Learning how to learn Yes, that's the title of my new MOOC, or rather the latest MOOC I'm studying. 'Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects' started this week through Coursera and UC San Diego, and it's already a bit of a mind bender. For the most part, MOOCs teach you about a given subject, be it Dutch poetry, advanced Mandarin, beginner-level javascript etc, but this one teaches you about learning itself. Will I see my knowledge increase exponentially as the course goes on? Will I suddenly unlock that other 90% like Scarlett Johansson's character in that awful new Luc Besson film, Lucy? We're only on day two, and already there's talk of the Pomodoro technique, Diffuse thinking and the million billion synapses we have kicking around our grey matter. If the techniques I learn on this short course (it's only four weeks) make a noticeable difference to my ability to learn new information - and recall it - then it's well worth my time.
Save Food from the Fridge by Jihyun Ryou Although we seem to think and talk about food almost constantly, do we really know how best to preserve it or do we leave this responsibility to technology? Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Jihyun Ryou feels we no longer understand how to treat food. Her Save Food from the Fridge project involves placing certain foods on a group of "knowledge shelves" outside the fridge. Perhaps through a better relationship with our food we may be able to waste less and conserve more energy. The ethylene gas produced by apples keeps potatoes from sprouting. Storing root vegetables vertically keeps them fresher longer. The umpteen tiny holes on the surface of an eggshell allows odors from other foods to be absorbed, so keeping them out of the fridge will ensure their tastiness. The glass cup of water is used to test freshness: a fresh egg will sink and remain horizontal. Fruit vegetables such as zucchini, aubergines, peppers and cucumbers are better off outside the fridge, placed above a water tray.
Three Simple Strategies for Learning Anything Better It was eighth grade. I was sitting alone in the corner outside the dean’s office. In trouble. Again. It’s not that I was a wild child. “Mr. Of course I wasn’t paying attention. “That’s right,” I answered. Ms. “Mr. “I like to read,” I answered. Ms. I stared coolly. Ms. That was why I was in Ms. Science has shown that the brain has two fundamental modes of learning—focused and diffuse. That was that. Today, some forty years later, Ms. How did I do it? I enlisted in the Army straight out of high school, because it was one of the few jobs I could get that would actually pay me to learn another language. I decided to turn my attention to studying math and science. Learn when to stop. When I first began to study math and science seriously, I made the mistake of forcing myself to sit and work on a problem until I figured it out. By sidestepping the race to the finish line, I had the time to practice and repeat. Slow down, back up, repeat. Don’t procrastinate. I did it. Dr.
U.S. Sees Hottest 12 Months And Hottest Half Year On Record: NOAA Calls Record Heat A One-In-1.6-Million Event By Joe Romm "U.S. Sees Hottest 12 Months And Hottest Half Year On Record" The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released its chart-filled “State of the Climate Global Analysis” for June 2012: The big stories are the heat and drought: The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during June was 71.2°F, which is 2.0°F above the 20th century average. How off-the-charts has the last year been? During the June 2011-June 2012 period, each of the 13 consecutive months ranked among the warmest third of their historical distribution for the first time in the 1895-present record. As meteorologist Dr. UPDATE: NOAA did the math inappropriately in multiple respects. Like a baseball player on steroids, our atmosphere has been “juiced” with human emissions of greenhouse gases, which means we are going to be breaking heat records at an “unnatural” pace for a long, long time. How extreme has the weather been in 2012? The U.S. Here’s the chart: This does not bode well for US crops.
Increase Brain Power Increase Brain Power Keeping the brain healthy and Increasing Its Power Expanded brain function equals enhanced performance If the brain can function better and faster, it will. A healthy brain naturally seeks to operate as efficiently as possible. If you expand brain capacity and connections, the brain will take advantage of the new resources every time it faces a processing task. Researchers have been astounded at cases where portions of a patient’s brain were damaged or surgically removed following disease or stroke. Application: LearningRx training primarily concentrates on increasing and strengthening brain function and efficiency. Increase Brain Power — ProgressBig, fast changes are important The brain has the potential to expand — and do so quickly. The brain recognizes big change as important change. Application: LearningRx training recognizes the capacity for big, fast changes. The training is designed to stimulate motivation. Keep Reading! 1 Ratey, MD, J.
