One of my favorite Ted Talks. I love her vision. What do you think?
Wednesday, 29 April 2015
Tuesday, 28 April 2015
Edublogs is a must follow on Twitter.
@edublogs is an amazing resource of Twitter. It is my favorite resource for staying up to date on all things education, check their tweets daily. Give them a follow today! https://twitter.com/edublogs
A must follow RSS Feed
Check out this excellent RSS Feed that I follow. http://www.techlearning.com/rss I also frequent the Tech&Learning Webpage. http://www.techlearning.com/default.aspx
Wrapping up 3240 Media Enhanced Learning
As I mentioned before here on my blog I'm currently working on my Provincial Instructors Diploma. This week I'm finishing up the 3240 Media Enhanced Learning course. It has been a great course! I have learned a lot and connected with some great people. Naturally I choose the Social Media option in the course, anyone who knows me is aware of my love of Twitter and Facebook. In addition to social media all students in 3240 were asked to create a blog. For the most part the blogs focus on education and technology. I thought I would share some of them here as they are great!
jkellypidp.wordpress.com
https://mjbickley.wordpress.com/
http://pidp3240joe.weebly.com/
http://adriannadonaldson.weebly.com/blog
Great job everyone. I still have a lot to learn about blogging.
Sunday, 26 April 2015
Check out the 2015 Top Trends in Education Technology
I love staying up with the latest trends in education! This is a great read.
http://www.inc.com/aaron-skonnard/5-top-trends-in-education-technology-2015.html
Is your classroom student centered?
Here is a great little article on some simple ways to make your classroom learner/student centered.
http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2013/12/24/ctq_powell_strengths.html
Life Long Learners
Have you heard of Life Long Learning? I believe we are all Life Long Learners to some extent. I've always said " we don't stop learning until the day we die". I truly hope this is the case, life without learning would be pretty dull and inhibit growth as a human being. Here is a great link to an article that will help you to be and stay a Life Long Learner.
<a href=" http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/15-steps-to-cultivate-lifelong-learning.html
Also take the time to watch this 20 minute Ted Talk by Ben Dunlap, he tells the story of how a Hungarian Holocaust survivor taught him to be a life long learner who has a passion for life.
http://www.ted.com/talk/ben_dunlap_talks_about_a_passionate_life?language=en
http://www.ted.com/talk/ben_dunlap_talks_about_a_passionate_life?language=en
Sunday, 19 April 2015
This blog is licensed via Creative Commons
The Hair Instructor's Blog by Gary Franceschini is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://hairinstructorsblog.blogspot.ca/.
Creative Commons Explained
This is an excellent video that outlines all you need to know about Creative Commons. Why not post and share in a legal manner online!
https://vimeo.com/13248511
https://vimeo.com/13248511
Technology is amazing! Robotics in Education
While searching for more knowledge about using technology in education I stumbled across this article. The robotic technology being used likely doesn't translate to my field, or at least at this time but this is amazing! Follow the link and see how the robotic doll is helping in the field of speech and language therapy.
http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2015/apr/15/how-technology-is-changing-speech-and-language-therapy?CMP=share_btn_tw
http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2015/apr/15/how-technology-is-changing-speech-and-language-therapy?CMP=share_btn_tw
Instagram!!!!!
I have to admit I love Instagram for all my personal hobbies and interests, I could spend hours on this app. Recently I realized my students love and use Instagram even more then their instructor. My students frequently post their work from class on this popular Social Media tool with many hashtags. There is such opportunity for learning and connecting here. Read the article I've shared below and give Instagram a try in your classroom.
http://dailygenius.com/why-and-how-schools-should-be-using-instagram/
http://dailygenius.com/why-and-how-schools-should-be-using-instagram/
A valuable link for those wishing to implement Social Media in the classroom
This link is an excellent resource for any educator who if looking for ways to implement Social Media into the classroom. We all talk about using it but often do not know where to start. I found this link and many articles so useful. Good luck. Thank you Gino Bondi for putting together such a great resource.
http://www.scoop.it/t/education-technology-by-gino-bondihttp://www.scoop.it/t/education-technology-by-gino-bondi
http://www.scoop.it/t/education-technology-by-gino-bondihttp://www.scoop.it/t/education-technology-by-gino-bondi
A great little read about Social Media in the Classroom by Robert Kennedy
Using Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest to Promote Your School
Social media is an
effective marketing tool for your school. Here are some suggestions for
using Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest.
I can remember when many schools raised their collective eyebrows
at social media a few years ago. You could almost hearing them saying
under their breath "Over my dead body!" That was probably because few
people back then understood social media and what to do with it.
The way we used to market schools
Decades ago your beautiful school brochures and catalogs were the
way you got the word out about your school and its mission. Those
printed materials were expensive and time-consuming to produce. But
that's all we had. Then along came the Internet. Schools built Web
sites. Pretty basic ones at first. But as the technology advanced and
professional graphic designers got their hands on those school Web
sites, the result was a product just as elegant and compelling as any of
those brochures and catalogs we used to have lithographed. While most
schools still produce brochures and catalogs, most of these are done in
house.
It seemed that you had barely got your Web site tweaked to dazzling
perfection, replete with online applications, inquiries, video tours
and all the bells and whistles 21st century Web designers could cram
into them, when along came Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Pinterest.
Social media was suddenly socially acceptable. Not only was it
acceptable but it was absolutely essential to include it as part of your
marketing strategy.
Let's look at social media and see how best to use it to promote
your school and its mission. As I usually do, I am focusing on small to
medium-sized schools with my advice. These schools tend to have limited
marketing budgets and staff. I will show you how to make the most of
social media within those constraints.
Facebook
A picture is worth a thousand words. Essentially you need to post
pictures to grab your readers' interest. Facebook followers scan posts. A
great photo draws them in to read your copy and hopefully 'like' it and
share it. Remember: absorbing information from the Internet is like
drinking from a fire hydrant these days. There's just so much of it. We
scan. We only read in depth when something catches our eye. So put a
great picture in your Facebook posts. Then link to the in depth content
preferably elsewhere on your Web site.
I curate Private School Review and Boarding School Review's
Facebook sites. I have learned that posting regularly and at the same
time every day is another effective way to build readership. I also
follow, or 'like' in Facebook terms, hundreds of private schools.
Sharing their posts enhances the relationship. But more than that, it
allows me to see what the schools are posting and how they promote
themselves. Honestly I get the impression that most school postings are
random, hit or miss affairs. That approach to Facebook posts is not as
effective as targeted posts scheduled to appear in an organized manner.
A member of the school's marketing or public affairs staff should
be in charge of Facebook posts to ensure that they are on message,
properly written and effective. A systematic approach to Facebook posts
doesn't mean that you can't post an exciting, newsy item spontaneously.
Far from it. Post those newsy items in real time. They will stand out
like the true headlines they are. A systematic approach to your Facebook
posts means that you stay on message and project the image of your
school in the best possible light.
Don't forget to include hashtags in your Facebook posts. Facebook
has allowed us to use hashtags since June 2013. What's a hashtag? It is a
link consisting of a short phrase or keywords preceding by the # or
hash sign. Here's an example for our fictitious St. Swithin's Country
Day School. #StSwithins Add this hashtag to your Facebook post. Place
it at the end of your post. One more thing to remember about hashtags:
keep your hashtags short. 10-15 characters are effective. Use letters.
Don't use spaces. Don't use more than three hashtags in a row. For
example with our St. Swithin's hashtag, it would be smart to include the
school's location, like this: #StSwithins #Philadelphia For a more
detailed explanation of hashtags and how to use them, see Hashtags.org
This video gives you some tips on how to use hashtags in your Facebook posts.
YouTube
Establish a channel on YouTube for your school. Folks will
subscribe to it. From all over the world. Assign the job of curating
your YouTube channel to one of your marketing professionals. Create
content which is a mix of professional and semi-professional video clips
produced in house. Your admissions materials such as tours of the
school and student testimonials need to be professionally produced. Why?
Because that's how you attract potential applicants. Put your best foot
forward and showcase everything that is wonderful about your school.
Clips of sporting events, musicals and school events will benefit from a
less formal production. These clips will create a more newsy,
spontaneous, real-time viewer experience.
Break up potentially long videos into smaller clips. 5 x 5 minute
clips are better than one long 25 minute video which will lose your
audience after 5 minutes anyway. Cater to short attention spans.
Within your channel develop secondary channels devoted to the
activities which occur every day. For example, develop channels for
sports, arts, academics and clubs. The possibilities are endless. Just
make sure a professional establishes a structure so that your content is
easy to find and view.
