New workshop coming up on July 11. Creating virtual classrooms.

Save to Pocket

Pocket has proved to be life-saving for me at times. It was originally called "Read it Later", which I think pretty much sums up its purpose. You are browsing the web, find something that catches your eye but then life gets in the way. You have no time to read that article, watch that video, or check out that lesson plan that looks so interesting. No worries; Pocket will come to the rescue.

First off, you'll need to create an account. You can save your finds by simply clicking on the 'plus' sign and pasting the link. Easy? Yes. But there's an even more convenient way. Visit your Chrome Webstore and look for the Save to Pocket extension on the search box. All you need to do now is add it to your browser and voilà, you'll see it at the top-right corner of your Chrome browser. If you are using another browser, no worries. You can easily install it here. 

Save to Pocket add-on

Every time you find something you'd like to save, just click on the Save to Pocket icon and it will automatically appear on your Pocket account.

Pocket even found another way of saving links: via email. All you have to do is send the link in question to add@getpocket.com. You'll find step by step instructions here. 

Do you have a smartphone? Then you can also have the Pocket app. It's available for IOS and Android, so it'll work on most phones.

Now, trust me on this one. He who does not tag will inevitably get a headache. If you end up liking Pocket as much as I do, then your list will grow exponentially and finding that article you liked so much will turn into a headache. You'll be back where you started. So remember to tag your finds with keywords you'll remember easily (such as 'lesson plans', 'recipes', 'sites for school')

Of course, Pocket is not the only way of saving links. You can find out about some others on this old post.

Below, you'll find a short video introducing the app.

Hope you like it!

Ed tech Newsletter - June

I am invading your inbox once again to share my ed tech newsletter. A few months ago, I came across an interesting experiment involving change. It is called the Monkey Experiment or Paradox and it goes something like this. Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the other monkeys with cold water. After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result - all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, and the other monkeys will try to prevent it. Now, put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be hurt. Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm! Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked. After replacing all the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys has ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs to try for the banana. Why not? Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been done round here.  From http://themonkeyparadox.blogspot.com.ar/ The moment I heard this story, hundreds of thoughts rushed to my head. It is definitely easier to remain on known territory, but it is also true that life is full of changes, especially life nowadays. As far as technology is concerned, we are constantly bombarded with new tools, new sites, new apps. The moment we figure out how to properly use the new app we've recently downloaded on our phone, a new update comes out and we need to start all over again. Easy? No. Frustrating? Incredibly. But we can look on the bright side and understand that every new thing we learn is creating new neurological pathways, thus keeping our brains young - and updated. That is the purpose of this bi-weekly newsletter. To share with you what I've discovered and learnt: new trends, new apps, new tools that will help you navigate the tricky waters of an invariably changing technological world. Are you in?

“Change is the only constant in life” - Heraclitus

The Power of Connection

I have been fairly active on social media for some time. Whether on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ (my two favorite ways of building my PLN), I'd always made sure I check posts and keep up with the latest. But I kept having this feeling I was taking the back seat and not really participating actively. Well, that has definitely changed.

Early this year, I posted a question on a Google+ Community and immediately got all kinds of solutions to my problem. It still amazes me how many people are willing to give you a hand, even though they have no clue who you are. One of those teachers who replied was Reinhard, a German Science teacher. A couple of weeks later, he sent me a message, connecting me to a fellow Argentine teacher who was presenting in an ARTESOL conference in Buenos Aires. We ended up meeting for coffee thanks to someone we've never met on the other side of the Atlantic. 

Fast forward two weeks and I'm taking part of my first Mystery Hangout, where I got to talk to people in the UAE, Oman, India, Argentina, Germany, the US. Mind blowing. 

Once you start, there's no going back. Reinhard invited me to a second Hangout with a US teacher form Ohio who was doing a PD meeting and trying to introduce Mystery Hangouts to her colleagues. You can check out Sebastian's Slideshare of the Hangout here. 

Teaching can be quite lonely at times and the Internet provides you with the possibility of reaching out to like-minded educators. Educators from which you can learn. And who can also learn from you.