Elearning and global competency #flatclass #globaled 02/01/2012

• Acknowledgements - Flat Classroom Book

  We thanked a lot of people in our book. Here are some - we reprinted our acknowledgements online. We're very grateful and have many to thank. You might want to follow some of these links to some fascinating people.

  tags: education flatclass

• Technology in the classroom -- Shanghai Daily | 上海日报 -- English Window to China New

  I love this story about Shanghai International School and what they and other schools are doing in China. I particularly enjoyed the story of Toni Olivera-Barton and her journey (which yes, started with some Flat Classroom projects) but have now branched out into her running her own projects. One of the things Julie and I have said is that we will know we have succeeded when we see those we teach birth new projects. The global projects stage has lots of room for educators who are innovators to create and transform the classroom. Still in its infancy, global collaboration is an essential component of every classroom. I find the projects run by real teachers in the classroom tend to be more authentic and faster paced. Great article. How do you compare to the schools and strategies used in this article?

  tags: education flatclass globaled

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Health Insurance Exchange Roundup: October 25

Healthcare Exchanges are the recent topic in today’s healthcare landscape yet as national news. With states mandated to possess an inspiration in place by January one, 2013, and a functioning system by January one, 2014, the bulk try to work how they're going to implement this method. Check here each afternoon for the most recent opinions and news on the health exchange.

Here's today's news:

AIS Health: Good News for Small Carriers: Exchanges Could ‘Dilute’ Brand
Lawrence Journal World: Brownback’s rejection of health insurance grant continues to spur questions
Becker's Hospital Review: Virginia to Map Out Health Insurance Exchange Framework

The Health Insurance Exchange Congress is the only place for states and health plans to come together as one and discuss the current challenges and opportunities associated with health insurance Exchanges. For more information about joining us..

The Medicare Congress Keynote Spotlight: 2012 Election Outlook – Examine Today’s Headlines to Find the Real Signals and Implications for ACA

Medicare spending levels will be more relevant than ever to the 2012 presidential and Congressional elections—and the outcome of those elections could result in significant changes for Medicare benefit coverage and the entire healthcare marketplace. In this week's The Medicare Congress Session Spotlight, we spotlight the session from Fred Barnes of Fox News that will examine this topic.  For more information on The Medicare Congress, taking place February 6-8, 2012; in Orlando, Florida, download the brochure now.  If you register and mention code XP1707Blog, you will receive a discount of 25% off the standard rate!

Featured Session: 2012 Election Outlook – Examine Today’s Headlines to Find the Real Signals and Implications for ACA

Featured Speaker:  Fred Barnes, Executive Editor, The Weekly Standard and Commentator, FOX News

About the session: 
Taking audiences beneath the surface of headline events, Fred Barnes uses his skills as a journalist to map the political landscape and chart a course for the long run. In displays that cut through the spin and uncover the reality, Barnes reveals the stories that lie beyond the headlines and details how those stories can outline the long run. Fred Barnes’ presentation offers an insider’s examine the presidency and Congress. With over twenty five years of reporting on Washington politics, his analysis and predictions are among the foremost on-target of anyone covering Washington. Barnes takes a tough examine how a divided Congress can result the Obama agenda, that candidate to look at within the 2012 Republican Presidential field, and what problems are front on mind for the yank citizens.

See who is attending The Medicare Congress 2012!

With the 2011 Open Enrollment period complete, registrations are pouring in for the 9th Annual Medicare Congress. DON’T GET LEFT OUT IN THE COLD. We encourage early registration before the event sells out. The 2012 Medicare Congress will be our biggest year yet with over 300 attendees!  The Medicare Congress is this February 6-8, 2012 in Orlando, Florida.

Don’t miss your chance to network with Medicare execs from these companies:

AARP * Aetna * American Enterprise Institute * Ameri-Plus Select Services * Arcadian Health Plan * Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield * Arnold & Porter * BCBS of Minnesota * Bloom Marketing Group * Blue Cross Blue Shield Northern Plains Alliance * Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois * Bristol Myers Squibb * Cain Brothers * Capital District Physicians Health Plan * Care N Care Health Plan * Care First Blue Cross Blue Shield * Celgene * Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services * CIGNA Healthcare * DMW Worldwide * Dynamic Healthcare Systems Inc * Endo Pharmaceuticals *  Geisinger Health Systems * Gorman Health Group LLC * Healthcare Partners * HealthplanCRM * HealthSpring * Humana * Inter Valley Health Plan * Kaiser Family Foundation * Kaiser Permanente * KBM Group Health Services * LA Care Health Plan * Matrix Medical Network * National Committee for Quality Assurance * Optum Health * PharmMD * Preferred Care Partners * Sterling Life Insurance Company * Susquehanna Research Group * The National Advisory Board on Improving Health Care Services for Seniors * The Weekly Standard * United Community Health Plans * United Health Care * Universal American Corporation * Wellpoint*

Download the agenda to find out more about this year's speakers and presentations.

What's the future for Medicare?

In a recent article at Chico News, they examine what has kept the Medicare System running to the present purpose - and what's going to have to be compelled to happen for it to run successfully into the longer term. the 2 main issues Larry Mitchell offers are that there's an absence of correct reimbursement from Medicare to the doctors themselves, likewise as fewer and fewer doctors owing to several of the doctors retiring themselves. several doctors have had the time to foster relationships with their patients and collaborate and communicate on what the patients are feeling.  However, with the present method - doctors being paid on the quantity of patients they see and treat - this can be one amongst the items that's failing within the system.

