ThinkEdu Blog

Thinking, Learning, Teaching by @vanweringh

Month: September 2011

bookmark_borderGoogle+ and Facebook, an analogy

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I heard a good analogy, but I can’t remember where. I think it was in a podcast.

The presenter said that Google+ is like the BlueRay discs and Facebook is like the good old DVDs that every one has. BlueRay discs were/are touted as the next big thing, better quality, better storage, better everything, just like Google+. But in spite of BlueRay possibly being better, everyone sticks with their old DVDs. They are cheap, good, plentiful and easy. Same with Facebook. Everyone is on it, we know it, it’s easy. Google+ may be better, but why change? Many of us are already suffering from information overload, you’d need a really good reason to add / replace an online social network.

bookmark_borderUsing Google Docs Forms to make report writing just a little easier…

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My school has changed its report writing structure, so we now write our reports earlier inreport the year. This year I have streamlined my report writing by using Google Docs forms in a more efficient manner.

(Updated and extended PD version of this post here: http://thinkedu.net/blog/web2/reports/)

All students complete a Google Docs survey before I write the reports. The survey contains questions which relate to the subject, their performance and their experiences of the subject. Here are two examples: Continue reading “Using Google Docs Forms to make report writing just a little easier…”

bookmark_borderImpact of Excessive Computer Game and Television Exposure on Sleep Patterns and Memory Performance of School-aged Children

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Wow, that is quite confronting:

  • RESULTS. Only computer game playing resulted in significant reduced amounts of slow-wave sleep as well as significant declines  in verbal memory performance. Prolonged sleep-onset latency and more stage 2 sleep were also detected after previous computer  game consumption. No effects on rapid eye movement sleep were observed. Television viewing reduced sleep efficiency significantly  but did not affect sleep patterns. 

    CONCLUSIONS. The results suggest that television and computer game exposure affect children’s sleep and deteriorate verbal  cognitive performance, which supports the hypothesis of the negative influence of media consumption on children’s sleep, learning,  and memory.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

bookmark_borderGrowing up digital, wired for distraction – NYtimes. My highlighted sections:

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Quotes:
Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction – NYTimes.com

Great article with plenty of food for thought. Below are my highlighted sections:

On YouTube, “you can get a whole story in six minutes,” he explains. “A book takes so long. I prefer the immediate gratification.”
Researchers say the lure of these technologies, while it affects adults too, is particularly powerful for young people. The risk, they say, is that developing brains can become more easily habituated than adult brains to constantly switching tasks — and less able to sustain attention. Continue reading “Growing up digital, wired for distraction – NYtimes. My highlighted sections:”

bookmark_borderHaha: research shows that without a midday rest, we are not able to perform at optimal levels

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"My research in the science of napping shows that without a midday rest, we are  not able to perform at optimal levels throughout the day. In fact, our  performance falls apart. Napping maintains and even boosts our skills."
 
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

bookmark_borderArticle about using meditation in schools; hopping off the crazy train of thought

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  • How to pay no mind to the rantings and ravings of the mind (The Age, Sunday 18th of Sept)

    • VIRTUALLY overnight, mindfulness has hit the mainstream. Once a niche  therapeutic tool, it is now taught to athletes, primary school students, cancer  patients, the anorexic, the obese, corporate lawyers, prisoners, bankers and  medical undergraduates. In short: anyone and everyone.

    ”Let’s take a year 12 student who has had an argument with her friend and  she’s going over it and over it in her mind and getting more angry and resentful  and hurt. The mind is like a train of thought [that] pulls up and the person  unconsciously gets on and goes to the end of the line and all you find at the  end of the line is anger and hostility, self-doubt, self-criticism, fear,  depression … ” Dr Hassed says. ”What we say is: ‘We can’t stop the train of thought from coming but what we  can do is determine whether or not we are going to get on the train.’ ” Continue reading “Article about using meditation in schools; hopping off the crazy train of thought”

bookmark_borderSummarising in 140 characters or less with my students

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Had fun today. We watched a Hans Rosling video on poverty in my Year 8 class. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpKbO6O3O3M

It’s a great video and the students were certainly interested. I wanted a response from them afterwards and decided on the spot to let them ‘tweet’ their response. We first had a very interesting converstation about what Twitter is, who uses it (Turns out that two students are very active and experienced Tweeters) and what all the @ # and RT meant.

Then the students used http://www.lettercount.com/ to keep track of the amount of characters. Below is a selection of their ‘tweets’. The students really seemed to enjoy it. Continue reading “Summarising in 140 characters or less with my students”

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