Into the Driver's Seat

By Larry Ferlazzo, Rosanna Elden, and Donalyn Miller

Summary by MiddleWeb SmartBrief

:Ideas such as making sure any intensely graded assignments are due two weeks before the end of the year, and having students work on group or reflective projects in their final days are among those suggested by educators and authors Roxanna Elden and Donalyn Miller in this blog post, compiled by educator Larry Ferlazzo, about finishing the school year. "The temptation to go on autopilot is strong during the final stretch of the school year, but that doesn't mean veering off course," Elden writes."

Yes commencement speeches are often little more than platitudes. But as David Foster Wallace Jeff Bezos and Arianna Huffington show us some platitudes can save your life"

Date: 15–16 June 2013

Venue: Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, New York, USA

Preliminary Congress Program

The second international Global Future 2045 congress will take place on 15-16 June 2013 at the Lincoln Center in New York, and will be focused on discussion of a new evolutionary strategy for humanity aimed at overcoming the 21st century’s civilization challenges. The strategy is based on carrying out two revolutions: spiritual and sci-tech. We believe this is the only way to overcome existing crises.

At the congress, a vision will be presented for the spiritual transformation of humanity, and new technologies will be demonstrated which are likely to form the basis of the sci-tech revolution. The congress will also showcase our Avatar science mega-project, aimed at accelerating the creation of technologies enabling a gradual transition from our biological bodies to an increasingly advanced artificial carrier of the human self.

"Today at its I/O event, Google announced Google Play for Education: A version of the Play store that is aimed and curated for young kids.

"Applications that are in the Play for Education store are sorted by age and genre. So, users can find math-based applications that are appropriate for their kindergartener, who wants to learn more math.

"However, what is most interesting about Play for Education is the ability for administrators to send out applications to their entire tablet fleet. So, if a school wants to send an app to their 200 Nexus 7 devices, they can do so, by simply inputting the group’s name. The app will be pushed out by Google."

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By Justin Pot

"Tweak Gmail to work exactly the way you want it to. Whether you want to integrate social media icons in your signature, see more information about your contacts, or deal with an email later instead of now, Chrome’s seemingly endless collection of extensions has you covered.

"If you’re looking to get the most out of Gmail, you’ve come to the right place.

"We take great pride in our list of the best Chrome extensions, and try to update it regularly. There are more than a few Gmail-related extensions to be found there, but they’re not all there – and there is no way to filter to only Gmail-specific plugins. This list is an attempt to remedy that.

"Some of these extensions I use; some I hear about constantly from friends and colleagues. Everyone’s workflow is different, so not every extension will work for everyone. If you love Gmail, however, at least one of these tools is bound to make you happy."

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"Free Tools and Resources to Help Students Develop 21st Century Skills

Our online tools create active learning environments where students can engage in discussions, analyze information, pursue investigations, and solve problems. You’ll also find teaching resources, including lesson plans, assessment strategies, and technology-enriched project ideas for all K–12 subjects."

By Andrew Smith Lewis

"It is an error to think that personalized learning is just set of digitized practice problems. We’re not talking about old multiplication tables in newly digitized form, where students get increasingly difficult questions until they get one wrong, then get easier problems until they get them right again. Those kinds of tools are trivial, and they’re not oriented to change outcomes. Digitized drill-and-kill is not revolutionary, nor is it personalized.

The fact that any learning tool is digital is simply table stakes these days. Digital is a condition of modern living and learning — nothing more, and nothing less."

by Maria Popova

"On May 21, 2005, David Foster Wallace got up before the graduating class of Kenyon college and delivered one of history’s most memorable commencement addresses. It wasn’t until Wallace’s death in 2008 that the speech took on a life of its own under the title This Is Water, and was even adapted into a short book. Now, the fine folks of The Glossary have remixed an abridged version of Wallace’s original audio with a sequence of aptly chosen images to give one pause:"

Wallace: “The real value of a real education … has almost nothing to do with knowledge and everything to do with simple awareness.”

New Ken Robinson video from Discovery Education Network, posted May 6, 2013. Runs for about an hour. Always a great pleasure to listen to him.

By Greg Anrig

Summary by Carnegie Perspectives

"The Cincinnati school district has improved both test scores and graduation rates since 2003 while -- unlike Atlanta and Washington -- transparently pursuing highly collaborative reform strategies that, counter to the current trend, don't rely on rigid hierarchy and punitive accountability. Because Cincinnati has implemented proven instructional approaches while nurturing a culture in which administrators, teachers, parents, and community groups closely communicate and work together as teams, the case serves as an important counterweight to the public school stories that have been dominating the news in the past few years. It also can serve as a roadmap for reversing course from the high-pressure tactics that gave rise to the cheating scandals and led to little progress elsewhere."

Edited by Karen Forni

"Technology has expanded the meaning of “classroom” to include any physical or virtual space for formal learning. For educators and designers trained and experienced with the physical classroom, however, virtual classrooms can be daunting. How do you engage students you can’t see? What if someone’s network or Internet connection drops or is slow? How do you select the appropriate virtual-classroom (or virtual-world) platform?

"In this eBook, experts provide 129 tips for educators and designers who want to make the best use of these technologies. Whether you are brand new to virtual classrooms and virtual worlds or have been working with them for a while, you should find something in here for you, in areas including:

Using virtual-classroom and virtual-world features effectivelyInstructional design and presentation skills for the classroomPros and cons of virtual classrooms and virtual worldsPros and cons of physical and blended classroomsGames for the classroomMobile and social learning for the classroom

By Sam McNerney

"...it is inherently difficult for designers to explain and ultimately sell an idea to an analytically minded client. After all, with money on the line it is probably not reassuring if you, the client, hear from a designer that a design will work because it “elicits warmth” “feels positive” or “conforms to human nature.” These abstractions may correctly describe a design but they did not communicate, in concrete terms, its potential value well. 

"In a recent exchange Michael explained how embodiment might provide a new vocabulary with two examples. One involved a premium home goods project, in which he and his team gathered from consumer interviews that certain production details like hand sewn contrast stitching (as opposed to laser-welded seams) created impressions of authenticity and longevity. They converged on the product direction, “materials that wear in instead of wearing out” and used leather because scuffs and creases communicated personalization and durability. 

"In the second project Michael and his team wanted to design a product that communicated healthiness. He knew that taut, plump corners suggested “healthy” while ruffled corners suggested “wrinkled” and “old” but needed to show clients why. To do this Michael and his team juxtaposed a freshly picked apple with a withered apple and asked the client which one they would like to eat. The entire boardroom chose the fresh apple and the capital expenditure was approved for design production."