Ideas

This page was created to store ideas and organize the content before making it public.

My current concern is how to create a link from personal reading to professional sharing. I would like to have an email address, or link that would upload content and save bookmarks that I would like to share on this wiki

=Establish a Professional Web Presence this Weekend= lifehacker.com We’re all on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or some other social media sites, but the web is also a great place to connect for work purposes. If you want to get yourself out there and share your skill set, here are some things you can do this weekend to get the ball rolling.

Make a Professional Profile
Chances are you’re already on [|LinkedIn], the most popular social network for professionals, but there are plenty of ways you can build on that and other great options as well. We’ve [| previously discussed how you can increase your hirability using LinkedIn], so that’s a good place to start. You can also [| build a resume from your LinkedIn profile], [| create an infographic], and [| use FellowUp to turn your LinkedIn (and other) data into a personal assistant]. If you’d like to veer off from the standard LinkedIn path, however, there are some other services that are definitely worth checking out. [| Path.to] and [| Zerply] both create attractive professional profiles with your work history. You can even import from LinkedIn and Facebook. If you’re particularly worried about how your Facebook profile looks to prospective employers, you can [| use Identified to find out].

Create Your Own Landing Page or Web Site
While professional networks can be a great way to, well, network, they often do not allow for a ton of customization or control. It’s good to establish yourself online in some way, where it’s a landing page or full-blown web site. We’ve looked at [|several great personal landing page options], but our favorite ([|and yours]) is [|Flavors.me]. We’ve also created a [| open-sourced personal landing page] should you want to have total control over your content. If you need more than just a single page, we can teach you [| how to make a web site]. We also have [| plenty of design tips] and [| a full-blown lesson on designing a site in Photoshop].

Get Your Materials in Order
We’re [| living in a post-resume world], to some extent, so it might be time to think about alternative ways to promote yourself on your landing page, web site, or professional network. Some suggest an [| online biography], but with some jobs you’ll be more successful by offering a short introductory statement and a link to your professional profile. If you think a regular resume is the best course of action for you, however, we’ve got [| plenty of tips]. [| Keeping it brief], [| dropping common words and phrases], and [| choosing the right style] are all important. If you’re looking for tips specific to your specific resume, however, try web service [| RezScore]. It’ll analyze your resume and provide you with personalized feedback so you can avoid overused words, poor formatting, and other problems. Getting yourself out there and finding a job can be tough, especially in a (long) recession, but the more you do the greater your chances. If you’re striking out with your current skills, maybe it’s time to [|learn a new one]. By the way, if you’ve got any handy tips on establishing a professional presence online, be sure to share them in the comments. And have a great, productive weekend! You can follow Adam Dachis, the author of this post, on, , and. Twitter’s the best way to contact him, too.

=11 Books to Inspire, Encourage, and Cleanup Your Writing= lifehack.org [|Stepcase Lifehack]**Subscribe:** =[|11 Books to Inspire, Encourage, and Cleanup Your Writing]= September 8 by [|Chris Smith] | [|11 comments] | [|Lifehack] | I’d like to call myself a writer. But I have found that it is hard to do. Mostly because of fear of the craft and how I sometimes don’t think that I can “stack up” to other, better writers. What I have found is that my notion of me being terrible at writing isn’t anything unique. Not in the slightest. The best writers in the world all struggle with this notion on a daily basis. It’s hard for me to believe that writers like Steven King and Natalie Goldberg don’t believe that they are awesome at writing all the time, but it’s true. So, instead of being hard on myself I decided to read what other writers had to say as well as learn some writing technique in the process. Below are 11 books that can help you inspire, encourage and clean up your writing. [| On Writing Well] This book is a classic and one of the first that I read when I got into writing. Zinsser writes in a very approachable style and reminds you that writing isn’t always fun; that it is a real job and that you have to write through blood, sweat, procrastination, and tears to be considered a writer. He is the one that helped me understand that writing less is more.

[| On Writing]
It would be hard to not include a book about writing from one of the best selling authors of all time; Stephen King. This book dives into King as a person and also provides the reader with how he stays motivated and how he goes about the writing process. There is some excellent stuff in this book and definitely worth reading a few times to glean.
 * Anyone that listens to Metallica while writing horror and mystery is my kind of human.**

[| Writing Down the Bones]
Ah, what can I say about Natalie Goldberg? That she is one of the greatest writing enthusiasts and teachers I have come across. In Writing Down the Bones, Goldberg reminds us that we can’t beat ourselves up as writers and no matter what we will. She shows us how to get out of our “monkey mind” and how to write without the inner critic stopping your from putting down your ideas. If you are a writer or even know a writer, Writing Down the Bones can “inspire” you and move you to keep your ideas and pen moving.

[|The Artist’s Way]
Several months ago I heard about the [| idea of writing 750 words a day to get out of myself and to keep the flame of writing alive]. It helps you by making a guarantee with yourself; no matter what, no matter how tired or apathetic I am, I will write 750 words a day. That idea came from the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Cameron suggests writing “Morning Pages” every day. The idea is to write 3 pages of long hand writing and no matter what don’t stop while you are writing. It is supposed to liven the writer in you as well as work through some cruft so you can be more creative. And it works.

[| Bird by Bird]
Bird by Bird is a book by the infamous Anne Lamot. I have yet to read it but from the endless awesome reviews at Amazon, it seems to be a truly great book about writing. Lamott is known for speaking her mind and isn’t afraid to tell you the truth about writing. She has written around a dozen books

[| The Courage to Write]
//The Courage to Write// is what it says; a short book to help writers not be afraid of the keyboard or pen and help to get them writing more. Raplh Keyes is a well known writing teacher and in this book tries to help us get over the fear of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboards). Keyes writes about the reasons why we become fearful of writing and it’s no surprise that the fear is something in ourselves rather than something external.

[|The Pocket Muse] and [| The Pocket Muse 2]
This is a fun book and isn’t truly a writing technique book like most of the others. What the //Pocket Muse// is intended to do is give writers a spark to write and be creative. There are many sayings and prompts throughout the book with different types of visuals to get a writer’s mind going. It’s a nice little book to have by your side, especially if you want to find something for a little boost to get started writing.

[| The Daily Writer]
The Daily Writer is another book that isn’t completely about writing technique. What the Daily Writer provides is 366 prompts and writing exercises that you can use everyday. Every good writer that I have encountered over the years has kept a journal or has written every single day without fail. So, something like the daily writer coupled with the above mentioned Morning Pages can kickstart your writing habit and your creative process. I’ve used the Daily Writer for almost 7 months now and it is definitely worth the time and money to check out.

[| Immediate Fiction]
I tend to not write fiction but have been thinking about trying some more and more. Especially when a friend recommended “Immediate Fiction” to me. Once again, I don’t have first hand knowledge of this book, but according to my friend and reviewers on Amazon, this is one of the best books for help with writing fiction.

