Are you a paragon of pedagogical prodigiousness? Or do you settle?

Do you settle for sensible solutions for our people and our times? Are you sharing knowledge to build stronger fishnets, improved plows, and better yeos?

Or do you hear the trumpet fanfare as you perpetuate your Noble (or mobile) kingdom of learning in your role as the Laudatory Lord or Leading Lady of Learning and as paragons of pedagogical prodigiousness?

For those who know me...the 21st century label, title, category sticks in my craw but I adapt, implement, and overcome (AIO). I came across this book in the recommended readings for my account, 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times in Books 24x7 through AKO (What is Army Knowledge Online?). 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times is also available with a limited preview through Google Books.

While there are many interesting points in the book, the sidebar of the novel, The Once and the Future King caught my attention in the Kingdom of Learnalot, Kingdom of Learning, Software & Hardware Guilds, Sir Ludd & the Luddites, Laudatory Lord & Leading Lady of Learning, Paragons of Pedagogical Prodigiousness and King Wallace's closing statement, “‘Tis time to return to your plans my dearest—stronger fishnets for the fishermen, improved plows for the plowmen, better yeos for the yeomen— sensible solutions for our people and our times.

Chapter 4: Digital Literacy Skills—Info-Savvy, Media-Fluent, Tech-Tuned opens with this quote, "It is no longer enough simply to read and write. Our children must learn how to spot a stereotype, isolate a social cliché, and distinguish facts from propaganda, analysis from banter, and important news from coverage". —Ernest Boyer, past president, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

Read The Once and the Future on beginning on page 62 

As the story ends:
King Wallace turned to his Queen. “Alas, my Lady, you were right all along. We are not in the least ready for the great Knowledge Age or the noble Learning Society.

“‘Tis time to return to your plans my dearest—stronger fishnets for the fishermen, improved plows for the plowmen, better yeos for the yeomen— sensible solutions for our people and our times."

“Perhaps, my dear, one fine day in the far-off future, there will come a time when learning is truly king.”
“And queen,” added Her Highness.

Do you settle for sensible solutions for our people and our times? Are you sharing knowledge to build stronger fishnets, improved plows, and better yeos?

Or do you hear the trumpet fanfare as you perpetuate your Noble (or mobile) kingdom of learning in your role as the Laudatory Lord or Leading Lady of Learning and as paragons of pedagogical prodigiousness?

Comments, recommendations, and/or checks in the reaction box are always welcome.

Tech Sharing Certs for School Nurse, Teacher Appreciation Week and Mother's Day

With many people looking to give meaningful gifts without breaking budgets here are a few certificates that you can use or modify for your tech sharing event for upcoming School Nurse Appreciation Day, Teacher Appreciation Week and Mother's Day. Many children want to give but may not know what to give...so the gift of your time can be memorable especially when sharing techspertise.


These are created in Google Docs and you can create a copy and print or tailor to your needs. Be creative and give the gift of your time and share techspertise amongst each other.


No tech in the classroom or at home? Meet at the local library, introduce people to members of your PLN, show someone how to make that digital clock to quit blinking, challenge others to explore menu bar options, share tips on recycling tech, enjoy a Google video chat or Skype conversation.....fill in the blank with your idea.  Tech skills are as diverse as the tools available...why not help someone learn something new...or be willing to let someone show you what they have learned.

School Nurse Technology Sharing Gift Certificate

Teacher Appreciation Technology Sharing Gift Certificate

Mother's Day Technology Sharing Gift Certificate

Enjoy...and feel free to share how you used the certificates. Thanks to all of you (1300+) who have used these tech sharing certs with others.

Comments, recommendations, and/or checks in the Reaction boxes are welcome.

APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, Turabian, Vancouver

What do these mean to you?  APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, Turabian, Vancouver/ICJME



Depending on your role or roles, as a learner, educator, reviewer, editor, the objective of your writing, the standards will vary. Always consult the organization for the exact formatting and punctuation guidelines. While many people have personal preferences, individuals in school must meet organizational standards. Do you use one standard for work and another for school? Which format and version are you comfortable with APA (6th), MLA, Chicago (15th), Harvard (18th), Turabian (6th), Vancouver/ICJME? If you had to change formats or versions could you adapt, implement, and overcome?

Someone asked me when did I learn the difference and in reflection I had to say once I started college. But today's student has to be able to write for school, produce resumes in various formats, take notes and they do it with different tools. Some people still prefer pen and paper version and others have gone completely digital. Regardless of the tool, the writing project must meet a standard whether submitting for a grade, publishing for the web, and writing for personal and professional objectives.


So where did you learn your writing standards for school? work? How did you learn to format templates and references? How do you cite your references?


Some online libraries and reference sites provide options to export references for bibliographic management software, such as EndNote, ProCite, Reference Manager, RefWorks, EasyBib and BibTeX. While others prefer to format their own references. Do you have a favorite or a preference?

Citations are based on reference standards. Formatting rules can vary widely. The specific requirements or preferences of your reviewing publisher, classroom teacher, institution or organization should be applied. 


Because I live, work, and study in perpetual ADDIE gerbil wheel, I hit the key points used to help others decide the framework of their assignments.

Analyze your writing objectives and format requirements: APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, Turabian, Vancouver/ICJME
Design your template for your paper
Develop the content for your assignment or project

Implement - Combine the content, your research, references, and supplemental materials
Evaluate - Don't just read the paper and run a spell check, ask peers, parents, children to review and comment, conduct a print or web preview to determine how the project will look to the reading audience.


When analyzing this information be reminded of Steven Covey's Habit #5, "Seek first to understand, then to be understood."


Comments, recommendations, and reaction box checks are always welcome.