World Of Difference

In my opinion one of the most important roles in any school is that of Media Specialist. Over the years I have longed to create a position that would serve a multi-faceted role of librarian, media specialist, and educational technologist. The challenge for me though was that Shannon Millers, Joyce Valenzas, and Gwyneth Joness dont grow on trees.  This mere challenge did not deter me in my search in the least bit as I had my eyes set on one such individual that fit this mold perfectly.  That person was Laura Fleming, who in her own right has been blazing a trail in the transmedia world for the past couple of years.  Once I knew I had this position available the courting process began.  



Luckily for me, but more importantly my students and staff, Laura jumped on the opportunity to become a part of the transformation that has been occurring at New Milford High School the past couple of years. Upon hiring Laura I challenged her right off the bat to embrace her new role as an innovative change agent in a space that is extremely outdated and to collaborate with staff in order to push their boundaries to authentically engage students.  Our vision for her was to provide meaningful learning opportunities for our students while supporting teachers in the process of effective technology and media literacy integration. I told her to only come to me with solutions to problems and not excuses as to why something could not be done or implemented.  

I write this post extremely proud that Laura has run with the autonomy she has been granted and has joined a cadre of NMHS educators and students who are constantly redefining what education should look like in the digital age.  She has become a pillar of sustainable change.  Here are a few highlights from her short tenure thus far:

  • Created a digital badge platform to recognize informal learning being undertaken by NMHS staff.  Check out this great article from the School Library Journal on this project. Currently she is now working on a similar program for students here. 
  • Collaborated with Mrs. Westbrook in the English Department on the schools first virtual film festival.  Students filmed documentaries based on the New York Times One in 8 Million film project.  The film festival took place both in person and on Twitter.  Student films were tweeted to #knightatthemoviesfall and as the films were viewed, students tweeted film reviews.   Students were taught how to effectively tweet a film review and were encouraged to be smart, be positive, and to focus on content and technique.  View the Storify here, which includes all films and tweets related to this festival.  
  • Facilitated a #mysteryskpe with a school in Georgia.  Numerous NMHS teachers participated in this educational game. The aim of the game was to guess the location of the other classroom by asking each other questions. This involved using online maps and doing some research.  The purpose of this Skype was to expose teachers to a wonderful educational tool that they can use with their classes.  
  • Collaborated with business teacher Mrs. Vicari and her students on developing apps for their small businesses using iBuildApp.  Students were introduced to the concept of mCommerce and how it can be used to leverage the marketing and promotion of their products in this digital age. 
  • Collaborated with special education teacher Mrs. Mackey and her students in beta-testing a new writing platform called Paperlet.  Paperlet is an online participatory publishing platform that takes the existing traditional writing process a decisive step further by bringing the readers into the creative process too.  Writers and readers come together in a uniquely combined effort. Writers gather feedback on their writing from readers and are then able to refine their stories based on this feedback.  Paperlet guides students through the process of expanding their writing into this new media form.  
  • Created a Makerspace in the media center. Check out this nice article by the Center of Digital Education on the space that Laura has created.
  • Collaborated with English teachers Mrs. Groff and Mrs. Westbrook on a research project related to CNN Everyday Heroes.  Students researched heroes, curated their research using Pinterest and cited their sources using the online citation maker, EasyBib. 
  • Worked with the IT department to develop a procedure to sign out Chromebooks for any student to use throughout the school day as part of our BYOD initiative. 
Laura Fleming is having a substantial impact on the culture here at NMHS.  In September she created a new blog called Worlds of Learning.  It is safe to say that she is making a World of Difference here at NMHS. 
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The Power of Video

Students in Mrs. Tambuscio’s World History class culminated a unit on the Holocaust by applying their historical knowledge to the viewing of survivor testimonies.  Students were able to utilize IWitness,  which is a computer-based program created by the USC Shoah Foundation’s Institute for Visual History. This educational tool includes over 1,200 video testimonies of Holocaust and genocide survivors. The program incorporates multimedia activities and digital resources, which allow students to engage in active learning.  

The learning connects students to the past, engages them in the present, and motivates them to build a better future.  The students were able to learn particular aspects of a survivor’s story, record reflections, and actually create a video utilizing testimony clips and artifacts to tell their impression of a particular survivor’s story.  Using the website, students build the video project into the site, which allows access to each participant, as well as the teacher.  As a result, the classroom teacher and students can comment on each project, which creates a vibrant discourse about students work and each survivor.  

