GO Launcher EX v2.51 Final for android OS 2.0+


GO Launcher EX is the extended version of GO Launcher, one of the most popular home apps in Android Market. It’s a highly customizable home replacement application, which will run when you press your android phone’s HOME key. GO Launcher EX supports hundreds of themes, fast flip speed and tons of useful functions.

Features:
- Hundreds of themes
- Fancy home screen transition
- Smooth scrolling experience
- Icon popup menu
- Folder and task manager in app drawer
- Gesture supported
- Scrollable & resizable widgets supported

Tips:
1. Pinch fingers to enter preview screen and edit home screen pages
2. Search “go launcher theme” to get themes and select them in “Themes preferences”
3. Set screen transition and flip speed in “Display settings”
4. Long press icons on home screen to active popup menu
5. Long press icons in app drawer to edit location, uninstall apps and create folders
6. If you cant set GO Launcher as your default home, download "Home manager"

Important:
1. This is a totally free application and we need directly call phone numbers permission to enable the direct dial shortcut on home screen.
2. We will bring out some charged apps like themes and widgets, but most of our apps are free!
3. The weather and clock widget in screenshots belongs to GO Weather, one of the applications developed by our team!
4. The other widgets in screenshots are our GOwidgets, try to search and download them in Android Market!
5. Download our “Classic Theme GO Launcher EX” to get the wallpaper!
6. GO Dev team has released GO Launcher EX, GO SMS, GO Weather and GO Contacts. More and more applications are coming soon!

Think of an extreme makeover to your phone? Try this out!

Whats in this version:
1. (New) App drawer supports no tabs mode (App drawer settings)
2. (New) Home screen folder sorts apps according to app drawer sorting mode (alphabetical/ time)
3. (New) 5×4 grid size for app drawer
4. (Improve) GO Store’s networking method
5. (Improve) Opening speed of home screen folder
6. (Fix) Icon change issue of default folder

More Info:
http://golauncher.goforandroid.com/2011/08/go-launcher-v2-51/


Download :
GO Launcher EX v2.51 Final

Mirror:
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As students work to master the complex reading and writing standards demanded by the Common Core, Mrs. Montecuollo and Mrs. Westbrook collaborated to create writing scaffolds that address the diverse academic needs of their 9th grade students. These teachers believe that differentiation is about access points. Therefore, they used four support activities (scaffolds) to address different areas of difficulty they see their students face.

Image credit: http://www.masoncontractors.org/2010/03/10/the-adjustable-scaffolding-advantage/

Scaffold 1 & 2:  Student Generated Exemplars and Writing the “Recipe” for Literary Analysis

First, Mrs. Westbrook created a task that required students to identify and interpret the underlying meaning of a piece of literature and then to make arguments about it. She began by showing a student written exemplar (Figure 1) to demystify the task and give students a concrete model for their own writing. Then students generated a list of the characteristics of literary analysis demonstrated in the example.  This strategy allowed the teachers to delineate the requirements for the task and tied those requirements to specific writing moves used in good analysis (Figure 2). It also provided clarity for targeted feedback. For example, Mrs. Montecuollo and Mrs. Westbrook could read student responses and be clear about what each writer needed to add or change in order to meet standard.

Figure 1. Annotated Student Exemplar 

Figure 2. Teaching Chart:  Rules for Literary Analysis

Scaffold 3:  Cloze Writing Technique

Another key to the success of this lesson was the third scaffold The Cloze Writing Technique (Figure 3).  This scaffold provided students with sentence starters gleaned from the student exemplar and allowed them to focus on the content of their arguments without worrying about how to begin.  As students struggled to articulate their ideas, they worried that their writing sounded “so simple” and “so elementary.” By helping students articulate their ideas more complexly, Mrs. Montecuollo and Mrs. Westbrook honored each student’s thinking. Thus, students were more willing to take a risk and push themselves from summary to analysis.  

