I can only imagine the number of applications there are for Google Wave in an educational setting (if this preview is anything to go by).
Tags: email, Google, Google Wave, Web 2.0
Photographer James Balog shares new image sequences from the Extreme Ice Survey, a network of time-lapse cameras recording glaciers receding at an alarming rate, some of the most vivid evidence yet of climate change.
When you hear the word/s “Defrag” or “Defragment” your hard drive, what do you think of?
Yes, many of us think: “It’s that laborious task that is essential to our HDDs’ well-being (and overall PC performance).”
Yet, most of us never do it.
(Note: If you have Windows Vista or later, Disk Defragmenter is automatically scheduled. At ridiculous times in the morning – when you’re PCs probably off) Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Defragment, Hard Drives, Maintenance, Optimization, Software, Windows
Recently, Microsoft released a public beta of their highly anticipated anti-virus software for Windows.
Source: Wikipedia
Microsoft Security Essentials (codenamed Morro) is free antivirus software created by Microsoft that provides protection againstviruses, spyware, rootkits, and trojans for Windows XP, Vista, and 7.[1] Currently in beta testing, it was available for download to the first 75,000 people in the United States, Israel, People’s Republic of China and Brazil.
Tags: antivirus, microsoft, Microsoft Security Essentials, morro, security, Software, Windows
“The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance.” ~ Socrates (470 BC–399 BC)
(NOTE: It goes without saying that pupils should be educated on safe, constructive and mutually respectful use of this medium before it is used in the classroom.)
Our children are leaving us behind. They use technology, some of which they access via their cell phones, which we as adults do not even know exists. How often do we see children deep in concentration, bent over their cell phones, furiously thumbing away on their most prized possession? It intimidates us; so we discourage it and none more so than in the classroom.
As educators we need to step into their world. We need to find ways of harnessing this technology. We need to be less resistant to change. Technology can never be a substitute for good teaching methods. Technology does, however, give educators the opportunity of connecting with pupils on their level too.
One of the easiest, cheapest and most available ways of bringing technology into the classroom is via the cell phone.
Pupils are acutely aware that teachers don’t like cells in class. A simple instruction like, “please all take out your cell phones and turn them on if they are off”, often leads to blank-faced silence and disbelief; and that is if they haven’t been forced to hand their phones in at the office before coming to class.
Personal opinion:- banning cell phones in the classroom (as an educational tool) equates to taking away a child’s pen and paper.
So how can Nimbuzz be useful in the classroom? Read the rest of this entry »
Far from being just a communication device, the cellphone has been turned into a learning hub with maths and literacy available on social networking platform MXit.
The cellphone is also being used to save lives and make an impact in fighting tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/Aids.
Earlier this month MXit launched its instant mobile book to encourage global teenage literacy while being part of a ground-breaking maths initiative in which Grade 9 and 10 pupils taking part in a pilot project exercise have access to 22 500 mathematical problems.
Pupils can download an entire book from the MXit network for R13.50, which is a fraction of the cost of buying literature in traditional bookstores.
Behavioral Economist, Dan Ariely, has long been fascinated with how emotional states, moral codes and peer pressure affect our ability to make rational and often extremely important decisions in our daily lives — across a spectrum of our interests, from economic choices (how should I invest?) to personal (who should I marry?). Read the rest of this entry »
Saul Griffith has a uniquely open approach to problem solving. Whether he’s devising a way to slash the cost of prescription eyeglasses or teaching science through cartoons, Griffith makes things and then shares his ideas with the world. Read the rest of this entry »
Edward de Bono’s “Six Thinking hats” is a guide to better thinking. Essentially the need is based on an understanding of how the brain chemicals change with the mode of thinking. The parallel thinking of the Six hats method replaces argument. Argument was never designed to be constructive. From senior corporate executives to four-year-olds in school, discovering “what is” may not be the same as designing “what can be”. It’s so worth exploring de Bono’s ideas on how to consider situations from ALL angles to arrive at the best or optimal view.
1. The White Hat…(neutral, objective, facts & figures)
2. The Red Hat…(emotional responses expressed)
3. The Black Hat…(caution, warns of weakness in ideas or plans)
4. The Yellow Hat…(positive, optimistic, encouragement)
5. The Green Hat…(creative energy of new ideas & possible outlooks)
6. The Blue Hat…(starts the Thinking Strategy and Concludes…organise, control use of ALL hats)
Check out more about these as well as links to Lateral Thinking and Direct Attention Thinking…
http://www.debonothinkingsystems.com/tools/6hats.htm
Tags: Education, Life Orientation, Thinking skills
About this talk:
Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.
About Sir Ken Robinson
Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we’re educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types…
Tags: Education, Inspiration, Life Orientation, Thinking skills