“Google Home now has more than 200 third-party skills, also known as conversation actions. If you’re just getting started, or you want to really see what your virtual assistant can do, check out” this list from PC Mag. — Sascha Segan, PC Mag
Author: Clif
Clif Mims is a Christian, husband, father, teacher, cancer warrior, and fan of the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Memphis Grizzlies.
Magic Johnson: Kids Need Help, Hope, and Support
Why You Should Be Using Google Photos
Google Photos “takes your entire photo library — every photo you’ve ever taken on your phone, as well as screenshots and photos taken within Instagram and whatever else — and uploads it to the internet. The photos remain private, hidden behind your Google account information, but now you can access them anywhere. On your laptop? Yep. On a new phone? Yep. On your tablet? Yep, there too.” — Ben Gilbert, Business Insider
Every Child Deserves a Champion
Parents and Teachers: Don’t Get Distracted
Children Tend to Meet Our Expectations
Wisdom for Parents and Teachers
Using Thinking Routines Purposefully and Powerfully
“For centuries teaching has been about talking, and students have been expected to listen. He asked, what if we flip this? If teaching becomes listening and learning becomes talking? How can we be sure that the thinking routines that we are using in the classroom are purposeful?” — Maggie Hos-McGrane
Read the rest of Maggie’s notes from Mark Church’s workshop.
Girl Power #CoolVideo
There is so much I love about this.
- Her confidence and determination are endearing.
- That’s a cool backyard playground.
- Way to upcycle.
- I wish we had a Christmas tree corner.
- What a well done video.
- This is a cool spoof of ANW.
- Clever incorporation of the stuffed animals.
HT: Ginger Lewman
360-Degree Cameras in Education: A Quick Introduction
Guest Blogger
Kasey Kennedy
Some say 360-degree cameras may be the next big thing in education. What is a 360-degree camera? It is a camera that allows you to capture photos and videos in a spherical format. The spherical format allows the viewer to pan around the entire image or video in a 360-degree fashion.
View this 360 degree image to get an idea of what these kinds of cameras can do.
Enjoy this video, What Happens in Your Body?, and enjoy a 360-degree exploration of your circulatory and digestive systems. Follow the directions below the video to navigate this spherical video.
Click on the following image for a 360-photo of the North Pole.
Using 360-Degree Cameras in the Classroom
Virtual Field Trips: Take a moment to view this video. You could create a video to go along with whatever you are teaching, and the students could work themselves through the video to get more information. Another example could be using a 360 video to help students explore the cells of the body.
School Events: What if you could play the camera on the stage while a student performed? This would let the students view their work, and see the performance as the audience sees it.
Parental Involvement: This would be a great way to get parents involved. Most cameras will only record parts of the room, unless it is carried around. By using a 360 degree camera, a parent could pan around to their child, and watch their child the whole time. This will help the parents see what is going on in the classroom, and it will get them more involved.
Outside of the Classroom Field Trips: When on a field trip, the camera could be used to take pictures, or a video, and the teacher could replay it for the students as they do their reflections. This could also be an opportunity for any students who missed the field trip to receive the same experience. (Source)
Tips for Using 360-Degree Cameras
Geoffrey Morrison shares six tricks for getting the best photo and video spheres.
I also recommend 10 Things I Wish I Knew before Shooting 360 Video by Vanessa Hand Orellana.