Figure 3. Cloze Writing Technique

Scaffold 4:  Class Blogs as Formative Assessment

Finally, students posted their pieces to Mrs. Westbrook’s class blog (Figure 4). After posting the students received differentiated feedback to help revise their responses. In addition, the blog is public, so students had a real audience and real responses to reference as they worked to fill gaps in their writing/understanding/learning. In this way, these instructors maximized the learning for all of their students and ensured the class met standard. 

Figure 4. English 9 Class Blog

English 9 students blogging using a combination of their own devices, Chromebooks, and  MacBooks. 

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Some might remember a time when YouTube was an built-in app on iOS devices – you could play YouTube videos in the background, thereby allowing you to use other apps (or turn the screen off) while still being able to listen to the audio of the YouTube clips.

Then iOS 6 came along and YouTube was removed and became an app in the iTunes App Store – as a result, the background playback feature was also removed. On iOS 7, however, there is actually a simple workaround, and that’s exactly what we’ll be showing you in this quick tutorial today.

Play YouTube In The Background On iOS 7

Instead of using the YouTube app, use Safari and navigate to any YouTube clip and hit the Play button.

Now, if you want to use other apps while having the YouTube video play in the background, just tap on the Home button to go to your homescreen.
When you’re on your homescreen, swipe up to launch the Control Center and tap on the Play/Pause button. You’ll now be able to listen to the audio of that YouTube video you selected earlier and use other apps at the same time.

You can also tap on your device’s power button to turn off the screen and still listen to the audio of that YouTube clip.

Via hongkiat

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ChompSMS Donate v5.12 for all Android versions, supports App2SD


Frustrated with the built-in Messaging application? Want more features? Then chompSMS is for you, with lots of extra features like chat-style bubbles, contact pictures, quick reply, signatures, templates, blacklisting, heaps of customizations, themes, FREE texting using the **TextFreek Service** and much much more!

You can simply use chompSMS as a souped-up replacement to the built-in Messaging application, just with a heap more features and customizations.

Plus, if your mobile carrier charges a lot for texting (internationally for example) you can buy chompSMS credits to send much cheaper text messages.

NEW: TextFreek Service (built into chompSMS) lets you text iPhone, iPod, Android and BlackBerry devices for FREE!

Does it cost me anything?

The chompSMS application is completely free, with no obligation to buy anything from us.

For text messages between your friends using the TextFreek Service on iPhone, iPod, Android and BlackBerry its FREE.

You only need to buy chompSMS credits if our rates are cheaper than your mobile carrier. Our rates are the same to any supported country in the world regardless of origin or destination. Otherwise simply use this great app for free and enjoy!

Note: TextFreek Service requires Firmware 2.2 and above.

Whats in this version:
Improved the speed of Quick Reply.
New chompSMS icon!

More Info:
http://www.chompsms.com/main/changelog


Download :
ChompSMS Donate v5.12

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Unlike the Mail app for iPhone, the official Gmail app for Android phones lacks an obvious way (like, say, a pair of arrow keys on the actual message screen) for navigating from one email directly to the next.
Given that, I’m guessing plenty of Android users—hey, myself included—have been repeatedly tapping their way back to the inbox whenever they’re done with one message and want to skip to a new one.
Well, guess what: there’s a much easier way (as I belatedly discovered) to jump directly from one message thread (or “conversation,” as they’re called in Gmail) to the next.
Just swipe.
Specifically, you can swipe from left to right to skip to a more recent thread, or from right to left for an older one.
Pretty clever—so clever, in fact, that I’d completely missed it until now.

Add tip

Want to jump automatically to the next message after deleting or archiving the current one?
Tap the three-dot menu button in the bottom-right corner of the Gmail interface, tap Settings, General Settings, then “Auto-advance.”
You can then choose what happens when you delete or archive a message: you can advance to a newer message, go back to an older one, or return to the inbox.
Tips from http://heresthethingblog.com/2013/04/29/gmail-android-tip-swipe-message
How to Swipe from one message thread to the next

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GO Keyboard v0.4.1 for all Android versions

GO Keyboard can make your typing fast and smart. It is a must choice of Android mobile phone.
Main features:
1.Predict in multiple languages and keyboard layouts
2.Has accurate dictionaries
3.Smart to set skin and back ground
4.Import contacts
5.Import SMS To user dictionary
*Auto-memory and correct as you type
*Multi-point touch keyboard

