Free help for for teachers starting a new year

The start of a new school year can be hard some teachers. The article listed below from Edutopia is a running series to help teachers get ready for the new school year. The best part is everything is free, and I can't think of a teacher that complains about free stuff. http://www.edutopia.org//article/8-weeks-free-teacher-resources-back-school

6 tips to foster personalized learning

Before reading this article I had never seen much regarding personalized learning. But now it seems like a very interesting way to gain the attention of your students and increase their motivation. The article below details 6 tips that one teacher used to make personalized education a success. http://www.edutopia.org//blog/genius-hour-essentials-personalized-education-nichole-carter

Learning Styles

Each of us understand the conditions that work best for us to learn something. So as a teacher, shouldn't we be trying to provide each student opportunities to learn in a manner that works best for them? The article below details some of ideas on how to accomplish this. I think all of our students should be given every advantage to excel in school. This article may help to give you a few more tricks to accomplish this. http://www.edutopia.org//blog/learning-profiles-john-mccarthy

Alternative style of assessment

We all know the pros and cons of different types of assessment. But one school has takes it to a new level. Every student creates their own museum style exhibit to showcase the level of knowledge. I really like the idea of this kind of assessment. More information can be found in the article below. http://www.edutopia.org//practice/using-exhibits-assessment

Car Chemistry

As someone who has taught technology education classes, it's always a positive when I can tie in other subjects. The video included below goes the simple chemical reactions that occur to make a car engine work. This simple video could be a great use in the classroom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9vfMrjitXw&feature=youtube_gdata

Optical Illusions

I've always been intrigued by optical illusions. The video provided below goes through a few optical illusions and discusses how your brain processes the visual image. It's a very interesting perspective. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfdJyDfIHIc&feature=youtube_gdata

Distractions while driving.

We've all had experiences with people driving and paying more attention to their phones than driving. We may even be the culprit in some instances. Even though most states have adopted laws that makes it illegal to do most of these activities, it hasn't made much of an impact. The article below discusses a new product that may help keep peoples' eyes on the road. But how much impact will it have? http://readwrite.com/2014/08/05/smartphone-car-navdy-heads-up-display

Support for Veterans

It's hard not to notice the issues our veterans are currently facing. People everywhere have seen the issues in the national media. Now the band Five Finger Death Punch has released their new music video highlighting some of the statistics concerning our veterans. Even if you don't the band's music the article and video are worth looking at. http://loudwire.com/five-finger-death-punch-wrong-side-of-heaven-video/

Acts of Patriotism

As a member of the military, I can always appreciate when members of the community show their support of our military. The story below shows an unexpected turn of events at a race being held to support a military charity organization. http://ktla.com/2014/03/04/runners-pause-to-pay-tribute-to-veteran-during-charity-race/

What price would you pay for your kids' education?

Being married to a new teacher, I'm used to the trips to the store to get a couple of things (a trip that should take 15 minutes); but the trip turns into a 45 minute adventure because my wife is looking for stuff for her classroom. She showed me that article listed below and it's an interesting take on buying school supplies. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/audrey-hayworth/the-price-ill-gladly-pay-for-my-kids-education_b_5669455.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063

Parenting Styles

Here's an interesting article on various parenting styles from around the world. The article discusses some ideas that we in America would find rather odd behavior. The article can be found at the link below. http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2014/08/12/339825261/global-parenting-habits-that-havent-caught-on-in-the-u-s?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140812

Shark Deterrent Wetsuit?

I found an interesting article about a surfer from Australia who has partnered with scientists to develop a new shark deterrent wetsuit. The suit is based of our understanding of how sharks view their surroundings. The article can be found at the link below. https://www.ted.com/talks/hamish_jolly_a_shark_deterrent_wetsuit_and_it_s_not_what_you_think?utm_source=direct-on.ted.com&awesm=on.ted.com_s02Uz&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=on.ted.com-facebook-share&utm_content=awesm-publisher

Where will 3D technology take us?

