What is Evernote?
Evernote has become my favorite application since I started college. Evernote is a notepad for basically everything. You can type, you can take pictures, you can record videos, and you can practically store anything that your phone has the capacity to do. Ever since it’s creation, Evernote CEO Phil Libin has been buying out other applications to increase the functionality of his own app. With every new application that Evernote buys, the “remember everything” company grows even larger. Sometimes, they’ll put the new app inside of Evernote immediately, while other times they’ll keep the app on the market and eventually incorporate with Evernote in some way.

A big round of funding
It all started a little bit ago when “Last year the…company bought screen capture sharing app Skitch and integrated it into the larger Evernote ecosystem.” While Evernote immediately put their acquisition to use in their own app, it also remained a standalone item in major app stores. Just about two weeks ago, Evernote somehow came upon $70 million in financing. Through support of fans and actual funding from investors, they were able to raise such a large amount of money through a Series D investment. With this, they’ll “use the money to ramp the speed of product improvements, expand internationally, and make future strategic acquisitions.” This $70 million round of financing is nothing to sneeze and Evernote maintains that its business model is highly sustainable.

What do they spend it on?
One of these future acquisitions was Penultimate, which, according to the description in the Apple App Store, “gives you the fast, tactile gratification of writing on paper, with digital power and flexibility.” Where do most people take notes normally? Usually on paper, but in an ever-growing technological world, an increasing number take notes on a tablet or other computing device. Handwriting, however, remains the best way to capture figures and mathematical notation in class and, for some, is still faster than typing. Penultimate to the rescue!

Good choices
In fact, it’s hard to find a downside in the acquisition of Penultimate (or Skitch, for that matter, or any of their other minor acquisitions). These purchases and eventual integrations help make Evernote a tool that is universally useful for a wide variety of people who learn, write, and remember in many different ways. If you haven’t checked out Evernote yet, it’s free and works on basically every platform, including a web browser. Head over to Evernote.com to see exactly why the company was able to raise so much capital – it’s that good.

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Students Love Learning with Cell Phones
Do learning resources such as cell phones, iPads, tablets, androids, laptops and other mobile devices belong in the classroom? If they do, why are schools censoring certain learning resources such as mobile devices from being used in the classroom? Do Cell Phones Belong in the Classroom? Read the article published by The Atlantic on May 18, 2012.

Guidelines for Schools
According to the American National Council of Teachers of English (NCET), non-print and mulimedia should not be censored by the schools because students have a right to know (2004). NCET lists the challenges and provides guidelines for schools so that they can allow non-print and multmedia material into the school.

Cell Phones in an English Class
I’m an English teacher to students of other languages which means that non-native speakers of English practice language skills in and out of the classroom. I just facilitate guide the process. I use cell phones in all of my face-to-face classes. Students work in teams and search for information for project and on collaborative team tests so that even those who forget their cell phones or need to recharge me can benefit from the tasks. But don’t get me wrong, allowing mobile devices does not mean chaos in the classroom. I use discipline just as my teachers did back in the 60′s and 70s. With a class of 36 (as shown in the pictures), I make sure each student feels safe and is able to focus on the task according to his or her individual needs. Ear phones are a great way to keep the noise out. I also use ear phones when the class gets too loud as the students work in team. Yet, with all the discipline that I enforce, my students are happy because they have the freedom to learn.

The Freedom to Learn
Students in most parts of the world share a common passion for learning and for using their cell phones so why not combine the two. Why not use the devices for learning? The renowned humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers (1902-1987), wrote “Freedom to Learn” with Jerome Freiberg is an experiential learner/teacher/researcher whose ideas on classroom management are based on his experiences in teaching public and prison. London Behaviour Summit 2009 – Keynote presentation by Jerome Freiberg

Teachers Learn & Learners Teach
Sam Chaltain “a DC-­‐based writer, educator and organizational change consultant … works with schools, school districts, and public and private sector companies to help them create healthy, high-­‐functioning learning environments” (Youtube), but Sam is saying what many of us realize realize, but forget. We need people like Sam to remind us to stay away from what seems to be the default state of education and public schooling around the globe. Listen to evangelists and read books, articles, and blog posts. One of my favorite books is Turning Learning Right Side UP by Russell Ackoff and Daniel Greenberg. Education should focus on learning not on teaching unless the student is doing the teaching for the purpose of learning. Listen to a lecture on turning learning right side up so that learning is the focus of education and not teaching. The lecture is provided by Knowledge@Wharton Network and not teaching as is commonly done in schools.

Facilitate Learning
Discuss learning with your colleagues and friends in an international learning environment. Join the upcoming course and webinars on active learning through Teaching Online: Facilitating Online Learning so you can be reminded of what you already know about the gift learning and sharing information.

