TEDx: Shawn Achor - "The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance"

If you lay a foundation of happiness in your school or classroom or your life then productivity, creativity, energy, and satisfaction will follow. It doesn't work the other way around.

Here is to a happy new school year.

The Joy of Reading: "Happy" by Pharell Williams

I love playing this song for my students. It was only natural to mash up some Discovery Education footage from some of my favorite story videos to demonstrate the true joy that lies in reading.

Be happy my friends.

Dean Shareski: What ever happened to joy in Education?

Last summer I had to pleasure to finally meet Dean Shareski, someone whose tweets have informed me and entertained me for years and whose "EdTech Posse" show was one of the first podcasts I ever listened to.

In addition to his duties teaching at the University of Saskatchewan, Dean is also the Canadian community manager for Discovery Education. Dean capped a fabulous week for me at the  Discovery Educator Network Summer Institute with a version of the following talk. As those of in most of North America slug through this endless winter it is important to reflect on Dean's essential question: "Whatever happened to joy in Education?"  I think most of us could use a little joy right now.

I am excited that Dean will be here in Michigan next month sharing this presentation at MACUL.


Enjoy and spread a little joy today as well.