At The 2012 Medicare Congress, Charles Mackay, CPHQ, Health Insurance Specialist, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will be on hand to examine many of these problems in his presentation "Health Rebooted: How Taking Technology All the Way will Solve Both the Cost and Quality Problems".  For more information on his presentation and the rest of the event, download the brochure here.  Don't forget, as a valued reader of this blog, when you register and mention code XP1707BLOG, receive 25% off the standard rate!

Do you agree with the statements in the Chico News? How can Medicare step in and fix the issues they face?  What is the best solution to have doctors spend quality time with their patients yet also treat more of them at the same time?

New Proposal for Dual Eligibles presented by GWU

Dual eligibiles, people who receive each Medicaid and Medicare, are a relative tiny portion of these receiving medical coverage fromt the US government.  However, consistent with UPI, they account for one year of all Medicare spending and thirty ninth of Medicaid spending. a part of the rationale is that the vast quantity of coverage and plans they need to handle so as to possess their medical bills paid.  They conjointly typically have chronic conditions or are mentally impaired and wish continuous care.

Jane Hyatt Thorpe, one in every of the authors, stated "The new state arrange possibility permits states to style a permanent program in partnership with federal officers that integrates financing and care across the Medicare and Medicaid programs to higher meet the wants of twin eligibles."

You can read the full proposal here.

At the upcoming Medicaid Managed Care Congress, taking place April 30-May 2, 2012, there will be a full day workshop entitled "Cost Containment Strategies for Dual Eligibles."  This will be a full day focusing on this aspect of the Medicare system.  For more information on this workshop and the rest of the program, download the brochure.
How important is it to manage the care of dual eligibles? Should this be a priority to control healthcare spending in the future?

How Important is Clarification On Current Government Guidance's To Your Organization?

Post Healthcare Reform, not solely are Government Programs in an exceedingly seemingly constant state of flux, however several of the foremost sophisticated programs are in an exceedingly regulatory vacuum amount  we all know one thing is returning down the pipe, however haven't any plan when and the way it'll have an effect on us.

So what will we have a tendency to do to help? At the govt. Programs Summit, we have a tendency to collect each the key government officers who offers the foremost clarity regarding what to try and do currently to arrange for what might come back LATER and leading pharmaceutical and generic manufacturer executives who can leave you with sensible data on how they're managing the uncertainty.

In two short days you will:

• - Have unparalleled access to CMS authorities from the Policy, Technical, and Operations Departments, in the session, “CMS AMP Guidance Answers and Next Steps for Medicaid Drug Rebate Program,” as well as the opportunity for one on one, personalized attention in the CMS meeting room.
• - Get an update on 340B guidance directly from HRSA officers, including definitions of “Eligible Patient” under the PHS program in the session, “340B PHS Guidance, Definitions and Oversight Update.”
• - Learn to accrue for the potential 4 million new beneficiaries to Medicare Part D who may fall in to the Donut Hole in 2012 in the session, “Medicare Part D for the Donut Hole: Guidance Updates, Invoicing, Disputes and Appeals Processes.”

Staying up to date on current proposed rules, interpretations, and implementations of government programs is of paramount importance to branded and generic manufactures.

Government Programs and Pricing Compliance Summit will take place March 7-9, 2012, in Baltimore, Maryland. For more information on the program, download the brochure here.

Heavyweights including Pritzker, Mansueto launch tech investment fund

A group of forty four Chicago CEOs and venture capitalists, together with New World Ventures LLC Founder J. B. Pritzker, Morningstar Inc. CEO Joe Mansueto, and Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center CEO Kevin Willer, have shaped a brand new $5.7 million fund to take a position in new technology businesses, mainly within the Chicago space.

The Firestarter Fund raised $100,000 and $200,000 contributions from the members with an eye fixed to jointly backing technology corporations, says Matt Moog, another member who is CEO of Viewpoints Network LLC. The cluster is exclusive within the town in that each one the members have attention on the digital area, he said.

Mr. Moog expects the fund to learn from the numerous contacts within the trade the cluster will faucet and from the experience and skill the group's members can share with executives at the startups.

“It's a awfully possible way to interact 40-plus founders directly within the community,” he said.

Other members of the cluster embody Feedburner Inc. co-founder Eric Lunt, GTCR LLC Principal Bruce Rauner, OkCupid founder and CEO Sam Yagan and Excelerate Labs CEO and co-founder Troy Henikoff.

Crain's initial reported that the fund would be shaped.

Read more: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20120131/NEWS08/120139931/heavyweights-including-pritzker-mansueto-launch-tech-investment-fund#ixzz1l4tCKOQG
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Syria not another Libya, political solution needed

By NBC News, msnbc.com employees and news services

Updated at 4:45 p.m. ET: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged the safety Council to adopt the Arab League arrange for a political method to finish the violence in Syria, saying it might vary from U.N. efforts to pacify Libya.

The Arab League arrange incorporate Syrian President Bashar Assad to transfer his powers to his deputy to organize for elections.

"I understand that some members here is also involved that the safety Council is headed toward another Libya," she said. "That may be a false analogy."

Updated at 3:45 p.m. ET: Western and Arab nations launched a serious diplomatic offensive at the U.N. on Tuesday in hopes of overcoming Russia's opposition to a resolution demanding that Syrian President Bashar Assad relinquish power, The Associated Press reported.

