March 29, 2015

Passwords, Online Sources, Mathematics, and Art... in Education Today

Catching up on some of my favorite blogs. Again. Some posts caught my interest... and may catch yours, too.


Locked Out / Brett Jordan / CC BY 2.0

Vicki Davis
Cool Cat Teacher
10 Things Everyone Should Know about Passwords
http://www.coolcatteacher.com/10-things-everyone-know-passwords/
As always, Vicki provides a practical approach to and good suggestions for her topic--this time--passwords.

Citation Needed / Future Atlas / CC BY 2.0

Mia MacMeekin
An Ethical Island
How Do You Choose Good Online Sources?
https://anethicalisland.wordpress.com/2015/03/20/how-do-you-choose-good-online-sources/
Mia uses an infographic to illustrate her response to students who ask how to choose good sources to cite.

Math / Dylan Ng / CC BY 2.0

Helge Scherlund
Helge Scherlund's Elearning News
New Math Needed to Explore New Networks
http://scherlund.blogspot.com/2015/03/new-math-needed-to-explore-new-networks.html
Helge shares ideas about the mathematics that helps us find answers about large networks or databases.

Statisticians Listen and Give a Voice to Data
http://scherlund.blogspot.com/2015/03/statisticians-listen-and-give-voice-to.html
Helge introduces us to a statistician and his approach to helping students learn to use statistics.

My Cats painted by Dvorit Ben Shaul / Ze'ev Barkan / CC BY 2.0

Robin Pogrebin
The New York Times
Not Digital Art, but Art Learned Digitally
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/20/education/not-digital-art-but-art-learned-digitally.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0
Robin writes about an art teacher who offers drawing and painting classes online.

March 24, 2015

Using Twitter Lists


Faces / Pixabay / CC0


Why do I use Twitter lists?

Twitter (https://twitter.com/?lang=en) is a great tool for professional development. It leads me to educators who are passionate about helping others learn. It lets me know when good teaching and learning ideas are available to examine.

The flow of information from Twitter is sometimes referred to as a firehose... with good reason. After you have used Twitter for a while the list of folks that you follow grows. And the number of tweets from them becomes quite large. I found that I was missing the tweets of some of the creative leaders from whom I have learned so much in the past due to the large number of tweets flowing through my firehose... that is, my timeline.

I was a bit familiar with Twitter lists and thought that extending my use of them would help. I was right.



What is a Twitter list?

Twitter defines a list as a "curated group of Twitter users." So, if I follow 100 folks on Twitter and 60 of them are creative, passionate educators, then I can group those 60 together in one Twitter list.

How does grouping these accounts together in a single list help? I can choose to view the tweets from this select group of educators without being distracted by tweets from other accounts. I am less likely to miss ideas from folks whose ideas are so very helpful and useful as I work with students and with other educators.


Tweet / Pixabay / CC0


What actions are available for working with lists?

I can create lists (or delete them), add or remove individuals from my lists, subscribe to lists others have created. My lists can be public or private. I can share a list with others via Twitter (or my website or blog).

I can send tweets to individuals on a list, but not to the entire list at once. I can add Twitter users to a Twitter list even if I do not follow them individually. If I want to follow some accounts for information only—perhaps about a one-time event or news story—I can just add them to a list rather than follow them.


Group / Pixabay / CC0


How can Twitter lists help?

For me, the most important thing that lists do is make it possible for me to view more of my tweets. I'm not missing as many as I did previously. After all, the easiest way to complete a big job myself is to break it down into a series of small jobs. (How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.) That's what lists do for me.

What lists might help you? Some lists you could consider are...
  • your team or department or grade level or school
  • conferences attendees
  • Twitter chat participants
  • folks with whom you have common interests
  • resources for other teachers or your students or parents
  • individuals you recommend that others follow
  • "notice me" list... folks with whom you want to develop a working relationship
  • thought leaders in education or other fields in which you have an interest
  • folks you would like to recognize
  • your affiliations
  • friends and family
  • news... general or specific

Learn / Pixabay / CC0


How do I...?

