Two apps that will transform your life Rather than writing a column this week, I'm using this space to pitch two software ideas I've had: ideas I'd turn into real programs if I had either the expertise or patience to do so. My hope is that a talented programmer will stumble across this page, make them a reality, and then be forced to give me a cut of the profits, absolutely none of which will be donated to a good cause. I'm fishing for coins, basically. Idea 1: Blackmailr™ Let's face it, efficiency is boring. Still, only the most tedious nazi finds it easy to complete chores without some kind of sword of Damocles hanging over them. Enter the ultimate productivity app – Blackmailr. Having compiled this humiliating gallery, the program immediately encrypts these pictures and stores them in a secret corner of your hard drive where you can't reach them. You tell it what you want to do, anything from writing the first chapter of a novel to filling out an insurance claim form, and what your deadline is. Idea 2: Super Goodinator™
American Teachers Do More Work for Less Pay Than Their International Peers American Teachers Do More Work for Less Pay Than Their International Peers American Teachers Do More Work for Less Pay Than Their International Peers zoom with mousewheel or pinch Ever wonder how the hours American teachers work and the salary they earn compares to teachers in other industrialized nations? Well, the picture's not pretty. In this infographic courtesy of the Future Journalism Project, American educators work the most hours of all industrialized nations, but are the fifth lowest paid after 15 years on the job. Only Luxembourg, Hungary, Iceland, and Norway pay their teachers less. And how do we compare to the country that's number one in the world in education according to international tests, Finland? hat tip Alexander Russo
If students designed their own school… it would look like this Student Peter Boyce(By Charles Tsai) “It’s crazy that in a system that is meant to teach and help the youth there is no voice from the youth at all.” That’s the opening line in a video called “If students designed their own schools,” about The Independent Project, a high school semester designed and implemented entirely by students. What did it look like? No quizzes. No tests. The Independent Project started in 2011 at Monument Mountain Regional High School, a public school in Massachusetts, after a student named Sam Levin advanced an idea about students creating their own learning environment in order to find the engagement and mastery he felt were lacking in many teacher-designed classes. In this model, teachers serve as mentors and coaches, not as direct instructors, while students pose questions and find ways to answer them. After the first semester, an evaluation was undertaken and changes were made to the model. Here’s Tsai’s video:
My collection of funny emails from my inbox. Subject: 5 MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE Lesson 1: A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor. Before she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you $800 to drop that towel." After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob. After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves. The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. "Great!" Moral of the story: If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure. Lesson 2: A priest offered a Nun a lift. The priest removed his hand. Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way. On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. Lesson 3: "Me first! "Me next! Lesson 4: Lesson 5: Lesson 6:
Skull deformation by the Mangbetus The Mangbetu are a people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, living in Orientale Province. The majority live in the villages of Rungu, Poko, Watsa, Niangara, and Wamba. [source] In 1870, German botanist Georg Schweinfurth was the first European to reach the Mangbetu, who live in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. His exploration account describes them as aristocratic and elegant. Their royal courts, their practice of accentuating the elongation of their heads with elaborate hair styles, their court dances, royal architecture and their arts attracted Western photographers and later film makers in the first half of the 20th century. [source] ‘Lipombo’, the custom of skull elongation, which was a status symbol among the Mangbetu ruling classes at the beginning of the century and was later emulated by neighboring groups, evolved into a common ideal of beauty among the peoples of the northeastern Congo. [source] Without the bandage Mangbetu woman Mangbetu woman with her baby
How Math Got Its Groove Back 49913Dance by NumbersCarrie Lewis, a STEM specialist in Lynchburg, Virginia, explains the lesson plan that she and fellow teacher Kelly Steele devised to teach their fifth grade students number patterns. 2013-01-16 13:35:00disabledssmB_MtgJ_kfalse This is an edited version of a video produced by Jill Granger. To view the original video, click here. Carrie Lewis and Kelly Steele’s fifth grade students slide and spin across the classroom floor, doing the hustle, the robot and the running man. Lewis, a STEM specialist for Virginia’s Lynchburg city schools, and Steele, who teaches gifted education in Bedford county, Virginia, are both math enthusiasts eager to instill in their students a love of the subject. “Dances are patterns,” Lewis said. Both teachers are part of Sweet Briar College’s STEM teacher education program, where they worked together to design “dance by numbers,” a lesson plan that relies on dance to teach pattern recognition. Identifying a Pattern: Making Their Own Moves:
