Let's look at a hypothesis:Kate is a designer at ColourCoded, a clothing manufacturer whose lines are aimed at women who have been colour-coded and had their ideal palettes identified. In her spare time, she likes to go hiking.When Kate engages in social media spaces about the various trails she has hiked, she is on safe territory. She can even develop a global reputation as the go-to person on the difficulty grading of the various hiking trails. No problem.Kate's employer may have noted her skill with words and they may choose to include social media engagement among her official duties. Part of her job may be to look after ColourCoded's social media presence. This is also relatively safe territory, because the ground rules can be laid down. The dos and don'ts identified.Where the ground gets shaky is when Kate starts to engage in her personal capacity in social media spaces on the topic of clothing: what styles to wear, what fabrics work for whom, what colours people should wear, etc. It is very tough to lay down the guidelines for her presence in this space, without encroaching on Kate's right to freedom of expression.This is an area Davey has addressed in his article:"Organisations - particularly those at the larger end of the spectrum - are faced with an enormous task when it comes to identifying and responding to all of the conversations, questions and posts taking place online about their brand. Businesses need the extra eyes that their employees provide. But by giving their staff carte blanche to respond to any and every post they find, they run a very serious risk of damaging the brand reputation, rather than improving. Any message by an employee that isn’t in line with the company message, or that is offensive or unprofessional, will reflect badly on the brand. The business either media trains every person on its payroll, or risks unleashing a firm’s load of loose cannons onto the web."I'm not sure that the idea of training every person on the payroll has legs, and, as you know by now, I have an enormous fondness for loose cannons (being one myself). But most organisations have clauses in their employment contracts about damage to the organisation's reputation. Mouthing off down the pub has never really been looked upon with favour, and we're more or less in the same sort of waters, here, albeit with the potential for exponentially increased impact.I would suggest that guidelines should be set in place - every organisation must consider its reputation, after all. I would further suggest that the organisation should have some form of online induction process, with a link to a range of tools that can provide guidance on company policy on a range of issues (including social media usage). Staff members should be able to access the organisation's policy documents on any subject at any point... and these should be easy to find (it's remarkable that I have any hair left, considering the experiences I have had trying to find policy documents in the past) and easy to read. Policy documents should also be reviewed and revised every now and again, and staff members should be involved in this process.Staff members should be expected to consider the organisation's reputation, too, and be held to account when their actions are considered to have done damage.However, the 'training every staff member' thing smacks to me just a little of the sort of butt-covering box-ticking compliance that makes me shudder. It runs the risk of, "Right, we mentioned once during your training course 2 years ago that this was not permitted, so you're fired."I would like to see an approach that is more dynamic than that, and one which engages the staff members directly, rather than being handed down to them from on high.

Increasingly, it is beneficial to speak more than one language.Online Degree Programs recently posted an article featuring 100 different resources aimed at helping people learn languages online. These include courses through specific schools; online dictionaries; phrase-based tools; translation services; online language communities; games and quizzes; and all manner of other resources.Languages on offer range from the more common French, English and Spanish to the less widely known Kurdish, Marathi and Romanian.They also list resources for Mandarin, a language that has been earmarked by many as one to master by those who wish to benefit from the increasing global participation of mainland China in corporate ventures.

Organisations who choose to steer clear of social media spaces place themselves at risk of having their brand damaged by cybersquatters. Witness the example of Costa Coffee as featured in BusinessZone yesterday.The Internet is not a 'policed' space... other than by us. You. Me. So people are pretty much free to do whatever they like. As these cybersquatters have amply demonstrated.Time was once when a business could get by without a web presence. Then it became essential to have a website. We've moved on from that. Web presence needs to spread into the spaces inhabited by the 2.0 and 3.0 web users, otherwise someone might just do that for you!Armed with rudimentary skills and sufficient malice, a cybersquatter could utterly ruin a business that chooses to remain periscope down in respect of social media. And the tragedy is, as they go into administration, they may still be utterly bemused as to how their once-thriving business hit the skids.

