Scott McLeod - Technology leveraging learning

Scott McLeod, J.D., Ph.D, discusses his views on the importance of technology in learning and the need to revolutionize education to give kids the skills they need to compete in an increasingly interconnected and digital world.

Scott McLeod is the founding Director of CASTLE (Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education), Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky, and current Director of Innovation for Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency 8 in Iowa.

Isn't physics awesome!

Atoms are not what makes up the greater percentage of our universe as is written in most textbooks. It's dark energy and dark matter.
What interesting about this is nobody knows exactly what dark energy or dark matter is! Michio Kaku does a great job in this presentation of summarizing the story of physics. Only 42 minutes and it explains so much. Very interesting. I love the story he tells when he was a boy building an experiment in his parents garage.

Eric Rosenbaum

Creativity, Computers and Crocodile Clips




Singing Fingers - free iPad App

Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office

Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office

Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office brings collaborative multi-person editing to the familiar Microsoft® Office experience. You can share, backup and simultaneously edit Microsoft Word, PowerPoint® and Excel® documents with colleagues.

Google Cloud Connect allows you to work on your office docs offline and synchronize once you are connected. At the same time backing up to your google docs and allowing you to collaborated and share. Use the link below to download on your computer. Google Cloud Connect will show up below your office tool bar. 

 

Watch the videos below to learn how Google Cloud Connect teaches your old docs new tricks.

For more info and the free download: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/cloudconnect

ArtRage 3 for iPad

Touch technology has the potential to open up many new educational opportunity. Touch allows us to interact more intuitively with a digital interface. ArtRage 3 on the iPad 2 is an one example of this.  I have used ArtRage 2 in the classroom before. It's a creatively simulating and exciting software program. Children are able to learn and practice drawing and painting techniques. They can create their own oil paintings and other types of artwork with out the mess and setup time normally required. Using the iPad and ArtRage 3 brings this experience from the mouse to the brush. I can't wait to try this out with a group of children.    

"Computers are bicycles for the mind" Steve Jobs

A personal note composed Thursday 6th October 2011 NZ time:

From an early age microcomputers caught my imagination. I was about 12 years old when the Apple 2e came out in New Zealand.  I was completely infatuated by this machine. I had limited access at school. However, every opportunity I had I would cherish. Thanks to the computer and physic teacher Mr Hunt, one school holiday I got to take an apple 2e home. I will never forget the excitement. Needless to say I didn’t get a lot of sleep over the next two weeks. I started adding “apple 2e” to the family shopping list on a weekly basis. About 5 years later I had saved $2500.00 to buy my first computer the apple 2e. By this time it was fairly old but nonetheless I had to have it. So instead of buying a car at this stage of my life, like most normal kiwi boys, I purchased my first computer. Over the years my passion has served me well and I became a primary teacher. In more recent years an ICT specialist teacher. I feel I have passed this passion on to many children over the years. To this day I still have a flash computer and a rubbish car. I dare say it’s largely thanks to one man, Steve Jobs – RIP.

Popplet - Mind-mapping Web 2.0 Tools

Popplet - A easy to use, collaborative mind mapping tool.

Bring ideas together from FHS shared statement about what is elearning.

Compare and contrast the below mindmap for key competencies. Can you see the crossovers?

eLearning @ Forrest Hill School

Click hyperlink to see in full screen: http://popplet.com/app/#/48813

Taken from http://allanahk.edublogs.org/. Linking web 2.0 tools to key competencies.

Key Competencies

Click hyperlink to see in full screen: http://popplet.com/app/#/13953