New school trend: Zombie-based learning A day on the job for Bellevue-based middle school teacher David Hunter starts just like any other teacher's day: He gets to class, settles his students down and takes attendance before he gets down to business -- talking about zombies and geography. Hunter's unique approach takes subjects that some kids struggle to pay attention to and turn them into something that they look forward to. His idea was to create a full geography curriculum (using National Geography Standards) taught in the context of a zombie apocalypse. The geography teacher funded his original idea for the project, called Zombie-Based Learning, on Kickstarter in June of 2012. "That age group (sixth- and seventh-graders) understands a zombie apocalypse better than they understand real-world applications of geography," Hunter told HLN. "It is amazing that we aren't already there," Hunter said. Will alternative learning continue to keep students from snoring their way through class?
Phospholamban Phospholamban, also known as PLN or PLB, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PLN gene.[1] Phospholamban is a 52-amino acid integral membrane protein that regulates the Ca2+ pump in cardiac muscle and skeletal muscle cells.[2] Function[edit] This protein is found as a pentamer and is a major substrate for the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) in cardiac muscle. The protein is an inhibitor of cardiac muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca++-ATPase (SERCA) in the unphosphorylated state, but inhibition is relieved upon phosphorylation of the protein. The subsequent activation of the Ca++ pump leads to shorter intervals between contractions, thereby contributing to the lusitropic response elicited in heart by beta-agonists. The protein is a key regulator of cardiac diastolic function . Clinical significance[edit] Gene knockout of phospholamban results in animals with hyperdynamic hearts, with little apparent negative consequence.[6] Discovery[edit] Interactions[edit] References[edit]
FIC 2.13, 2.7 and Noosphere Lists for 2010 - Second Thoughts / Profk Oh, dear. 2011 is here already and I didn't get my last three FIC lists published for 2010. So I better publish them, even though I feel they are incomplete, there's been a few clamouring for them (and no, you aren't in the lists so why fuss?) You will recall that earlier I published the FIC has-been list (FIC 1.0) and then the FIC 2.0 which is also close to retirement -- it's a sign of its growing lack of importance and influence that even *I* am on it (for having one of my International Bazaar kiosks on a Linden welcome area). Some people rejoiced to see themselves on 2.0 not realizing there was more to come. Some people felt like there were some missing -- that's because they didn't realize that 2.7 "Besh Meta FIC" is here. And that's just it -- I can't keep up. First, I've been putting together the Mal-FIC, FIC 1.3, the list of malevolent and bad actors in SL. Then I've published 2.7 -- and I feel it's very incomplete. Or what about Desmond? FIC 2.13 -- mal-FIC Noosphere
About the Game - World Peace Game Foundation The game is actually far more complex than glimpsed in the TED Talk or in the documentary film. Here’s what the game requires to be facilitated, played, and maintained: Students who play must: possess a certain “intellectual stamina” and can wrestle over an extended period of time with tough problems that are without quick or easy resolutioncan interact constructively with others different from themselves (diversity as much as possible)can forestall closure and handle the certain frustrations of endless challenges and conflicts as they collaborate to achieve peace Teacher / Facilitators who wish to use the game must: In short, charisma, compassion, connectivity, creativity, patience, and awareness are all necessary in great measure. To ideally, to learn how to play the game best is to observe a number of game sessions first. The game’s duration is also not that predictable.
Girls (Who Code) Rule The World In a conference room on the ninth floor of the futuristic-looking IAC building on Manhattan's far West Side, a hive of teenage girls were buzzing in conversation recently. But they weren't talking about fashion or Justin Bieber. Instead, if you listen in, you'd overhear snippets like this: "My interest is robotics--I'm curious how a stoplight or an ATM works," said Martha Ghose, a Bangladeshi girl from Manhattan, or, "I want to create new medical devices," said Sondos Alnajjar from Jordan. These are Girls Who Code and their newest friends, the TechGirls. Girls Who Code is an eight-week summer enrichment and mentoring program for teenage girls interested in web design, robotics, and mobile development. The program was started in New York City and is happening in six cities this summer. Some of the TechGirls are wearing hijabs, while others are dressed more secularly. [Image: Flickr user United States Mission Geneva]
The Perversity of Return | An Engine Fit For My Proceeding - Ordinal (on Second Life) Since my general removal of all products from the Grid, some readers might have noticed that I have not been entirely absent myself (not that I said that I would be, but it has caused some occasional surprise; less so now). I do pop in and out to attend functions and vaguely chit-chat. In fact, those who follow my Twitterthing might have even noticed that recently I have been doing some actual scripting, and playing with what passes for a Marketplace these days. Lawks. Not merely for the Twitterbox, either (progress on which I shall mention in a future post). I was wondering what my motivation might be for this - though it is nothing like a Return To Business As Usual, which will never happen. Motivations, though. Firstly there is simple boredom and lack of a suitable replacement outlet for creativity. The Third Reason, however, is somewhat more perverse, and I have only admitted it to myself quite recently. Chin chin!
