You need to be blogging Here's some help.

If you are an IT leader, you should seriously consider blogging.

It probably won't make you rich or successful, but it will certainly allow you to develop your skills in communicating, in processing what you really believe about things, and as I've found, get connected with a whole lot of interesting people.

As an IT leader, you know from one of my previous posts that Communication is one of the 10 Critical Survival skills you need to develop.  (That post is here.)

"But I can't write!" you say.  If you interviewed my high school English teacher, you would know that in my case, I had a valid argument about being a bad writer. But blogging has helped me find a voice.

It can help you find your voice too.

And there's help.

I just finished Bryan Allain's (@KillerTribes) brand new book designed to be the blogging coach you can't afford, in a format you really can afford.  His book 31 Days to Finding Your Blogging Mojo is a quick read (I cheated and read it in 2 days) and is filled with practical tips and off the wall humor. I will never hear the phrase 'element of surprise' again without thinking of my grandparents.

Check out the website: http://31daystomojo.com or pick it up as a PDF for your eReader from Amazon here.

Enjoy. For the price of a Grande,Moccachino,Half-Sweet,Decaf (or 3 Timmies Double Doubles) you could be on your way to blogging excellence.

5 Tasks to Teach Yourself to Teach with Technology

Some months ago I had a plan to write a book of tasks to get teachers using technology. As with so many of my plans and ideas, time and circumstances over took me and I never got further than the first 15 tasks. When I went back to do some more I noticed that I was taking so long doing these that some had gone out of date, so to try to get some use from the tasks I've decided to revise them and start publishing them here so anyone can download them and use them either to do teacher training or to develop their own ability to use technology.

So here are the first five. If they are popular I'll publish the next 5 for new year, so they can be my new years resolution and yours.

Task 1: Create your learning journal
So here goes. The first task is based around Penzu and you can download the task or read it on Scribd. In this task you'll create an online journal that you can use to reflect on the other tasks you'll be doing, so you should do this one first.

• Read the task
• Download Task 1 (pdf)
  

Task 2: Create online storage for your teaching images
In this task you will create a Flickr photo sharing channel. You'll need to do this to enable you to best do some of the later tasks as they come up, but having your own store of images online that you can use for various teaching purposes is always really handy.

• Read the task
• Download Task 2 (pdf)
  

Task 3: Create an online speaking activity
In this task you'll learn how to create an online speaking activity using VoiceThread. So if you have never done that before try the task and see how your students like the activity you create.

• Read the task
• Download Task 3 (pdf)
  

Task 4: Create a blog with a video activity for your students
In this task you'll create a simple blog and use it to make a video based activity for your students. Many of you may already have your own blog, but it's a good idea to have a separate one that you can use to experiment with and create activities for students. Once you have created the blog you'll be using it for other tasks as you work through them.

• Read the task
• Download Task 4 (pdf)
  

Task 5: Create digital books with illustrations
In this task you will create a digital image book based around a short text. Once you have created the book you will embed it into the blog you created in the previous task.

• Read the task
• Download Task 5 (pdf)
  

If you manage to do any of the tasks please do leave a comment and tell me how they went and if the response is good I'll try to put 5 more tasks on the site early in the new year.

So, if you celebrate Xmas please take these as my gift and if you don't celebrate it, you will have more time to do the tasks.

Best wishes for 2011.

Related links:

• Technogogy for edtech news
  
• 100 + Online activities for EFL ESL learners
• Social Networks and the Web 2.0 Revolution: Part 2
• Create your own social network 7 steps
• Web 2.0 Tools for EFL and ESL Teachers
• 10 Teacher Development Task for Web 2.0 Tools
  
  

Best

Nik Peachey

This Iso Grifo Was For Sale 5 Years Ago

by Mike -

I looked at this Iso Grifo for sale in August 2006 when these pictures were taken. It was not in very good condition so I passed.



This is a very early Iso Grifo, chassis number GL*650009.

There were several indications of rust as you can see on the trunk lid above.
You should see where it is now. I will show updated pictures tomorrow.
Please share your comments with me and other

I think I'll just keep trying to restrict and not try to fast tomorrow.  I'm thinking about having green beans, asparagus, 2 pieces whole wheat toast and 2 eggs tomorrow.  Maybe an apple or something too.  It depends.  Hopefully I'll get in a decent amount of exercise tomorrow too.  I feel like a mess.  Probably because I am a mess.  I need to get down to 110 asap.  I need to restrict and exercise and work.   I need to save my money and either move or go away to college or something.  I need to do something.  I need things going forward and looking up.  Soon.  Very soon.  I can't keep going with things the way that they are.  I keep thinking about buying cigarettes.  I don't really have the money right now.  I would when I get paid, but I really shouldn't spend my money on things like that.  It'll only make me want pills/drugs more I think.  I need to open a savings account and transfer most of my money into it when I get paid so I'll have less money to spend and can save it easier.  I need to do that when I get paid.  I think gas is the only thing I need to pay for with my paycheck.  So I'll need about $100.  If I can open a savings account and put in $300+ it would be a good start.  My check should be $450+ so that would even leave a little extra.  I'll probably need $850 (plus the cost of books and things) to do 2 classes at the juco that's in the town I work in.  I would have to go as an out of state student.  One juco in Illinois would cost me an extra $40 per credit hour (~$240 extra for 2 classes).  And the one that I went to after I graduated (and I absolutely hated it there) would cost $2 less per credit hour (saving me a whole $12) if I live in the district (which I'm not sure if I am in district or not but I think I am).  I would rather pay $12 and go to college that I may like instead of one that I hated.  And it would cost me more than $12 in gas to drive to get there.  That juco is 30-ish miles east of where I live and I work 30-ish miles west of were I live so that would make things difficult and involve a lot of driving. If I had a place to stay in Iowa, I would apply to work at Wal-Mart distribution for 4th shift.  Work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for 12 hours each day and then get Monday through Thursday off.  Make $15.50 an hour too.  It's almost worth applying for...  Should I?  I don't know.  I should just shut up and go to bed.  Pictures of skinny people and then bed for me.  Hopefully I'll be productive and be in a better mood and not so scatter-brained tomorrow.  I need to take some pictures and do a picture post yet.  Ok.  I'll shut up.

~Kes