In September of 2013, interested New Milford High School students will have an opportunity to participate in the IWitness Challenge during the 20th Anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s Oscar winning film, Schindler’s List, through the USC Shoah Foundation. The Institute for Visual History and Education is sponsoring the IWitness Video Challenge. The Institute has invited students from all over North America to be inspired by the voices in IWitness, to use their innovation and creativity to create positive value in their communities by doing something ordinary (or extraordinary), and then asks them to build a video telling the story about how they contributed to making their communities a better place.  Interested students will complete the “IWitness Video Challenge” Activity on the IWitness website. The activity challenges them to increase their understanding of digital and media literacy, deepen their critical thinking, and promote positive social change in their community and in the world. 

The winning video from each region will then move on to the national judging panel.  One national Winner will receive an all-expense-paid trip with one parent or guardian, and his/her teacher, to screen their video as part of the USC Shoah Foundations 20th anniversary activities in Los Angeles, as well as attend the 2014 Annual USC Shoah Foundation Gala as invited guests. If the winning entry is from a team video project, one student representative will need to be selected by the teacher to represent the team in Los Angeles.
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Pillars of Digital Leadership Series – Communication

This post is the first in a series that will outline the foundational elements of my new book, Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times.  It is set to be published by Corwin Press on January 14, 2014.  Currently there is a pre-publication discount of 15% for any orders before this date.  Over the next couple of weeks I will introduce what I have come to identify as the Pillars of Digital Leadership, a conceptual framework for leaders to begin thinking about changes to professional practice.  My book will focus on each of these elements as part of a change process. It will illustrate them in action through the work of practitioners and provide implementation strategies. 

Pillar #1 - Communication

If you were to look at the many characteristics that great leaders share, effective communication would be at the top of the list.  Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and Dr. Marin Luther King Jr. were great leaders who could transfer a message like no other.  Each was able to achieve success in part due to his ability to effectively communicate.  You would be hard pressed to identify an effective leader who was a poor communicator.  Communication serves to provide information, convey our vision, lay out the elements of a strategic plan, promote values, motivate stakeholders, and quell perceptions that are not accurate.  It is an art that combines inter and intra-personal skills with mediums to amplify an intended message. The art of communication has not changed, but the tools that we have at our disposal to deliver our message has.


Image credit: http://juntaedelane.com/category/articles/articles-articles/marketing-research/

As society has evolved, the way in which the world communicates and interacts has as well.  Digital leaders understand that technology provides a variety of pathways to initiate two-way communication with stakeholders.  Traditional means, such as newsletters and email, no longer suffice as cornerstones to a communications strategy.  Digital leaders seize upon the opportunity presented by digital tools (i.e. social media, mobile apps, video conferencing) to meet stakeholders where they are in order to convey a message and elicit feedback on initiatives.  In a world where access to and consummation of real-time information is the norm, digital leaders adapt their strategy to become more effective communicators.  

This is not to say that traditional means are no longer important elements of an effective communications plan.  They are, but digital leaders understand that the rise of mobile devices in particular has dramatically changed the way that stakeholders receive and access information.  The most effective communicators in society today are those that continue to develop and refine traditional means while leveraging digital tools to have a more profound impact. Whether you are a principal, superintendent, or teacher improving how you communicate plays a role in your success as an educator.  

Chapter 5 in my book takes a critical look at how digital leaders communicate. It places an emphasis on the work of Joe Mazza and how he has increased community engagement through a variety of communication strategies involving technology. After reading this chapter any educator regardless of his/her role will have a collection of tools, strategies, and ideas to take his/her communications to the next level.  Digital leaders use technology to engage stakeholders in conversations.  These conversations become the building blocks to create and support meaningful relationships based on the positive messages embedded in our communications.  To put it simply, without effective communication, there’s not effective leadership.

How have you changed your communications strategy in the digital age?