Start GO Keyboard
First: after download GO Keyboard, go into the “menu”, find out “language and keyboard” in settings, choose GO keyboard.
Second: long press any input box until popup a menu, choose “Input method”, choose “GO Keyboard”

**Gesture support:
Swipe left or right to switch layouts
Swipe down to close the keyboard

Supported languages:
English
German (DE)
French (FR)
Spanish (ES)
Italian (IT)
Portuguese (PT)
Russian（RU）
Swedish（SV）
Dutch(NL)
Norwegian(NO)
Romanian(RO)
Hungarian(HU)
Polish(PL)
Greece (EL)
Slovakia (SK)
Finland (FI)
Denmark (DA)
Bulgarian（BG）
Czech(CS)
PinYin（ZH）
Stroke(ZH)
Cangjie（ZH）
Simplified Cangjie（ZH）
Korean (KO)
Hebrew (HEB)
Arabic (AR)
There will be more multiple languages that we are going to predict.
More fascinating, more freedom is our destination.
If you have any question or suggestion, please contact us by email, thank you!

Keyword：
GO Keyboard keyboard gokeyboard Keyboard Input Method Editor input IME GO Touch GO Dev Team GO Launcher Ex GO SMS GO Weather gosms key gocontacts contact dictionary voice input

Date：2011-8-14
Version：0.4.1
1.(New) Can use Android dictionary.
2.(New) Emoji plug-in (Entrance: click the logo on the left of top menu).
3.(Optimized) Setting menu option.
4.(Fix) The bug of Changjie candidate area turn page.
5.(Fix) Germany keyboard error bug.

More Info:
http://www.appbrain.com/app/go-keyboard/com.jb.gokeyboard


Download :
GO Keyboard v0.4.1

Mirror:
http://www.wupload.com/file/92633682

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Blackthorn Castle v2.6

Requirements

http://iMarketApk.blogspot.com/ [New] APK Market iMarketApk » Blackthorn Castle v2.6 [Torrent Modded apk] Free APK are available on every other topic you can think of in both fiction and non-fiction of. There are free Android APK available for adults and children and even between and teenagers. It may seem overwhelming to find and download [android apk] Hack no survey [New] APK Market iMarketApk » Blackthorn Castle v2.6 ҩ MOD but with the steps below youll be just minutes away from getting APK.: 2.3.3 and up

http://iMarketApk.blogspot.com/ - Overview about Blackthorn Castle v2.6

Full Download MOd [New] APK Market iMarketApk » Blackthorn Castle v2.6 and Torrent Link

: Once again your Uncle Henry has asked for your help in the search for a mysterious artifact.

Embark on your own quest in this beautifully designed classic point and click adventure puzzle game. Explore an all but forgotten 14th century Blackthorn Castle, surrounding dark forest and structures. Discover hidden passageways, clues and puzzles along the way!

Uncle Henry has been hunting lost treasures for as long as you can remember. His legendary stories of adventure excited your imagination as you were a child growing up. Now with your newly acquired archeology skills, he has been reaching out from time to time for your help in tracking down some of these difficult to find treasures.

In his latest quest, he has been hunting for a mysterious artifact last known to be at Castle Blackthorn in England. As the tale goes, centuries ago a wizard once lived in this castle and stole a valuable artifact from a local watch maker and hid it away somewhere in the depths of the castle.

You must hurry and help him on this amazing adventure before anyone else finds the mysterious artifact!

This captivating adventure game has:

- Custom designed beautiful HD graphics!

- Custom composed soundtrack and sound effects!

- A built-in hint system for when you get stumped

- A dynamic map to show the screens you have visited and current location

- A camera that takes photos of clues and symbols as you discover them

- Dozens of puzzles, clues, and items

- Auto saves your progress

- Available for phones and tablets!

