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The video contains good examples explaining flow theory.

Dear Halil, The site cannot be accessed. It is better to give another link,I guess.

Actually I have just checked it and it is working but if you still have problem to reach the book please try this link: http://www.martinshaven.com/Resources/Hofstadter%20-%20Godel-Escher-Bach.pdf

Thank you for the new link. I guess it is due to the settings of my computer.

I couldnt access the book either :( But it seems very interesting, I would like to read and enjoy it. I have heard about Escher for the first time last year by a friend of mine from mathematics department, I believe Escher himself is a mathematician too, is that right? I am especially a fan of his "Waterfall".

Canan did you try the second link I have added? In fact, he is an artist, but Gödel is. Yet, while trying to explain the nature of meaning, the book gets help from some works by Gödel, Escher and Bach, all of which similarly acquire their meanings by self-referencing and creating formal rules made of meaningless elements. So it is possible to say he is mathematically inspired :) and I like that paradoxal piece too.

I deeply believe the power of motivation to learn and classroom technology can be used to enhance students' motivation in learning of the specific content. Still, it is open to debate effective use of technology in classrooms, especially in our country. To deal with this inefficiency of classroom technology, we need to focus on teachers' technology literacy and try to develop this literacy.

Hi Özlem Hoca, BBC news you shared with us is very advisable to our friends. (1) I agree that computers may have the possibility to be distractors for learning and they may be abused by some students. Students may prefer to use computers for activities other than for school activities. When I was an intern teacher, I wanted to show how a literature search is performed to my 20, 9th grade "Project" (noncredit course) students in 2006, I ended up running from one student to another because as I leave him/her with his/her search, s/he began to sign in facebook and their emails. (2) I also agree that plagiarism may occur in homeworks due to internet resources. (3) Another interesting opinion in this news is that "We're training the students to use technology which hasn't yet been invented." We are training the students to the future that is not defined, not yet clear.

I think integrating technology in classrooms is inevitable as computers have been being used in lots of areas in the world and it is a little bit optimistic to assume that education will escape from this "invasion". Today's students live with technology and indeed, technology can enhance the representation of a topic, communication among learners, eliminate time and space limitations in reaching information, etc. The article says that "frequent" use of computers in schools is more likely to be associated with lower results. Instead of frequent use, one should know how one can healthily get benefit from computers, when to use it, how to use it, when not to use it, etc. Those questions are still major questions in modern educational science research. Findings from such research can enhance the positive impact of technology in classrooms.

Having read this week's reading assignment, a part of which focuses on this particular result, I felt the need to comment on your share Özlem hocam. It is mentioned in Chapter 1: Introduction that "in the 1980s, cognitive scientists like Roger Schank and Seymour Papert made claims that computers would transform the schools and learning. This was a rather radical claim and it helped form a strong consensus among parents, bussiness community, politicians that getting computers into schools was a must. During 1990s, installing computers and the Internet in schools was a major trend. By 2003, 95% of all the schools in the US had their computers and were connected to the Internet. However, the impact of this huge investment was highly disappointing. Studies had shown computer use was not correlated with improved student performance. When the reserachers began to study to find the reason, they found out that the computer use in schools was not based on learning sciences; instead, they were being used as an extension of instructional classroom. By this I mean, bringing technology to the classrooms was not enough without changing the structure of instruction. Educational software has been based on instructionist theories, with the computer performing roles that are traditionally performed by the teacher. Teachers and students were not aware of how to use those computers efficiently. Students read the texts on the computers instead of reading them on books.Learning scientists continue to emphasize the powerful role that computers can play in transforming all learning. But they reject instructionalism and behaviorism. Instead, they present a new vision of computers in schools. They suggest that computer should take on a more facilitating role, helping learners have the kind of experiences that lead to deep learning."

Hocam, I think this guy has an introvert personality. If he doesn't, perhaps he took a course from a teacher who made him feel fed up with pair and group work activities :-)) I have read the comments of other people under the article and I liked the one made by Doug. As Doug stated, Donald Clark compares different perspectives in a linear manner, but these thinkers represent different developmental periods of the theory. So he should have made comparisons considering the development of the theory to be more plausible. For his overall comments at the end of his article, I can say that what he mentions ("Those with good digital literacy, literacy, numeracy and other skills will have the social support, especially at home") is not something peculiar to the results of this theory. We used to have more segragations in the societies when former theories were dominant. So his comment doesn't seem logical to me. He also mentions that some learners like studying alone, which is not supported by this theory. Of course sometimes we need some isolation to think, analyze and synthesize, but this doesn't make us forget about the advantages of peer learning. There is a saying, "two heads are better than one". As we discussed in the classroom, we learn better when we are cognitively engaged and in my opinion, "engagement" requires contradictory or contributory comments made by other members of the society. It doesn't take place without interactions. To sum up, the theory may have some limitations, but I prefer it to the older ones :-)