Nabil Elaraby, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, speaks at the U.N. in the big apple on Tuesday.
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and therefore the British and French foreign ministers traveled to the big apple for the afternoon Security Council session on things in Syria.

Nabil Elaraby, the chief of the Arab League, referred to as on the safety Council to require 'rapid and decisive action' on Syria, Reuters reported

"Realizing the hopes of the Syrian folks is in your hands," Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jabr Al Thani told council members, asking them to adopt the resolution, primarily based on the Arab League's peace arrange for the country. "It is an element of your responsibility underneath the (U.N.) charter," he said, per The Associated Press.

Updated at 12:35 p.m. ET: Syrian leader Bashar Assad cannot sustain his hold on power and it's a matter of your time before his leadership falls, U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told senators, per Reuters.

"I personally believe it is a question of your time before Assad falls, however that is the issue, it can be a protracted time," Clapper told a Senate intelligence committee hearing. "Protraction of those demonstrations, the opposition continues to be fragmented, however I don't see how he will sustain his rule of Syria."
Slideshow: A glimpse within Syria

Ayman Mohyeldin / NBC News

President Bashar Assad's regime is intensifying its violent crackdown on Syrian protesters, despite international pressure. NBC News' Ayman Mohyeldin is one in every of the few Western journalists to possess been granted permission within Syria in recent weeks,Meanwhile, British newspaper the Guardian reported that a replica of the draft U.N. resolution demanding Assad step aside tried to handle Russian issues that the vote might open the door to western military intervention.

The draft obtained by the newspaper said the council is "reaffirming its robust commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria, emphasising the necessity to resolve this crisis in Syria peacefully, and stressing that nothing during this resolution compels states to resort to the employment of force or the threat of force," per the newspaper.

US Army 'kill team' in Afghanistan posed for photos of murdered civilians

 The Afghanistan 'kill team' photos of murdered civilians could be more damaging than those from Abu Ghraib, say Nato commanders. Photograph: AP

Commanders in Afghanistan are bracing themselves for possible riots and public fury triggered by the publication of "trophy" photographs of US soldiers posing with the dead bodies of defenceless Afghan civilians they killed.
Senior officials at Nato's International Security Assistance Force in Kabul have compared the pictures published by the German news weekly Der Spiegel to the images of US soldiers abusing prisoners in Abu Ghraib in Iraq which sparked waves of anti-US protests around the world.
They fear that the pictures could be even more damaging as they show the aftermath of the deliberate murders of Afghan civilians by a rogue US Stryker tank unit that operated in the southern province of Kandahar last year.
Some of the activities of the self-styled "kill team" are already public, with 12 men currently on trial in Seattle for their role in the killing of three civilians.
Five of the soldiers are on trial for pre-meditated murder, after they staged killings to make it look like they were defending themselves from Taliban attacks.
Other charges include the mutilation of corpses, the possession of images of human casualties and drug abuse.
All of the soldiers have denied the charges. They face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted.
The case has already created shock around the world, particularly with the revelations that the men cut "trophies" from the bodies of the people they killed.
An investigation by Der Spiegel has unearthed approximately 4,000 photos and videos taken by the men.
The magazine, which is planning to publish only three images, said that in addition to the crimes the men were on trial for there are "also entire collections of pictures of other victims that some of the defendants were keeping".
The US military has strived to keep the pictures out of the public domain fearing it could inflame feelings at a time when anti-Americanism in Afghanistan is already running high.
In a statement, the army said it apologised for the distress caused by photographs "depicting actions repugnant to us as human beings and contrary to the standards and values of the United States".
The lengthy Spiegel article that accompanies the photographs contains new details about the sadistic behaviour of the men.
In one incident in May last year, the article says, during a patrol, the team apprehended a mullah who was standing by the road and took him into a ditch where they made him kneel down.
The group's leader, Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs, then allegedly threw a grenade at the man while an order was given for him to be shot.
Afterwards, Gibbs is described cutting off one of the man's little fingers and removing a tooth.
The patrol team later claimed to their superiors that the mullah had tried to threaten them with a grenade and that they had no choice but to shoot.
On Sunday night many organisations employing foreign staff, including the United Nations, ordered their staff into a "lockdown", banning all movements around Kabul and requiring people to remain in their compounds.
In addition to the threat from the publication of the photographs, security has been heightened amid fears the Taliban may try to attack Persian new year celebrations.
There could also be attacks because Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, is due to make a speech declaring which areas of the country should be transferred from international to Afghan control in the coming months.
One security manager for the US company DynCorp sent an email to clients warning that publication of the photos was likely "to incite the local population" as the "severity of the incidents to be revealed are graphic and extreme".