Top 40 Useful Sites To Learn New Skills The web is a powerful resource that can easily help you learn new skills. You just have to know where to look. Sure, you can use Google, Yahoo, or Bing to search for sites where you can learn new skills , but I figured I’d save you some time. Here are the top 40 sites I have personally used over the last few years when I want to learn something new. Hack a Day - Hack a Day serves up fresh hacks (short tutorials) every day from around the web and one in-depth ‘How-To hack’ guide each week.eHow - eHow is an online community dedicated to providing visitors the ability to research, share, and discuss solutions and tips for completing day-to-day tasks and projects.Wired How-To Wiki - Collaborate with Wired editors and help them build their extensive library of projects, hacks, tricks and tips.
14 Free Apps for Higher Order Thinking Apps for higher order thinking can be a great push for your students to explain their thinking and create their own digital portfolio items. Apps that focus on higher order thinking can help your students start using focused thought processes to address new questions, investigations, and basic HOTS skills. Each of these apps can be used to complement and execute Bloom’s Higher Order of Thinking framework, focusing on analyzing, evaluating, and creating. raising questions vital to discussiongathering and assessing information systematicallytesting conclusions against criteriathinking with an open mind about alternative theories and solutionscommunicating complex ideas effectively Please enable JavaScript to view the <a href=" Share this post with friends and colleagues:
Energy Companies Say One Thing, Do the Opposite on Climate Change Many large corporations are saying one thing and doing another on climate change, the Union of Concerned Scientists found in a study released Wednesday. The group examined the role that 28 publicly-traded companies played in two significant efforts to address climate change: the EPA's finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health, and the 2010 ballot initiative in California to suspend the state's own climate law. (Here are links to the executive summary and the full report). UCS found that many oil and electric companies were actively engaged in efforts to obstruct climate policy. Chesapeake Energy, Tesoro, Murphy Oil, Occidental Petroleum, Valero Energy, and Peabody Energy were consistently opposed to dealing with climate change: both their PR and their actions worked against new, science-based laws to cut greenhouse gases. Other companies were less straightforward about their positions. The report isn't all bad news.
Preparing Teachers for Deeper Learning - Getting Smart by Getting Smart Staff - Assessment, CCSS, Competency-based learning, deeper learning, education, learning, teachers Today Digital Promise and Getting Smart released “Preparing Teachers for Deeper Learning: Competency-Based Teacher Preparation and Development.” This white paper outlines the attributes of next-generation teacher preparation and makes recommendations to support the development of teacher preparation and development systems. Co-authored by Getting Smart’s Tom Vander Ark and Dr. Some element of teacher control over time, place, path and/or pace;Balance between teacher-defined goals, goals as defined by administration through teacher evaluation efforts, and school and district educational goals;Job-embedded and meaningful integration into classroom practice; andCompetency-based progression. In addition to the paper, don’t miss the complementary infographic, “Competency-Based Teacher Preparation & Professional Development,” that offers a visual outline of the paper content. For more information, download the paper. The full press release is copied below. To learn more download the full paper.
Seawater Greenhouses Produce Tomatoes in the Desert - Water Matters - State of the Planet According to the World Health Organization, about 20 percent of the world’s people live in regions that don’t have enough water for their needs. With the global population increasing by 80 million each year, a third of the planet will likely face water shortages by 2025. This looming water crisis is inextricably linked to food production because agriculture accounts for 70 percent of all fresh water used, and obtaining irrigation water in arid regions has serious environmental impacts. Drilling wells can deplete groundwater, and desalination is energy-intensive and leaves behind concentrated brine. The Seawater Greenhouse, however, provides what may be an economical and sustainable way of producing fresh water and crops in hot, dry regions near the ocean. Photo credit: World Bank Photo Collection A seawater greenhouse produces crops year-round in hot dry areas using only seawater and sunlight. Photo credit: Seawater Greenhouse Ltd.
21 Ways to Check for Student Understanding