I am afraid I have already become a 'pancake person' :) because, I can access whatever I want with just a search button. I also feel like the author that something is changing in my brain in a negative way, becuase I do not have to force my brain anymore. Sometimes I realize that I have searched the same phone number over and over again then I really get mad at myself why I cannot just keep it in my mind, then again I realize that I do not have to as I have google with me everywhere I go:) And I think that is why computers seem smarter than us. Also, it is stated in the article that if we had all the world's information directly attached to our brain, or an artificial brain that was smarter than your brain, you'd be better off! I have lots of doubts about it. How something built by a human being can be smarter than a human being?

Human is human... This video rememinded me of how humans imagine the aliens. We sometimes seem to forget humans are humans; and imagine aliens similar to human beings :)

I remember many years ago I read a science fiction book about a game which was created to select the President. (Spoiler - The winner of the game was a 13 old year boy:)) Actually games are very interesting and will be very useful for education but the main problem here is the nature of market and the cost. Last week I was reading an article about mobile learning, I think this quote is meaningful for games too "In any case, hardware devices and technical systems are all without exception designed, manufactured, and marketed for corporate, retail, or recreational users. Any educational uses of the devices and the systems are necessarily parasitic and secondary." We have to consider education as "building the nation, building our future" then we can afford the cost and then educational games, devices will not be secondary...

This change in the system is very major, I agree with you. Once again we as educators are facing implementations without needing any pilot testing or making use of any kind of sound research. I also read that there will be open-ended questions but I am not sure. But if this is the case, we have one other reason to worry about maybe; the quality of these new questions.

I am afraid that there is no other country in which incessant testing is applied more Turkey. Every year, something is changed by the Ministry of Education, no need to mention about the examination system. They change the system without even measuring or analyzing the results or outcomes. Deep modifications need to be implemented to improve the infrastructure of the education system. However, in our "unique" political environment How???

This is a very helpful and rich source for us, thank you for sharing it. Especially the situated documentary idea is very interesting I think. Making use of technology, simulations, games are such effective ways for solving the mismatch between classrooms and real-world situations.

I really liked the use of situated learning genres to make some theoretical concepts more concrete via real world experiences and scenarios. These genres can be integrated with classroom practices depending upon the specific requirements of the subject area, learner group and curricula to be implemented. While watching the video I thought that the situated documentary would help me while learning history when I was at high school. I had difficult times trying to learn history by reading dull history books.

As you mentioned Pınar, the videos on the website helped me to get the theory very well because of some concrete examples. And also the video "field research" provides a good example for science and vocabulary teaching, I think.

how interesting research, I am very suprised...

This research proves to be another evidence of the importance of combining both technological and pedagogical knowledge (excluding content knowledge for this case as it is not mentioned). I think the impact of flipped classes can be larger when it is known what and how to do with the technology.

This is an absolutely amazing and inspiring video. After watching video, I strongly believed that barriers we have to overcome have emotional bases instead intellectual ones. Maybe if I follow 4 steps properly and focus on ı can even play guitar. In fact, it seems to me devotion and removing practise barriers are the keys to success and manageable, then why not give a try.

I liked the song in the video very much and the graphics showing the relationship between the time and skill or how we are good and the practice. However, I am not sure that 20 hour is applicable to everything to be learned. In the four steps, we can relate self-correction part to self-coaching as mentioned in the readings.

The four steps mentioned in the video have really good implications for the learners. Self correction and removing the barriers are especially important to learn anything new. However,I agree with Burcu, 20 hours of practice is not enough to acquire some kind of skills. Can anybody learn a foreign language in 20 hours? Kaufman reminded the fact that early stage of skill improvement is very fast but being an expert takes long time and effort. It is a very common phenomenon we come across in language classes. After students become intermediate or upper intermediate, they have difficulties to improve in English to be advanced learners. Expertise requires patience, motivation and continuous hard work. Students need to be patient and practice more but under the stress of proficiency exam they feel hopeless. Maybe, teachers should inform them about the stages of skill acquisition so that learners will know that what they experience is just a part of the skill acquisition process.