Archive for November, 2005

Corporate media

Australia has had a long tradition of public broadcasting via ABC radio and television (modelled on the BBC). Australia's ABC has been staunchly independent and has acted in the role of political and corporate watchdog on many issues. And it is such a pleasure watching TV with no advertising. There was an interesting piece I […]

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ICCE 2005

I attended the International Conference on Computers in Education today. Brief responses: Why do education conferences start with a transmissionist Keynote? Today's was only so-so (by Joseph Krajcik on using gadgets in schools for integrated understanding). There was no attempt to engage the audience. Why don't presenters check everything before presenting? Almost every speaker today […]

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Cambodia - service learning

Some of our students recently went on a service learning project in Cambodia. They travelled to Banlung, a very remote area of eastern Cambodia. The main activity was to document local culture, including legends, stories, myths, etc. They were obviously moved by this maturing experience. By living there, they had to learn some survival skills. […]

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Putin power

I saw a great documentary yesterday on Putin's meteoric rise to power. (The show was on Australia Network. The "Four Corners" programme on ABC is alone worth the subscription. I love the intelligence of public, non-corporate media...) Putin in his KGB days Such a bunch of scandals that allowed Putin into power! The show dwelt […]

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The deluded ‘zombie’ school

The ideas in Sydney Finkelstein's book "Why Smart Executives Fail" could also apply to educational institutions. In a recent article, he described a company that was very positive and where divisions were very supportive of each other, but said they could be heading for disaster, since: [The] company has created an insulated culture that systematically […]

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Useful math - annuities

Financial math is too often neglected in school curriculums. How we use our money is important!

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Designing Effective e-Learning Case Studies

Maish Nichani recently gave an interesting talk on designing e-Learning using case studies. A summary: Case studies should require students to take action or make a judgement based on what they are given. (based on "Why Wisdom Can't be Told" and Dewey). The case therefore needs to be some kind of emergency - where the […]

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Innovations in Computer Teaching (2)

Improving the Quality of Teaching and Learning Ed by John Hart and Martin Smith Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA) Paper 91, Sep 1995 A Summary Review Students struggle with programming. Are we teaching it correctly? What are the barriers to learning? This collection of papers "...provide[s] a forum for the exchange of ideas, reports […]

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Memory, stress, fish and sleep

Is all stress bad when it comes to learning? A BBC article sheds light.

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The Privileged Planet

The Privileged Planet Illustra Media, 2004 (www.illustramedia.com) It looked like it was going to be a promising title. From the cover: "The same factors that make a planet like Earth suitable for life also provide the best conditions for scientific discovery." and "Does it point to a deeper truth about purpose and intelligent design within […]

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Full archive

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