I'd like to give a plug to a brand new blogger.No, she's not a learning guru. Or even a social media guru. She's not a teacher. Nor is she a techie.She's an image guru. One of those people who looks at you and knows exactly what colours you should be wearing and what styles of clothes suit you and how to accessorise and all that stuff.She's feeling very brave at having entered these scary social media waters, so ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Nancy Stevens.

Hey folks, I hope everyone is having a spectacular summer (or lovely winter if you are southern hemisphere-ish). There’s a lot of different things coming up in the next few months, so I thought I would mention them here: Next week, I’m doing a keynote for the Atlanta ATD Chapter’s Annual Conference.  I’m also doing on a 1-day post conference workshop.  There are three spots left for the workshop.  I’m looking forward to it — it will be a chance to pull out my toolbox of best instructional design tools. It’s also a bargain at $149 I’m doing an online UX Essentials class for ATD this year, and the next session is September 16th.  The Essentials series are a good beginner exposure to a topic, and these are a lot of fun. I’m really excited about the 1-day workshop on Behavior Change at DevLearn (September 29) this year — I do talks on this topic quite a bit, but this is the first time that I’ve corralled everything into one place for a workshop format. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m also doing an Instructional Design basics workshop at the Online Learning Conference in Denver on October 5-6. ALSO: I’m working on a second edition of the book! I’m adding chapters on habit formation, social and informal learning, and evaluation, and expanding the motivation and environment chapters. Also fixing a few pesky typos:    

The TechEducator Podcast is a weekly round table discussion about current topics in educational technology.  For more information, please visit www.techeducatorpodcast.com. Many great ways to participate in the TechEducator Podcast. TechEducatorPodcast.com Follow us Live on Video: http://www.TeacherCast.tv Leave a Voice Mail: http://www.TeacherCast.net/voicemail Email: feedback@Teachercast.net Twitter: @TechEdShow (http://www.twitter.com/techedshow) Hashtag: #TechEducator Hosts: Jeff Bradbury - TeacherCast.net - @TeacherCast Jeff Herb - InstructionalTechTalk.com - @InstTechTalk Sam Patterson - MyPaperlessClassroom.com - @SamPatue Chris Nesi - Education the Nesi Way - @MrNesi David Saunders @DesignSaunders Josh Gauthier @mrgfactoftheday Apps Discussed on the Show: Aurasma Anatomy 4D ColAR Spacecraft 3D AR Flash Cards Elements 3D Google Translate Thank You For Your Podcast Reviews Are you enjoying Educational Podcasting Today or other shows on the TeacherCast Network, please share your thoughts with the world by commenting on iTunes today.  I enjoy reading and sharing your comments on the podcast each week. Ask Me Your Podcasting or WordPress Question Are you interested in starting your own podcast? Do you need help creating an awesome WordPress website?  I am available for 1:1 consulting.  Please visit my homepage and I will help you launch your personal brand today! Contact Me Host: Jeff Bradbury @TeacherCast Email: info@teachercast.net Voice Mail: http://www.TeacherCast.net/voicemail YouTube: http://www.TeacherCast.net/YouTube iTunes: http://www.TeacherCast.net/iTunes Check Out More TeacherCast Programming TeacherCast Podcast (http://www.teachercast.net/tcp) TeacherCast App Spotlight (http://www.teachercast.net/appspotlight) Educational Podcasting Today (http://www.educationalpodcasting.today) The TechEducator Podcast (http://www.techeducatorpodcast.com) View LIVE Professional Development from TeacherCast Watch LIVE: http://www.TeacherCast.tv | Broadcasting Schedule (http://www.teachercast.net/showcal) TeacherCast Broadcasting Community: http://www.TeacherCast.net/broadcastingcommunity Need a Presenter? Jeff Bradbury (@TeacherCast) is available as a Keynote Speaker, Presenter, or to Broadcast your conference LIVE!