Create a list... 
Go to your profile page > Lists > Create new list > name the list (max of 25 characters) > provide a description (max of 100 characters) > choose private (for your eyes only) or public (anyone can subscribe) > save list

Add or remove individuals from a list...
Go to the user's profile > gear icon > add or remove from lists (don't have to also follow) > check or uncheck lists to add or remove

Determine if an individual is on a specific list...
Go to your profile page > Lists > click the list you are interested in > click Members to determine if the person is in that list

Determine if I am on a specific list...
Go to your profile page > Lists > click on Member of

Share a list with someone...
Go to that list > copy the URL in your browser's address field > paste the URL in a message to the person with whom you would like to share the list

View tweets from a list...
Go to your profile page > Lists > click on the list
 

Edit or delete lists...
Go to your profile page > Lists > select the list your want to edit or delete > edit or delete

Subscribe to (follow) someone else's list...
Go to that member's profile > Lists > select list > click Subscribe

See who subscribes to my Twitter lists...
Visit the list > click "List Subscribers"

See what lists I am a member of...
Go to your profile page > Lists > Member of

Why was I added to a Twitter spam list? 
Twitter now allows more members per list and more lists per members, so spammers are trying to use that to their advantage


Do you have other questions?

Go to I'm Having Trouble with Lists at https://support.twitter.com/articles/20169276-i-m-having-trouble-with-lists#




Are you ready to try some advanced suggestions?

• Use a software tool to help you manage your Twitter lists:
• Use a software tool to help you view the tweets from your listsI use TweetDeck (https://about.twitter.com/products/tweetdeck)
Include yourself in lists you create (so folks viewing your list include you in that category)... see Twitter Lists - How to Add Yourself to a List You Created
• Follow up with direct messages (thank you or a link to your website) when you're added to someone else's list
• Upload your Twitter list to Flipboard (https://flipboard.com/)... a visual way to see content from your list members

_____________________________________________


What resources did I use for this post?


Twitter's Help Center...
https://support.twitter.com/

Using Twitter Lists
https://support.twitter.com/articles/76460-using-twitter-lists#
 

Create and Use Twitter Lists
https://media.twitter.com/best-practice/create-and-use-twitter-lists

Get Organized: How to Create and Use Twitter Lists
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2459110,00.asp


23 Seldom-Used Ideas for How to Use Twitter Lists
https://blog.bufferapp.com/twitter-lists
Outstanding article!


Twitter Lists are the New "Follow"
http://blog.hootsuite.com/twitter-lists-new-follow/


Twitter Lists - How to Add Yourself to a List You Created
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3yd1QJpaxo
 
Why You Were Added to Twitter Spam Lists
http://mashable.com/2013/09/18/twitter-spammers-lists/

How To: Remove Yourself From Stupid Twitter Lists
http://askaaronlee.com/how-to-remove-yourself-from-stupid-twitter-lists/

Nine Tools for Journalists to Cut Twitter List Creation and Management Time
http://knightlab.northwestern.edu/2014/12/19/nine-tools-for-journalists-to-cut-twitter-list-creation-and-management-time/ 

Reviews of third-party tools to use with Twitter, including Twitter lists

How to Use Twitter Lists Like a Pro
http://daveadelaney.com/how-to-use-twitter-lists-like-a-pro/


How to Use Twitter Lists for Business
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/use-twitter-lists-business/

5 Great Ideas to Unleash Business Benefits from Twitter Lists
http://www.businessesgrow.com/2013/07/25/unleashing-the-business-potential-of-twitter-lists/

March 8, 2015

Drones--and Other Ways--to Celebrate Pi Day

Pi Day (March 14) will be here in less than a week.


