Blanket statements are a lot like cliches, they’re generally grounded in something true and real, but are often taken to such extremes they are rendered almost meaningless.

Blanket statements are most often peppered with words like “never” and “always,” two terms most marketers have realized can create clicks and draw eyes, especially when used in article titles and short social media posts.

One of Merriam-Webster’s definitions for “blanket” as an adjective is, effective or applicable in all instances. This is a very broad definition in general, but consider it applied to social media and digital marketing.

Very little about social media marketing can be described as “effective in

Read More: http://gocreativego.com/blanket-statements-so-not-social/ Category: Links of interest

Various Dates In 2014-Featured Webinar Presenter, Simple K12 Teacher Learning Community, Online

January 28-31, 2014- Featured Presenter, FETC, Orlando, Florida

March 6-8, 2014- Presenter, North Carolina Technology In Education Society Annual Conference, Raleigh, NC

March 16-18, 2014- Presenter and 2012-2014 Emerging Leader, ASCD Annual Conference, Los Angles, CA

June 23-26, 2014-Session Speaker and Workshop Presenter, International Society for Technology in Education Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA

Read More: http://blog.web20classroom.org/2014/07/making-curation-easier-with-ifttt.html Category: Links of interest

This is the first year I will not have any children starting school since 1992.

The memory of dropping off my daughter for her first day of pre-school, my 3 month old baby boy in my arms, is so vivid. Everything in my life was brand new – my children, my home, my marriage, my minivan, my friends. There was so much to wonder about and plan for the future.

Raising children was filled with new experiences, opening doors for both my children and me. Each new teacher, new friend, new team, new skill, new interest – the ever-evolving lives of my growing children kept me constantly changing my focus and adapting to new expectations. The sense of anticipation at the beginning of the school year was always the most exciting for us - the teachers and classmates,

Read More: http://www.emptyhousefullmind.com/finding-empty-nest/ Category: Links of interest

Let’s face it; all ideas are NOT created equal.

Choosing what we will NOT do is just as important as choosing what we will do.

Therefore, after the dust settles from a furious group-brainstorm, it’s absolutely necessary to separate the wheat from the chaff. (That’s a Pennsylvania-way of saying that a bit of filtering has to happen!)

However, deciding which ideas “make the cut” can be tricky and team members’ feelings are often involved. No one wants to see that their idea was not selected. No one ESPECIALLY wants to feel like they had a “bad” idea.

Often, choosing ideas can leave a negative vibe in the room. If done very poorly, it can even inhibit future brainstorming sessions.

But don’t despair! By using specific protocols that emphasize analysis, you can arrive at meaningful decisions

Read More: http://www.kristenswanson.org/2014/07/scatterplot-brainstorm-great-technique.html Category: Links of interest

367 Apple Distinguished Educators from 31 countries met for five days in San Diego, California last week, and I was honored to be counted among them.  This year’s institute was a unique experience because each of us wore a “learner hat” all week as we became “citizen scientists”.  Incredible off-site experiences were balanced with on-site workshops and time for collaboration.  And food.  Lots of food.  ;-)  Thanks to all who planned every meticulous detail of a truly memorable experience.

My 45 seconds of fame on the big screen at #ADE2014!

To catch a glimpse of memories made, check out my first ever “sketch note” created with Paper by FiftyThree and embellished with media thanks

Read More: http://www.mathycathy.com/blog/2014/07/ade-institute-highlights-ade2014/ Category: Links of interest