Libya resolution 1973 is better late than never

Libyans who work in Tunisia are served with champagne to celebrate the UN resolution. Photograph: Lefteris Pitarakis/AP

Even if it came late, resolution 1973 marks a significant moment in repairing the deep damage caused by the war in Iraq, and the failure then of the UN security council to authorise the use of force, either explicitly or, in the view of just about every international lawyer I know, at all.
This time the council has come together to signal its disgust at large-scale attacks on civilians and the transformation of political processes in north Africa. It is one of those rare occasions in which the use of force has been authorised under chapter VII.
Significantly, not one of the 15 members opposed action, a factor that is connected to recent events in Tunisia and Egypt and last weekend's remarkable call for action by the Arab League, and the particular authority of its secretary-general, Amr Moussa.
Resolution 1973 has two important objectives.
The first is to protect civilians, by authorising all UN members to "take all necessary measures … to protect civilians … under threat of attack … while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory".
The second is to imposes an effective no fly zone in the form of a ban on all flights in Libya's airspace, except for those with an exclusively humanitarian purpose, to help protect civilians.
Only time will tell whether the resolution catalyses actions by Arab and western powers that are necessary to achieve the real but unstated objective of some of its sponsors, namely the early removal from power of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and his clan.
The protracted lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan weigh heavily, and the language of the resolution appears to allow more than only defensive or reactive military measures.
The authorisation of "all necessary measures" is broad and appears to allow the targeting of Gaddafi and others who act to put civilians "under threat of attack", words that go beyond the need to establish a connection with actual attacks.
And the language precluding any "foreign occupation force" is also ambiguous. It might be interpreted to allow the arming of rebel groups and – to the extent it is requested by those groups – feet on the ground in the form of support that falls short of being "an occupation force".
The real intent of the resolution – and its effect - will be tested by Gaddafi's announcement of a ceasefire, assuming it to be genuine. Whilst welcome if acted upon for bringing respite to some civilians, it could impose upon others the prospect of a stalemate and many more years under the Gaddafis. The ball will then be in the court of the rebels, who are unlikely to accept this latest offer.
I strongly welcome the resolution but inevitably it gives rise to challenging questions. If Libya today, why not Bahrain tomorrow? At what point do such attacks on civilians cross a threshold of unacceptability? What if the attacks are led not by Gaddafi but by an old and trusted ally?
These serious, legitimate questions will have to be answered, now that a new door of international action has been opened. But for now urgent action is needed to stop the attacks on Libyan civilians, so they are given the space to put in place a government they want and that meets their aspirations in a challenging world.
Philippe Sands QC is Professor of Law at University College London and a barrister at Matrix Chambers

Women Vets Have Different Opinions From Their Male Colleagues

Study: Female Vets More Critical Of Iraq, Afghanistan Wars -- Stars And Stripes

WASHINGTON — Female veterans are more likely to be critical of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan than their male counterparts, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center.

The study, released Thursday, also finds that women in the military are more racially diverse than their male counterparts, are less likely to be married and are more likely to hold administrative or medical jobs. The data provided comes from a pair of veterans surveys conducted over the last two years, as well as an analysis of the current demographic makeup of the military.

How Two British Officers Were Targeted And Killed In Afghanistan

Squadron Leader Anthony Downing of the RAF (left) and Royal Marine Captain Tom Jennings Photo: PA

Two Officers Killed On Covert Afghanistan Mission Named -- The Telegraph

Two officers killed in a blast while conducting a covert mission in Afghanistan have been named by the Ministry of Defence.

It is the first time two officers have been killed in a single bombing incident while travelling together in a vehicle in Afghanistan.

Captain Tom Jennings, of the Special Boat Service, and Squadron Leader Anthony Downing, died when their vehicle was targeted by the Taliban near the capital Kabul.

It is understood that the men were part of a special forces team that had been in contact with Afghans on an “outreach patrol” with Squadron Leader Downing acting as an interpreter.

Read more ....

My Comment: I am not there, so it is difficult to give a proper analysis .... but from where I am standing .... I cannot help but feel that this was a set-up and that they were deliberately targeted.

I know that this will not bring them back .... but our prayers are with their families and loved ones.

BREAKING NEWS: Russian Nuclear Sub Engulfed By Fire

Blaze Engulfs Russian Nuclear Submarine In Dock As Officials Claim There Is No Radiation Leak -- Daily Mail

A massive fire engulfed a Russian nuclear submarine at an Arctic shipyard today.

The fire onboard the Yekaterinburg nuclear submarine occurred while it was in dock for repairs at the Roslyakovo shipyard in the Murmansk region.

Spokeswoman for the Emergencies Ministry's branch in the area, Irina Gretskaya, said the blaze engulfed wooden scaffolding in the yard.

More News On The Yekaterinburg Nuclear Submarine On Fire

Fire breaks out during Russian nuclear sub repairs, no radiation threat -- RIA Novosti
Fire crews put out blaze on nuclear submarine in northern Russia -- RT
Russian nuclear sub catches fire during repairs -- Vancouver Sun/Reuters
Russia battles nuclear submarine fire -- Reuters
Russian nuclear submarine, Yekaterinburg, in dock fire -- BBC
Fire on Russian nuclear submarine; reactor shut down -- MSNBC
Russian Reactor Safe, Radiation Levels Normal as Submarine Burns -- Bloomberg
Russian nuclear submarine catches on fire at shipyard -- Global Post

WNU Editor: According to Russian news reports the fire is already out, and there are reports of no casualties and (more importantly to the residents in the region) no radiation leaks.

Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock #teaching 01/31/2012

• Twitter for PE Teachers « Mr Robbo – The P.E Geek

  A great tutorial on how to set up a Twitter account from @mrrobbo . He targeted the information to PE teachers but really, any teacher who wants to start using twitter would benefit from this. If you are a PE teacher, you'll want to follow @ThePEGeekApps to find new apps to use in your health and physical education courses.

  tags: education teaching teachers health_teacher health

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Reaching Everyone with Learning

In the UK, Sky TV is launching an internet based television service. More television channels are going Internet based. They'd better - with youtube channels and other channels coming through the Net and our Roku boxes, I now watch BBC shows like the awesome Sherlock Holmes series and movies from other countries. Borders don't mean so much. I also watch Teckzilla and TwitTv on my iPad while I'm doing dishes intermixed with old Netflix greats like Charlie Chan and some Yul Brenner classics.

