Written by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris, The Lost Words is a collection of words related to the natural world that are fading from our children’s minds as the “wild childhood” disappears from western society.
Source: The Lost Words
What a cool sounding book!
Developers at MIT Media Lab are gearing up to release a new version of Scratch that works on mobile devices, can be integrated with physical objects, and that is lighter and faster. Source: MIT’s Scratch Program Is Evolving For Greater, More Mobile Creativity | MindShift | KQED News The block programming of Scratch is used…
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a test that uses children’s ability to assemble LEGO pieces to assess their spatial visualization ability. Spatial visualization is the ability to visualize 3D shapes in one’s mind, which is tied to increased GPAs and graduation rates in STEM college students. Source: Using LEGO to…
“Educational technology is now more about pedagogy first and then choosing the appropriate tool(s) for the job.” – Kathy Schrock, USA As an independent educational technologist with more than 20 years in the field, Kathy Schrockhas experienced first-hand how technology has transformed education — not only by engaging students, but by helping teachers manage their…
How many kids would benefit from grade skipping? According to the study team at Johns Hopkins, two out of seven children test at a grade level higher than their current one—“staggeringly large numbers of students,” in their words, who might benefit from jumping ahead by grade or class. Advocates of accelerated learning point out that…
Recent technological advances have affected many areas of our lives: the way we communicate, collaborate, learn, and, of course, teach. Along with that, those advances necessitated an expansion of our vocabulary, producing definitions such as digital natives, digital immigrants, and, the topic of this post — “21st-century teacher.” Source: 15 Characteristics of a 21st-Century Teacher…
How is it even possible that Elon Musk could build four multibillion companies by his mid-40s — in four separate fields (software, energy, transportation, and aerospace)? To explain Musk’s success, others have pointed to his heroic work ethic (he regularly works 85-hour weeks), his ability to set reality-distorting visions for the future, and his incredible resilience. But all of…