Post from Mark Cubans Blog about Passion….what do you think?

I hear it all the time from people. “I’m passionate about it.” “I’m not going to quit, It’s my passion”. Or I hear it as advice to students and others “Follow your passion”.

What a bunch of BS.  ”Follow Your Passion” is easily the worst advice you could ever give or get.

Why ? Because everyone is passionate about something. Usually more than 1 thing.  We are born with it. There are always going to be things we love to do. That we dream about doing. That we really really want to do with our lives. Those passions aren’t worth a nickel.

Think about all the things you have been passionate about in your life. Think about all those passions that you considered making a career out of or building a company around.  How many were/are there ? Why did you bounce from one to another ?  Why were you not able to make a career or business out of any of those passions ? Or if you have been able to have some success, what was the key to the success.? Was it the passion or the effort you put in to your job or company ?

If you really want to know where you destiny lies, look at where you apply your time.

Time is the most valuable asset you don’t own. You may or may not realize it yet, but how you use or don’t use your time is going to be the best indication of where your future is going to take you .

Let me make this as clear as possible

1. When you work hard at something you become good at it.

2. When you become good at doing something, you will enjoy it more.

3. When you enjoy doing something, there is a very good chance you will become passionate or more passionate about it

4. When you are good at something, passionate and work even harder to excel and be the best at it, good things happen.

Don’t follow your passions, follow your effort. It will lead you to your passions and to success, however you define it.

The Daily “SCOOPS” in online and blended learning…..

Latest in online learning and education…

STEM Update 3

Study Shows AP Program Igniting Learning for Thousands of Youth
A rigorous study just released by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) finds that students who were part of the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program (APTIP) “took and passed more AP courses and exams, and enrolled in college in greater numbers. Most of this increase occurred at four-year colleges and private universities. Affected students were also more likely to persist in college, to earn more college credits, and slightly more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree. In addition, affected students were more likely to be employed and earned higher wages.”

Green Schools and Students’ Science Scores are Related
A nationwide survey shows a positive correlation between Green School practices and student achievement in science. The study was conducted by the University of Colorado Denver’s Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences and presented last week at the Green Schools National Network conference in Denver. Schools that took part in the survey observe GreenPrint core practices as defined by the Green Schools National Network (GSNN).

Low Retention of STEM Faculty Raises Concerns 
AWIS in Action! – February 2012
A recent study published in ScienceDaily indicates that men and women faculty members are now being retained in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at roughly the same rate, with the exception of mathematics departments. Funded by the NSF-ADVANCE Program, this is the first large-scale longitudinal study on faculty retention, and researchers found that the median number of years male and female faculty stay at an institution is 11. This means that half of the faculty hired this year will be gone in 11 years, which is a real problem for research universities which have competitive startup packages and expensive recruitment strategies.

STEM Updates…very cools stuff going on

Google Seeks Young Scientists to Compete in 2nd Annual Science Fair
Google is currently looking for the brightest young scientists from around the world to submit interesting, creative projects that are relevant to the world today. The second annual Google Science Fair is an online international competition for individuals and groups of students between the ages of 12 and 18. Google encourages students to start by identifying real world problems that they are personally curious about and interested in exploring.

OpEd piece about Politics and Education..

I thought this piece was great and I am proud to say I worked for Klein during my tenure in NYC. We need to push more for our children and our country.

Two Great Opportunities for Students…

Doors to Diplomacy: Projects Due March 15
The U. S. Department of State and GlobalSchoolNet.org sponsor the “Doors to Diplomacy” educational challenge – to encourage middle school and high school students around the world to produce web projects that teach others about the importance of international affairs and diplomacy. Each student team member of the winning “Doors to Diplomacy” Award team receives a $2,000 scholarship, and the winning coaches’ schools each receive a $500 cash award. Additional prizes may be provided by sponsors.

http://www.globalschoolnet.org/gsndoors/aglance.cfm

International CyberFair:

International Schools CyberFair, now in its 15th year, is an award-winning authentic learning program used by schools and youth organizations around the world. Youth conduct research and publish their findings on the Web. Recognition is given to the best projects in each of eight categories. This White House-endorsed program encourages youth to become community ambassadors by working collaboratively and using technology to share what they have learned. Students evaluate each others projects by using a unique online evaluation tool. In partnership with the World Future Society, students are also encouraged to also share their dreams for the future – by thinking about the possible future, the probable future, the preferable future and the preventable future. Projects that best illustrate “future thinking” are invited to the World Future Society international conference in Toronto, Canada, July 2012, WorldFuture 2012: Dream. Design. Develop. Deliver.

http://www.globalschoolnet.org/gsncf/

Teaching Jetson Children In Flintstone Schools

Video from my talk at last year’s TEDxUBC in Vancouver.