Whats New

2.6

- Added reset button for scene 64 puzzle

More Info Blackthorn Castle v2.6

You can directly download the apk file with torent modded or just in iMarketApk

Android APK Files [New] APK Market iMarketApk » Blackthorn Castle v2.6 Full And No Hack No Survey No ROOT

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https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ackthorncastle

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TravelBook Antalya v1.0 + SD-Files for android 1.5+


Offline Travel Guide for Antalya (Turkey)
- Detailed street map (OpenStreetMap)
- Wikipedia POIs and articles
- Routing plus directions
- Local search (places,streets,POIs,etc.)
- All features require NO Internet connection
Hint: Install our free app "TravelDroyd" for a full-featured

More Info:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.osa.android.travelbook.antalya&feature=search_result

Download : Files to SD/
TravelBook Antalya v1.0 + SD-Files

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HyperBowl Pro v3.68

Requirements

http://iMarketApk.blogspot.com/ [New] APK Market iMarketApk » HyperBowl Pro v3.68 [Torrent Modded apk] Free APK are available on every other topic you can think of in both fiction and non-fiction of. There are free Android APK available for adults and children and even between and teenagers. It may seem overwhelming to find and download [android apk] Hack no survey [New] APK Market iMarketApk » HyperBowl Pro v3.68 ҩ MOD but with the steps below youll be just minutes away from getting APK.: 2.3 and up

http://iMarketApk.blogspot.com/ - Overview about HyperBowl Pro v3.68

Full Download MOd [New] APK Market iMarketApk » HyperBowl Pro v3.68 and Torrent Link

: This authorized version of HyperBowl for Android is brought to you by one of the developers on the team that created the original arcade and attraction game over ten years ago.

Free APK HyperBowl Pro v3.68

This authorized version of HyperBowl for Android is brought to you by one of the developers on the team that created the original arcade and attraction game over ten years ago. Swipe the screen to push the bowling ball around the six richly imaginative fantasy bowling worlds. Enjoy the scenery, but remember to head for the pins!

Play 1-4 players in the original Arcade Mode or quick-play in single-player mode. Customize the bowling ball with your own photos and share videos of your games with your friends!

Please install HyperBowl Lite (free and ad-supported) to verify it runs on your device. This version of HyperBowl is built with the Unity game engine, MacXWare FontLibrary, iTween by Pixel Placement, Transition Manager from DFT Games, Localization Package from M2H Game Studio, Mushroom Land from Manufactura 4K, Penelope from Unity Technologies, and NGUI from Tasharen Entertainment.

HyperBowl is a trademark of Hyper Entertainment, Plc. HyperBowl was originally developed by J. Walt Adamczyk, Zoie Alandra, TJ Bordelon, Phil Britt, Phil Chu, Brian Johnson, Christine Kaneshige, Jon Kranc, Mike Peterson, Al Podrasky, Aaron Pulkka, Wendy Rosenthal, Cary Sandvig, Dave Spencer, Mike Swinney, Ed Trillo, Gene Turnbow, Phil Zucco

Special thanks to our HyperBowl fans for suggestions, testing and overall enthusiasm. Join us on Download Url

If your have a problem with this app on your device, please include your device and Android version in your comment,

Whats New

Updated UnityAnalytics

This game has no advertisements

More Info HyperBowl Pro v3.68

You can directly download the apk file with torent modded or just in iMarketApk

Android APK Files [New] APK Market iMarketApk » HyperBowl Pro v3.68 Full And No Hack No Survey No ROOT

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https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...rBowlPro&hl=en

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Formula Unlimited PRO v1.2.15 + Mod

Requirements

http://iMarketApk.blogspot.com/ [New] APK Market iMarketApk » Formula Unlimited PRO v1.2.15 + Mod [Torrent Modded apk] Free APK are available on every other topic you can think of in both fiction and non-fiction of. There are free Android APK available for adults and children and even between and teenagers. It may seem overwhelming to find and download [android apk] Hack no survey [New] APK Market iMarketApk » Formula Unlimited PRO v1.2.15 + Mod ҩ MOD but with the steps below youll be just minutes away from getting APK.: Android O/S : 2.3+

http://iMarketApk.blogspot.com/ - Overview about Formula Unlimited PRO v1.2.15 + Mod

Full Download MOd [New] APK Market iMarketApk » Formula Unlimited PRO v1.2.15 + Mod and Torrent Link

: Have fun in this new Formula Unlimited version!

Competing in Formula Unlimited world championship is a new challenge for the Racing Gamer. Formula Unlimited is not restricted with F1 or GP2 traditional regulations, only your skills can lead you to the (goal/finish) line.

/ * * * Whats new in this version: * * * /

Great graphic improvements over earlier versions.

Cars can be updgraded before each championship race. You can make improvements in engine power,

aerodynamics, tyre wear and bodyworks impact structure.

In race tyre degradation.

Car damage in collision.

Now all circuits have a PitLane for tyre change and car repairing.

Pit stops.

HUD with other pilots pit stops.

HUD with position and distance of the car behind us.

All circuits are completely redesigned with new graphical improvements.

New car models with high level of detail.

Cash reward system in each race to spend in tyres, bodywork kits and car upgrades,

Steering hardness can be changed even during the race with in-game Sensitivity setting menu.

Camera smoothly tilts when steering with accelerometer.

Whats in this version : (Updated : Mar 15, 2015)

Improves load time

Improves performance

More Info Formula Unlimited PRO v1.2.15 + Mod

You can directly download the apk file with torent modded or just in iMarketApk

Android APK Files [New] APK Market iMarketApk » Formula Unlimited PRO v1.2.15 + Mod Full And No Hack No Survey No ROOT

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1. Facebook / Twitter

Rejoice, social mavens: mobile apps for both Facebook and Twitter are available for Android phones, and each will let you post updates, browse the latest stories from your pals, upload photos, and share links.
Download: Facebook | Twitter

2. Netflix

Are you a Netflix subscriber? If so, get ready to start streaming. You can browse tens of thousands of movies and TV shows through Netflix’s glossy new mobile interface, manage your instant video queue, and stream videos over both Wi-Fi or 3G/4G cellular networks. Just be careful not to bust over your carrier’s monthly data limit.
Download: Netflix

3. Kindle / Google Play Books

Yes, bookworms, you can use your Android phone as an e-reader with the mobile Kindle or Google Play Books apps, which let you download and store, and flip through purchased e-books, even when you’re offline.
Download: Kindle | Google Play Books

4. Pandora / Last.fm / Slacker Radio

No need to go without free, streaming music if you’ve got one of these music apps on your Android phone. Each app serves up all the streaming tunes you can stand—albeit with advertisements.
Download: Pandora | Last.fm | Slacker Radio

5. Amazon MP3

Browse, purchase, stream and/or download new and catalog tunes from Amazon’s massive digital music selection.
Download: Amazon MP3

6. Pocket (formerly Read It Later)

Similar to Instapaper, Pocket (also available for the iPhone and iPad) saves and formats web pages you’ve bookmarked for mobile (and offline) reading. It’s the perfect app for Android users looking to dive into lengthy news and magazine articles on a small screen.
Download: Pocket

7. WeatherBug / The Weather Channel

How’s the weather out there? Both WeatherBug and the Weather Channel serve up current conditions and forecasts, plus animated radar maps, video forecasts, and webcam images from local weather stations.
Download: WeatherBug | The Weather Channel

8. Lookout Security & Antivirus

In addition to scanning your handset for the latest crop of mobile viruses; Lookout’s mobile security app will also track your lost or stolen Android handset, similar to Apple’s “Find My iPhone” feature. An absolute must-have app, if you ask me.
Download: Lookout Security & Antivirus

9. Google Reader

Perfect for keeping tabs on your favorite blogs and news sites, the Google Reader app syncs with the free, web-based Google Reader service and even saves new articles for offline reading.
Download: Google Reader

10. Yelp

Where to go, what to do … and what’s for dinner? Yelp for Android will pinpoint your location and list nearby stores, restaurants, banks, museums, hospitals, you name it. Each listing includes details like street addresses, hours of operations, and plenty of user reviews.
Download: Yelp