What I find fascinating is that we'll be talking about education in this way in the near future. We'll be mixing different profs and different courses like I mix up dinner.

"Sky describes the new over the top (OTT) service as being aimed at the 13 million UK households who don't currently subscribe to pay TV, with access available via "PC, laptop, tablet, smartphone, games console or connected TV." Initially, it will offer Sky Movies on demand joined by sports and entertainment options later, with access based on either monthly unlimited subscription or "pay-as-you-go" pricing.

That is where we want our learning: television, ipad, computer, home, work, smartphone, games console or connected tv. Those who realize this and adapt will survive but those who try to restrict learning to walls inside buildings inside ivory institutions may find that their organization just isn't relevant any more.

Related articles

• Sky will launch an internet based TV service in the UK in the first half of 2012 (engadget.com)
• Sky web TV service to offer films and football to non-subscribers on pay-as-you-go - with no dish (dailymail.co.uk)
• Sky Will De-Couple Pay-TV Content From Satellite For OTT IPTV Era (paidcontent.org)

Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 01/31/2012

• Why Urban, Educated Parents Are Turning to DIY Education - The Daily Beast

  The homeschooling movement is growing. This hidden element of the edreform movement may have more impact than you think. Also, just because parents are doing it, are they learning?
  
  "There are an estimated 300,000 homeschooled children in America’s cities, many of them children of secular, highly educated professionals who always figured they’d send their kids to school—until they came to think, Hey, maybe we could do better."

  tags: education news homeschooling

• Research sheds new light on how the placenta shapes brain development | Mail Online

  "Last year, researchers at the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of medicine, found the placenta's role in a brain development to be far more advanced than previously believed."

  tags: education brain development news

  • Last year, researchers at the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of medicine, found the placenta's role in a brain development to be far more advanced than previously believed.

• Seth's Blog: (What you get) - (What you were hoping for)

  Great article by Seth Godin. We need to apply this to education. If people remember the last thing - are we giving them a great final experience in high school. Most likely -- no.
  
  "[One really important amplification: Research shows us that what people remember is far more important than what they experience. What's remembered:
  
  --the peak of the experience (bad or good) and,
  
  --the last part of the experience.
  
  The easiest way to amplify customer satisfaction, then, is to underpromise, then increase the positive peak and make sure it happens near the end of the experience you provide. Easy to say, but rarely done.]"  - Seth Godin

  tags: education news

• The Hindu : Education / Issues : Online learning set for big leap

  The IIT's in India are planning to offer an online master's degree for engineering college teachers. In this interview, a leader in online learning responds to MIT's open courseware, etc. Here is how India's IIT should respond, according to IIT-Madras Director, Bhaskar Ramamurthi. Open education will have a definite impact on education overall. 

  tags: education news opened openeducation

• Educators in Virtual Worlds on Open Sim – the pioneers… | Learn 4 Life

  My next port of call was with Vicki A Davis – award winning teacher from Georgia – and her students who talked to me over Skype about the Open Sim world they had built in four weeks on DigitTeen Island on Reaction Grid.
  
  
  
  
  Vicki is the person who first used the phrase ‘V Generation‘ to me. She beams confidence and authority and is one of the new breed of teachers, globally, who is trialling these technologies with her students in highly successful ways.
  
  
  
  
  She has an amazing ‘can do’ authority about her – no equivocation, nay-saying  or dithering, she just gets right on down and does it as she has done with Web 2.0 tools for the last four years. Like all the individuals I have met along the way – she’s a self starter with a whole raft of awards around the internet projects she’s been involved in.
  
  
  
  
  There’s no doubt who is in charge in her classroom but all her projects are highly collaborative and emergent with time built in for reflection on the part of the students. Vicki is one of those new breed of global teachers who just simply changes the system by sheer force of work and dedication.

  tags: in the news

• Being ignored hurts, even by a stranger

  Even eye contact makes a big difference because it helps promote a connection. 
  
  "People who had gotten eye contact from the research assistant, with or without a smile, felt less disconnected than people who had been looked at as if they weren’t there."

  tags: education news pscychology

• Teens migrating to Twitter -- sometimes for privacy

  Kids are going to Twitter like crazy now. Why? Their parents aren't there. Well, I'm there and now I'm cool. Better enjoy my moment of being cool for the 2 seconds it lasts before they move to something else.

  tags: education news socialmedia Twitter

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Ultra Long Distance Wheelchair provides comfort and optimal performance

Ultra Long Distance Wheelchair by Andrew Mitchell. Touring bicycles aren’t as stripped back as their race equivalent. Grand Touring cars exist to make race cars for the road.  Disabled people can enjoy touring bicycle racing with Ultra Long Distance Wheelchair. This wheelchair follows those principals, make a race wheelchair for ultra long distance use. This project was primarily a styling exercise, but consideration was given to comfort and performance as equal priorities. To push thewheelchair along, tracking motion is required and comfort of the user is paramount.

Skycare Wheel Chair for disabled air travelers

For those confined to a wheelchair, getting around onboard an aircraft can be quite challenging and usually requires assistance from one of the flight crew. Adding this element to the already frustrating flying experience can discourage users from travelling altogether. This is where designer Brian Liang'x Skycare Chair features - utilizing wheels placed under the seat rather than at the sides and a retractable hand-operated lever system to push forward for onward motion and backward for reverse. It offers independence when moving to and from the lavatory or from chair to gate.

Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock #teaching 01/30/2012

• 100th Day of School

  Do you celebrate the 100th day of school? My friend Jerry Blumengarten has curated a ton of great ideas for you.

  tags: education lessonplans teaching

• Charles Dickens Lesson Plans and resources

  Charles Dickens birthday is February 7th. Here are resources and lesson plans to help you.

  tags: lessonplans teaching lessons engchat literature charles dickens

• Teaching Resources, Classroom Resources & Lesson Plans - TES Resources

  While the UK celebrates safer internet day on February 7, we can go through and get some great resources for kids of all ages (including some SmartBoard templates.) 

  tags: education digiteen teaching lessonplans technology digitalcitizenship

• Lantern Festival - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  Information on the Chinese lantern festival. 

  tags: education lessonplan teaching

• Teaching Resources, Classroom Resources & Lesson Plans - TES Resources

  In the chinese lantern festival (coming up on February 6), children in China and in other areas across Asia, carry lanterns with riddles on them as they go into their temples. Here are some lesson plans and templates for making your own lanterns. You could have students put riddles on them relating to topics you have going in your classroom.

  tags: education lessonplans teaching china asia holidays globalliteracy all_teachers

• Lasco Maths Challenge | Latin American Street Children Organisation | Lasco Charity

  The Latin American Street Children's Organization has a math challenge that runs this Friday, February 3rd. Registration is open through January 31st. It is open to classrooms around the world. I find this interesting because the students debate the strategies for solving math problems. This is the largest math competition in Ireland but is spreading to other countries. When you participate, each child donates 1 british pound (convert to dollars for US) to participate. This looks like a fascinating competition and one that math teachers, particularly those who have students with Latin American heritage, may be excited to join.

  tags: education math challenge servicelearning teaching lessonplans

• Teaching Resources, Classroom Resources & Lesson Plans - TES Resources

  The LASCO interschools math challenge is open to all schools. It is this Friday, February 3.

  tags: education teaching lessonplans math

• Day for Change 2012 | Schools | Your organisation | Get involved | UNICEF UK

  The UNICEF day for change in the UK. Here is the description of what they are doing this year: sports for development in Uganda. 

  tags: education teaching teacher unicef servicelearning

• Teaching Resources, Classroom Resources & Lesson Plans - TES Resources

  This upcoming Friday is the UNICEF day for change in the UK but what a great idea. I can't find anything on the US website about this activity but it seems to be all over UK websites.  I think that it is a great idea to have some sort of "change day" for children's activities in schools whether it is for UNICEF or another cause. Many students have change in their houses and can do something.

  tags: education teaching teacher unicef servicelearning all_teachers

• Debatabase - World's Largest Debate Database - Debate Topics and Debate Motions

  A website full of debate topics -- a debatabase. Debate is an important skill.

  tags: education teaching lessonplans

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Paul McCartney - Kisses on the Bottom

This is the album that Paul McCartney forever needed to form with the Beatles. It's his fifteenth solo LP – his 1st for nearly 5 years – and includes twelve cowl versions of songs he grew up paying attention to in Liverpool, like Bye Bye Blackbird and It's solely a Paper Moon, that maybe his father would play on the piano.

Oh, and 2 originals.

Listen out, as well, for guest contributions from Diana Krall, Stevie marvel and Eric Clapton.

The album's title, Kisses on rock bottom, comes from lead track i am Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter, originally successful for Fats Waller in 1935.

Don't write us a letter, merely tell us within the comments thread below what you create of the record, due on half dozen February.

Futuristic Transparent Tablet Concept by Thomas Laenner

This Futuristic Transparent Tablet Concept created by Thomas Laenner, who imagined a futuristic tablet with a transparent display and augmented reality features. No information given about the concept. But, this looks like a business tablet, one that’s ideal to use on a construction site, when an engineer is up on top on a hill and watching where the future building will be built, using augmented reality tech. These images shows that the display is simply a sheet of glass, i hope the memory, CPU and camera and integrated into the metallic frames keeping the glass in place.

Gymbot Personal Trainer Robot for healthy life

Adults and young people do not maintain good balance between their body and food. This will really gonna be a problem in the near future. There are solutions that promise you instant result, however nothing beats the strong will to have a healthy lifestyle. You will need a trainer that help you to control and correct your bad behaviors, give you the courage to keep your exercise routine to stay healthy and fit. Massimo Battaglia has come up with interesting scenario for the year of 2020 whereobesity in developed countries would still be a big issue. Gymbot Personal Trainer Robot Concept presented at ICSR 2011 design award and it drew attention from many practitioners.

Due to technology advance in the near future, we can have long lasting battery power and hence, Gymbot Personal Trainer Robot stays with you, 24 hours a day to teach you how to take a good care of yourself, on both food and physical side.

Gymbot Personal Trainer Robot will encourage you to do physical activity, tracks your health record to tailor a physical activity program that suit you best and this robot will show you how to do the exercise properly. This robot is more than just your personal trainer, Gymbot evaluates your pulse and health in real time to prevent any undue stress.

Gymbot Personal Trainer Robot has the ability to quantify your progress and is able to understand what and how much you should eat in order to give advice on proper diet. This robot is an innovative approach to prevent many health issues, it can help you to tackle your laziness, it corrects your bad habits.

