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TED Talks:
Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids." Her response: "Kids don't learn from people they don't like.'" A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level. media type="custom" key="23615504"

Sir Ken Robinson outlines 3 principles crucial for the human mind to flourish -- and how current education culture works against them. In a funny, stirring talk he tells us how to get out of the educational "death valley" we now face, and how to nurture our youngest generations with a climate of possibility. media type="custom" key="23615532"

Brené Brown studies human connection — our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity. A talk to share. media type="custom" key="23615540"

Neil Pasricha's blog 1000 Awesome Things savors life's simple pleasures, from free refills to clean sheets. In this heartfelt talk from TEDxToronto, he reveals the 3 secrets (all starting with A) to leading a life that's truly awesome. media type="custom" key="23615546"

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity. media type="custom" key="23615550"

Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses — and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person “being” a genius, all of us “have” a genius. It’s a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk. media type="custom" key="23615554"

In this poignant, funny follow-up to his fabled 2006 talk, Sir Ken Robinson makes the case for a radical shift from standardized schools to personalized learning -- creating conditions where kids' natural talents can flourish. media type="custom" key="23615562"

Onstage at TED2013, Sugata Mitra makes his bold TED Prize wish: Help me design the School in the Cloud, a learning lab in India, where children can explore and learn from each other -- using resources and mentoring from the cloud. Hear his inspiring vision for Self Organized Learning Environments (SOLE), and learn more at tedprize.org. media type="custom" key="23615568"

Articles that Stuck:
Small sample of articles or websites I read and/or viewed:

Implementation of the Common Core [|Faces of Poverty and the Affect on Student Engagment by Eric Jensen] [|Revolutionize K-12 Learning] [|Reflective Questions for the Common Core] [|Common Core and Ed Tech] [|12 Must Have Skills] [|Frosty Westering]

Small Sample of Blogs:
A small sample of some of the blogs I read. Feel free to explore them and read some of the posts.

[|Josh Stumpenhorst] - 6th grade language arts and social studies teacher in Naperville, IL. Creator of "Innovation Days" where students drive their own learning activities. [|Kristen Swanson]- Teachers as Technology Trailblazers. Kristen blogs about education change, technology, and is passionate about learning. [|Angela Maiers]- Passionate about how literacy can change lives and that students need to be experts in reading, writing, and global communicators. Passion driven classroom. [|Matt Gomez] - Kindergarten teacher that blogs about his work with his students. Applicable for all grade levels. [|Bill Ferriter] - Teacher in North Carolina that has written many books and really makes me think. [|Cale Birk] - Principal of Kamloops Secondary School that writes about educational issues. [|Chris Wejr] - Principal of Kent Elementary School in Agassiz, British Columbia [|Cool Cat Teacher] - Teacher that blogs regularly about teaching, share cool web sites, and provide insights that help all educators.

Books I read (professional):
[|Invent to Learn] [|The Innovators DNA]