5 Online Learning Portals Which Let Anyone Become A Web Developer

With many in the tech world touting online learning as one of the main trends this year, there’s never been a better time to upskill and improve your C.V. by getting a little bit more technical. Though specialization is vital in the digital marketing profession because of the diversity and breadth of topics covered (only a select few can excel in all areas), the need to at least understand the layer of code that sits behind a Facebook app, or the design assets that go into a sticky landing page, has never been more important.

Many traditional marketers carry skills like copy writing, branding and strategic media buying – all of which can be easily projected onto the web – but technical skills are just as important.

While a step into the unknown world of code or HTML may be daunting, it’s a great time to start, as multiple intuitive, interactive, user friendly and low-cost learning sites begin to crop up. In general, students won’t be designing e-commerce sites, or developing web apps within a week, but what you will get is a good grounding in a powerful skill, and another important string to your bow.

Don’t Fear The Internet

A brilliant starting point for those with little or no HTML experience, Don’t Fear The Internet is a beautifully designed, free tutorial site specialising in basic training for non-web designers. A new video is posted regularly, using irreverent examples to help beginners understand how to manipulate HTML, CSS and some PHP to build a basic site, and you’ll begin with a very basic, but informative, overview of how the web actually works

Codeacademy

A free site combining gamification principles like badges and rewards with the tedious – but worthwhile – process of learning to code, Codeacademy has become renowned for making the skill of simple programming possible for anyone, rewarding users for each course completed. The education startup offers an interface that prompts users to solve coding problems, and is incredibly interactive, allowing you to learn in-browser, a common omission of standard video learning sites.

Codeacademy launched “Code Year” in January, which invited users to receive one programming lesson per week in 2012, and has seen user numbers grow to over one million in the past week. High profile users of the service include the Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg and The White House both users of the service, and now there’s also a new course creator tool in beta.

 Treehouse

A startup founded by Ryan Carson (the brains behind the Future of Web Apps conference, and Think Vitamin, an influential web design blog), Treehouse stems from Carson’s own experience of education, and his feeling that millions of people can’t afford a quality technical education, or if they can, it’s out of date immediately when they graduate.

With three separate strands, encompassing web design, web development and iOS development, Treehouse is again based on gaming principles, video and interactive testing, with badges available for each area. The site offers Gold and Silver plans ($49 and $25 monthly) and promises agility in teaching which you won’t find in a university classroom.

Carson has said he hopes to disrupt traditional education with Treehouse, and plans are afoot to combine the service with the HR functions of large multinationals to offer pay scales and career opportunities based on successful completion of goals on the site.

 Tuts Plus Premium

A sister site to the huge Tuts+ network of educational blogs and tutorials, Tuts+ Premium is an online marketplace of educational resources, from ebooks on Photoshop to courses on JQuery. Mainly focused on design, a yearly membership costs $15 per month, which gives you access to all the material behind the Tuts paywall (ebooks, video courses, tutorials and source files). The free 30 day introduction to HTML and CSS is highly recommended for beginners, or for those looking for a taster of what to expect if they purchase membership.

Lynda.com

A little like Tuts+, Lynda.com is a huge resource of software training videos, and is perhaps most useful for intermediate users with a basis in their craft, who are looking to improve on more certain specific areas. Lynda focuses on keeping skills current as technology advances, and offers thousands of videos on numerous topics, via different instructors.

One critique is that there are quite a lot of similar videos, and finding an instructor to suit you can be time consuming, but the monthly sub. fee of $25 is definitely worth it if you’re looking to maintain your skills and learn new ones via the massive database.

One of the main trends for the web this year will be the increasing freedom of educational information, and with many feeling that traditional educational systems are outdated when it comes to teaching students the basics, it seems that resources like the above are destined to grow.

How important have APP’s become?