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How to Set an “out of office” message with the Gmail app

Set an out of office message from the Gmail for Android app Android tip: Set an out of office message with the Gmail app 
So, your bags are packed, you’re in the airport and you’re about to step on a plane heading for someplace warm, and then it hits you: you forgot to activate an “out of office” message for your email account.
Well, if you’re using Gmail, good news: Gmail for Android just added an auto-responder feature that lets you set up an “out of office” message directly from your Android phone, no PC or Mac required.
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  • First, you’ll need to install the latest version of the Gmail app. Launch the Play Store app, open the sidebar (tap in the top-left corner of the screen) and navigate to the “My apps” section, then tap the green Update All button to install any pending app updates, including (potentially) Gmail.
  • Next, launch Gmail, tap the three-dot menu button in the top-right corner of your screen, tap Settings, then tap the Gmail account for which you’d like to set up an “out of office” message.
  • Tap “Vacation responder,” then enter a starting date, and end date, a subject line (“Gone fishing!”), and a message for anyone who tries to email you during your well deserved break. You can also check the box next to “Send only to my Contacts” if you only want your family, friends and colleagues to know you’re away.
  • Flip on the switch next to “Vacation responder,” tap the Done button, then sit back and relax. 
Via http://heresthethingblog.com
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The Impact of Edscape

This past Saturday (10/19) marked the fourth annual Edscape Conference held at New Milford High School in NJ.  The idea for this event evolved from a dire need to fill a void in the type of innovative learning experiences that educators were craving.  As a result, a partnership between Teq and New Milford HS was formed to provide a cost-effective, meaningful learning experience for attendees.   Attendees could take ideas and strategies presented during hour long sessions and implement them immediately upon return to their schools and districts.  Each year hundreds of educators from across the country descend upon my school to take part in Edscape in what I hope will be one of the best learning experiences of their year.  I realize this is a lofty goal, but if I am to ask fellow colleagues, educators, and friends to give up time with their families on a Saturday and travel great distances then I had better be able to deliver. Based upon early feedback it seems like we did.



One of the tenants of the Edscape Conference is the focus on the work of practitioners. The selection of the keynote, as well as the majority of the sessions, places an emphasis on innovative work taking place in schools across the country and beyond. It is my feeling that in a time when the national rhetoric is quite negative towards education, nothing is more inspiring and uplifting than focusing on the innovative and impactful work being done by passionate educators.  My only regret with Edscape is that I did not get to sit in on any sessions or engage attendees in as many conversations that I would have liked.  I guess this comes with the territory when hosting a conference at your school.  However, I have been digesting feedback that I have received either through email, in person, or the #Edscape hashtag and would just like to point out a few highlights from the event.  Below are some identifiable characteristics that I believe portray the success and impact of Edscape:

  • NMHS Students – I could not have been more proud of my students and how they represented my school.  Attendee after attendee commented how helpful, respectful, and enthusiastic they were.   Next year I will look for even more ways to get my students involved with Edscape.
  • The Learning – Edscape is all about professional learning.  This occurred during sessions, over conversations in lunch, in the hallways between sessions, and afterwards at the networking reception held at Jersey Boys Grill.  Each session focused on applicable takeaways that educators could implement upon their return to their schools. What was even more powerful though was the learning that took place during conversations on professional practice and through the connections that were made throughout the day. Many attendees expressed the need to a two-day conference going forward as there were too many quality sessions that they wanted to attend. You can check out all of the sessions that were offered HERE.
  • Facility – I love my school building and numerous attendees echoed this. The original building where the majority of the sessions were held was built in 1928 and you can see that from the architecture.  We continue to work on transforming learning spaces with the money that we have. At NMHS we had adequate technology available, charging stations that our students regularly use, and superior WiFi (ask any attendee).  At our max we had over 650 devices connected to the open WiFi and not one issue. There were so many complimentary comments about the charging stations, WiFi, grounds, mission statements visible in classrooms, student work displayed on walls, and the larger television that streams announcements when you enter the school.  I feel a school is the best place to engage educators in professional learning.
  • Attendees – There were close to 400 educators from 11 different states (NJ, RI, NY, CT, PA, MD, AR, MO, OH, VA, TX) as well as Canada. Numerous stakeholder groups were represented such as teachers, assistant principals, principals, curriculum directors, assistant superintendents, board of education members, parents, and members of the NJ Department of Education.  I am humbled by the fact that so many attendees and presenters traveled great distances to be at Edscape.  What was even rewarding was seeing everyone learning side by side to improve their practices and move the profession forward.
  • Global Impact – The keynote by George Couros as well as the Connected Educator panel was streamed live by Teachercast and viewed by over 500 people worldwide.  If you have not viewed his keynote you can see a recording of it HERE.  The #Edscape hashtag was trending #1 throughout the day on Twitter.  