[| The Elements of Style (4th Edition)]
Ah, the classic. I remember sitting in my first semester of college writing with this weirdly colored and amazingly short book as our text. I in no way recognized the importance of Mr. Strunk’s book then. It took several years and a revisit to college to understand its impact on my writing. The 11 rules of Usage and Composition are extremely valuable and something that every potential writer should take note of.

[| The Essential Don Murray: Lessons from America’s Greatest Writing Teacher]
Don Murray is sort of the “black horse of writing”. Not too many people outside of the field know about him as he doesn’t have the grand allure of authors like Steven King. But Don Murray may have been one of the best writers and writing coaches in the West. //The Essential Don Murray// is a collection of all of Murray’s scattered works and provides the reader with many strategies and tips for writing. But, what this book truly shows us is how much Murray loved writing and tries to help the reader love it too. Chris is a developer, writer, tech enthusiast, and husband. He holds a degree in MIS and CMPSC from Penn State Behrend. Chris is also interested in personal productivity, creativity and how to use technology to get things done. Check out his writing at [|devburner.net] or follow him on [|Twitter].

=Free Technology for Teachers: 10 Sites and Services I'm Using This Semester= freetech4teachers.com

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
===[| 10 Sites and Services I’m Using This Semester]=== Every year in the course of writing this blog I look at and try out hundreds of new services that educators can use. So it’s not surprising that usually after I give a “best of the web” presentation at a school or conference people ask me which services I’m actually using in my classroom. The answer changes from semester to semester, but here are the ones my students and I are currently using. This list is in no particular order other than how I thought of them as I wrote out the list.

1. [|Posterous]. My students are required to write a weekly reflective blog post in which they share what they learned and what they have questions about. We’re using Posterous because it is very easy for students to contribute to the blog by sending an email.

2. [|Blogger]. I’ve been using Blogger for years to run a blog for all of my students. MrByrneTeaches.com is where I post outlines, slides, assignments, videos, and other materials for all my students to access.

3. [|Google Voice]. I use Google Voice for students and parents to text me with questions.

4. [|XTimeline]. A good service for creating multimedia timelines.

5. [|Google Maps]. In one of my classes students are using Google Maps to create maps of the westward expansion of the United States.

6. [|Apture]. Apture is a browser plug-in that allows students to highlight words on webpages and instantly access information about those words.

7. [|We Video]. One of my classes has just started using We Video to create videos about the US Government’s treatment of Native Americans.

8. [|Drop It To Me]. I use this service to collect assignments online.Students can send files directly to my Dropbox.com account.

9. [|Todays Meet]. This is still my favorite back-channel service because of it’s simplicity and ease of use.

10. [|Aviary]. Aviary offers a great online service for creating audio tracks that my students can use in their video projects.

There are other services and sites that my students and I will use this fall but the ten above are the ones that we will use most often. Posted by Mr. Byrne at [|9:11 PM] Subscribe to: [|Post Comments (Atom)]

=How to grow a textbook by Joyce Kasman Valenza= techlearning.com

How to grow a textbook by Joyce Kasman Valenza
Jan 12Written by:

1/12/2011 6:36 AM Last week a young colleague wrote to me with a dilemma. Her high school was cutting funds for textbooks. Teachers were panicked. She wanted to help. She phoned and we brainstormed some strategies. It occurred to me that others might want to join this brainstorming. It also occurred to me, that regardless of how you feel about textbooks—in this brave new world, a world of open curricula and academic sharing and super easy digital publishing—this may be the best time ever to be without.

Why? The types of classroom texts (or courseware) many of us may be currently unaware we are building, already have potential beyond the power of ordinary text. And they can be media-rich, elastic, dynamic, instantly updated, collaborative, inclusive, locally relevant, globally conscious, equitable.

Let me share some textbook growing strategies and some portals for selecting texty resources.

Start with an outline

Use your district’s scope and sequence, existing state and national standards or the[| Common Core State Standards] as they are published and developed. You might even begin with the outline of your old text or content from the culminating test (AP?) your learners will be expected to master.

Grab a virtual binding

First, you’ll need some type of teacher-friendly platform for building, a virtual binding. We use[| Wikispaces for Teachers]. Other choices might include[| PBWiki], [| Google Sites],[| LiveBinders], or[| Netvibes], or a course management system like[| Moodle], or a social networking platform like[| Edmodo],[| SocialGo,][| Group.s,][| Spruz] or[| Ning]. I am beginning to use[| LibGuides] as a tool for building curriculum and curricular resources.

Unpack and publish your traditional documents

Use any of a growing variety of[| publishing tools] to publish your existing content, the stuff you’ve stored on your desktop in PDF, doc or ppt formats, or keep in print in a file cabinet. Upload those docs. Grab the embed code and transform them into super-attractive flippable, sharable, searchable online books. My personal favorites are[| Issuu] and[| DocStoc].

Grab a few solid updating tools

You’ll need a strategy for keeping your textbook fresh. To fully exploit the dynamic potential of an online textbook, you’ll want to search for RSS feeds and dynamic widgets that inform learning in your content area. I’ve compiled a list of newsy widgets, but consider the news and journal sources truly relevant to your course(s) and simply grab relevant feeds whenever you see that lovely little orange RSS square. The [| New York Times Widget Builder] is just one example of a portal from which you can grab more than 10,000 feeds. You may also consider setting up a Twitter feed, perhaps from a reliable and relevant publication or organization.

Grab books for solid, more static content

I’d absolutely visit[| Google Books] (or any of a growing number of[| ebook portals]) to grab full and generous partial (preview) views of course-relevant books to link to and embed. For English and history teachers, this may be particularly exciting. Classics and primary sources are widely available. Books on U.S. and world history are out there like never before. Embed a few great titles for each unit. Have learners search for and make suggestions.

Grab databases and database articles, essays, chapters

For dynamic content, for authoritative and diverse points of view, for materials written at the level of the learner, you can’t beat subscription databases. If you are a librarian, this is the time to load your teachers’ textbooky sites with databases and ebooks and their search widgets as content resources and so that students may identify and grab their own content for inquiry. So that teachers may link to specific articles, documents, and ebook chapters to support learning goals. If you are not a librarian, ask your librarian to gift you with the links and widgets you need to get easily to such databases as elibrary, JSTOR, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, ABC-CLIO’s many history products, Facts On File, Gale’s substantial collections of journals and reference ebooks. This list also includes products from Wilson and Salem and Grolier and EBSCO and World Book and Culturegrams and Congressional Quarterly. Your state likely subscribes to resources you can’t live without. Pennsylvania, for instance, provides the[| Power Library Resources] to all schools. Your own school library likely provides even more fabulous subscription-only content carefully selected for your learners. On their own, these databases may make a more than wonderful textbook!

Grab the right search tools

In terms of free search tools, build a list of search tools relevant to your class and your learners’ needs and levels. It’s so much[| bigger than Google’s opening screen]. No modern history class (or science class) text should be without a link to Google News Timeline or the[| Time Archive]. No English class should be without a link to[| Google Books]. No science or math class should be without a link to[| Wolfram|Alpha.] Your higher level, upperclassmen/women will need an introduction to some more academic search tools. If you are in an elementary or middle school setting, grab some of the search tools designed for younger searchers.

