HGSET545

Article and video on Singapore's new 'one-stop centre' for teachers to collaborate on projects using infocomm technology. Another way to diffuse innovations?

Motivation in education getting press in Nigeria.

Tax exemption, better loans, and interesting training options would certainly be motivating for me. However, are National Teacher Awards motivating for anyone?

TED Talks Chip Kidd doesn't judge books by their cover, he creates covers that embody the book -- and he does it with a wicked sense of humor. In one of the funniest talks from TED2012, he shows the art and deep thought of his cover designs. This video is entertaining and picks up the content at 8:30. Kidd is an expert at grabbing someone's attention in a glance. Intriguing applications.

This Kickstarter project aims to fund a standards-aligned history board game that engages students. The free companion web application will track students' progress, allowing for differentiated instruction while making the game "fun to play again and again: as players answer question cards, they earn badges and can unlock new careers and powers. The game becomes a story, a competition, and a World History simulation with limitless possibilities."

This article explores the educational game Minecraft and provides ideas for lessons and projects.  The interdisciplinary game has the potential to enhance math skills, social studies/history learning, and reading comprehension.  

Intel announced the launch of its durable 7-inch tablets, called "Intel studybooks."  The tablets will cost less than $200 each, half the price of the new iPads.  Will the affordability of this device beat out the all-popular iPad?

Some very interesting deliberation on the meaning of the Khan phenomenon. I found some resonance with Prof. Dede's comments on the radio.

Back to the main course- Poetry, which often seems like an esoteric borfest in school, is given relevance when learners see it as useful and meaningful. This illustrates an important principle for me about engagement. With or without technology, usefulness and meaning are the deal makers or breakers.

If you haven't come across lure of the labyrinth, do visit the site. An example of intrinsic integration of learning content with game mechanics.

Pradeep, I ran across this article that references two digital math competitions (Lure of Labrynth, Dimension U) and notes a distrubing US statistic: "In New York City, for instance, just 10 percent of the high schools with the highest black and Latino enrollments offer Algebra II, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Education." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/11/feature-numbers-game-ame_n_1418589.html

"When students transition to college, they're shocked to find that instructors don't spoon-feed them information. Instead, teachers ask them to motivate themselves as they grapple with concepts and problems, said Zach Widbin, physics teacher and engineering course instructor at Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix." [not a] Surprise: rigorous hands-on project-based learning (supported by University of Arizona) engages kids. I wonder how many collaborative projects there are like this, with a local School of Ed actively working with neighboring schools beyond traditional student teaching and observation?

What a way to learn!

FYI. Great speakers and program last year. Although not education focused, ways to apply to teaching/learning and many education related workshops.

Within five years, Yale-designed robots may be helping teach children. A Yale-led team of researchers from across the country received a $10 million grant from the National Science Foundation on April 3 to pursue the creation of "socially assistive robots" to help young children learn basic skills and in some cases overcome cognitive disabilities.

A nice application of iPads in the community.

I was just thinking about the class discussion yesterday when we were talking about pink legos, that parents might be over-thinking the purchase of toys their kids play with. It made me think about the doll test, which many of you might know about already, which is more about race than gender. I think it shows that in terms of racial and self-identity and societal views of beauty, parents might be more thoughtful in purchasing toys. For example, African-American parents might make sure that their daughter has a collection of both the "classic" Barbie dolls and the Barbie dolls of color to make sure that she doesn't believe that she is physically less beautiful or does not fit the ideal form of beauty that the "classic" Barbie represents.

The American School Counselor Association has released a guide to help school counselors make sense of the Facebook platform and its on-campus impact. In thinking about technology and EMF, we have yet to discuss cyberwellness issues. Presumably, one's engagement would be decreased if one felt unsafe.

The trial of Anders Behring Breivik (Norway's alleged mass killer) is reintroducing the hot topic of violent video games.

Discusses the need for value-added assessment of learning effectiveness in college.

A very good meditation on how technology is changing who we are -- not all for the better.