Holiday E-Cards

It is that time of year, and I have not found a more fun site than http://www.elfyourself.com/. After I picked myself up off the floor from laughing, I had made a card of my kids and I dancing in elf suits. OK, maybe I've been hitting the holiday e nog to hard, but this was funny, I don't care who you are. give it a try and I"m sure you will be the hit at your next get together.
Enjoy,
Bill

Something close to my heart, Stencil Graffiti

For this weeks post I've decided to share with you all something I do extensively in my free time which is Stencil Art (aka Stencil Graffiti). Now keep in mind I do all my work on plywood, or things that are mine, I do not encourage anyone to do it on anything that they don't own.

I grew very attached to stenciling during my senior year of undergrad when I noticed the very distinct relationship between printmaking and stenciling. I spent most of my last semester working on four very large stencil pieces, all of which are four colors and the smallest being two foot by 2 foot. I will only post a cropped section of one my pieces here because they could be considered improper to post wholly.

The main reason I decided to post this is because there are lots of great tutorials out there that teach this simple method for make awesome images. Here is just one example. And one last time I will say that I don't condone doing Stenciling illegally, because it's mean (I don't stencil on you're stuff, don't do it on mine.)

Absolutely the funniest e-learning site ever!

I stumbled on this hilarious "e-learning" site that hosts thousands of How-To-Do-It-Yourself tutorials posted by members. Topics for these instructions vary anywhere from cooking, arts and crafts to gardening and... Well, pretty much anything that you can think of, and more.


How to fire shave, make drawstring shorts in 15 minutes, guitar picks, quiche or a thumb fan are just a few examples to describe the vast offering... :)

These little tutorials are constructed of step by step instructions with pictures and YouTube videos (not in all) as illustrations. The directions are generally easy to follow. This site is a great example of how easy instruction is to create and anyone can do it, but also shows how important concise and clear language is when creating the instruction, which is usually a task for us, the professionals of the field.

If you have a moment with nothing to do, or are just curious, visit this site. I can guarantee you'll get a good laugh out of some of the tutorials, plus there are some actually useful tutorials that can teach you neat new skills and tricks!

Enjoy learning!

http://www.instructables.com/

Death by Powerpoint

I've been working diligently (as I'm sure everyone else is as well!) to get my PPT presentation finished by the 25th. Since I don't want to bore everyone with my "exciting" thoughts on learning management terminology, I did some searching on effective online presentations. I thought I had a good idea of what made an effective presentation, but I found some very interesting tips and tricks that I'll be using when I lead my Centra session. I came across the following slideshow on the Business Exchange website. It explains some tips for making effective presentations and preventing the dreaded "Death by PowerPoint".

Death by PowerPoint

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: powerpoint ppt)

Do Schools Kill Creativity?

The most exciting email came to me today! The sender invited me to attend a presentation (in PA) in which Ken Robinson will be the keynote speaker. I couldn't believe it; I can sit in a small audience listening to someone who, two years ago, changed the way I teach and develop instruction.

Who is Sir Ken Robinson?
He is a writer, innovator, motivator, leader in the quest to develop creativity in education systems. He has worked for major organizations such as: the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, J. Paul Getty Trust and he was a Professor of Arts Education.

What is his message?
In 2006 I came upon a video of Sir Ken Robinson titled, "Do Schools Kill Creativity." This video was posted on the TED Conference site. The following is a description of what TED is (taken directly from their site) "TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader."



This video inspired me to find ways to allow students to express themselves, even if it is unpopular among some of the "old-school" teachers. Since watching this video, I have sincerely tried to find ways to give students choice, and allow them some artistic freedom, especially in video projects. It has also prompted me to develop online courses that promote creativity.

I would highly recommend taking a few moments to watch this video. It will likely change the way you think about education. It is quite entertaining too, since Dr. Robinson has a great sense of humor. It will be time well spent.

Related Links:
TED Conference Site
Sir Ken Robinson's Homepage
His Book - Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative