Folding Paper

Once again access to information has changed the way I think of the space around myself, check out the video below. Fold A Piece Of Paper In Half 103 Times And It Will Be As Thick As The UNIVERSE!

Source:
http://www.iflscience.com/space/fold-piece-paper-half-103-times-and-it-will-be-thick-universe

Bitcoin: Open Source P2P Money: Kind of Interesting

Bitcoin uses peer-to-peer technology to operate with no central authority or banks; managing transactions and the issuing of bitcoins is carried out collectively by the network.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Bitcoin is a software-based payment system described by Satoshi Nakamoto[note 1] in 2008,[4] and introduced as open-source software in 2009.[5] Payments are recorded in a public ledger using its own unit of account,[6] which is also called bitcoin.[note 2] Payments work peer-to-peer without a central repository or single administrator, which has led the US Treasury to call bitcoin a decentralized virtual currency.[9] Although its status as a currency is disputed, media reports often refer to bitcoin as a cryptocurrency or digital currency.[10]

Bitcoins are created as a reward for payment processing work in which users offer their computing power to verify and record payments into the public ledger. Called mining, individuals or companies engage in this activity in exchange for transaction fees and newly created bitcoins.[11] Besides mining, bitcoins can be obtained in exchange for fiat money, products, and services.[12] Users can send and receive bitcoins electronically for an optional transaction fee[13] using wallet software on a personal computer, mobile device, or a web application.

Interesting Watch:

Three Dimensional Printing

The technology while revolutionary will inevitably be slow to permeate most schools and classrooms. The rendered objects would be excellent for topographical models in geography and history. Constructed models could serve future classrooms as a platform and be an ongoing project which crosses curriculums. To build sections at a time could contribute to a community in the school and outside. Students could also construct historical artifacts which would require intensive research and allow museum plethora of objects to be collected and utilized for future classes.  Recreating key historical objects and devices could bring history alive for serious students and allow those students interested in the science and technical aspects of learning to engage meaningfully. Precision instruments, which normally would run exorbitant amounts of money, such as sextants and compasses, could be reconstructed by students. Already lessons and units are being written to facilitate the new technology, hopefully soon I can engage with this new medium.

Technology Usage in an International Setting: Kuwait Edition

My teaching journey has taken me from the security of Canada to the uncertainty of the country of Kuwait. Upon arrival I was unsure what subjects I would be teaching or the technology available at my disposal, my expectations of limited resources was meet. Unfortunately for these wealthy students, their school is operated as a business and is lacking numerous technological benefits. Fortunately these students are from wealthy families and mostly have their own devices or personal computers, sometimes both. The classes, are mostly, equipped with basic projectors which are able to connect to computers or laptops. The usage of video and music is scarcely known in the school and I have quickly developed a popularity among the students for implementing the usage of these basic learning modalities. Generally I am able to continue working as normal, minus the fact that their are no computer labs and students have not received formal training on computers. The difficulty in attempting anything in terms of technology is ensuring that everyone understands the basics such as Word! and PowerPoint! before proceeding. The international baccalaureate program at this particular school is enormously comprehensive and complex, requiring students to behave and engage with material as if they are at a university year one or two level. Students are also required to write research essays based on periodicals, books, and peer-reviewed journals accessed at a library or on-line database. In an attempt at technological integration I provide many tips and tricks, as well as sites and programs which will be useful in their later careers. Building digital portfolios, writing blogs, website creation, filming and editing digital videos, and constructing digital presentations are among the other skills I am attempting to impart. These students are both capable and ready, but the background knowledge needs to be built. The classes operate in a traditional sense with lecture but also infuse historical discussions and debates in correspondence with technology infused assignments to build positive on-line identity.  

This Channel is great for Geography issues:

George Curos: Job Hunting

Clean the Facebook but keep the "you" element. Tweet and Blog important information and express your ideas about education. Create an eportfolio and carry a small paper one in case technology fails. Eportfolios allow you to carry your ideas, lessons, plans, etc. in a convenient manner. The prospect and benefits of linking to the web in a positive way, in order to share information, network information, and build a constructive and dynamic on-line life. The importance of staying current the current books and articles that are relevant from teachers in the field are more important than the articles from a century ago from John Dewey. It is important to over-communicate with parents so they know their child is loved in the school, that positive rapport is key in case there is ever a reason to communicate with parents concerning negative behaviour. Overall it would appear strange if one could not be readily located on the Internet, communicating positive knowledge and ideas.

Life, Education, and Technology: Final Project for Internet for Educators

 

So I began with a Power Point and recorded my voiceover on Audacity, added music and merged into a mono track, instead of the stereo track. This all went to plan. Created a PowerPoint and sourced my images. All the while believing I could upload this to the site Slide Share, but unknown to me the site stopped allowing audio uploads as of three days before my project. So with anger and heavy heart, I put the sound in line with my slide show and timed the slides. I didn't like this setup, so I converted the PowerPoint to a series of JPGs, then placed the images along with the audio into PhotoStory 3. Then on each individual slide I had to set the duration and transition to ensure the slides were approximately in sync. In the end the experience was a time-consuming challenge I learned from.

The Future

The Future! 

I have previously posted about the theoretical and philosophical musing about the future in regards to technology, here. With the cultural focus shifting ever more to the use and integration of technology, we can expected exactly the same for the future of education. Look at the K-12 Horizon Report. The Horizon Report examines the potential impact of technology on and use in teaching, learning, and creative inquiry in the classroom environment. When I was going through the education system some years ago, we rarely (perhaps twice) used the actual internet for research and only typed on Microsoft Word a couple times a year. I am glad future students have even more prospects of technological usage. We teachers currently receive a comprehensive introduction to information communication technologies so we may become versed and continue in the exploration of the internet and applications, in the hopes that we use this knowledge in our own pedagogy. With the ever increasing reach of the internet, education will continue to become more and more inquiry-based and widely differentiated. The teacher moves to the role of a guide, helping facilitate student learning. Educators will continue orienteering themselves in an evolving world in order to relate to their pupils. Ethical use, responsible digital citizenship, and moderation should continually be instilled into our students' mindsets. Seeing the work students are doing in school today fills me with pride, as they can demonstrate their critical knowledge and inquiry in a summative project such as a digital story or video, all the while using all the multiple intelligences! Technological proficiency will enable students to survive in a culture which is technologically orientated. Below is an interpretation of me in school:

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