Grab your own presentations and shop for the best of others

Take your PowerPoint or Prezi or Keynote or Google presentations and publish them on a portal like[| SlideShare] or[| AuthorStream]. Embed them on the appropriate pages of your text. While you are visiting these portals, shop for presentations that others have generously posted for sharing. Embed those too.

Grab a couple of pathfinders

Your librarian, or someone else’s, has likely already gathered (or will happily gather) quality resources for your classes in the form of a pathfinder, or a blue print for research. Link to these pathfinders. Search for others using the language or topics of your content area and the word pathfinder. You are welcome to use some of our pathfinders. We are beginning to build a pathfinder portal wiki. You may also explore an existing community of pathfinders presented on SpringShare’s[| LibGuides Community].

Grab some film

Documentary and educational films are also far more available and sharable than ever before. They will not only add life to your texts, they will add opportunities to explore media messages in your area of specialty. I’ve grabbed my many favorites together in a[|Nonfiction Film Pathfinder]and worked with one of my student teachers to create a Google Custom Searchfor video. Those portals include[|Snagfilms],[|Free Documentaries], and[|Top Documentary Films]. One of my creative teacher efforts, supporting both history and the humanities, is the[| History for Music Lovers]portal on YouTube. Song parody and remix and media-based teaching at their most useful, these little videos will make great introductions to high school level //chapters//. Another incredible portal for instruction video is the[|Khan Academy]. Founded by Salman Kahn, this nonprofit, open source effort, now hosts more than 18,000 12-minute videos, and aims to be a s//tand-alone virtual school//. [|Academic Earth]offers video lectures on the university level across all content areas. The[|TED talks]offer a rich array of content to enhance nearly every high school course. Jackie Gerstein pulls these talks together in her[| Teaching with TED]wiki. Don’t forget more obvious sources like YouTube and Vimeo and some of the portals for video for younger learners. And remember also your school or library’s video databases, for instance[|Discovery Streaming],[|Safari Montage],[|BrainPop]. Grab what you need for your text!

Grab some open source curriculum I am blown away by the sheer number of [| free portals that share open curricula]. Most are particularly strong in math and science. On the elementary level, check out Scholastic’s [| StudyJams] for math and science and the [| WikiJunior Project.]

Here are just two of my many favorites:

Consider also searching for and linking and creating your own virtual field trips. Simple K12 has gathered a [| nice list] of examples. In addition to open curricula, you can easily make use of a growing number of [|teaching portals]. One of my persona favorites is the [|New York Times Learning Network], offering thoughtful lessons [|across the disciplines] based on Times articles.
 * CK12 Flexbooks, a growing K12 library that now includes more than 50 books, uses an open-content, web-based collaborative model termed the “FlexBook,” CK-12 intends to pioneer the generation and distribution of high quality educational content that will serve both as core text as well as provide an adaptive environment for learning. The current Creative Commons content, aligned with national and California textbook standards, covers science, technology, engineering and math. Materials may be added to, customized, mixed, modified, and printed. You may even choose to build you text or FlexBook in this space.
 * [| Curriki] is an open file cabinet, a really big one, open to the world. Founded in 2004, it offers teachers, students and parents access to free, open-source, peer-reviewed K-12 curricula, activities, and online collaboration tools. Materials are rated by editors and the global community. Because this shared content is open source, teachers are encouraged to build and customize shared resource. [|Curriki]  invites groups of teachers or professors to use its online editing tools to take a curriculum framework and use the tools to create and edit a book, or develop sections and pages of an instructional textbook.

Grab some student work Invest your learners in building your text. They can create content using [|digital storytelling tools]. You can publish their best written work using [|digital publishing tools]. You can use your current learners’ efforts as models for future learners. Last year one of our U.S. history teachers, asked his students create their own texts  for the years 2000 through 2010, years not covered by their print volume. The resulting content, gathered together from individual wikis, was fascinating in its scope and variety.

Grab some other stuff You’ll want to include tools for students to organize their thinking  and writing, tools for [| digital storytelling], for finding [| copyright-friendly media], for [| documentation].

Set reasonable textpectations You can’t build all this e-texty goodness in a day. You won’t build it in a semester. But you can build a baseline for growing a dynamic, elastic, and powerful text.

And you can’t, or shouldn’t, do this growing alone. Work with a librarian. Engage your own learners as scouts and discerners of quality and relevance, as well as makers of content. Plant with your grade-level or content area partners, whether or not they are in your building. > ||  || > ||   || > ||   || > ||   || > ||   || > ||   || > ||   || > ||   || > ||   || > ||   || > ||   || > ||   || > ||   || > ||   || > ||   ||

= = =Top Ten Links 2.44: eBooks, Digital Literacy, Transliteracy, Libraries & Quitting Google | Librarian by Day= librarianbyday.net ==[| Top Ten Links 2.44: eBooks, Digital Literacy, Transliteracy, Libraries & Quitting Google]== My personally selected top ten from the links I shared on Twitter 10.30.2011 through 11.05.2011. In no particular order: > Musing on ebook piracy and free downloads yesterday [|at Alan Baxter’s blog], I made a passing comparison between the digital distribution of books, whether legally or illegally, and the sale of second-hand hardcopies. In both instances, neither author nor publisher makes money on the transaction, but whereas the former practice is almost invariably viewed as foolhardiness where legal and theft where not, the latter is viewed as a benevolent, even positive, parallel economy – and the more I think about this distinction, the more arbitrary it seems. > Excerpted from the Library Technology Reports August / September 2011 (vol. 47, no. 6) “[|The Transforming Public Library Infrastructure,]” ALA Office for Resarch and Statistics. C > While information literacy has been well defined over the past two decades in our school and academic libraries, public libraries are newer to formal instruction in this arena. For many public libraries, teaching basic computers skills—in classes or as needed—has become a requirement as critical interactions with employers and government agencies demand it from those seeking resources and opportunities and as these individuals come to the library to access such resources. With computer skill classes now a regular part of the library landscape, it is time to raise the bar and expand patrons’ digital fluency and evaluation skills. > Consumers like me want to enjoy the digital version of a book when, where and how we want. We love to be able to read it from multiple screens, search it automatically, share annotations, even have the text read aloud as we drive or do dishes. > In theory that’s the promise of the new world of book publishing. But in practice, we’re blocked at many turns and end up looking for other solutions. For publishers and booksellers, that’s not a good thing, and can even be quite costly. > When a library buys (//not// licenses) a copy of an ebook, it is subject to the same copyright restrictions and allowances as when the library buys a hardback copy. It has no more legal right to make 10 copies of [|//Wikileaks and the Age of Transparency//]//,// to lend out to 10 patrons simultaneously, than if it had bought the hardback. > Remember when Google was just a search engine? Yeah, me neither. With the way Google has infiltrated every nook and cranny of our digital lives, it’s almost hard to imagine life before Google. For the past two years, I’ve used Google services like Search, Reader, Blogger, Alerts, News, and Buzz as my means of professional communication. I use Chrome on my PC and Android on my phone. I’ve used Picasa to manage photos, YouTube for entertainment, and Earth to explore. And I’m not even going to start with Maps, Calendar, Notebook, Scholar, Images…you get the idea. And now, I’m supposed to join Google+, the future of social media. A seamless integration and consolidation of existing Google services into a harmonious user-experience that addresses the beauty and richness of sharing in– > Damn it. No. Just //no//. I’m not having this social media crap.
 * 1. [| Free eBooks, Piracy & Secondhanding]**
 * 2. [|Digital Literacy in US Public Libraries]**
 * 3.** [|**MediaShift . E-Book Publishers Must Provide Flexible Access to Avoid ‘Media Hell’** | PBS] - From the PBS series Beyond the Book
 * 4.** **[|What libraries can do when they buy an ebook]**
 * [| 5]** I can’t wait to read how this works out! Good luck! RT [|@] [|librarianwilk]: **Life after Google -** Follow along as Lane Wilkinson tries to quit Google
 * 6. [| Transliteracy, plain language & post-structuralism]**

