Explorable Explanations
Bret Victor / March 10, 2011 What does it mean to be an active reader? An active reader asks questions, considers alternatives, questions assumptions, and even questions the trustworthiness of the author. An active reader tries to generalize specific examples, and devise specific examples for generalities. An active reader doesn't passively sponge up information, but uses the author's argument as a springboard for critical thought and deep understanding.
Where YouTube EDU Went Wrong (and how it might recover)
by Higher Ed Live YouTube‘s educational portal, YouTube EDU, entered its third year of operation this past week. In spite of some very optimistic publicity for its initial launch, its development as a teaching-and-learning tool has thus far proven rather lackluster.
Bret Victor's Outspoken Views Against the Current State of ...
All images by Bret Victor All images by Bret Victor Even if you've never heard of him, Bret Victor ought have some credibility as a former Human-Interface Inventor for Apple, where he worked on "pervasively direct-manipulation interfaces (where the user does his thing by moving and gesturing with meaningful objects, instead of relying on verb buttons and other indirect controls)" among other things.
Free for All: National Academies Press Puts All 4,000 Books Online at No Charge - Wired Campus
Today the National Academies Press announced it would offer its entire PDF catalog of books for free, as files that can be downloaded by anyone. The press is the publishing arm of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council, and publishes books and reports that scientists, educators, and policy makers rely on. Barbara Kline Pope, executive director for the press, said it had previously offered 65 percent of its titles—ones that were narrow in scope—for free. “The 35 percent that we are adding today will reach a wider audience, and we are doing it because it’s central to our mission to get this information to everyone,” she said. Ms.
Learnable Programming
Here's a trick question: How do we get people to understand programming? Khan Academy recently launched an online environment for learning to program. It offers a set of tutorials based on the JavaScript and Processing languages, and features a "live coding" environment, where the program's output updates as the programmer types. Because my work was cited as an inspiration for the Khan system, I felt I should respond with two thoughts about learning: Programming is a way of thinking, not a rote skill.
About Key: The Geometer's Sketchpad® Named an EdNET's Best "Shining Stars" for 2011 - Key Curriculum Press
The Geometer’s Sketchpad® is the world’s leading software for teaching mathematics. Sketchpad® gives students at all levels—from third grade through college—a tangible, visual way to learn mathematics that increases their engagement, understanding, and achievement. Make math more meaningful and memorable using Sketchpad. Elementary students can manipulate dynamic models of fractions, number lines, and geometric patterns. Middle school students can build their readiness for algebra by exploring ratio and proportion, rate of change, and functional relationships through numeric, tabular, and graphical representations.
Bret Victor's Bookshelf
Roger Penrose's Road to Reality makes use of Clifford Algebra and Grassmann Products, so at least some serious physicists are using it seriously. Even though I had come across it before, I had a real revelation when I read David Hestenes short paper on it (from Bret Victor's website) It is indeed beautiful to see how complex geometry and vector fields are connected via GA. I found especially revealing the relationship between electric and magnetic fields. I agree with the article that whatever its absolute merits, it would be a good way to teach new physicists.
+1m eBooks via SwetsWise
Lisse, The Netherlands June 7, 2011 More than 1 million eBooks now available via SwetsWise! Swets is pleased to announce that SwetsWise, its leading information resource management and procurement platform, has recently expanded its eBook catalog to more than one million publications. Swets has signed agreements with a number of the world’s leading eBooks publishers and aggregators, bringing together an impressive wealth of compelling content and creating an extensive collection of eBooks unparalleled within the information industry. SwetsWise provides an intuitive interface for librarians and information managers to select and acquire eBook content.
