Social media supports an echo chamber that may be influencing people’s opinions

Social media supports an echo chamber that may be influencing people’s opinions

By making so much information so accessible, social media has drastically changed the way we consume information and form opinions in the modern era. The danger, however, is that social media creates an “echo chamber” that filters the information people receive so that it largely supports their existing opinions. A recent study published in PNAS examines this…

Families can now create Google accounts for children under the age of 13.

Google is making a play to capture the family market. Today it announced its new Family Link app, which lets parents create a Google account for their kids. This account is completely controlled by parents, so that means they can manage the apps their kids use, monitor how long they’re staring at their device, and…

Personal Google accounts can now be used with Google Classroom

Personal Google accounts can now be used with Google Classroom

Google Classroom can now be used with personal Google accounts. Right now, personal Google accounts can join existing classes in Google Classroom. In the upcoming weeks they’ll also be able to create classes. I tested Google Classroom with my personal account, and could join classes but not create them. My G Suite for Work account…

What to look for when someone is trying to lie with data visualizations

What to look for when someone is trying to lie with data visualizations

We live in an age of Big: Big Computers, Big Data, and Big Lies. Faced with an unprecedented torrent of information, data scientists have turned to the visual arts to make sense of big data. The result of this unlikely marriage — often called “data visualizations” or “infographics” — have repeatedly provided us with new…

Should cursive still be taught?

Should cursive still be taught?

Should cursive writing still be taught in our schools? The old debate is back with a vengeance as schools shift resources from the intricate, painstakingly rendered script to keyboard skills. The Common Core State Standards, adopted by 42 states and the District of Columbia, call for handwriting instruction in kindergarten and first grade only, and…

Stop auto-playing videos in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari

Stop auto-playing videos in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari

Auto-playing videos have become the “punch the monkey” of today, read on to learn how to stop auto-playing videos in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari! We’ve all been there, browsing news.google.com and clicking on a news article when WHAM, a video starts playing. Not only is it annoying, you usually have your volume turned up, annoying everyone….

Quill has added two new tools to help students write

Quill has added two new tools to help students write

Quill is a is a free, web-based tool that provides personalized, interactive writing and grammar activities. ‘Students using Quill learn writing and grammar skills by writing sentences and proofreading passages. Source: Two New Tools to Enhance Students Writing ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning I had never heard of Quill before, but it looks like…

Creative Commons Search helps you and your students find legal multimedia

Creative Commons Search helps you and your students find legal multimedia

Sure, you can find pictures on Google Images, but unless you dig into the settings, a lot of those pictures are licensed to be used in school projects. Creative Commons Search fixes that. Creative Commons is a way to license works for use by others. It provides more rights than the all or nothing approach given by…

Are you a teacher with an iPad? Here are 13 tips for students and teachers on iPad use

Are you a teacher with an iPad? Here are 13 tips for students and teachers on iPad use

Here is a handy inforgaphic we designed specifically for teachers and students. The visual is based on a post we published here a few days ago featuring a total of 15 practical iPad tips to help you make the best of this device in education. Source: 13 Important iPad Tips Every Teacher Should Know about…