Are you intimidated by public speaking? Are you wondering what you can do to excite your students? Do you want to oil yourself up and bodyslam your next interview? Telling Your Story… Like a WWE Superstar! Presented by Jeff Bradbury | @TeacherCast Workshop Description In this TeacherCast Workshop, we will walk through the steps to giving a great presentation to wow any audience or video interview.  Together we will break down what makes a good presentation and a not so good presentation and learn some of the secrets behind how it’s done on the "Grandest Stage of them All"… Wrestlemania! Workshop Topics Include Learning How To Stand On Your Own Two Feet Introducing Yourself In Public Working a Crowd What To Do When Others Don’t Reach The Way You Want Them To Body Slamming Your Opponent How To Take Your Presentations Into The Classroom Talking About An Object That Isn’t In The Room As If It’s Living Breathing In The Room Getting Your Audience To Engage In Your Presentation Nonverbal Actions That Move Mountains WARNING: This workshop is TOTALLY Interactive and audience participation is a MUST! Are you looking at you students wondering what you can do to excite and entertain them?Click To Tweet    

  It’s July 29, 2015, a day that will go down as Windows 10 day! I was excited to wake up this morning and download the latest FREE operating system on my Surface 3 tablet.  The install was very smooth taking about an hour and a half. There are several great new features to Windows 10 that are perfect for any classroom.  We will be going through these features over the next few weeks here at TeacherCast. I have had the privilege over the last few months of getting to know the Microsoft Education team and I must tell you… this new operating system and it’s new components are going to transform your classroom this year!  Check out this exclusive broadcast I did with the Windows 10 team at ISTE 2015. The first question that always pops up is "What applications are available to use with Windows 10?"  Here are my 10 favorite ones so far… in no particular order. Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta If you are a teacher, you MUST get into Minecraft. This wonderful world of building blocks is the biggest thing going in the lives of your students.  The Minecraft Windows 10 app features a great new feature that allows you and your students to share your experiences over Xbox LIVE GameDVR. Check out this awesome interview I did with the Minecraft team from ISTE 2015 If you are a teacher, you MUST get into Minecraft. Learn How Today!Click To Tweet Microsoft Edge Say goodbye to Internet Explorer and say hello to the new Microsoft Edge.  This new browser is clearer, sleeker and much faster than it’s predecessor.  Using your Surface tablet or other touch device, Microsoft Edge now lets you WRITE on the web.  Once you have marked up your website, you can then share it with your students using OneNote or other social media tools. Adobe Photoshop Express Are you looking to take your tablet devices on field trips?  Adobe Photoshop Express is the perfect lightweight companion to get students started in graphic design and photo editing. Educational Podcasting Today Ok… Shameless plug here.  Recently launched at the ISTE Conference,  our new app is designed to help every educator learn how to create AWESOME podcasts and design top notch websites using WordPress.  Check it out today! Learn how you can make an awesome app for your classroom just like I did! Microsoft OneNote OneNote is the digital notebook for all of your classroom needs.  It can be used to store text, photos, PDF’s, audio, video and just about anything else you can think of.  OneNote gives you the ability to type, write, and draw right on your documents to create the perfect handouts and lessons for your classrooms. Are you searching through websites for classroom materials? OneNote is the perfect solution for clipping and organizing all of your web content. Check out the interview I did with Microsoft OneNote from ISTE 2015 Check out the AWESOME Purple Capes you get to wear when you are a OneNote Avenger?Click To Tweet Symbaloo I have been a huge fan of Symbaloo for many years.  Symbaloo allows you to curate the web very easily and very quickly.  Simply download and log into the free Windows app and you will have access to all of your cloud documents.  Your students will love having a massive amount of content right at their fingertips. Stay tuned to TeacherCast we we explore and share the amazing new world of Windows 10. Do you have a favorite Windows 10 app? We would love to hear about it. Please leave a comment and link below sharing how you will be using Windows10 in your classroom.

The other day I was daydreaming while playing around on YouTube. While I was searching for background music to put on while podcast editing, I came across this pretty awesome video.  As a child of the 80’s (weren’t we all?) the nostalgic themes from Super Mario Bros will forever be in my heart.  Enjoy this pretty cool video.  Oh yeah… the piano is SHAPED LIKE A NINTENDO!