Edscape has and always will be a labor of love for me.  The excitement, passion, and innovative work I witness each year are the catalysts needed for change in my opinion.  Edscape is not a revolutionary event in itself.  It is the ideas and strategies that educators take with them from the event and eventually implement that have the capacity to be revolutionary.  On a side note I can’t thank George Couros enough for delivering a keynote that made attendees, laugh, cry, and think.  Spending time with him at the Jets game yesterday and introducing him to tailgating was an added bonus. 


Lastly, thanks to all of YOU that inspire me each day to put on Edscape. On that note I would love to hear what your major takeaways were from the event this past Saturday.  What did we do right and what can we improve? Feel free to leave a link to your Edscape reflection in the comments if you have or plan to write one.  Planning for Edscape 2014 for next October is now under way so mark your calendars for Saturday 10/18/14.  We will soon be setting a date and then select a keynote (suggestions appreciated).  The call for proposals will go out in the spring so stay tuned. If you have any leads on sponsors for next year feel free to secure them on my behalf or send me an email. 

Be the change that you wish to see in education!

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Integration of Digital Badges to Acknowledge Professional Learning

The following is cross-posted at Laura Flemings blog titled Worlds of Learning.  Laura is the new media specialist at NMHS and  has been challenged to develop innovative ways to create structures to recognize informal learning of both teachers and students.

As a 21st Century Library Media Specialist, part of what I strive to do is to serve as an instructional technology resource for both educators and learners.  In my new position here at New Milford High School, I face the exciting challenge of reaching as many staff members as I could at one time.  I threw around many models in my head until I finally found one that seems right for us.   

I am proud to announce Worlds of Learning @ New Milford High School, a digital badge professional learning platform. The idea behind this platform is to provide professional learning with a pinch of gamification.  For some time now, we have been hearing about digital badges and how they can be used to guide, motivate, document and validate formal and informal learning.  In recent years, Digital Badges have evolved from what were originally static images, to a tool used for capturing and communicating knowledge. Badges can now contain critical metadata that reflects who is issuing the badge, who has earned the badge, the date upon which it was earned, and any relevant criteria for earning the badge.  Digital badges are flexible enough to be able to recognize granular skills that one acquires as well as an individual’s entire learning.   I designed the platform in WordPress using a plugin called BadgeOS  - through this plugin, I am able to easily define the achievements and organize the badge requirements. 



Worlds of Learning @ New Milford High School provides a framework to allow our teachers to earn digital badges through learning about a range of technology tools and applications.  The platform has been designed so that its resources will help to prepare our educators to fully leverage the potential for mastering digital age skills embodied in the ISTE NETs Standards for Teachers, as well as the seamless integration of technology addressed in the Common Core Standards.  After registering, teachers can earn badges by learning about a tool and then demonstrating how they have successfully integrated it into their instruction. Teachers must register to access all features of the site.   Once completing tasks and earning their badges, they can then showcase their knowledge by displaying their digital learning badges in a number of possible ways:

  • By putting them onto Credly, the free web service for issuing, earning and sharing badges - Credly is a universal way for people to earn and showcase their achievements and badges. 
  • By putting them on Mozilla OpenBadge.   
  • By embedding them into their own sites or blogs and pushed out to their social networks. 
  • The badges will also of course be showcased on the Worlds of Learning @ NMHS site.

As technology convergence and integration continues to increase generally in our society, it is paramount that teachers possess the skills and behaviors of digital age professionals. Educators should be comfortable teaching, working and learning in an increasingly connected global digital society.   The real aim of educational technology is to modernize pedagogy and to shape the education of the future. NMHS teachers will be able to take the tools presented in this platform and seamlessly integrate them into meaningful learning that addresses the standards in their respective content areas.

By flipping our professional learning, teachers will receive job-embedded coaching and will be supported by face to face, personalized support.    I will be available to collaborate with teachers on implementing these tools into their instruction as well as offering both face-to-face and virtual support and encouragement. This platform was not designed to be used as a formal evaluation tool.  Instead the purpose of this platform is to track, share, celebrate and be given credit for informal learning.