Gymbot Personal Trainer Robot technical description:
Gymbot is a humanoid robot with articulated joints that mimics any human movement with ease, speed and precision. Behind its helmet-viewer there’s a 3D video camera with scanner function and thermal camera. Using a directional microphone, this robot can measure heart rate, and consequently blood pressure.

Fat mass index is calculated using two sensors of electrical impedance present on the hands of Gymbot. On the chest there is a touchscreen through which Gymbot can show the exercises to be performed, the results achieved and whatever else you want.

Gymbot Personal Trainer Robot is voice activated and can interact smoothly in different languages. It has a dynamic design to evoke its function of personal trainer, the humanoid form was an obvious choice because Gymbot must be able to perform any movement when accompanies the user during exercises.

[Article & Images Source]

Edu app news: apps, ebooks, and sites for your classroom #mlearning 01/30/2012

• 1:1 in Practice at Sinarmas World Academy

  This teacher is using iTunes producer to write books for her students in Indonesian and has run into trouble, however, here is her advice with screenshots and graphics. Some very practical advice to those writing free ibooks for their students.

  tags: education apple edapp eduapp ibook ebook

• Letter Reflex - Overcoming Letter Reversals GIVEAWAY! - Educational Apps For Kids

  An app to help with letter reversals. This website has nice reviews, but I like the approach being taken by Classroom Window and hope you'll join me over there in writing reviews.

  tags: education eduapp eduapps dysgraphia

• Moment Garden

  This website lets you create a timeline for your child but can also be used for children. When you use it, it creates a special email that lets you update their moment garden by sending to the email.

  tags: eduapp edapp memories parenting

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Learning about Learning: Research and Edreform News and Views 01/30/2012

• Harnessing Gaming for the Classroom - NYTimes.com

  Nice article in the New York Times about game based learning. (Hat tip Larry Ferlazzo's Twitter stream.)
  
  "Speaking at the Learning Without Frontiers conference in London last week, he said that computer games stimulate the brain’s reward system to produce dopamine, a chemical “which helps orient our attention and enhances the making of connections between neurons, which is the physical basis for learning.”
  
  Mr. Howard-Jones said that research has shown that the introduction of a chance or game element into any reward system increases dopamine production. “For generations, we educators have done everything we can to maintain a consistent relationship between reward and achievement, but the neuroscience is telling us something different,” he said in an interview."

  tags: education news gamebasedlearning

• In Autistic Kids, ‘Thinking in Words’ Improves Mental Flexibility | Psych Central News

  A new study of autistic students uncovers ways to help students work through problems, schedules, and activities. This is a must read article for those who work with autistic children
  
  "Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may benefit from verbally learning their daily schedule at school instead of using visual timetables, the common approach."

  tags: autism research learning

• Visual Turn • Why student success is such a radical idea

  Different paradigms in online free learning are evolving and I found this comparison on visualturn between MITx and Udacity to be an interesting one. Sebastian Thrun believes that weeding out students doesn't promote learning and what he's going to do about it.
  
  "Sebastian Thrun recently announced he is leaving Stanford to offer free online courses through a platform called Udacity.com, which also will offer certificates of completion.
  
  Both MITx and Udacity are experiments in offering online learning to large numbers of students for free, along with some kind of “official” recognition of achievement. One way they differ is in their orientation toward student success and completion."

  tags: education news openlearning

• Lasco Maths Challenge | Latin American Street Children Organisation | Lasco Charity

  The Latin American Street Children's Organization has a math challenge that runs this Friday, February 3rd. Registration is open through January 31st. It is open to classrooms around the world. I find this interesting because the students debate the strategies for solving math problems. This is the largest math competition in Ireland but is spreading to other countries. When you participate, each child donates 1 british pound (convert to dollars for US) to participate. This looks like a fascinating competition and one that math teachers, particularly those who have students with Latin American heritage, may be excited to join.

  tags: education math challenge servicelearning teaching lessonplans

• Day for Change 2012 | Schools | Your organisation | Get involved | UNICEF UK

  The UNICEF day for change in the UK. Here is the description of what they are doing this year: sports for development in Uganda. 

  tags: education teaching teacher unicef servicelearning

• Teaching Resources, Classroom Resources & Lesson Plans - TES Resources

  This upcoming Friday is the UNICEF day for change in the UK but what a great idea. I can't find anything on the US website about this activity but it seems to be all over UK websites.  I think that it is a great idea to have some sort of "change day" for children's activities in schools whether it is for UNICEF or another cause. Many students have change in their houses and can do something.

  tags: education teaching teacher unicef servicelearning all_teachers

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Spoon Chucking our Life and Learning out the Back

"Sometimes we throw more out the back door with a spoon than we can bring in the front door with a wheelbarrow," said my Poppa Adams. (My great-grandfather.)

I've been thinking about this saying and how it applies to my classroom, my pocketbook, my life. I guess it is another version of the "small holes sink big ships" kind of thinking.

Classroom

• Are we spoon chucking away our classroom time?
  
  Add up all the distractions: fire drills, testing (if you're stuck with mandatory testing), assemblies, kids leaving for sports and how much time do you really have to teach? Perhaps if administrators look at the classroom time that is being "spoon chucked" out the back door it will help improve learning because kids will have more time to learn.
  