11. Dropbox / Google Drive

Your most important desktop files will never be more than a swipe away with these powerful file-syncing apps on your handheld. Dropbox offers free syncing for up to 2 GB of documents and will (if you wish) automatically sync all your mobile snapshots with your other Dropbox-linked devices.
Google Drive, meanwhile, taps into your online Google Drive account (up to 5GB of free storage) and adds the ability to create and edit Word- and Excel-compatible documents directly on your phone.
Download: Dropbox / Google Drive

12. Pulse News

A sleek, magazine-like mobile news reader that syncs with Facebook and Google Reader, Pulse News boasts featured sections from the likes of TIME, The Huffington Post, CNNMoney, and more.
Download: Pulse News

13. Flipboard

Don’t want to cough up the cash for a pricey digital magazine subscription? Build your own “social” magazine with Flipboard, an app that creates beautifully designed, magazine-style pages using stories from your favorite blogs, not to mention headlines shared by your Facebook and Twitter pals.
Download: Flipboard

14. Instagram

Armed with dozens of groovy filters and frames, Instagram turns your mobile snapshots into works of pop art—and if you’re feeling social, you can share your eye-popping pics on Facebook or Twitter, or with other Instagram users.
Download: Instagram

15. Skype

A must-have for new parents (as I’m just now discovering), Skype makes it easy for far-flung relatives with PCs, Macs, iPhones or iPads to say “hi” to baby via video chat. Also on board: crystal-clear voice calling and instant messaging.
Download: Skype

16. Pinterest

Browse all the fashions, products, food, and other online goodies that’ve been “pinned” by fellow Pinterest users, and create your own pins using the automatically installed Google Chrome “pin it” bookmarklet.
Download: Pinterest

17. Fandango / Movies by Flixster

Wanna see a movie? Fetch local showtimes, reviews, photo galleries and trailers for the latest box-office draws, buy tickets, or check out new movies on Blu-ray or DVD.
Download: Fandango / Movies by Flixster

18. Google Chrome

Why settle for the browser that came with your Android phone when you could get the mobile version of Google Chrome, a web-browsing speed demon that lets you sync bookmarks, tabs, recent searches, and other settings with Chrome on your desktop.
Download: Chrome for Android

19. Evernote

Don’t let that brilliant thought slip away; instead, jot it down with Evernote, an easy-to-use digital notebook that syncs your notes and web clippings with your (free) online Evernote account.
Download: Evernote

20. Google Goggles

Confounded by those blocky, black-and-white squares stamped on everything from magazine ads to billboards? Those are QR codes, and you’ll need a mobile QR reader to translate them. Enter Google Goggles, a free Android app that’ll quickly scan a QR code and reveal its secrets.
Sightseers will also appreciate Google Google’s ability to cough up factoids about notable buildings, statues, and other landmarks in your field of vision.
Download: Google Goggles
Keep in mind, of course, that these aren’t the only must-have apps in the Android Market. Have any suggestions for more? Post ‘em in the comments below!

original article here
20 free must-have apps for Android phones (updated)

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TravelBook Barcelona v1.0 + SD-Files for Android

Offline Travel Guide for Barcelona (Spain)
- Detailed street map (OpenStreetMap)
- Wikipedia POIs and articles
- Routing plus directions
- Local search (places,streets,POIs,etc.)
- All features require NO internet connection
Hint: Install our free app "TravelDroyd" for a full-featured

More Info:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.osa.android.travelbook.barcelona&feature=search_result&hl=en


Download : Files to SD/
Travel Book Barcelona v1.0 + SD-Files

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For you Android lovers Here are 18 Free Short Story Sites you can visit and download the ebooks for killing your time.

