25 Tips for Dealing with Digital Distractions

flickr photo by Kris Krug http://flickr.com/photos/kk/4059160242 shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) license

In truth, it can be hard to focus among the delights presented by a never-ending machine of distraction available on the Internet.

TeachThought has a great post with 25 tips, ideas, and tools to assist us with this endeavour.

1. Use Apps Like StayFocused

   “You don’t necessarily have to be prone to being distracted to sit down to work only to find yourself shopping for pearl snap shirts on eBay and wondering how you got there. StayFocused is a Google Chrome plug-in that lets you decide up front how much time to allow yourself to burn on those time-wasting sites before it cuts you off cold.

 

1. Track Yourself With Resources Like RescueTime

   If you’re not quite ready to let StayFocused dictate your web browsing, try RescueTime. It records where you click and how much time you spend there so that you can see the depressing results in all their graphed glory. If and when you decide to make some changes, it also includes the option to start blocking sites altogether.”

Read the entire post and the other 23 tips here.

30 Essential iPad Apps for a Paperless Classroom

flickr photo by Sean MacEntee http://flickr.com/photos/smemon/7469170810 shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license

Mark Anderson‘s got a great list of iPad Apps for a paperless classroom. Mark’s blog, ICTEvangelist, is chock full of ideas, tips and tricks for effective technology usage.

Check out Mark’s “30 Essential iPad Apps for a Paperless Classroom” post here.

Exercise Apps vs. Personal Trainer

creative commons licensed (BY-NC) flickr photo by IvanClow: http://flickr.com/photos/ivanclow/4329024374

From Molly Wood in the New York Times:

“The idea is pretty simple: While personal trainers can create a safe and effective workout, they can be expensive and sometimes inconvenient. A fitness app, though, can travel where you are and is relatively inexpensive — and sometimes even free.

So I spent the month of January on a personal fitness challenge, seeing what provided a better workout: a real personal trainer or a personal training app. And while the trainer pushed me hard and motivated me to keep my expensive appointments, I found that the app was best suited to my lifestyle and might have the most long-term potential.”

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Watch Wood’s great clip and read the entire story here.

Great New Post from Teach Thought: 64 Essential Apps for Teachers

creative commons licensed (BY) flickr photo by Jason A. Howie: http://flickr.com/photos/jasonahowie/7910370882

From TeachThought:

“What exactly makes an app “essential” is open to interpretation. For pure productivity, you could consider the direction of Google Drive, Skype, Zoom Notes, iAnnotate–maybe a gradebook app, Class Dojo, etc.

But what if your classroom if is full of open-ended projects and you need to constantly communicate with students, parents, and the community? Google+, Google Hangouts, Remind, DIY, and maybe Trello?

College-prepping seniors in high school? Need apps for struggling readers in elementary? It just depends.”  Read the entire piece and check out the 64 Apps over at TeachThought, click here.