Bill Gates: Why 'game-based learning' is the future of education The Gates Foundation is working with the Center for Game Science at the University of Washington on a free, online game called Refraction. In Bill Gates’ vision of the classrooms of the future, students are grouped according to skill set. One cluster huddles around a computer terminal, playing an educational game or working on a simulator. Another works with a human teacher getting direct instruction, while another gets a digital lesson delivered from their teacher’s avatar. This kind of “game-based” learning is one of the priorities of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a nonprofit founded by the Microsoft creator. Last year, the foundation announced it would invest $20 million in a variety of teacher tools, including this and other technologies geared toward changing the way teachers teach and kids learn. Gates sat down with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week while he was in Atlanta speaking at the Education Commission of the States’ national forum.
What Easter Island’s colossal stone statues teach about the dangers of modern school reform EASTER ISLAND, CHILE: A tourist walks behind a platform with seven huge statues (moais in Rapa Nui language), the only ones facing the sea, in Ahu Akivi in Easter Island, 3700 km off the coast of Chile, 12 February 2005. The Chilean island, located in the Polynesian archipielago, has many archeological sites and its Rapa Nui National Park is included on UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list since 1995. AFP PHOTO/MARTIN BERNETTI (Photo credit should read MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP/Getty Images) Eastern Island is a remote volcanic island in Polynesia that is a territory of Chile and known worldwide for its colossal statues — more than 800 — that were created by early inhabitants during the 10th – 16th Centuries. The carved statues, known as moia, humans with huge heads, sometimes sitting on platforms of rock called ahus. By Yong Zhao The stone statues on Easter Island (Diamond, 2005) have a lot to teach us about education. The race was costly. Test Scores as Education’s Stone Statue Auerswald, P.
Guide to Social & Emotional Development - Parent Toolkit Social and emotional intelligence involves understanding your feelings and behaviors, as well as those of others, and applying this knowledge to your interactions and relationships. The term “emotional intelligence” was coined in 1990 by Peter Salovey Self-awareness is knowing yourself. It’s about knowing your emotions, strengths and challenges, and how your emotions affect your behavior. A Video Lecture You Won’t Soon Forget: Video Games and Storytelling <div class="greet_block wpgb_cornered"><div class="greet_text"><div class="greet_image"><a href=" rel="nofollow"><img src=" alt="WP Greet Box icon"/></a></div>Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to <a href=" rel="nofollow"><strong>subscribe to the RSS feed</strong></a> for updates on this topic.<div style="clear:both"></div></div></div> Daniel Floyd’s ten minute YouTube video, “Video Games and Storytelling,” is a video lecture you won’t soon forget. Daniel has a total of eight “video lectures” about video games in his YouTube playlist, “Video games and…” Check them out! Daniel’s official blogger profile page identifies him as an animator living in Athens, Georgia, but his only blog on Blogger hasn’t been updated since September 2010. Via “Indie Video Games” by Kojo Nnamdi. On this day..
How Parents Influence Early Moral Development | Greater ... Parents: Do you want to raise a child with a strong sense of right and wrong? You might want to start by cultivating your own morality—as well as your own empathy. A new study from the University of Chicago suggests that parents’ sensitivity to both other people’s feelings and to injustice may influence early moral development in their children. Developmental neuroscientist Jean Decety and his colleague, Jason Cowell, brought a group of one year olds into the lab to test them on their reactions to moral situations. The seventy-three toddlers watched animated videos in which characters engaged in helping and sharing (prosocial) behaviors or pushing, tripping, and shoving (antisocial) behaviors while the researchers monitored the toddlers’ eye movements and measured their brain wave patterns using an electroencephalogram, or EEG. Prior to the experiment, the children’s parents filled out questionnaires measuring their values regarding empathy, justice, and fairness. Jean Decety
SlideShark: PowerPoint Finally Gets a Deserving iPad App Let’s face it: the Microsoft Office suite has largely dominated the workplace productivity landscape for the better part of two decades. Even as worthy competitors have arisen, the “industry standard” nature of the programs has pushed them to the side. Now however, as there are evolving spheres of software platforms, developers are working to incorporate that standard into their products. Web and mobile apps are providing support for importing the dreaded .docx, .xlsx and .pptx formats. While Microsoft seemingly crawls toward the release of their first-party Office iPad app, it is being beaten to the punch. There are umpteen text editors for iOS, some full office suite alternatives, and of course, Apple’s own iWork set to compete with. PowerPoint on the iPad SlideShark is the creation of Brainshark, a company that helps users create online videos from their PowerPoint presentations. The SlideShark app looks sharp, both on the iPad and online. iPad + Web app + options = a great app
How To Use An Effective Reward System ... “I have a ten-year-old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome who is high functioning. We are consistent with making him aware of what is socially unacceptable and why. It seems to go in one ear and out the other though. For instance, at meal time we always tell him to eat with his mouth closed. He will do as we say for 20 seconds and then he’s right back to chewing with his mouth open. This can be a “Catch-22” situation because, even though you want your son’s behavior to change in a positive manner, it might become more resistant or rigid if he is confronted or forced to behave in a manner that he finds disagreeable. In this case, giving your son rewards might have better results than imposing punishment. An effective economic-reward system is based on consistency in enforcing it and keeping the list of rewards/penalties attainable and short. A structured reward system works well with Asperger’s children because they do extremely well with structure, consistency, and clarity.
