Gwen Mueller is an IT Professional, #dnd Gamer-girl, #coffee drinker, geek in Secondary Education, editor on tumblr #education, curating #science, and #tech resources to inspire lifelong learning with 1/4 cup of #fun.
How do we turn science, technology, engineering, and math geeks into the rock stars of the 21st century? Given high demand for a STEM-proficient workforce, figuring out how to inspire student interest in those fields is a nut that pop star Will.i.am is doing his best to crack. He’s plunking down his own cash for a STEM TV special, composing the first song to be beamed from Mars, and plugging STEM on the heels of the political conventions. His latest idea: harnessing the nation’s obsession with reality television by teaming up with Simon Cowell to create an X-Factor show for STEM.
This is one of my favorite Q&A’s I’ve ever done for Forbes. This morning, I exchanged emails with Sarah Downey, the author of the FTC complaint against people search website, BeenVerified.com, regarding Internet privacy, people search sites, background checks, Facebook and how to protect your online identity. There is A LOT to learn in there!
For Catherine Lucey, Vice Dean of Education at the School of Medicine, integrating technology aids the faculty in teaching students to become compassionate, skillful physicians.
Why you’ll soon be hearing all about ‘Terahertz Scanners’.
Several exciting new uses are being trialed for devices which can scan objects and create an image using beams of terahertz radiation. Much like an x-ray can see through clothes and skin to image your bones, T-rays can produce similar images, but with new techniques they could soon see uses in held held devices, as opposed to the room-sized scanners required for x-rays.
One report describes a device that is small enough to fit on a silicone chip and operate at room temperature, which could be used as a security screening device for weapons, for medical imaging, or even for drug ‘sniffing’. The Imperial College in London, who created the device, say that it can sense any molecule, because every one has a unique signature in the THz range.
Elsewhere, the New York Police Department and the Department of Defense are using similar technology specifically for weapons screening. Privacy issues aside, the Police hope to one day use the scanner in place of a more invasive pat-down to check for weapons. Their current prototype has a range of up to five metres, but they hope to extend that to 25 metres (85 feet).
That device scans for the terahertz waves which are naturally emitted by our bodies. The waves pass through any non-conductive material like clothing, but are blocked by conductors such as your keys, mobile phones, or more importantly a knife or gun.
Expect to see these techniques and even more uses for terahertz scanners in the news over the next few years. While privacy advocates will be upset at the thought of an invisible Police probe able to target you from down the block, nerds and geeks should be thrilled at the thought that it could soon be used to build a real life tricorder.
Taking a deeper look at the stories the children created, the survey found that unlike many adults who see technology as separate from humanness, it seems that “kids tend to think of technology as fundamentally human: as a social companion that can entertain, motivate, and empower them in various contexts.”
While this dreamy perspective is partially the result of childhood imagination (something kids from any generation can have), it is clear that kids are eagerly anticipating new ways that tech can enhance their lives.
Sure, it’s easy to dismiss how children look forward to the future and dream without inhibitions, but that’s exactly what some of the greatest innovators of our time have done. Children don’t just react, they imagine, and that’s why this study can’t be overlooked.
It is easy to both draw these implications too far as well as dismiss them for the reason that there are many examples of the opposite. I think there really are deep implications of this for the future and that the rate of accelerating technology development these young generations are grown up in will have profound implications for how these young people are shaped.
That means it detects when you’re photographing a sleeping person and automatically turns off its flash, detect beam (that red light), and beeping sound.
RURAL doctors received $7.2 million from the federal government for software to enable them to communicate more easily with specialists, but some found downloading Skype was a better option.
Paul Higgins: Yet another example of non proprietary technologies being a better solution, especially because they are so intuitive to use - they have to be if they are to be successful in a wide ranging user group with low technical skills.
Martin Reisch said Tuesday a slightly annoyed U.S. border officer let him cross into the United States from Quebec after he presented a scanned copy of his passport on his Apple iPad. Reisch was a half hour from the border when he decided to try to gain entry rather than turn back and make a two-hour trek back home to Montreal to fetch his passport.
“I thought I’d at least give it a try,” Reisch said. “He took the iPad into the little border hut. He was in there a good five, six minutes. It seemed like an eternity. When he came back he took a good long pause before wishing me a Merry Christmas.”
Hey! I just watched the video you posted about the national online teacher of the year. I'm 24 and I've been teaching English Literature in a high school in the UK for 3 years. I'm looking for my next step to get away from the negative culture of built up/20th century/staff room institutions and wanted to know what's the best way of training/applying to teach in an online school? I'm a big fan of your tumblog and use plenty of the vids and resources you share in my classes.
A very sincere thanks for the kind words. When will you begin sharing? :) We have a great growing education community here that will wait patiently for you to join in the conversation when you’re ready.
And, great question, one that I may not be the best at answering…but I hope this helps!
The NEA (National Education Association) created a good whitepaper on teaching onlineNEA’s Guide to Teaching Online Courses. You’re in the UK, so I don’t know what UK standards/requirements are to be able to teach online courses. This document includes suggestions for preservice teachers and skillsets to focus on.
There are many elearning and online course teaching certifications, but I can’t say which are best. Follow #elearning on Twitter to find potential colleagues and network - don’t be afraid to ask around!
If you’re technically adept, you can install Moodle, an open-source course management tool. If you’re interested in our path to Moodle and how our high school uses it, contact me and we can find some time to connect.
A call to you tumblr teachers out there (especially if you’re in the UK): do you have any resources to suggest?
My favorite ideas you could do in your classroom from the list:
Create a digital time capsule: this may be an interesting idea for you teachers. Create a praise folder of your academic year - PD, homework, student notes, pictures that inspire you. Pull it out when you’re feeling bad, and pull it out before your annual evaluation to help remember all that your students accomplished!
Make a mix tape: did you try giving your lessons a theme song? Keep them on one of your drives to use them again next year, and to build your library!
Create a digital travel kit: or a virtual field trip! Collect links, pictures, audio, interactive experiences, and student feedback on a flash drive. Present the information in class or have students discover your trips by pinning/keeping them with a map, timeline, or book.
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