Approximate Pie / Stuart Caie / CC BY 2.0

If you are looking for additional resources for your classes, check Edutopia's updated list. Your lessons and celebration can include music, ideas for many graded levels, the history of pi, interactive games, and--of course--mathematics lessons.

Some of the websites dedicated to pi and/or Pi Day are:

MIT sends admission decisions to next year's students on March 14 each year. They also create humorous videos appropriate for Pi Day. This year their video goes above and beyond... almost literally... with drones. Be sure to check their video, Keep Your Eyes to the Skies This Pi Day, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjw9-E3_GbM&feature=youtu.be)!


ascii_pi / Jorel Pi / CC BY 2.0

Resources used for this blog post...

7 Classroom Resources for Pi Day
http://www.edutopia.org//blog/pi-day-lesson-plans-matthew-davis

How to Celebrate Pi Day in Your Classroom
http://www.edutopia.org//blog/celebrate-pi-day-in-classroom-noelle-and-alex-filippenko

In rare instance, MIT's 'Pi Day" falls on 3/14/15
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/03/06/mit-celebrate-special-day/3daF44v2XtJ360bGumzaNM/story.html

Keep your eyes to the skies this Pi Day (video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjw9-E3_GbM&feature=youtu.be

March 1, 2015

Five Resources for Educators: Music, Net Neutrality, Photography, Physical Education, Supreme Teacher of the Universe

Blogs are a rich source of information and ideas for educators. These five resources caught my attention today.


Notes on a Score / Horia Varian / CC BY 2.0

Resource #1
5 Music Resources for the Classroom
http://blog.reallygoodstuff.com/5-holiday-music-resources-for-classroom-teachers/

Music has many uses in the classroom. It can be a topic serving as a component in a unit (e.g., music of the Twenties) or a tool to help students learn (e.g., calendar songs) or background music for the brain (e.g., Baroque) or the main focus of a lesson (e.g., notation).

This article lists sources for accessing a variety of music selections, some free, some not. These music resources would be good to share with colleagues as well as to use in your own classroom.


 
Resource #2
Net Neutrality - Explained by Common Craft
https://www.commoncraft.com/net-neutrality-explained-common-craft

Net Neutrality is in the news due to the recent proposal of the FCC to regulate the Internet as utilities are regulated. Common Craft has created a short video (3 minutes) to explain the basics of net neutrality. View the video on the Common Craft website or on YouTube.


Many misconceptions exist about net neutrality. Common Craft's video is a good discussion starter for adults or students.


used with permission of Jo Schiffbauer

Resource #3
10 Lessons You Can Learn from a Child to Improve Your iPhone Photography
http://iphonephotographyschool.com/lessons-from-a-child/?awt_l=87X9s&awt_m=3a9TdPJwph56ijm

A former teacher shares ideas for becoming a better photographer. His suggestions can help you to view your subjects from a different perspective... to think and shoot "out of the box."


These recommendations are useful where you are using an iPhone or another smartphone camera or a regular camera.


 
Resource #4
How I Teach: Osama Abujafar
http://www.thephysicaleducator.com/blog/files/how-i-teach-osama-abu-jafar.html#unique-entry-id-399

Students who are studying to become physical education teachers sometimes question how they can use technology in their field. ThePhysicalEducator.com website provides many resources and suggestions to answer this question.

How I Teach is a series of profiles of technology-using physical education teachers. This article is one of those profiles.



Teacher.001 / Mike Sansone / CC BY 2.0

Resource #5
Almost 32 Things You Should Consider Doing in Order to Become the Supreme Teacher of the Universe
http://blogush.edublogs.org/2015/01/31/almost-32-things-you-should-consider-doing-in-order-to-become-the-supreme-teacher-of-the-universe/

Paul Bogush has an interesting way of counting in this post, but what he shares is worth reading and considering. You will find some technical suggestions and some inspirational recommendations. Read his article... and share it with colleagues or pre-service teachers.