YouTube has supported hashtags since November 2013. This short video explains how to use hashtags in YouTube.
Pinterest
My rule of thumb is to use Twitter for real-time, newsy bursts of
text. Facebook is ideal for an in depth exploration of your school and
its community. YouTube offers a window into all the exciting activities
your school offers. Pinterest allows you to create a photo album about
your school. Once again make sure that a professional organizes your
content on Pinterest. You can create collections of beautiful
photographs and group them in any way you choose. Pinterest offers a
very sophisticated way of showcasing your school and community.
Pinterest supports hashtags. This video explains how to use hashtags on Pinterest.
So there it is. Social media is a very effective tool in your small
to medium-sized school's marketing strategy. It will not break the bank
either. Not sure where should you begin? Start with Facebook. Get
comfortable with posting there and seeing what works for your school.
Then add YouTube and finally Pinterest.
Recent Articles
Updated April 15, 2015
Small private schools often feel that they cannot afford to
market their schools. Facebook is free. Here is how to use it
effectively.
What are the attributes which make 21st century military schools so special? We find out in this article.
Getting into a private school is a time-consuming process. We look at the various deadlines involved.
Enroll in our free mini-course:
"Quick Guide to Private Schools!"
Sunday, 12 April 2015
What is Creative Commons you ask?
Creative Commons is used to legally download and share content online. It is a way to license your work to be shared in the manner you intend it to be distributed online, as well as a way to credit the creator of content you share. The following video is what created an "aha" moment for me, it really outlines the need and uses for Creative Commons. Take a look: http://creativecommons.org/videos/creative-commons-kiwi
Here is another link that is a useful resource for Creative Commons, http://creativecommons.org/about
I also found the answers to a lot of questions I had about Creative Commons here: https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/what-is-creative-commons-5-frequently-asked-questions
Here is another link that is a useful resource for Creative Commons, http://creativecommons.org/about
I also found the answers to a lot of questions I had about Creative Commons here: https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/what-is-creative-commons-5-frequently-asked-questions
School of Instructor Education at Vancouver Community College
Presently I'm enrolled in the School of Instructor Education at Vancouver Community College. It is an amazing program that focuses on the various competencies required to be an excellent educator of adults. I highly recommend this program to anyone who teaches. I have learned so many valuable skills and techniques for my career as an instructor. Take some time to learn more about the program on the website: http://www.vcc.ca/programscourses/program-areas/program-highlights/sie/?utm_source=website-redirect&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=deptSite
Also follow the School of Instructor Education Facebook page, it is a active community full of resources. https://www.facebook.com/VCCSchoolOfInstructorEducation?fref=nf
Also follow the School of Instructor Education Facebook page, it is a active community full of resources. https://www.facebook.com/VCCSchoolOfInstructorEducation?fref=nf
The Brain is just amzing........
This is a great Ted Talk. While it is 20 minutes in length it is well worth watching. The power of the brain will never cease to amaze me. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GigYWy2UmOY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GigYWy2UmOY
Cyberbullying Teachers?
Wow! An interesting little read. I'm sure we have only seen the beginning of teachers being cyber-bullied. Educators must be so cautious online. http://motherboard.vice.com/read/kids-are-cyberbullying-their-teachers
Monday, 6 April 2015
Where there is a will there is a way!
Every year as graduation draws near I notice a great deal of anxiety in my students. I begin to hear things like "I'm not ready to go!" or "I can't do this, how am I going to manage?". I find they spiral into a state of negativity and self-doubt. I recognise this as I remember feeling that way twenty plus years ago (okay I sound old now). I give a motivational chat and share my early experiences in my career. In addition I love to show the video I've posted below. A motivational Ted Talk that leaves one thinking do I really have barriers? Look what she is doing! Why can't I make it? I simply admire Sue Austin. What an amazing women. Enjoy!
https://www.ted.com/talks/sue_austin_deep_sea_diving_in_a_wheelchair
https://www.ted.com/speakers/sue_austinhttps://www.ted.com/speakers/sue_austin
https://www.ted.com/talks/sue_austin_deep_sea_diving_in_a_wheelchair
https://www.ted.com/speakers/sue_austinhttps://www.ted.com/speakers/sue_austin
Technology Trends
A great article about technology trends in education.
http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/02/03/10-major-technology-trends-in-education.aspx
http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/02/03/10-major-technology-trends-in-education.aspx
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