Teachers at New Milford High School document their learning journey throughout the school year so that it can be incorporated into Professional Growth Period (PGP) portfolios (that teachers present at their end-of-year evaluation conferences.  The PGP, created by our principal Eric Sheninger, was launched in New Milford High School in September of 2011.   As a result, every New Milford High School teacher has two to three, forty eight minute periods a week, to engage in growth opportunities of personal interest.  Each staff member has to create and present a learning portfolio at his/ her end of year evaluation conference.   This learning portfolio articulates how they integrated what was learned during this time into professional practice.  The badges teachers that earn will be a part of their year-long action plan goal. 

I hope that New Milford High School teachers will be able to benefit greatly from this sustained initiative because of the professional learning flexibility an online platform provides as well as it being a means to document and showcase the skills they have gained and  putting their learnings into practice in the classroom. With only a handful of badges available to be earned on the site at the moment, I will be adding to the list considerably all throughout the school year. 

Needless to say I am extremely excited about how Laura has risen to the occasion and created a model for a program that will acknowledge informal learning of teachers that is aligned to professional standards. Once we have this up and running the next challenge will be to set up something similar for students.  In the meantime please share your thoughts on Worlds of Learning @ NMHS.

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Pillars of Digital Leadership Series Professional Growth

This post is the fourth in a series that will outline the foundational elements of my new book, Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times.  It is set to be published by Corwin Press on January 14, 2014.  Currently there is a pre-publication discount of 15% for any orders before this date.  Over the next couple of weeks I will introduce what I have come to identify as the Pillars of Digital Leadership, a conceptual framework for leaders to begin thinking about changes to professional practice.  My book will focus on each of these elements as part of a change process. It will illustrate them in action through the work of practitioners and provide implementation strategies. To view the entire series click HERE.

Pillar #4: Professional Growth

Opportunities to grow professionally are pivotal to leaders in the digital age. However, the mounting pressure from ridiculous mandates as a result of the current education reform movement and massive budget cuts across the country, have made it a challenge to learn through traditional pathways. Without funding, many districts no longer allow leaders to travel to national/state conferences or even attend local workshops.  It is a shame that the growth of leaders, and all educators for that matter, is a trivial concern to districts and so called reformers, unless it is solely related to the Common Core, PARCC, SGO’s (in NJ at least), or a teacher/principal evaluation tool.  These are not the meaningful, rich, and relevant learning opportunities that leaders of today’s schools deserve or yearn for.


Image credit: http://www.edudemic.com/build-personal-learning-network/

The ever-increasing mandates at the state level impacting evaluation and curricular alignment to the Common Core have taken their toll as well.  To put it bluntly, leaders feel that they either do not have, or cannot find, the time to attend professional learning opportunities due to this tsunami of work that comes at the sacrifice of meaningful growth and development.  The pressure from education reform mandates is so intense that many leaders don’t even think twice about missing a day of school to learn as he/she is always thinking about the observations that could get done or the piles of paperwork that will be waiting upon their return.  Leaders should never feel that their learning and growth comes at the expense of mandates and directives that are not in line with a vision for preparing students to succeed in a digital world.

Fortunately digital leaders are not at the mercy of budget cuts or taking professional days to learn and get better.  They still can, but now have the ability to save time and money by harnessing the power of social media to learn anytime, anywhere, and from anyone they choose.  They are able to follow their specific learning passions by connecting with like-minded individuals. A connected learning model is empowering and ultimately creates a human-generated search engine for the most practical ideas and strategies being implemented in schools today.

Using the work of Lyn Hilt as a model, Chapter 8 will provide leaders with the knowledge and tools to create their own Personal Learning Network (PLN).   A PLN provides leaders with resources, knowledge, feedback, advice, support, friendships, and is a catalyst for self-directed learning.  The ability and ease to now engage in conversations with like-minded practitioners and world-renowned experts provides a meaningful and differentiated model for growth to improve professional practice.  For me, I love being able to ask a question on Twitter and then return hours later with an array of responses from all over the world. I also love being able to filter content based on my interests from a variety of information sources to one convenient location.

Digital leaders seize the opportunity to grow and learn like never before through a connected model of leadership.  To begin this journey check out some of these wonderful blogs that I highly recommend every educator read and follow:

  • TeachThought
  • Edudemic
  • Getting Smart
  • EdSurge
  • Free Technology for Teachers
  • Educational Technology and Mobile Learning
  • Connected Principals
Another great way to start is to join the Leadership 3.0 community at edWeb for free. Now more than ever leaders need to take control of their learning.  How have you gone about creating your own PLN? What advice would you give to those leaders who are looking to begin this process?