Click on the logo to visit the site.
Name Your Tale – 100-Word stories based on your titles.	Espresso Stories – Complete stories that take no longer to read than an espresso takes to slurp. Accepts story submissions.	One Sentence – This is about telling the most interesting or poignant story possible in the fewest number of words. You may submit your own stories.
Six Word Stories – Stories told in just six words. You can submit your own.	FictionPress – Home to over 1.2 million original works. You can submit your own stories.	Short Stories – Available in various categories, printer friendly. Accepts story submissions.
Story Bytes – A monthly Ezine and weekly electronic mailing list presenting shortest stories from 2 to 2048 words. Accepts story submissions.	100 Words – A site that encourages writers to write 100 words a day, every day for 1 month. All the stories can be accessed from the site. You may submit your own stories.	Fan Story – Share your stories and poems and you will get detailed feedback. You may submit your own poems & stories.
Classic Short Stories – Dedicated to the short story and to those interested in reading light prose.	Backhand Stories – A creative writing blog that published short stories, flash fiction, non-fiction & essays by new and unpublished writers. You may submit your own stories.	Short Story Archive – Browse through genres and authors. Huge collection.
Fifty-Two Stories – Social engineering through the regular administration of short fiction.	Save The Short Story – A site dedicated to save the short story genre. Support this move by submitting your image.	Five Chapters – Publishes a short story in five parts each week. Has contests and you may submit your stories.
50-Word Stories – New stories from Monday to Friday. Guest story is posted every Monday. Accepts story submissions.	Two Sentence Stories – Big stories told in 2 little sentences. Mathew from Australia operates this site and accepts submissions.	The Plough – Great list of short stories for children.
Compiled by Getfreeebooks.com

Free Short Story Sites

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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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Educators across America are grappling with what the Common Core State Standards
(CCSS) mean for their instruction and have key questions around successful implementation:

• What are the core components of the CCSS and how do they impact me?
• How do I integrate the CCSS most effectively into my curriculum and instruction?
• How do I create assessments that align to the CCSS?
• How do I plan for the successful implementation of the CCSS in my classroom? My school?  My district?

As a trusted educational partner, Discovery Education has worked with thousands of educational leaders to transform teaching and learning. They understand that successful implementation requires a focus on fundamentals: curriculum, instruction, assessment, and leadership.

Educators are invited to join their peers for Common Core Academies that are:

• Research-based: Their professional development integrates proven curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices from expert practitioners and thought leaders.
• Personalized: Each Academy addresses educator-identified needs related to the transition to more rigorous standards.
• Actionable: They provide classroom applications that support long-term action planning with strategies for immediate classroom integration.

ELA Academy: This two-day, hands-on Academy will engage K-12 educators in an intense focus on research-based English Language Arts (ELA) instructional practices to successfully implement the rigors of text complexity, evidence-based writing, and vocabulary development in their ELA and content area classrooms. Specifically, this Academy will dive into what these practices look like and how to build them into the curriculum to maximize student engagement and achievement. Educators will then utilize this knowledge to develop CCSS lesson plans and assessment tasks for immediate use in their ELA or content area classroom.

Math Academy: The CCSS not only require shifts in what we teach, but most importantly, in how we teach. During this two-day Academy, K-12 educators will dive into each of the Standards for Mathematical Practice and analyze the types of instruction these standards warrant. Practical strategies as well as options for balanced assessment of the content standards will be explored and discussed. Educators will leave with tools, including lessons and assessment tasks for immediate use.

Leadership Academy: The CCSS require a number of shifts that need to be made in current curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices. As leaders, we need to think, plan, and act differently. What changes have you made as an instructional leader? In this two-day, hands-on Academy, central office, building, and teacher leaders will discuss implications for curriculum, instruction, and assessment as a result of the CCSS shifts and share practices that work. In particular, leaders will focus on the CCSS classroom and what it looks like. Participants will explore research-based strategies and tools to monitor teachers’ use of best practices to effectively teach the new standards so all students can meet them. Participants will also explore and develop strategies to use with students and parents to prepare them for more rigorous standards.

Specialized Instruction: The CCSS are for all students, including those who receive special education services. These rigorous expectations require that students have a deep level of understanding in ELA and Mathematics. This two-day, hands-on Academy will provide K-12 educators with research-based practices to connect the demands of the CCSS to instruction that supports students with special needs. Specifically, participants will closely examine the ELA and Mathematics CCSS to investigate strategies for students to access, respond to, engage in, and ultimately, meet their learning targets.

These Academies will provide educators with the support they need in the Common Core era. Click HERE to register to attend.

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