The DLC team is again offering Parent #TechTuesday sessions at 2:15PM - 2:45PM focused on upskilling parents in the use of digital tools. The November sessions will focus on the Google's G Suite. We ask that you bring a device if you have one so you can click along during our sessions. Laptops, tablets or phones will be handy. The sessions will be in the DLC office on campus.
Please REGISTER for an event on the events calendar on the right side of our ET blog.
Ben Kacyra's foundation uses the technology his company has developed to create archives of world heritage sites. His mission is to capture in 3D, 50 heritage sites in five years (That was in 2011).
The video captures his presentation at a TED Talk in 2011 where he explains his work and why it is important.
To find out more visit his website and see some of the cool projects he has been working on at Cyark.
The American Association of Pediatricians have just released a new definition of screentime and accompanying guidelines.
"For the new guidelines, the AAP identifies screen time as time spent using digital media for entertainment purposes. Other uses of media, such as online homework, don't count as screen time."
The article is an excellent read and has specific guidelines and strategies for parents of children at different ages. Check it out here.
Do you want to add or manage Google Apps in Chrome? Now you can using the Google Chrome App launcher customizer.
Rearrange your Google Apps so your favorites appear at the top of the dropdown menu. You can also add other Google Apps as well.
Parenting our children in a digital world can be intimidating. How do we manage it? Where do we go for help?
Check out this excellent Podcast from Two Fat Expats - they have some great things to say about how they manage social media and digital life with their families. It's well worth a listen. One of the key ideas that comes through in this podcast is, "it's all about having ongoing conversations and dialogue with our children" ...
Additionally, there are some fabulous resources, strategies and food for thought over on The Modern Parent blog by Martine. Martine is a parent of 5, with a background in education and counseling. She has lots of great thoughts, tips and strategies for parenting in a digital world.
Common Sense Media also has some fabulous resources for families. You can check them out here.
Whilst many people have adblock installed on their computers, there are some other options for safely viewing videos in the classroom.
On her teaching blog, "The Brown Bag Teacher", Catherine Reed suggests some great options that are working well for her in her classroom. I personally like the first one she suggests:- View Pure. Check the rest out here.
Additionally, with YouTube, you can download the video simply by putting an "ss" in front of the "y" for YouTube.
So if the original link was https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghk-nDJB3Tk
The download would be https://www.ssyoutube.com/watch?v=ghk-nDJB3Tk which takes you to the save from net website.
Sometimes we struggle to manage technology in the home. Our children have homework on the computer but when we check in ... they are surfing social media ... texting with friends ... and doing many things but the homework they sat down to do. How can we help our children manage their technology? You may want to check out Circle.
Circle is a relatively new device that can be used to manage all your home's connected devices. With it you can filter content, manage screen time, set bed times and have a very clear picture of how online time is being used. Each user in the house gets a profile and you can customize this as needed.
Additionally, you are able to pause/freeze internet use for any/all of the users in your circle. Great for those times you want instant attention in your family ;)
For those of you wondering how this works outside of wifi, Circle offer an additional service called Circle Go, which extends the circle to cellular and wifi networks. This may not work in Korea - we haven't tested it yet. Circle Go is paid on a monthly subscription.
A friend using Circle with her family suggests the most powerful part of it for their family is being able to have conversations on how internet time is being managed and make changes as necessary.
At present Circle is approximately $90 USD and is only available from Amazon in the USA. Although it was launched with mac and iOS devices, it has now extended to Android as well.
We all have used brainstorming sessions in our classes to find out what the students know or for that big idea. But is it the best way to find the pulse of the group or the best and most creative ideas?
The following article by Claire Karjalainen on the Trello Blog, exposes the myths and pitfalls of using brainstorming. Although this is written for a business context I think you will agree that the factors she lays out can apply in classroom situations as well.
Thankfully Karjalainen also give some pointers on how to get those great ideas from the group.