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The Meaning of Valentines Day


I know I have said this before, but I really love my job.  I love my job mainly because of the students and staff that I am blessed to work side by side with each day at New Milford High School.  This morning Doreen Zacher, my Student Assistance Counselor (S.A.C.) demanded that I stop what I was doing to listen to an example of how great our students are. Her story moved me so much that I demanded in turn that she write it up for me so that I could share this wonderful example of character embodied by our students.  In education we work so hard to teach our students important life lessons that focus on the respect and caring for others.  Based on the summary below it looks like our commitment to creating and supporting such a culture is paying off. I hope you all enjoy this guest post by Doreen as much as I did.

Image credit: http://www.shopcoralgables.com/blog/2013/02/07/valentines-day-in-downtown-coral-gables/

It seems in our society that Valentine’s Day has turned into a manufactured holiday.  If one does not receive roses, a present or a card they may think they are not loved.  Today, I was able to experience the true meaning of unconditional love by strangers. A young middle school student was very upset because she felt as if none of her friends would recognize her and offer her a Valentine’s card.  Her emotions were so intense that her tears ran freely from her eyes.  When I received notification of this, I realized the true meaning of Valentines Day.  I purchased a card and asked high school students to sign it for the young girl who felt alone today.  Within minutes I had multiple signatures and well wishes on this card.  Even though they were strangers to this young girl, they felt a connection.  Everyone, one time in their life has felt alone. Before I knew it, the New Milford High School students made a care package for her full of cookies, candy and snacks.  They went the extra mile just to offer their support to this young girl that they never met or even knew.

When the package was dropped off at her school,  she read the card and saw all of the goodies, her face lit up like a Christmas Tree.  She felt the support and love from strangers, but from this day forward the high school students will be her support.  As a result of this experience, I have learned the  true meaning of Valentine’s Day, treat others with the love and respect and you can change the life of a stranger. 
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The Art of Storytelling

I decided to hold back (for now) on a rant that has been brewing for the past two days and instead have decided to take a more constructive approach on my blog.  A great debate that has emerged over social media channels has been how we honor and acknowledge our educators and others in the profession. During many insightful and constructive conversations with Chris Wejr we went back on forth on the merits and challenges inherent in this complex process. Even though Chris and I respectfully disagree on awards in general we had an enlightening conversation over the course of 3 days in public and private on the importance of sharing stories. The consensus is that regardless of the process more stories need to be told. 


Image credit: http://prtini.com/storytelling/

Storytelling is an art, but it does not have to be a painful, arduous, or time consuming task.  I think many of us in the connected world have been telling our stories since we signed on to a social media tool.  The challenge for all of us is to take it beyond our own professional experiences and begin to share more stories of those educators doing incredible work who deserve to be honored for positively impacting the life of a child.  It is through the work of educators that we can see excellence in practice each and every day in our students.  In the end well emerge as a more reflective and grateful profession as we unlock greatness that is present throughout schools across the globe.

My challenge to all of you is to become the storyteller-in-chief for your school, community, and/or PLN.  Share the success of your students, colleagues, and those that you connect with online.  Look for those special moments in your buildings that are being done by innovative teachers and administrators that are not connected.  Try experimenting with guest blog posts from educators and students.  Encourage colleagues to attend and participate in Edcamps or Twitter chats.  When at a mainstream conference go up to someone you dont know and capture their story.  I bet that you will make that educators day! 

I believe awards and honoring educators through the art of storytelling can coexist even if we dont agree.  Lets just agree to pursue the better path in the near term that is positive, supportive, and inspiring. Together we are better even in the face of challenges and disagreement.  Its time for all of us to do our part through action and in the process it will honor members of our amazing profession.
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With the exception of the series historical hero "Terry Bogard", all the participating characters in "GAROU: MARK OF THE WOLVES" are new, and some of them have some connections with characters from previous installments.

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In addition to the 4 & 6 button type layouts, the "SP" and "FM" special buttons allows the user to respectively activate Special and Desperation Moves with the touch of a button. Furthermore, this faithful port of "GAROU: MARK OF THE WOLVES" features a "PRACTICE" mode, in which you can train all you moves and best combos, a "SURVIVAL" mode, where you fight all the game characters until your life bar depletes to zero. Finally, "GAROU: MARK OF THE WOLVES " is also compatible with "Bluetooth" game controllers for the best game experience ever.