> So transliteracy is about being able speak, read, write, use sign language, and interpret messages from a wide variety of technologies, including those that come free with our own bodies, and to use those technologies to convey our own messages. In short, it’s about people talking to people however they choose to do so. > That made me think of transliteracy in a completely different way and brought me back to plain language. I think the key to all this is communication. Yes, there are more ways to communicate than ever before but it’s still communication > Are new media companies “digital parasites”? The author of “Free Ride” tells Salon piracy is killing art
 * 7. [|Does culture really want to be free? – Art in Crisis]**
 * 8. [|Change of Subject: Cut libraries? Shush!]**

> A library today is less a destination for knowledge seekers as it is a portal — a point of entry to the ever more vast resources available at the click of a mouse. > The “fundamental function of all current public libraries is challenged by these Internet alternatives,” says “[|Confronting the Future: Strategic Visions for the 21st Century Public Library,]” (pdf) a 26-page analysis by consultant Roger Levien, a former ALA fellow. > Not just the function, but the funding, particularly when many municipalities are strapped for cash. > In June, the ALA reported in “[|New library study: demand up for technology, budget cuts limit access]“ that 55 percent of urban library districts and 36 percent of suburban library districts have seen budget decreases this year, while 32 percent of urban libraries (16 percent overall) have recently had to trim their hours of operation. > A charity report found that older people have trouble getting information about public services, such as details of libraries and public transport, because so much of it is kept online.
 * 9. [|the two most important things I know about public speaking]** Andromeda Yelton shares some great speaking and presenting tips.
 * 10. [|Library closures are adding to anxiety for the elderly, says report]** via [|@] [|**Fight4libraries**]:

=[|Tried, Tested and True: 3 Ways to Get Writing Done]= January 4 by [|Mike Vardy] | [| no comments] | [|Communication] | Tags: [|career], [|Communication], [|creativity], [|gtd], [|ideas], [|place], [|Productivity], [|time], [|tools], [|writing]

If you’re a writer, then becoming disciplined with your writing is one of your biggest challenges. It’s not something that you tackle once and then never have to worry about again. It’s an ongoing battle. and you have have to have a ton of weapons at the ready in order to take it on each and every day. That said, if you’re not a writer by trade and simply want to use writing as means to express yourself (online or off), then discipline is something you’ll need to have to keep it up. As someone who has trasitioned from writing as a hobby to a career, I’ve had my struggles with this in both realms. And I’ve conquered them over and over again because I’ve had the [|willpower and determination] to make it through. While I’ve tried several tactics to combat a lack of discipline and find a way to get writing done, I’ve found that there are really 3 ways to get your writing done that can either work in tandem or independently. I’ve used all of these consistently throughout my time spent writing — both as a hobby and as a career — and the results have been the same: I get writing done.
 * How have I done this?**

1. The Write Time
When I first started to become more serious about my writing, I dismissed the notion of setting aside specific time for writing. I thought that if I wrote as the ideas came to me then I’d have a much better success rate in terms of creating great written work. I was way off base on that. While it’s important to capture your ideas as they come to you – I’ve captured ideas using a variety of methods during my writing career – you can’t just pick up and write whenever. **You need to block out time to write.** It doesn’t matter if you do it early in the morning or in the wee hours of the evening – but you need to set out specific times to [| flesh out your ideas] and get the writing done. I’ve discussed [| my current writing schedule before], but as a writing hobbyist my schedule was set up as follows: On weekends, I’d spend one day doing absolutely no writing (we called this [| Family Day]) and the other doing more than my 2 hours – often I’d get in about 4 hours on that day. As a result of putting a system like this in place, I built up a great portfolio of work that landed me more and more writing work that not only paid, but were in my areas of interest. And now I’m a [|full time writer]. Making time for your words not only will instill self-discipline like nothing else, it can lead you to a writing career if that’s what you want. There’s no right time of day to do this, but you’d better set aside a “write time of day” or you’ll have a much harder time getting the words out of you. **I cannot stress this enough.**
 * Wake up/Daily Routine: 7 am to 8 am
 * Work: 8:30 am to 5:30 pm (including commute)
 * Dinner: 6 pm to 7 pm
 * Time with kids before bed: 7 pm to 8 pm
 * Time with wife before we did our own things: 8 pm to 9 pm
 * Writing: 9:30 pm to 11:30 pm (never less than this amount of time, often more)
 * Bed: No later than 1 am

2. The Write Place
Scheduling your writing is crucial, but you need to have a place to go when that time arrives. Having a place to do your writing is like having a touchstone for your work; it’s a sacred place you go to where the words flow out of you. It doesn’t have to be serene, it doesn’t have to be in the home, it doesn’t have to be a huge setup. **But it does have to be there.** I’ve tried a ton of different places, an entirely separate “pseudo-office” in the basement, [|a standing desk] in our large walk-in closet and a larger area in the main part of the house. None of them were necessarily right for me, but I found that the further removed I was from the rest of the house the less friction I had in getting my writing done. My standing desk was ideal for podcasting or talking out my ideas, but not so much for the act of writing. The basement setup felt as if I’d been banished to dungeon to do my work, so I didn’t enjoy going down there. That had an impact on my writing. Now I’ve got a very comfortable writing chair and a [|Levenger lap desk] in the master bedroom that suits me best as my “write place” – and it works best for a number of reasons: Create a place for you to do your writing. Work within the limits you have for now and then adjust as needed. But remember that adjusting your writing space isn’t actually getting the writing done, so don’t get caught up in the “where” over the “why” and “what” because they are the most important factors. This is where you can really get caught up in [|fiddling]. Don’t fall victim to that. Don’t experiment or tinker too much once you’ve got the right tools in place. Chances are you’ve already been writing using some sort of tools, so stick with those until you get in the habit of scheduling your time to write. Outside of that scheduled time, look for tools that will improve how you get the words out without barriers that keep you from that. Again, the “why” and “what” are far more important. I use different tools for different forms of writing. On my MacBook Air, I use Byword for weblog writing, Scrivener for longer form writing. On my iPad, it’s Writing Kit. I use [|index cards] to capture ideas, along with my iPhone and [|Evernote]. All of these tools help me get my writing done more effectively and efficiently. I can’t tell you what tools are right for you. But what I can say is that the real “write tool” is **you**. Writers have been writing well before computers, typewriters and even paper came to be, so keep that in mind when picking out tools that will help you become a better writer. Because no tool can do that. Think of it this way: These tools are the drill bits. **You’re the drill.**
 * 1) It has a door, giving me privacy when I need it.
 * 2) It is bright, with a sliding door out to our back deck.
 * 3) It doesn’t “feel” like an office, yet it acts like one during the day.
 * 4) It is in the back of the house, furthest from the reaches of noise.
 * 5) It’s easily accessible.