Top 8 Educational Apps for Health Education Health education class used to involve watching dated videos and looking at graphic pictures in a textbook. Thanks to apps, it is now a little more exciting. With these top 8 educational apps for health, students can access interactive, engaging information and be inspired to make healthy decisions. Health Ed Buddy Health Ed Buddy makes a health education teacher’s job easier by providing lesson plans on common topics, such as healthy eating, substance abuse and teen health problems. Awesome Eats Awesome Eats, designed by Whole Foods, is a healthy eating app for children. Eat-and-Move-O-Matic Eat-and-Move-O-Matic helps students understand more about the foods they eat and the effects those foods have on the body. FitQuest FitQuest is designed to get students moving and develop healthier lifestyles. KidsDoc KidsDoc, from the American Academy of Pediatrics, offers a symptom checker to help adults determine what health problems children may have and whether seeing a doctor is necessary.
Rewards | Consequences | Essentials | Parenting Information Behaviors are more likely to happen again when followed by a positive consequence like a reward. This is true for all behaviors, even those you don’t want to happen again. Rewards are important for many reasons: Rewards can encourage your child’s good behaviors.The way you respond right after your child’s behaviors makes the behavior more or less likely to happen again. Rewards can help increase self-esteem.Toddlers and preschoolers hear the words “no,”, “stop,” and “quit” many times during the day. Rewards can improve your relationship with your child.When you give a reward to your child, you and your child are both happy. Types of Rewards There are several types of rewards. Examples of Social Rewards Affection – includes hugs, kisses, a high five, a smile, a pat on the back, or an arm around the shoulder.Praise – Praise happens when parents say things like “Great job,” “Way to go,” or “Good boy/girl.” Reward Programs Want to help creating your own reward program?
Q&A: Every Expert Will Teach Online In 10 Years - Getting Smart by Sarah Cargill - blended learning, IOLchat, MOOC Udemy co-founder Eren Bali makes a bold statement: “In 10 years, we believe every expert in the world will be teaching online.” Find out more about his thoughts behind massive open online classes (MOOCs) and mission behind the fast-growing online platform Udemy. SC: What inspired you to start Udemy? EB: I was inspired to start Udemy based on my own personal experience using the Internet to teach myself mathematics. Our mission at Udemy is to democratize education by enabling lifelong learners to access the skills & knowledge they need to accelerate their lives. SC: What role does Udemy play in the “edupunk” movement (ie. EB: We believe that now, more than ever, learning isn’t just something that happens from birth to college graduation. Udemy provides the destination and marketplace for all types of learning content for any student. SC: What sets Udemy courses apart from other MOOCs like Coursera or others? EB: In 10 years, we believe every expert in the world will be teaching online.
Rewarding behavior is key to parenting teens, study suggests Parenting is hard, and parenting teens brings about an entirely new set of challenges, from keeping their rooms clean to getting them home before curfew. But, a new study suggests parents who want their teenagers to keep their grades up could have better success if they focus more on rewarding good behavior and less on threatening to punish the bad. According to the report, published in PLOS Computational Biology, British researchers have found that adolescents focus well on positive incentives, but have difficulty staying motivated to avoid penalties. The study shows that teens and adults learn in different ways, according to the study’s lead author Stefano Palminteri, a researcher with the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London. “Rewards give them something they want to think about,” Allen said. RELATED: Getting teens to do chores can be a chore for parents "When people go to work they get paid.
Can Everyone Be Smart at Everything? This week, we feature the most popular posts over the past year on MindShift. Flickr:Saxtourigr When a student gets a good grade, wins an award, or proudly holds up a painting, we all know by now that we’re not supposed to say, “Good job!” Praising the achievement rather than the effort will backfire. To a kid, “Good job” means “You’re smart” or “You’re talented” — the praise goes to inherent, natural-born abilities or intelligence. But that immediate spark of self-pride will turn into deep self-doubt when the child invariably comes across a bigger challenge and doesn’t immediately succeed. Kids who are praised for their intelligence end up caring more about grades, trophies, and awards than those who are praised for their effort, according to the famous 1998 Stanford report “Effects of Intelligence and Effort Praise” by Claudia Mueller and Carol Dweck. Kids might think that if they have to work hard at something, that must mean they’re not smart. Why is that such a bad thing? Related
Operant Conditioning Examples Operant conditioning is a type of learning where behavior is controlled by consequences. Key concepts in operant conditioning are positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment and negative punishment. Positive Reinforcement Positive reinforcement is giving something pleasant after a behavior. This increases the probability that the behavior will continue. Examples are: Having a job and going to work every day to receive a paycheck.Receiving praise after a musical performance would increase the amount that you perform.A teacher complimenting students when they answer correctly will increase that behavior.At a gym, customers receive a discount if they work out a certain number of times and eat healthy.In the Skinner Box experiment, a rat got food as a reward for acceptable behavior, such as pressing a lever. Negative Reinforcement Negative reinforcement is taking away something unpleasant as a result of the behavior that is acceptable. Positive Punishment