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Cram a bunch of files into a single “zip” archive

How to cram a bunch of files into a zip archive Mac/Windows tip: Cram a bunch of files into a single zip archive

Got a bunch of little files that you want to send to a friend? Well, you could always drag them all into an email and send them as attachments, but talk about messy.

Think of a zip archive as a suitcase containing a series of smaller files. Just select the documents, photos, or other files you want to compress, then “zip” them up into a single, tightly packed archive that’s smaller than the overall size of the originals.
Both Mac and Windows systems have their own, easy-to-use archive utilities. Indeed, they’re only a right-click away from your desktop.
The downside to creating a zip archive is that there’s no easy way to see what’s inside an archive folder—or at least, there’s no easy way using the “native” archive utilities in Mac OS X and Windows.
That said, there are plenty of third-party apps (such as WinZip, perhaps the most single popular “shareware” utility of all time) that will inspect the contents of a zip archive, among other things.
So, ready to start zipping? Here we go…

For Mac:

  • First, select the files you want to compress into an archive. You can also select an existing folder if you wish, or even a combination of files and folders.
  • Next, right-click the selected files and/or folders and select “Compress” from the pop-up menu.
  • In a few seconds or so (depending on the size of the files you’re compressing), a file titled “Archive.zip”—containing copies of all the files and folders you just compressed—will appear on your desktop. Meanwhile, your original, uncompressed files will be sitting right where you left them.
  • Go ahead and rename the archive file (click its icon, click its name, and then start typing), then feel free to move it anywhere on your hard drive or send it to a friend.
  • To “unzip” the file, simply double-click it; when you do, your Mac will decompress the archive automatically.
Windows zip archive 300x180 Mac/Windows tip: Cram a bunch of files into a single zip archive
A simple right-click is all it takes to create a “zip” archive in Windows.

For Windows:

  • As on a Mac, first select the files and/or folders you want to stuff into a zip archive.
  • Right-click the selected files, select “Send to” from the pop-up menu, then select “Compressed (zipped) Folder” from the secondary menu.
  • After a few seconds, a file titled “New Compressed (zipped) Folder” will appear, containing copies of all your zipped files. If you want to rename the archive, now’s a good time to do so (right-click, then select “Rename” from the menu).
  • Unlike on a Mac, Windows will let you take a quick peek at the files compressed into a zip archive; just open the archive folder to see a list of your archived files. Keep in mind, though, that you won’t be able to preview the contents of a particular file.
  • Want to unzip your archive? Right-click it and select “Extract all,” or open the archive folder and click the “Extract all files” button near the top of the window.
  • You can also pluck individual files out of the archive, if you wish. Just open the archive folder, select a file, and drag it onto your desktop.
Want to create an empty archive folder first, then add files to it later? On a Windows PC, you sure, can.
Just right-click on your desktop, select “New” from the pop-up menu, then select “Compressed (zipped) folder” from the secondary menu.
Once the empty zip folder appears, just open it, then start dragging and dropping files.
Looking for more Mac tips? Click here, or click here for more Windows tips.

Cram a bunch of files into a single “zip” archive
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Increase Battery Life Of Your Smartphone In Simple Steps

How charming it would be if your smartphone doesn’t need charging wherever you go. In today’s smartphone’s technological world, one of the major disadvantage is battery backup of these smartphones. We need certain tips to increase battery life of our smartphone and run it for a long time without any charger.Today, in this article i will show you explain some simple steps to increase battery life of your smartphone and run it without any charger wherever you go for a long time.

Latest gadgets released by major smartphone company like Apple, Samsung and others have common bug. They consume lot of battery and we have to attach them to their charger every time. No matter if you are driving your car, attach them with any car charger, if you are your office, attach your smartphone to any office cable and much more.The tips explained right here will explain you how you can increase battery life of your gadget and run it for a long time.

Increase Battery Life Of Your Smartphone

1. One of the best trick to increase battery life of your smartphone is to check which apps consume the most battery of your smartphone. Check those apps and close them when not in need.If your smartphone has less RAM, try to use only single app at one time or if your gadget has RAM like 2 or 4 GB, then you can easily use multiple apps at single tips without any battery loss. This trick will surely help you to increase battery life of your smartphone and make it run better than before.Closing inactive apps will make your smartphone run faster and increase battery life.You can also uninstall those apps consuming more memory.
increase battery life
2. As you know every gadget in today’s world comes with functions like GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G/4G and much more awesome features. But all these apps consume lots of battery of your smartphone.To increase battery life, try to switch off GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G/4G network and try to use your smartphone in as simple way as you can.This method surely helps to increase battery life of your smartphone. You can attach a charger if you need these apps. This trick surely helps to increase battery life of your smartphone.