The Write Mind
All of these have a way of leading you to **The Write Mind**, and that’s where you need to be to put out the best words to paper or screen that you possibly can on an ongoing basis. Do right by you and your writing with these 3 foolproof methods, and you’ll create better and better written work each and every time. Keep at it and calling on self-discipline will happen easier over time. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. (Photo credit: [|Once Upon a Time] via Shutterstock) Mike Vardy is a writer, speaker, and “productivityist”. You can follow him on [|Twitter], listen to him regularly on his podcast, [|ProductiVardy], and read more from him at [|MikeVardy.com] and at [|Vardy.me].

=“Learning with Technology” versus “Teaching with Technology”= mancabelli.com =Blog= =“Learning with Technology” versus “Teaching with Technology”= March 10, 2011 From [|Texas] to [|Wisconsin] school budget cuts dominate the news, and technology funding is frequently the first item on the chopping block. Tech tools and personnel are the first to go because often they are seen as something extra – a piece not critical to student achievement. To change this dynamic would require that technology be perceived as an indispensable part of an education instead of something “nice to have.” I’d like to suggest that this might be the distinction between “learning with technology” versus just “teaching with technology.” What’s the difference? Well, many of our tech initiatives center on “teaching with technology.” When parents look at their kids’ classrooms they see the ones that they remember, but with an interactive board instead of a blackboard, a computer on the teacher’s desk and a couple of desktops in the back of the room. Sure they see their kids typing their papers and doing online research, but they also see them listening to lectures, carrying home textbooks and filing out worksheets. It’s the same stuff students have always done. Most people outside of schools sense that although we are spending money on technology, it’s not radically changing the way that students learn. If that’s true, it’s because using technology to change learning is an exponentially harder nut to crack. It means asking teachers to rethink their classrooms and the way they do their work. It means requiring personnel to participate in professional development and telling them they need to learn new skills every year. It means inviting into our classrooms lessons that will fail and having lots of conversations with parents that won’t understand what we are doing. It means explaining to board members that learning is different now. It means replacing the old standbys in the budget — copy machines, calculators, paper textbooks and dozens of others – with new line items that give every student a computer and access to the Internet. Most of all, it means admitting that none of us have all the answers (including me) and that we need to figure it out together as we go. In short, “learning with technology” is really hard. But, if we have the courage and the vision to take it on, here’s the payoff — students experiencing excitement and engagement as they build personalized, global learning networks that they will have for the rest of their lives — classrooms connected to talented people from around the world participating in collaborative learning and getting real-time feedback on real-life projects — teachers that are energized and informed each day by an international web of connections and ideas — parents who look forward to engaging with students and teachers every day because of the systems that link them to the work of our classrooms — a local community that is proud of the learning that takes place at their school. And, if we really get it right, a truly uncutable technology program.

=How to Make,, and Bind Your Own Books= lifehacker.com Making your own books can be a great way to create a customized gift, or a tool to preserve online content, your own work, or anything else you want a physical copy of. It might seem a little daunting at first, but we’ll guide you through the process of laying out your pages, printing, and binding.

Decide on the Content You Want to Include
A well put together book could be the perfect handmade gift, especially if you fill it with some of your best recipes, a child’s artwork, your own stories, or even just day planner pages. Even if you don’t want to create a book as a gift, you might find reading your backlog of 200 Instapaper paper articles a little overwhelming on the screen, but easier to tackle in book form. You can make your own personalized best of the year list, create your own zine, or print PDF books. Once you’ve decided which words you’d like to use, you want to get them in the word processor of your choice so we can convert them to a PDF.

Layout and Print Your Book Properly
Once you’ve picked out your content, you’ll need to decide on the size of the book, how you want to structure the pages, and how you want to bind it. This is important because the printing process is different depending on which style you plan on using.
 * Print a Folded Booklet (aka [|imposition])**: Printing folded pages is a little trickier. Let’s say you have a 24-page book you want to print. In order to fold the pages, you’ll be printing pages 1-2 and 23-34 on one page, so you need to have a total number of pages divisible by four (you can stuff empty pages in the back if necessary). Thankfully, you can automate the process to make it a little easier, which we’ll go into below.
 * Print Full Pages**: This is much easier to print, but keep in mind you’ll still want your book to be double-sided. When you’re printing, you’ll initially print all of the odd pages, then flip them over and print the even pages on the opposite side. If you have a printer that does double-sided printing, this will happen automatically.
 * How to Create Imposition Pages**

Since you can print full pages in any word processor, the easiest way to bind full pages is to use glue based binding or spiral. This way, the only steps you need to take when printing are to make sure you get the pages in the right order. Imposition printing is a little bit more complicated, but the result is a smaller page with less wasted space if you’re printing a small book. You can create imposition pages easily InDesign, but for those on a budget, we’ll take a look at one of the ways you can convert a page automatically using any word processor. > > ===DIY Binding Tricks for a Professional Looking Final Product=== > They say you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but lets be honest, your book is nothing without binding holding it together. If you want something simple, you can get your letter sized printout spiral bound at any copy center for a couple dollars, but if you’re looking for something with a little more flair, you might consider some of these options. > [|Moleskin-Like Notebook]: This clever design takes the idea of a Moleskin notebook and makes it doable yourself. It’s not easy and requires stitching, but the final product is worth the extra effort. > [|Hardcover with Glue]: If you’re looking for a way to make your book extra spectacular, there’s no better way than going for the always impressive hardcover. You’ll need cardboard, glue, scissors, and a knife. > [|A simple method for imposition pages]: If you went with the imposition method, you can just staple the pages in the middle, or you can go for this classic saddle stitch method using a piece of string. > [|Screw post binding]: This is great way to make your book sturdy and allow for the removal or addition of new pages. You can get most of the materials at a hardware store or art supply store, and you’ll need book cloth, binding board, screw posts, glue, wax paper, and linen tape.
 * Using Your Word Processor and a PDF Convertor to Create Imposition Pages**
 * If you’re printing on letter paper, you want to shrink your pages so the font size isn’t affected later on. To do this, you need to go into the page preferences panel (Word: File > Page Setup. OpenOffice: Format > Page) and change your Page Setup to 4.25” X 5.5” with at least one-inch margins on all sides.
 * You need to export it to a PDF file so you can use another utility to convert the pages to an imposition format (Word: File > Save As > PDF. OpenOffice: File > Export as PDF).
 * With your PDF in tow, you can use a number of options to convert it to an imposed image. Free webapp [|Impose Online] will do it from the comfort of your browser, or [|BookBinder] is a free Java based alternative. If you prefer a downloadable tool that runs natively, [|BookletCreator] is available for Mac and Windows.
 * In any of the above utilities, you’re going to need to set your print options. Likely, you’ll want to stick with the saddle-stitch option for your first book, then two-up for the print option so it splits the pages in half. There are plenty of options to experiment with, so play around with them until you find printing method you like.
 * Some older versions of MS Word have a “Print Booklet” option, so be sure to check under File > Print > Options to see if you can do it that way. If you’re looking for more advanced design options, [|Scribus] is a cross-platform, free layout program available for Mac, Windows, and Linux.