  Welcome to the 100th episode of the TechEducator Podcast.  Our show started in February of 2013 with an idea to create a demonstration based round table video/audio show.  Sam Patterson, Jeff Herb, Jon Samuelson and myself created the first TechEducator Podcast.  Since that time, we added Josh Gauthier and David Saunders to create a dynamic weekly live educational podcast that we are all very proud of.  Thank you for being apart of 100 great educational podcasts. The TechEducator Podcast is a weekly round table discussion about current topics in educational technology.  For more information, please visit www.techeducatorpodcast.com. Many great ways to participate in the TechEducator Podcast. TechEducatorPodcast.com Follow us Live on Video: http://www.TeacherCast.tv Leave a Voice Mail: http://www.TeacherCast.net/voicemail Email: feedback@Teachercast.net Twitter: @TechEdShow (http://www.twitter.com/techedshow) Hashtag: #TechEducator Hosts: Jeff Bradbury - TeacherCast.net - @TeacherCast Jeff Herb - InstructionalTechTalk.com - @InstTechTalk Sam Patterson - MyPaperlessClassroom.com - @SamPatue Chris Nesi - Education the Nesi Way - @MrNesi David Saunders @DesignSaunders Josh Gauthier @mrgfactoftheday Thank You For Your Podcast Reviews Are you enjoying Educational Podcasting Today or other shows on the TeacherCast Network, please share your thoughts with the world by commenting on iTunes today.  I enjoy reading and sharing your comments on the podcast each week. Ask Me Your Podcasting or WordPress Question Are you interested in starting your own podcast? Do you need help creating an awesome WordPress website?  I am available for 1:1 consulting.  Please visit my homepage and I will help you launch your personal brand today! Contact Me Host: Jeff Bradbury @TeacherCast Email: info@teachercast.net Voice Mail: http://www.TeacherCast.net/voicemail YouTube: http://www.TeacherCast.net/YouTube iTunes: http://www.TeacherCast.net/iTunes Check Out More TeacherCast Programming TeacherCast Podcast (http://www.teachercast.net/tcp) TeacherCast App Spotlight (http://www.teachercast.net/appspotlight) Educational Podcasting Today (http://www.educationalpodcasting.today) The TechEducator Podcast (http://www.techeducatorpodcast.com) View LIVE Professional Development from TeacherCast Watch LIVE: http://www.TeacherCast.tv | Broadcasting Schedule (http://www.teachercast.net/showcal) TeacherCast Broadcasting Community: http://www.TeacherCast.net/broadcastingcommunity Need a Presenter? Jeff Bradbury (@TeacherCast) is available as a Keynote Speaker, Presenter, or to Broadcast your conference LIVE!

I didn't think I would survive, but I did. I had 5 presentations/trainings to do in 7 days. What was I thinking?I had sent in two proposals for the Midwest Technology Conference way back in October, and our district PD day consisted of technology professional development the entire day, and it all landed on the same week. Through much prayer and dedication, I made it through.I have attended the METC conference for the past 7 years. Some years are better than others, but for the most part it is a great conference. I always get excited about having the opportunity to meet other "techies" and hear about the latest and greatest technologies available for the classroom. I always leave pumped up, motivated, and ready to fight out the rest of the school year.This is the 3rd year I have been a presenter.Year 1- My topic was "Motivating Gifted students through the use of technology"Year 2- My topic was "To Thinkfinity and Beyond"This year, I presented on two different topics  "iPads more than Just Apps"and "Using Social Media to Communicate with the School Community"I want my kids to be creators not just consumers!Producers publishers and collaborators