It seems like the advances in 3D technology is taking off at a staggering pace. You can walk in to any big electronics retailer and see numerous version of 3D TVs for sell. Now the idea of an individual owning a 3D printed is a reality. But how much further will 3D technology take us? The article titled How 3D Technology Will Transform Business, provides some clear ways that 3d technology will help increase are productivity. One aspect that will be very impaction is the use of 3D technology to improve security of mobile devices. The article can be found at the following link. http://readwrite.com/2014/07/31/3d-technology-business-transformation

Internet AD Blocking

If you're like me you spend a fair amount of time online. Now no matter what your reason for using the internet is, you have certainly had some form of advertisement pop-up while conducting an internet search. Now if you're like me these adds are a constant annoyance. I use the internet as a tool; I know what I want to do before I get online, so the ever constant presence of ads popping up trying to redirect me can be very distracting. The article titled Why I switched to Adblock Plus (And You Should, Too) discusses some of the reasons why adding a blocking extension to your web browser can be useful. The link to the article can be found below. http://readwrite.com/2014/08/01/adblock-plus-switch-adblock

Evolution in active learning

Coming from a technology education background, I think it's a shame that many schools are cutting back on technology education classes. Especially when most kids are truly interested in those classes. I can see how some people can view them as unnecessary and a distraction for kids when they have to meet an ever increasing number of education benchmarks. But there are great opportunities to make connections with key concepts in other subject areas. And if the kids are interested in the tech ed class and connections are made to other concepts they are more likely to retain the information. The article below shows how the idea of tech ed is changing and making a comeback. I truly hope that this continues across the country. http://www.edutopia.org//blog/maker-movement-moving-into-classrooms-vicki-davis

Apps that help increase your control over private conversations.

In our current society, the news stories of celebrities or other high profile people getting caught in various scandals over electronic communications going public are never ending. But digital security goes beyond just making sure those embarrassing pictures remain a secret. People are using technology to do more and more things on the go. So there can be a lot of sensitive information that needs to be protected. To help safeguard your information the article listed below details a few apps with different functions. http://readwrite.com/2014/07/14/text-self-destruct-list

The future of home delivery?

I was reading an article discussing Amazon's appeal to the FAA to allow them to pursue their drone delivery program. Although the use of drones for package delivery is currently banned by the FAA; it's only a question of when will we start to see them hovering overhead with our packages. I think it's a good option to pursue. Just consider the reduction a fossil fuel use we could see with programs like this. If companies used electric drones to deliver their small packages we would see a large drop in the use of delivery trucks, which in turn would reduce the amount of fossil fuel by-products that would be put into the atmosphere. For more details the article is included below. http://readwrite.com/2014/07/11/amazon-prime-air-drones-faa-exemption-request

Technology in the Classroom

I read an interesting article from a teacher who had just finished her first year in a school that had instituted a 1:1 student to iPad ratio. She discussed 5 points throughout the year where she was amazed at the effectiveness of using the new technology in the classroom. Being that this program is about incorporating technology into an educational setting I think it carries a lot of weight. One of the main reasons I think instituting new technologies into the classroom is so effective today is that the vast majority of society uses it everyday. On an increasing basis younger generations are using their cell phones as their sole means of communication. The days of every household having at least one active phone line are quickly going away. And with cell phones getting ever more powerful and functional, we all rely on that technology. So allowing the students to learn using tools that they are intimately familiar with should improve their learning experience. For more information about the specific results the article is available at: http://www.edutopia.org//blog/epiphanies-learning-ipad-classroom-alyssa-tormala

Teaching Tech Savvy Kids

I read an interesting article that talked about the disparity between teachers and students with respect to new technology. As teachers we know that learning is a life-long process. As such we are always attending professional development seminars. But with lack of funding it can be very hard for teachers to stay current with technology. But the article shares some great ways to allow students help teachers stay more up to date. See the article below for more details. http://www.edutopia.org//blog/digital-teens-have-a-plan-matt-levinson

George Takei on America

The TED Talk featuring George Takei discussed his views on America. What I found very interesting we're his views on American democracy and how we need passionate people to actively participated in order for the system to work. His discussion on World War II was very interesting. The points he discussed painted a very good picture how how resilient America can be. What I found most important from his talk, is how we shouldn't take any thing for granted and continue to push to make America better for future generations. http://www.ted.com/talks/george_takei_why_i_love_a_country_that_once_betrayed_me