Update alert! 🎉 Through our partnership with @GoogleForEdu, #CanvasLMS users with Google Workspace for Education accounts have now free access to the Google Meet LTI integration to schedule and host online sessions directly in Canvas courses. Read more: bit.ly/3LJKPZj

If you’ve been using @MicrosoftFlip (formerly Flip Grid), you might want to consider alternatives. #sadDay #edtech

Brief but vigorous bursts of physical activity - called 'exercise snacks' - may improve longevity. Engaging in exercise snacks, even as briefly as three to four minutes daily, can reduce overall mortality risk by 25 to 30%. Increasing these activities to about nine minutes daily can further reduce cardiovascular-related mortality by 50% and cancer-related mortality by 40%. Remarkably, these significant health benefits are also seen in individuals who typically don't engage in regular exercise routines. There are two types of exercise snacks: • Deliberate training - jumping jacks, air squats, or high knees- can be done in just a few minutes. • VILPAs - Standing for ‘vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activities,’ they take advantage of everyday opportunities like sprinting up the stairs rather than walking, turning short walks into intensive bursts of vigorous activity, etc. In the study I'm referencing, the focus was on VILPAs: nature.com/articles/s41591-0…

Physicians and public health experts have pointed to one culprit time and again when asked why Americans live shorter lives than peers in nations with similar resources, especially people felled by chronic diseases in the prime of life: stress. wapo.st/3Q1DR3x

No pharmeceutical can rival exercise when it comes to slowing the aging process - particularly the aging brain. A large-scale trial investiated th effect of aerobic exercise (running, cycling) on cognition in the 20- to 67-year age range. Here’s what they found: Better thinking skills as you age: Exercise helped people’s executive function - that’s your brain’s ability to manage tasks, plan, and focus. Thicker brain cortex, regardless of age: • Higher cognitive reserve- aiding task flexability and improvisation • Resilience against brain aging and neurodegenerative disease • Improved neural plasticity, essential for lifelong learning and skill acquisition • Bolsters emotional regulation Real-world Application: The way the workouts were implemented could be a practical recommendation for improving brain health for the general public. Consistency is key: participants exercised about 40 minutes, four times a week for six months. Gradually increasing effort: they started easy (55-65% max heart rate) and slowly increased their workout intensity (65%-75% max heart rate). Monitoring progress: using heart rate monitors helped them stay in the desired exercise intensity. Flexibility: participants could choose the exercise (running or cycling) they preferred and set their schedules. #everydayoctober

This picture always reminds me of a guy at my gym named Steve I've talked about him on here before. He's 83 years old, former marine, and he's in noticeably better shape than 90% of the guys I went to high school with (I'm 36) He lifts weights 3-5 times per week, program is compound movements and moderate weight for high reps, push pull legs A while back I asked him what advice he'd give to young people lifting weights (so I could share it on social media 😂) His advice: "Just start, and then never stop." A handful of things have an outsized impact on the quality of your aging: Particularly, how much fat you carry, how "spry" you are, and your mental acuity All three of those are improved by a weightlifting habit Be like Steve, and you'll only get old when you quit

Praising kids effort vs ability How you choose to praise your kids can have a big impact on how they approach challenges later in life A study done on 5th graders highlights the difference between these two approaches: A group of students were given an easy problem to solve.. Group A was praised on ability. Things like: Youre so smart Youre so intelligent Group B was praised on effort. Things like: You worked so hard on this You put so much effort into this All students were given a more difficult set of problems. Group A experienced a big decline in performance, majority got the problems wrong Group B did not experience a decline and performed well, getting most of the problems correct What happened? Group A displayed a fixed mindset. This line of thinking leads to "I'm either smart enough to solve this or i am not. There is nothing I can do to change this". A fixed mindset is also linked with a fear of failure since this means "I'm not smart enough" Group B displayed a growth mindset. This line of thinking leads to "I can improve my skills & expand my knowledge as long as I keep trying". A growth mindset empowers kids as they learn that they can overcome challenges with their effort. They also learn to view failure as a learning experience. Nurturing a growth mindset increases the likelihood of success academically but this very likely translates to any challenges kids will eventually face. Parents should keep this in mind when praising their kids and make an effort to identify their efforts & hard work rather than their abilities.

It's not a great Sunday Funday in Downtown Charleston! Flash flooding has caused the city to be underwater this afternoon! #SCwx

Submitting assignments on behalf of a student just got that much easier. Tune into this video for a quick, 3 & 1/2-minute video on how to here: bit.ly/44aLHN7 #BacktoSchool #BacktoCampus

Three steps just got easier... specifically, now it's one step! The RCE Drag and Drop feature minimizes steps in uploading media to your #CanvasLMS page. Learn more and try it out today! bit.ly/45z3HSG #BacktoSchool #BacktoCampus #B2S

#backtoschool is in full swing, but it's never too late to sign up for a 45-minute Panda Pros session! Sign up for your #CanvasLMS or #MasteryConnect session today 🐼📚 bit.ly/3YfZroo

It's the first day of class. Publish your canvas course.

Regularity is for bowel movements, not staff meetings. If you don’t have anything important to say, cancel your staff meeting and send an email.

Need a quick guide to creating Mastery Paths? We've got you covered! Read our 3-step guide to creating successful paths here: bit.ly/3YrVUUb #B2S #BacktoSchool

Neuroscientists provide a glimpse into what happens in a student’s brain when they're given a break (hint: it’s not downtime). 💡 🧠 edut.to/3YisI1X