As educators we want to create awesome lessons and projects for our students, but we all struggle with just one problem... TIME! Our days, weeks, and hours are structured as such that we always have very little time to cover very complex content. Prime example: You have this great idea for your students to create a video project to show their learning of a science lesson they just completed, but you don't have a week to spend doing it with iMovie, so you just X the whole project. This happens all the time, and who does it hurt? Our students!I had a the opportunity to attend a workshop on "5 Minute Mobile Projects" for students at the Midwest Technology conference. The awesome presenter was Greg Lawrence. He made a great point that technology should not just be a replacement for the pencil, because eventually the computer will be just a another tool students will get tired of using.  "Just transferring the analog to the digital technology makes technology the new pencil", Greg said.  He gave me some great examples of creating authentic projects that only take 5 minutes. I am going to share some ideas I got from attending his session, as well as some of my own, to give you some practical ideas for integrating NET-S & Common Core, as well as SAVE TIME!"Technology is an important tool, but if the tools is only used in traditional ways, then TRANSFORMATION will not take place" -Project Reform Ed.The kids we teach in 2013, are a part of the Mobile Generation, and Digital Natives. We must ensure that our students are not just "content consumers", but PRODUCERS, PUBLISHERS, and COLLABORATORS!Here are some great examples of mobile projects you can complete with students in minutes.Camera App/PhotoBooth - Using the camera app on the ipad, iPod Touch, or iPhone, iMac, Macbook AirWays to use it:Reading fluency- students record themselves reading a book, passage, or an essay that they wrote. Pictures- Snap pictures of specific objects in the classroomRecord directions for completing a task, or for showing understanding of a concept.Share visually in math or other subject areas. Video the classroom to find angles and shapes.Pic collage-add pics n captionsWays to use it:Take images and create a photo collage. Find specific items ( ex: find red objects, or objects that rhyme, or start with the same letter of the alphabet)Label parts of picture (ex: parts of a plant)Check out this 5 Senses Project I did with this adorable little kindergartenerHere is another option for using Collages in the classroom.Technology Tailgate: InstaCollagePro and IdiomsAuto Rap & SongifyWays to Use it:Make a song out of a topic to show understandingCreate songs as study guides for tests or quizzesCheck out the one I created for the Order of Operationshere  The options are limitless!Skitch  Ways to use it:Take photos and annotate them by adding text, shapes, and symbolsFind shapes around the classroom. Label parts of a plant, or planets in the solar system.Newsbooth-create news topic Create your own news headlineMorfo      Ways to use it:Make images come alive- Figures in History, or animals. Students could research a famous person, or animal, then give it a voice and animation within minutes.See a sample belowQR CODESAllows you to create and scan QR codesHave students "beam" questions for other students to answer, by creating quiz or test questions about a topic.ORWays to use it:Create QR codes for sight and vocab words for students.QR Beamer & Inigma Scavenger HuntsExit slips w/ QR codesInformation explaining work, or art.Add a QR code to access a website or formCheck out an example of Kindergarten sight words ( scan the barcode and listen to the voice pronouncing the word)Do you ever get tired of repeating directions? Use a QR code to record voice, or provide written instructionsEDUcreations  or ScreenCHOMPWays to use it:Create an instant video showing knowledge of a topicComplete worksheets( An app and website)Animoto(An App & website)Ways to use it:Create professional looking videos in minutesCreate a video showing understanding of a topicResearch results from a problem-based learning projectHighlighting a special event(An App & website)Ways to use it:Create beautiful visual masterpieces, and add your voice to describe the picture. Take it one step further add attach a QR code

 I discovered Mystery Skype! Where have I been? After doing a little afternoon techie browsing, I came across a Mystery Skype lesson. For our 1st annual Digital Learning Day my school participated in Mystery Skype. Basically, two classrooms Skype each other, and ask each other questions to try and figure out where the other class is located.How we did it?I started out be soliciting teachers who were interested, then I provided an informational session for the teachers to gain more information.Why I love Twitter--- When I got word of this exciting experience, I quickly ran to twitter to get any and all of the information I needed. Of course there were plenty of chat tags that included #mysteryskype #skypeintheclassroom. #skype even ReTweeted me a couple of times to point me in the right direction. I went to twitter to find out ways other classrooms were using Mystery Skype, and to find a classes that were interested in skyping with my classrooms. This didn't take long, there are so many wonderful educators already on board with skyping in the classroom.Next, I created a mini-lesson for the teacher and students to introduce them to mystery skype and how it all worked.   The kids were so excited after that lesson!We spent a few days practicing. I got other teachers to practice skyping with them from another building, and they pretended to be in another city, and they had to guess where they were. Everyone enjoyed it.On the big day, I could tell the kids were excited, but a bit nervous. I just reminded them to focus on what we practiced, and they would do just fine.Check out our video highlighting this fantastic experience!More about digital learning day hereI was able to faciliate 6 different skype sessions on that day, and the experience was phenomenal! The students, and teachers loved it!