=Beyond Black Friday » Blog Archive » The 30 Most Useful Kindle URLs= beyond-black-friday.com

December 30th, 2011
Once a year, I assemble my “master list” of shortcuts to the 30 most useful pages for Kindle owners – like all of the free ebooks and blogs that Amazon’s making available. But instead of trying to memorize a bunch of complicated URLs, I’ve created these shorter, easier-to-remember addresses that still lead to the same pages. And all 30 of them start with TinyURL.com …

[|__tinyurl.com/100freekindlebooks__]
 * FREE EBOOKS**

Amazon’s 100 best-selling free ebooks are always available on this list (which is updated hourly!) And of course, the other side of the page also shows the 100 best-selling ebooks which are //not// free… [|__tinyurl.com/TheWindInTheWillows__]

I just wanted to mention one of my personal favorite free ebooks. It’s the story of Mr. Toad and his river-dwelling friends, Mole and Ratty (plus the wise old Badger who lives in the woods nearby). A. A. Milne, the author of //Winnie-the-Pooh//, once even adapted this British literary fantasy into a well-received stage play. And of course, it also inspired the “Mr. Toad” ride at Disneyland.


 * BARGAIN EBOOKS**
 * [|__tinyurl.com/399books__]**

Every //month,// Amazon picks 100 ebooks to offer at a discount of $3.99 or less. There’s always a //new// selection on the first day of the month, so if you visited the page this Saturday (December 31st), you’d see December’s 100 discounted books — and then on Sunday (January 1st), you’d see an entirely new selection! //If you’re in England, Amazon’s created a different page for their bargain ebooks — go to __[|tinyurl.com/399booksEngland]__// //And if you’re in France, there’s also a different URL for your (English-language) bargain ebooks — it’s at __[|tinyurl.com/399booksFrance]__// [|__tinyurl.com/DailyKindleDeal__]

In addition, Amazon’s also created a special “Daily Deal” page, where they pick a new ebook each day to sell at a big discount for 24 hours. Past deals have included a James Bond novel by Ian Fleming and Kurt Vonnegut’s //Mother Night// — and I’m always surprised by the variety. For Christmas, Amazon discounted five holiday-themed romance novels to just 99 cents each, and they also slashed the price on //“Call Me Mrs. Miracle”// (from $12.99 to just 99 cents). Once they even discounted //So Now You’re a Zombie: A Handbook for the Newly Undead!// You can also see past “Daily Deals” on their Twitter feed at [|twitter.com/kindledailydeal] — or on Facebook at [|facebook.com/kindledeals]. And there’s also a new web page where they’re archiving the deals at []

[|__tinyurl.com/2011Amazon__]
 * MORE EBOOK LINKS**

What were Amazon’s best-selling books for 2011? This URL takes you to a special Amazon web page where they’re all listed — 25 to a page — along with a link to a separate lists for the best-selling //ebooks// of the year. The #1 best-selling print book was the new biography about Steve Jobs (followed by //“Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever.”// ) But the #1 and #2 best-selling ebooks were //The Mill River Recluse// and //The Abbey// — neither of which was even //available// in print!


 * AMAZON’S CUSTOMER SUPPORT**
 * __[|tinyurl.com/kindle-cs]__**

Amazon’s Customer Service has drawn rave reviews. (If your Kindle is broken, Amazon will usually mail you a replacement overnight!) This page collects all of Amazon’s support URLs. And at its far left, there’s a special link labelled “Contact Kindle Support,” which leads to the support phone numbers for 10 different countries, as well as an online contact form.
 * __[|tinyurl.com/ReturnAnEbook]__**

Amazon lets you return any ebook within 7 days, no questions asked. Just remember this address — [|tinyURL.com/ReturnAnEbook] — and you’ll always be able to get a refund if you’re not satisfied with your purchase.

//It’s my list, so of course it includes shortcuts for two very special ebook projects that I worked on this year…// [|__TinyURL.com/TurkeyBook__]
 * //MY// EBOOKS**

“For Thanksgiving, try this game. Find the guilty turkey’s name!” I wrote a special “mystery poem” that was finally published in November as a funny, illustrated ebook. There’s cartoon-y pictures which show four turkeys in a farmer’s pen on Thanksgiving Day. The farmer’s approaching with an axe — but one of the turkeys has a plan to escape! (“Can the farmer figure out which one? And can you?”) The short “Turkey Mystery Rhyme” is only 99 cents — a real bargain for a fun, holiday smile. [|__tinyurl.com/OurFunnyDog__]

Lucca is a cuddly Cocker Spaniel dog who was rescued from an animal shelter, and he now adores his new family — my girlfriend and me! Since I released this ebook just before Christmas, my girlfriend’s been telling her friends how she received “the best present ever” — this short collection of funny photos of her dog, along with sweetly humorous captions that tell the story of his life. (Like the day he met that white cat that moved in downstairs…) If you want to preview a “sample chapter first, go to [|tinyurl.com/GoodReadsDog] — but the whole “short picture scrapbook” is only 99 cents, and it offers a nice peek at a very wonderful dog…

[|__tinyurl.com/Omnivoracious__]
 * FREE KINDLE BLOGS AND MAGAZINES**

The book editors at Amazon.com publish a blog that’s filled with author interviews, news from the book world, announcements, about new books, and lots of good “book talk”. And they’ll deliver it for free to your Kindle! (Just point your computer’s web browser to [|tinyurl.com/Omnivoracious] …) [|__tinyurl.com/freeAmazonblogs__]