20 Best Creative Products You Can Actually Buy Creativity refers to a person creates something new that has some kind of value. It can be a product, solution, artwork, etc. What counts as “new” may be in reference to the individual creator, or to the society or domain within which the novelty occurs. What counts as “valuable” is similarly defined in a variety of ways. Today we have showcased 20 Best Creative Products You Can Actually Buy. Why not spice your life up a little and make your friends jealous? Time Warp Shelf Clock Buy $13.49 The Time Warp Shelf Clock is the perfect addition to an art lover’s home creating a great conversation piece. The Avengers USB Sticks Buy $39.99 2012 Avengers Marvel Sticks: Iron man, Thor, America Captain, Hulk. Wooden Camera Iphone Case Buy $41.17 Green LED Faucet Valve Night Light Buy $8 A great attention-getter for guests, and it gives off ample light to use as a night light. USB Power Strip Buy $15.49 Mr P Tape Dispenser Buy $35.00 Tailsman Cherry Chomper Buy $8.71 1st world problem: Solved! iPhone Hoodie Case
The 13 Worst Jobs of the Last 2,000 Years As detailed in essays by 16 different writers, both male and female: because they don't want to, and because not wanting to is perfectly reasonable Pope Francis is widely believed to be a cool Pope—a huggable, Upworthyish, meme-ready, self-deprecating leader for a new generation of worshippers. “He has described himself as a sinner,” writes Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Pope Francis’ entry on Time’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world, “and his nonjudgmental views on … issues such as sexual orientation and divorce have brought hope to millions of Roman Catholics around the world.” But there’s one issue that can make even Cool Pope Francis himself sound a little, well, judgy.
Why Creative Teaching is Essential For the Information Age | Education on GOOD There’s a belief in this country that every student should graduate from high school with the same standard set of knowledge. This standard curriculum is lengthy, and states spend many years—and plenty of money—creating fancy bullet-pointed lists of the subjects students are expected to know. Sadly, the list of facts and formulas students need to perform well on a standardized test is freakishly small in comparison. My experience as a classroom teacher has shown me that teenagers are interested in almost anything taught well and with passion. I teach kids how to do their taxes in my calculus class, and they love it. Yet taxes generally are completely ignored by the standard high school math curriculum. I'm continually amazed how teaching an applicable skill piques students' curiosity and prompts them to do more research. Unfortunately, the test-driven push to quickly cover the state-mandated curriculum is growing.
25 Great Quotes to Inspire and Brighten Your Day Here’s a collection of great quotes by some of the most inspirational men and women that ever walked this earth. Hopefully you’ll find them inspirational in some way. If you do like them and find them helpful, check out our similar posts by visiting the links listed below. We have created over 20+ of these galleries, so there is lots more to be seen. More popular quotations: – 25 Inspirational Quotes – Great quotes to ponder upon Check out all of our galleries with nice quotes here: More great quotes:
You'll Regret It If You Haven't Done These 30 Things Before 30 Everyone has a bucket list. These days though, that isn’t enough. Indeed, there are now a bunch of things you should do not only before you die, but before you reach the ripe old age of 30. 1. Though it can be expensive, going to college is definitely worth the investment. 2. Ah, Doctor Who, one of the best science fiction shows in existence! 3. People who are fit later in life started making the right choices at a young age. 4. Not to lecture the baby boomers among us, but a lot of problems would be solved in today’s world if people found the time to play video games. 5. As a history major, I’m probably biased in suggesting this, but oh well! 6. Yup, I added an exclamation point. 7. In today’s world it’s useful to know how computers work, inside and out. 8. Before I get gun activists yelling at me, I swear I have a good reason for putting this here. 9. I’m an introvert, so I couldn’t care less about having tons of friends. 10. 11. 12. 13. Everyone is biased when it comes to politics.
Researching Lost Children Evidence in my case study continues to mount … strangely. Though the girls exhibit clear signs of a shared delusion — the creation of an imaginary mother figure who protected them during their years of isolation — still, there are still some hard-to-explain details I’ve found, frankly, unsettling. 1. Survival. Most of all: how were these children able to live in isolation for five years? 2. 3. Conclusion: Did the girls have contact with one or more adults during their stay in the Helvetia cabin? I must investigate further.