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Edtech Blog

I.

I am an Explorer!

By In Blog, Books, Education, Science0 Comments
Play! The best science teacher ever: I’m an explorer okay, I get curious about everything and I want to investigate all kinds of stuff. (c) Microsoft Research

The Feynman Lectures on Physics have become a long time classic amongst science students around the globe. Last year Bill Gates announced that he had purchased the rights to videos of seven lectures that Feynman gave at Cornell University in 1964 called “The Character of Physical Law”. Microsoft has created a project web site called Tuva that is intended to enhance the videos by annotating them with related digital content. You can watch the videos for free.

If you are wondering why Microsoft has named its project ‘Tuva’ – after a small republic in Siberia, with its capital Kyzyl located near the geographical center of Asia – the following documentary about Feynman made by his good friend Ralph Leighton is definitely a must-see. It is a very personal portrait of a curious mind at large, an explorer, a drummer, a painter, a singer, a teacher, and a scientist who would have preferred to renounce the Nobel prize in 1965 (“I didn’t like the publicity beyond.”), and who died to early to fulfill his last journey.

For further Reading: The Feynman Lectures on Physics and Tuva or Bust!

T.

The Inconvenient Truth of School Reform

By In Blog, Education0 Comments

In America right now, a kid drops out of high school every 26 seconds. These drop-outs are 8 times more likely to go to prison, 50% less likely to vote, more likely to need social welfare assistance, not eligible for 90% of jobs, are being paid 40 cents to the dollar of earned by a college graduate, and continuing the cycle of poverty.

Will “Waiting for Superman” become the “Inconvenient Truth” of school reform? In his new film Oscar winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim follows five families, from the Bronx to Los Angeles, as they search for better schools for their kids.

This week, the film team released an infographic offering a visual narrative around some eye-opening numbers behind the movie.

Waiting For ‘Superman’ – An infographic-driven teaser

Some people are disappointed with the movie as Guggenheim seems to cast the choices for families as good charters or nothing ignoring numerous public school success stories. The director said it was never his intention to demonize teachers or unions but to make a film that was “tough on adults.”

However, “Waiting For Superman” illustrates the dysfunction of a system by giving some well known education statistics a human face and story. It may be a good starting point for a wider discussion.

Not a question of race, a question of the education system! (c) OECD/PISA

Further reading:

S.

Street View for the Milky Way

By In Art, Blog, Science, Visualization0 Comments

Humanity has gone a long way from the first scientific map of the universe created by Copernicus in 1543. Nowadays we have not only expanded our knowledge about ‘the starry sky above us’ but also improved our technologies to represent and visualize large amounts of data.

For the last 12 years, Carter Emmart, Director of Astrovisualization at American Museum of Natural History, has been coordinating efforts of scientists, artists and programmers to build a complete 3D visualization of the universe. In a recent TED talk he explained the latest results of his efforts and – at least a bit – the universe.

‘The Known Universe’ visualizes data from the Digital Universe Atlas, the most complete (and downloadable) 3D atlas of the universe. Ben R. Oppenheimer likens the atlas to Mercator’s invention of the globe: “It gave everyone a new perspective on where they live in relation to others, and we hope that the Digital Universe does the same on a grander, cosmic scale.” But do we really get beyond the horizon and understand our planet as a limited condition? There is still a long way to go, but better visualization may help.

Carter Emmart’s film was also part of a recent exhibition at the Rubin Museum of Art.

T.

The Comeback of Handwriting

By In Blog, Education, Technology0 Comments

In an earlier blog post I wrote that with new technology, literacy evolves.  I was questioning the need to teach penmanship in schools drawing analogies between Braille code for the blind and teaching new literacy.

However, when talking to a blind friend of mine I was quite impressed when he told me that he still prefers handwriting for personal communication and therefore bought a special device with rubber straps representing the top and bottom boarders of a line.

Indeed, handwriting is an important part of human identity and I understand why we still stick to it in the digital age. It makes us unique.

That is exactly the big idea behind a small web application called PilotHandwriting. This easy to use app allows you to turn your own handwriting into a digital font and to send emails to your friends in your own, unique, personal style.

Maybe this is the comeback of handwritten communication in the digital age.

Have a look and try out! www.pilothandwriting.com

A.

A Picture Book and an App for the iPhone

By In Blog, Books, Education, Technology1 Comment

Mobile Art Lab has developed a picture book for children in which the iPhone plays an important role. The phone is put into a children’s book. Readers turn the pages on the phone and in the book simultaneously. The iPhone adds interactive elements to the reading experience. In my opinion, this is not only a great idea but also a promising approach to show how electronic media and print media can coexist and create synergetic effects. The iPhone application can be downloaded for free from the App Store, the picture book is available for about $30 at Amazon in Japan.