Amazon actually publishes //six// free blogs for the Kindle — and you can find them all at this URL. Besides their Omnivoracious book blog, there’s also a blog about food (and fine dining) called “Al Dente,” and a blog about movies and TV shows called “Armchair Commentary”. If you’re into automobiles, Amazon offers the “Car Lust” blog, and there’s even a blog called “Toy Whimsy” with reviews and information about — what else? — //toys!// They’re all available at the URL — but you can also get //all// of Amazon’s free blogs delivered to your Kindle in just one big super-subscription. Just look for the Amazon Daily blog — which is a great way to try them //all// out and see which ones you like best! [|__tinyurl.com/FreeSciFiMag__]

//Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine// has been publishing short SciFi stories and commentary for over 60 years — including the works of many famous authors. In 1978 the published Stephen King’s “Dark Tower” short stories, and in 1959 they ran Robert Heinlein’s “Starship Troopers” as a serial. (They also published the novella “Flowers for Algernon” and short stories by Harlan Ellison, and even published a short story by Kurt Vonnegut in 1961, which later appeared in his collection “Welcome to the Monkey House.”) Amazon’s now offering free Kindle subscriptions to a special “digest edition”. (The print edition, published six times a year, is a massive 256 pages.) The digest includes all the editorial content – editor’s recommendations, the “odd books” section, film and book reviews, plus cartoons and ‘Coming Attractions’ (highlights of each issue) – along with one short story. (And if you want the full 256-page version sent to your Kindle, you can subscribe for just 99 cents more.)

__**[|tinyurl.com/MeAndMyKindle]**__
 * A VERY SPECIAL KINDLE BLOG**

It’s //my// blog! (That’s the URL for its page on the Kindle Store.) If you want to tell your friends how to find me, this URL makes it easy to remember. Just practice saying “TinyURL com/MeAndMyKindle” and soon we’ll all be sharing the latest Kindle news together.

__**[|tinyurl.com/KindleChristmasSong]**__
 * FREE AND DISCOUNTED MUSIC**

It’s that cute song from Amazon’s 2010 Kindle Christmas ad. //(“Snowflake in my pocket, let’s take a sleigh ride on the ice…”)// At this URL, you can download a free mp3 of the song “Winter Night” by Little &Ashley. __**[|tinyurl.com/25xmasMP3s]**__

Amazon also released 25 free Christmas songs as part of a special promotion in December. Their “25 Days of Free” page features 25 different mp3 files that you can download for free — each one with a different Christmas song — and right now they’re still available online. There’s songs by Bing Crosby, Mannheim Steamroller, the Irish Tenors, and Celtic Woman — plus plus songs by more modern artists like Brian Wilson, and Macy Gray. And there’s even some Christmas songs by groups like the Flaming Lips, Shonen Kinfe, and even one by Twisted Sister. __**[|tinyURL.com/AmazonXmasMP3s]**__

Amazon’s also offering discounts if you’d like to buy a whole //album’s// worth of Christmas songs by your favorite artist. This page offers Christmas albums that have been discounted to just $4.99, including a great selection of both traditional and modern recordings. There’s //Christmas with the Rat Pack// (and //A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra//), Bing Crosby’s //I Wish You a Merry Christmas//, and an expanded version of Vince Guaraldi’s music for //“A Charlie Brown Christmas.”// But there’s also Christmas albums from Weezer, Christina Aguilera, Zooey Deschanel’s band “She and Him,” and even the cast of Sesame Street – plus some performers you wouldn’t expect, like Bob Dylan (and of course — the Twisted Sister Christmas album).

__**[|tinyurl.com/allkindlegames]**__
 * GAMES**

Amazon has a web page devoted just to all the games you can play on your Kindle. (There’s over 200 of them!) It’s fun to see all the colorful game “covers” collected together into one magical toy store-like page. And there’s also a list of the 100 best-selling games for the Kindle — plus a list of all “Hot New Releases” — at [|tinyurl.com/TopKindleGames]. (For the Christmas season, Amazon’s 25 most-popular games are still on sale for just 99 cents each, including //Scrabble//, //Monopoly,// and the new Kindle version of //Battleship//!)
 * __[|tinyurl.com/kchess]__**

Here’s the shortcut to a free web page where you can play chess against a computer. But you can also pull the page up in your Kindle’s web browser, so I named the URL “KChess”!


 * KINDLES ON TV**
 * __[|tinyurl.com/DoorstepAd]__**

Amazon’s latest ad shows a woman arriving home and discovering that Amazon’s delivered her new Kindle Fire tablet. The ad’s official name is “Placing the Things You Love at Your Fingertips,” and you can watch the whole thing on YouTube if you point your computer’s web browser to this URL. //And you can watch all of Amazon’s Kindle TV ads at [|YouTube.com/Kindle]//
 * __[|tinyurl.com/KindleFireSong]__**

Their was a spectacular new TV ad when Amazon announced their new Kindle Fire tablets. It showed the evolution of print from a quill pen dipped in ink to Amazon’s latest full-color multimedia touchscreen tablet. But I loved the song they played in the background, by a new Louisiana-based band called the Givers. //(“The words we say today, we’ll say… we’ll see them again. Yes, we’ll see them again…”)// I’d called it an ode to all the self-published authors who are finding new audiences on the Kindle — and at this URL, you can hear the entire song on YouTube!
 * __[|tinyurl.com/SheBuysAKindle]__**

This summer Amazon also ran a fun series of TV ads where a blonde woman insists she prefers things like “the rewarding feeling of actually folding down the page” of a book instead of reading a Kindle — though each ad invariably ends with her //borrowing// her friend’s Kindle instead.

But in September, when Amazon announced their new line-up of Kindles — including one for just $79 — they released one final ad where that blonde woman finally buys a Kindle for herself. To watch it on YouTube, point your computer’s browser to [|tinyurl.com/SheBuysAKindle]
 * [|__tinyurl.com/AmyRutberg__]**

Before she became “the woman from that Kindle commercial,” actress Amy Rutberg appeared in a zany stage production called “The Divine Sister.” //Playbill// (the official magazine for theatre-goers) had her record a backstage peek at the theatre and its cast for a special online feature — and it’s a fun way to catch a peek at another part of her career. That URL leads to the video’s web page on YouTube, and there’s also a second part which is available at []
 * __[|tinyurl.com/StewartBorders]__**

On //The Daily Show//, Jon Stewart did a special segment this year when Borders bookstores announced that it was going out of business. (“Books! You may know them as the thing Amazon tells you ‘You might be interested in’ when you’re buying DVDs…”) Correspondent John Hodgman delivered some silly suggestions about how bookstores could re-vitalize their business model — like offering in-store appearances where customers could heckle authors while they’re writing novels. Or, simply converting bookstores into historical tourist attractions demonstrating the way books //used// to be sold in the 20th century.