• Are we spoon chucking away the time we do have?
  It is rare that I will end 5 minutes early. Multiple 5 minutes by 5 days and that is 25 minutes a week. Multiple that by 30 weeks and you have 750 minutes or 12.5 hours a school year. You could teach so much. If you HAVE to finish early, use this time for thought provoking conversations or something of meaning in your topic. You could do the same at the beginning of class if you don't start on time.
  
• Are we spoon chucking away our relationships with our students?
  Researchers have shown that even eye contact helps people feel more connected and that those who don't feel connected aren't as happy. That extra few moments at your desk grading while the students come in might be you spoon chucking away your relationship with your students. Perhaps you should be at the door making eye contact and calling them by name.

Pocketbook

• Are we spoon chucking away our money?

Every so often, I call and get a new credit card from the same company just so I can discontinue using the old one. That way, I have to consciously decide that I am going to keep spending on those debits on my credit card. Do I really need all those things I'm charging every month?

• Are we spending our money on the wrong things and spoon chucking away the happiness?
  
  A new study shows that we are happier when we buy experiences -- when we go places with people -- than when we buy things? Will that extra rug in the den make you happier -- no? But if you took that money and went out with your family, it might just. Things don't make you happy. Makes me want to live in a shack and travel the world when I think about it.

In Conclusion

Poppa Adams was a smart man and I am collecting the sayings that he passed down to my Dad (his grandson.) I'm pondering this whole thought in all areas of my life and putting up my spoons. Sometimes our solution is to get more wheelbarrows, when instead we should look at what is being thrown out the back door.

Photo Credit: Big Stock

Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 01/30/2012

• Live Interview Tuesday, January 31st - David Loertscher on Physical and Virtual Learning Commons and Building Personal Learning Environments

  David Loertscher is an inspiring, brilliant researcher who has written some great books on the learning commons and the evolution of the library. He is an expert. You'll want to join this free interview at 5pm Pacific, 8pm Eastern. Librarians and administrators should attend this session. I've learned so much from David.

  tags: education librarian librarians news

• Harnessing Gaming for the Classroom - NYTimes.com

  Nice article in the New York Times about game based learning. (Hat tip Larry Ferlazzo's Twitter stream.)
  
  "Speaking at the Learning Without Frontiers conference in London last week, he said that computer games stimulate the brain’s reward system to produce dopamine, a chemical “which helps orient our attention and enhances the making of connections between neurons, which is the physical basis for learning.”
  
  Mr. Howard-Jones said that research has shown that the introduction of a chance or game element into any reward system increases dopamine production. “For generations, we educators have done everything we can to maintain a consistent relationship between reward and achievement, but the neuroscience is telling us something different,” he said in an interview."

  tags: education news gamebasedlearning

• Buying New Experiences, Not Things, Tied to Happiness | Psych Central News

  If you're going to spend money, buy experiences not things. I also wonder if this would apply to schools. Are we happier doing novel activities or in having new gadgets in our classrooms? 
  
  "A new study suggests that those who spend money to do things are happier than those who spend their money on possessions."

  tags: education news psychology happiness

• New research suggests Fomalhaut B may not be a planet after all

  We thought we had a new planet - fomalhaut b, but a team at Princeton says the original findings are in error.

  tags: education science news

• Editorials & Opinion | JUST FIX IT | Losing kids on the path to prosperity | Seattle Times Newspaper

  This Seattle Times Editorial about the state of education in Washington State is one of the most useful I have ever read. It explains the situation with facts,includes useful infographic and summarizes each topic with a practical recommendations.This is a formula I wish we would see more often instead of the emotion-filled fact-absent research-bending opeds that seem to be the norm in most media outlets.

  tags: education news

• Franklin Schargel: President Obama's Plan to Raise the School Dropout Age Will Not Work

  Will raising the dropout rate help? What happens when you have students who are being promoted even though they are not capable? Will this just cost money or will it improve learning?
  
  Here is an article on the Huffington post for those who want to join in the debate.
  President Obama, in his State of the Union Address, called for every state to require students to stay in school until they turn 18.

  tags: education news

• Visual Turn • Why student success is such a radical idea

  Different paradigms in online free learning are evolving and I found this comparison on visualturn between MITx and Udacity to be an interesting one. Sebastian Thrun believes that weeding out students doesn't promote learning and what he's going to do about it.
  
  "Sebastian Thrun recently announced he is leaving Stanford to offer free online courses through a platform called Udacity.com, which also will offer certificates of completion.
  
  Both MITx and Udacity are experiments in offering online learning to large numbers of students for free, along with some kind of “official” recognition of achievement. One way they differ is in their orientation toward student success and completion."

  tags: education news openlearning

• Google Opens Google+ to Teens | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

  Interestingly, if a stranger joins a hangout, google will kick a teen user off their own hangout. Anyone who is 13 and up can now use Google plus.
  
  "Google said Thursday that it is opening up its Google+ social network to teens 13 and over, while rolling out new protections for those teens who join."

  tags: education google news googleplus edu_news

• Chapter 1 Introduction - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Flat Classroom Book

  Here are the resources from the first chapter of the Flat Classroom book along with the first chapter. 

  tags: education flatclass news

• Book Features - Flat Classroom Book

  The book is out, so I can share what we did with our book features in the book. The graphic design is amazing (but I am quite partial.) The website will be finished up this week (we had to wait for the final book copy to tweak some things and wanted to release the pages as it launched.) 

  tags: education news flatclassroom

• teachers's Channel - YouTube

  Here is the youtube for teachers channel as part of the youtube edu initiative. You can drill down by videos for your school by subject area.

  tags: education news

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.