Great Resources for your e-Files

"Surviving Email Overload" is an article about managing email by the authors of a book called The Hamster Revolution. It includes some simple strategies you can implement tomorrow to cut down on the messages you send and receive. We should all read this! I have just cleared out my email and am determined to keep on top of it this time!


Tools for Change is the great catalogue of books, posters, calendars, CDs, bookmarks, cards, t-shirts, daybooks, and more that is put out by the Syracuse Cultural Workers. Their Fall/Winter Catalogue celebrates 25 years of revolutionary art.


Frontline: Growing Up Online was sent by Marlene Asselin who suggests that, "If you haven't seen this it's a MUST. " This link is to the production and the full TV program.


Historical Atlas of Canada Online has redesigned the three-volume 1993 print atlas set for the internet. Maps, text, and graphics are used to explore themes in Canadian history. The online version introduces interactive maps, zoom tools, map layers, and hypertexted tables of data for active engagement. Maptoours guide exploration of selected chapters of the atlas, provide instruction in navigating the information, and demonstrate the pathways the tools can be used to discover. Thanks, Chris E, for sending this great web resource.


CommonCraft video clips: Make sense of Web 2.0 tools for yourself and for students. This is easy to use with classes or to have them use to review a tool.


Guys Read is the website founded by Jon Scieszka, acclaimed author and former elementary teacher. The site has terrific resources for educators, parents, and students, and is easy to navigate. This link takes you to guys' picks of favorite books at different grade levels.

Web 2.0 - Why Should We Know About It?

What is this Web 2.0 phenomenon? What makes Web 2.0 dramatically different from Web 1.0 that in itself has radically transformed our notion of what constitutes information and resources is its social / interactive / collaborative capacities. Yes, I know it's hard to keep pace with the rapid pace of technology change and ways to work with it in schools. In fact, as many of you know, the tendency to embrace change is neatly and quite definitively offset by the natural inclination to stasis until such time as the pressure to change is overwhelming. This means technology learning is often called "just-in-time" learning and is usually accompanied by heightened anxiety.

CommonCraft video clips make plain sense of some of the Web 2.0 applications. The webpage says their product is explanations in plain English.

TLs Gwen and Mary, along with Susan from UBC Libraries, gave their "New Learners" workshop at Technology Day. Mary addressed the nature of the very steep learning curve for many educators as well as the benefits of the ascent from her own experience. I can tell you that the hardest course I ever took was David Brear's online session, "On the Ramp to the Information Highway." Those who attended David's workshop today left with insights and ideas about how teaching and learning are being transformed yet again by the Web 2.0 phenomenon.

At the blogging mini-workshop I gave for some co-workers at the "mother ship" this week, the STAR pupil was Meredyth: check this one out! There are more coming ...

DE Tools of the Trade is John Goldsmith's technology blog for educators and it's full of news and ideas about new applications of technology. John recently forwarded this Digital Natives video clip to the BCTLA Forum.

Whoo-hoo! Now you can go to TeacherTube.

Here are some more Youtube clips worth checking out:

A Vision of Students Today
NOTE: This clip from the U of Kansas Anthropology Dept was used by Gwen, Mary, and Susan in their workshop at Tech Day earlier today.

Bringing 21st C Learning to Your Classroom

A Vision of K-12 Students Today

The Machine is Us/ing Us

Information R/evolution

Did You Know 2.0 -- Thanks for this one, Lana.

ShiftHappens -- Love that U2!

Happy Viewing!

See you Tuesday .... Gladstone, 4 pm