 * MISCELLANEOUS**
 * [|__tinyurl.com/kindlemap__]**

Ever wonder where all the Kindle owners are? Someone’s created an interactive online map, where Kindle owners can stop by and leave “push pins” showing their location! There’s big clusters on the east and west coast of America (though you could still leave the first push pin for Montana or Nevada!) It’s an adapted version of one of Google’s maps of the world, so you can also spot “Kindlers” in Iraq, Romania, and Ethiopia. And if you click on the push pins, you’ll find the Kindler’s name and sometimes a comment. (One Kindler in Spain simply posted: “Tengo un Kindle DX!”) Posted in [|Tips and Tricks] | [|2 Comments]

=Ten Free Project Based Learning Resources= techlearning.com

Ten Free Project Based Learning Resources That Will Place Students At The Center Of Learning by Michael Gorman
Sep 12Written by:

9/12/2010 12:01 PM I am an advocate for Project Based Learning in the classroom. True Project Based Learning is a process that puts the student at the center of their learning. In this post I wish to share with you some of the top sites I have found to be useful on the internet that promote true PBL. Please share this post with others and as you find other outstanding sites on the internet that refer to PBL, please share with me. Your comments are always appreciated! You can follow me on Twitter at [|@mjgormans] and as always please feeel free to visit my [|21centuryedtech Blog] filled with resources- Mike [|Edutopia PBL] - Edutopia is a site containing outstanding educational content for teachers. It contains an area devoted to Project Based Learning. Edutopia defines PBL, “as a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems and challenges, simultaneously developing cross-curriculum skills while working in small collaborative groups.” The site contains a brief article, along with videos entitled “[|Projecty Based Learning Overview]” and [|An Introduction To Project Based Learning]. The Edutopia[|main PBL web page] contains real life examples and this [|Big List] containing article and blogs relating to PBL activities, lessons, practices, and research. Upon review you will note that Edutopia does live up to its statement “What works in public Education”. [|PBL-Online] Is a one stop solution for Project Based Learning! You’ll find all the resources you ne?ed to design and manage high quality projects for middle and high school students. This site includes information on how to [|Design your Project]. It assists teachers in planning rigorous and relevant standards-focused projects that engage students in authentic learning activities, teach 21st century skills, and demand demonstration of mastery. It also provides a search for projects developed by others (small collection) or the ability to contribute projects to the [|PBL-Online Collaboratory and Project Library]. Teachers can [|Learn what defines Project Based Learning]and the PBL-Online approach to successful project design. There is also an area to [|Review research] and [|find tools] to support effective Project Based Learning. There is also an area to purchase the [|BIE //Project Based Learning Handbook//] and[|Starter Kit] which are a foundation for the PBL-Online website. A nice[|collection of videos] is also available on the site. The PBL-Online is maintained by the [|Buck Institute for Education] (BIE) which is a non-profit, research and development organization dedicated to improving the practice of teaching and the process of learning. [|BIE Institite For PBL] - The main Buck Institute of On-line Resource Site is a must visit for anyone serious about PBL. There is some good information on the [|professional development]. Explore the [|BIE Project Based learning Handbook], order a copy, or just explore the links on the page. Be sure to check out the [|downloadable documents and forms] found in the book. There is also a [|web resources link page] that will supply abundant information. There is an excellent [|forum page] that and another area with [|Advice From Teachers.]This is truely a great site to become more informed on Project Based Learning and works well with other other BIE site. [|PBL: Exemplary Projects] - A wonderful site for those wanting practical ideas to infuse PBL into the curriculum. This is the creation of a group of experienced teachers, educators, and researchers whom you may contact as resources. This team includes people who are also actively doing and creating new exemplary PBL projects, pre-service and continuing teacher professional development, and integration of technology into the curriculum. This site has a great listing of [|national technology and content standards] to review. There is also a large selection of [|rubrics] to look over as you investigate assessment. For those interested in research be sure to check out the [|page reserved] for reflective thought and planning. While on the site be sure to take a look at the[|exemplary projects] along with the other [|great projects] listed. [|4Teachers.org PBL]- This site has a contains some useful information on supplying sound reasoning for PBL in school. Especially interesting are articles on [|Building Motivation] and [|Using Multiple Intellegences]. One very useful resource in this site is the PBL Project Check List Section. Writers of this site maintain that these check lists will help teachers start using PBL, by creating on-line downloadable age-appropriate, customizable [|project checklists] for written reports, multimedia projects, oral presentations, and science projects. The use of checklists assists in keeping students on track and allows them to take responsibility for their own learning through peer- and self-evaluation. Be sure to check the main [|4Teachers Web Site] for all of their great sets of tools including other resources that can support PBL. This site is published by [|Altec] which also has a host of resources. [|Houghton Mifflin Project Based Learning Space] - This site from publisher Houghton Mifflin Contains contains some good resources for investigating PBL and was developed by the Wisconson Center For Education Research. Included is a page on [|Background Knowledge an Theory]. There is also a link to a small [|number of comprehensive projects]. Last for those attempting research there is a large numbers of [|professional articles] related to project based learning. [|Intel® Teach Elements: Project-Based Approaches] - If you are looking for free, just-in-time professional development that you can experience now, anytime, or anywhere, this may be your answer. Intel promises that this new series will provide high interest, visually compelling short courses that facilitate deep exploration of 21st century learning concepts using and PBL. The program consists of animated tutorials and audio dialogs to explain concepts, Interactive knowledge checking exercises, offline activities to apply concepts. You can take the [|PBL course online], or order the Intel [|PBL CD], Take a moment and read more about [|project design]. Intel provides an awesome [|data base of stories] that relate to project ideas. Anyone interested in project based learning must explore the Intel site, one of the most up-to-date resources for PBL on the internet. [|New Tech Network] - I have personally visited the New Tech Schools in both Napa and Sacramento California. I was impresssed with more then the technology. A positive and effective culture for learning is what New Tech does best and it is based around PBL. Take a look at the news releases on the New Tech site. Some that caaught my interest were [|Wall-to-Wall Project-Based Learning: A Conversation with Biology TeacherKelley Yonce »] from Learn NC, [|The Power of Project Learning »] from Scholastic, and [|Students as Smart Mobs] along with [|It’s All about me] both from Phi Delta Kappa. Last check out the New Tech video entitled [|NTN School Overview] and [|I Am What I Learn] for a good informative look at PBL and New Tech.

[|High Tech High School] - These high schools also operate using a project based learning model centered around 21st century skills. I have included projects they came up with from a $250,000 California grant to institue PBL in non-charter public schools. You will find a [|description of the project] along with the seven major projects and various others. The included [|PBL assessment page] is also very interesting along with how [|PBl supports literacy] in the High Tech Model. [|GlobalSchoolhouse.net] - Great site to begin PBL using the web while cooperating with other schools. Harness the ability to use the web as a tool for interaction, collaboration, distance education, cultural understanding and cooperative research — with peers around the globe. Start out with an explanation of what [|Net PBL] really is. Find out how to [|make partners]. Be sure to check out all the videos and tutorials. Thanks for taking the time to investigate and I hope impliment a PBL unit in the classroom. I am interested and also wish to learn from you. If you are aware of an outstanding PBL site please comment or send me a message. Please follow me on twitter at [|mjgormans] and I will be sure to follow back. I am always ready to network and learn! As always, you are invited to explore the resources on my [|21centuryedtech Blog]. - Mike (mgorman@sacs.k12.in.us)