3. Another trick to increase battery life of your smartphone is to reduce the brightness of screen of your gadget. Reducing brightness helps to increase battery life and make your smartphone run for long time. Set your brightness to automatic and leave. This trick helps to increase battery life and run more time.At night you can reduce brightness to zero and increase battery life.

4. If you are using any android smartphone, you might be aware of live wallpapers and widgets on screen. These widget stops your way to increase battery life.Try to remove any live wallpaper or gadget and use any simple wallpaper instead. Use only important gadgets like time, mail, etc.This trick surely helps to increase battery life of your smartphone.

5. Updating your smartphone and apps you installed in it also contribute to increase battery life of your gadget. Update your version of smartphone and every app you love to use in it. This method works very well to increase battery life of your gadget and run it more smoothly than before.

Increase Battery Life Of Your Smartphone In Simple Steps
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Pillars of Digital Leadership Series Public Relations

This post is the second in a series that will outline the foundational elements of my new book, Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times.  It is set to be published by Corwin Press on January 14, 2014.  Currently there is a pre-publication discount of 15% for any orders before this date.  Over the next couple of weeks I will introduce what I have come to identify as the Pillars of Digital Leadership, a conceptual framework for leaders to begin thinking about changes to professional practice.  My book will focus on each of these elements as part of a change process. It will illustrate them in action through the work of practitioners and provide implementation strategies. To view the entire series click HERE.


Pillar #2 - Public Relations

If you don’t tell your story someone else will.  More often than not, when someone else tells your story, nine out of ten times, it is one that you don’t want told.  This is the reality for virtually every school leader.  In the past I feared and dreaded the roll of public relations as the typical situation played out time and time again.  No matter how much progress we made, or success we experienced, it was always that one negative story that would dominate the media coverage and sway public opinion.  I can vividly remember each news situation that completely blew things out of proportion and greatly distracted from the meaningful and significant work that was occurring on a daily basis.  


Image credit: http://smp4u.wordpress.com/author/jessicafelicekamm/

There is a fundamental problem with the mainstream media when it comes to public relations.  That problem is that they are a business.  In order to generate business they must create and promote stories that capture the attentions of their intended audience.  Make no mistake about it, the media wants and needs to make money.  When it comes to education the most controversial and negative stories are the ones that attract viewers and in turn generate revenue.  I dont know about you, but I grew quite resentful of the media in the past as they would be so quick to call my office to comment on a negative situation, but would not give me the time of day when I had a positive story for them to cover.  Sound familiar?

Thankfully this all changed in late 2009 as I discovered the power and value of using social media as a public relations tool.  I began to generate our own news related to New Milford High School and quickly learned of the many tools available that could be used at anytime from anywhere to tell our story.  In essence, I became the storyteller-in-chief.  As a result of the innovative work my students and teachers were engaged in, I discovered that there was an abundance of newsworthy content that my stakeholders craved.  Instead of reaching out to the media to cover these stories, we in essence became the media using mainstream tools such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube.  As social media has evolved so too has our public relations strategy as we are now integrating Instagram, Pinterest, and Tumblr to tell our story.  

The end result is that the media now comes to us and/or follows our social media channels to capture our story. Since taking control of our public relations at NMHS in 2009, the NYC, CBS, and NBC affiliates as well as USA Today, USA Weekend, Education Week, and Scholastic Administrator have all reported on positive news stories.  I have literally lost count of additional media coverage, as it has become the norm.  It has also led to the establishment of professional relationships with reporters who want to tell accurate and positive stories about innovative schools.  

Chapter 6 in my book takes a detailed look at how digital leaders leverage available social media tools to enhance public relations. It places an emphasis on the work of John Carver and how he has become a public relations juggernaut for two different districts in Iowa. It also breaks down the strategies and tools that I use on behalf of my school to tell our story. Community and transparency are the bedrocks of public relations in the digital age.  This fact makes social media a natural fit.

How are you using social media for public relations?

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