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I have participated in many Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs since the first one began in 2008 with George Siemens and Steven Downes. What is a MOOC? Watch the following video written and narrated by Dave Cormier.

What is a MOOC?

Massive Online Conferences

I have also created Massive Open Online Conferences such as Connecting Online (CO09-CO12) and online Moodlemoot conference (MMVC11). Massive online open classes whether courses or conferences offer participants and facilitators a chance to learn about the topic or topics and interact with people from around the world. That’s the best part. What makes a course, class, or conference “massive”? What numbers are required to make it massive? Is it 100, 200, over 500, or over 1000? Is a MOOC about numbers or is it about the number of active participants? But then is learning measured by engagement or by artifacts that participants produce? These are some of the questions that many members of the MOOCs raised.

Experiences with a MOOC

Have you taken a MOOC? If so, what were your experiences and what conclusions did you come to? You are invited to join a MOOC on WizIQ. The course is called Teaching Online: Facilitating Online Learning. I will be managing the MOOC with Dr. Ludmila Smirnova. The full list of facilitators and the syllabus will be available by the end of May, 2012. The MOOC on WizIQ will begin on June 1, 2012. So join me and let’s learn together.

Facilitating Online Learning Course or MOOC on WizIQ

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Emotions can Improve the Quality of our Lives

How are emotions, learning, and technology connected? How can emotions and technology improve our lives? I’ve been thinking a lot about feelings and how emotions are a huge part of our lives. Are we just a bundle of emotions that are dictating what and how we do things? Are we making decisions based on emotions that arise out of nowhere? I hope not. I hope we can view our emotions as just that and not let them interfere with how we behave and relate to others.

Emotional Intelligence is the term used in education and in the business world to discuss how who we are and how we can make the most of our lives. So shouldn’t we all learn about our emotions and how to respect other people for being just like us, human beings with emotions? I created a free online course called connecting emotions, learning & technology (CELT) on WizIQ to share my experiences because I believe it’s important to tap into our emotions. How is technology connected to emotions?

Technology & Emotions

I have been teaching English as a foreign and second language in high school and higher education for over 30 years. Emotions are high in school. Teachers are pressured by the administrations who are pressured by the Ministry of Education pressured by the government to get results. Teachers, who are pressured put pressure on students, who are pressured by parents, who want their children to be able to survive financially after they leave school. Lots of emotions that spread everywhere.

What are these emotions doing to us?

My son was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) 2 years ago on May 7 on his 27th birthday. This week, he had his 4th attack a day before his 29th birthday. An attack can mean paralysis of certain parts of the body or other neurological symptoms. In short, young people who may look completely healthy on the outside need to be injected with steroids for a few days to start feeling their bodies once again.

What is it like for a young person to live with Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

My mother was diagnosed with the Alzheimer disease at the age of 80 and is now 88. She is the happiest person I know. She makes no sense and smiles like a child.

What is Alzheimer Disease?

What is Depression?

My mother-in-law hopes to be around at my son’s wedding in September 2012. She is struggling to keep up with her new state of depression as she nears her 92nd birthday in July. She is losing the will to live. Why is it so hard to live for many others who develop depressions at a young age? Why are so many people falling to depression?

Depression at all Ages: What is it and can drugs help?

Learning about our emotions and understanding the importance of a balanced nutrition, exercising, and getting ample sleep, can improve our lives and help eliminate depression.

So, with all these and other things that happen in our lives, can we be optimists? Yes, we can. Being an optimist is a way of life for me. I’m very grateful for being alive and part of this wonderful world. Is being an optimist something we are born with or can we develop?

Listen to a talk on TedTalk by Sharot shares and “new research that suggests our brains are wired to look on the bright side — and how that can be both dangerous and beneficial”. Is being an optimist a good thing or is reality a better way to approach life?

Our emotions determine a great deal about our behavior. Rana El Kaliouby is working towards developing technology and helping people improve their lives. Dr. Rana El Kaliouby researched the technology product she developed as a post doctoral student at Harvard MIT. Her technology is called Affdex and is based on her work on autism.

Learn about your emotions online

Watch and listen to Gina Bianchini talk about fear as a way to raise self-confidence

It’s people like Rana and Gina Bianchini who inspire me in their drive to improve the quality of people’s lives through emotions, social networking and relationship-based goals. I believe that the Internet and technology can improve the quality of our lives. I will be providing a series of online courses on WizIQ to help you improve your life.  The courses will all be free through Integrating Technology for Active Lifelong Learning (IT4ALL). You are invited to join the free class and course on connecting emotions.

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