Refining “Game-based Learning” In case you hadn’t noticed, education is full of jargon and rife with an alphabet soup of programs, policies, and practice. It’s often challenging for me as a professional in education technology to keep my terminology defined. What’s the difference between CIPA and COPPA? When you say PBL, do you mean problem-based learning or project-based learning? Of course, my own area of passion in education, the use of games and game principles for learning is faced with a similar, murky sea of words and ideas. Recent discussions, between David Warlick, Mathias Poulsen, and myself via Twitter during ISTE 12, forced me to consider the issues. It’s exciting to watch the idea of game-based learning gaining market share in the discussion on educational change, especially, since I’ve been pushing it for a few years now. Playful Learning One of the best things that game-based learning is bringing back to the education reform discussion is the value of play and a playful approach to learning. -Lucas
Promoting motivation with virtual agents and avatars: role of visual presence and appearance Amy L. Baylor1,2,3,* + Author Affiliations * abaylor@fsu.edu Abstract Anthropomorphic virtual agents can serve as powerful technological mediators to impact motivational outcomes such as self-efficacy and attitude change. 1. Research indicates the effectiveness of human social models in influencing another to change behaviours, beliefs or attitudes, as well as social and cognitive functioning (e.g. The focus in this paper is on the motivational (e.g. self-efficacy beliefs, attitude, interest) and affective (e.g. feelings of connection, relief of frustration) changes that result from observing or socially interacting with anthropomorphic agents that are instantiated in the role of social models. Further, there are several advantages to implementing anthropomorphic agents as social models. The advantages of accessibility in real time and customization are significant, but not if considerable time is required to construct these personalized agent social models. 2. Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 3.
Why Virtual Worlds Play an Important Role in the Changing Arab World | Mashable, Rita J King Follow artist, writer and entrepreneur Rita J. King on Twitter. While co-directing the Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds project with Joshua Fouts, I traveled to four continents in the physical world and interviewed people from 25 countries in the virtual world called Second Life. The Psychological Impact of Virtual Worlds Second Life has long been plagued by a misguided media narrative that latched onto its novel and cartoonish appearance while missing the much larger point: For the first time in history, geographically dispersed people are sharing a space limited only by their imaginations, and are visualizing together how the space is used and built upon. Mosque communities have sprung up all over the virtual world as they have in the physical world, built from the ground up by various individuals and organizations. Experiences shared within virtual worlds, particularly user-created environments, are not perceived as trivial by those who partake in them. Conclusion See Also:
G.A.M.E. - Gamers Advancing Meaningful Education Mashirovka Regarding Client Detection Systems (CDS) in Second Life as alleged copybot deterrent Every once in a while, some Second Life drama will erupt about a “client detection system” (CDS), a scripted product that supposedly protects your store from content rippers (aka “content thieves”) by banning users of untrusted viewer programs. There was such an episode last week, with a certain store using a certain CDS that wrongly banned a legitimate customer using a legitimate viewer. I won’t bother mentioning the name of the store or the CDS, because this post isn’t about that specific incident. (Full disclosure: the viewer in that particular case was the Imprudence Experimental, which I am involved with. Simply put, a CDS does not provide any significant protection against content rippers. Most people don’t understand how a CDS works, but believe that it might actually be able to stop content rippers. How a CDS Works Like nearly all web browsers, the viewer’s built-in browser is programmed to send its “user agent” to any website it connects to. A Waste of Money Well, it gets worse.
edurealms.com NMC Campus: Seriously Engaging (education)