Sixth Sense Technology

While not directly connected to curriculum issues,this clip from a Ted Talks lecture shows emerging technologies that are just mind boggling! The pedagogical implication is that we need to actively foster creative thinking skills as well as dispositions such as perseverance, tolerance for ambiguity and a willingness to look for multiple solutions to problems.

Flash? or No Flash? What will it be?

Who's side are you on? The Flash war is heating up! Today, APPLE CEO Steve Jobs posted some very candid thoughts about the application, FLASH that is not supported by Apple on their products, notably the new ipad.

http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/

Adobe, Flash's home turf would not be outdone by Jobs. Adobe CEO Shantaru Narayen was interviewed by The Wall Street Journal's Alan Murray and rebutted Job's accusations.

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/04/29/live-blogging-the-journals-interview-with-adobe-ceo/

What do you think about all this fuss? Is Apple holding out because Flash is unreliable, filled with bugs and written in sloppy code? Or is it really about the blessed buck and Apple wanting to grab market share of all those new re-written apps?

Newsmap: News Headlines

Do you know about Newsmap? It's a terrific bulletin board type of site that features world, national, local and other headlines. Check it out!

http://newsmap.jp/#/b,e,m,n,s,t,w/us/view/

Digital Storytelling: What Makes a Good Story?

With the creation of stories using digital media becoming increasingly popular, we should begin to ask ourselves "what makes a good story?" This is a collection of links to short documentary and animated films from the New York Times Videos site. Watch these and decide for yourself, "What makes a good story?" Let's build this list together. Please post your comments.

Films about Art
A studio, Animated
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/03/25/movies/1247467449026/a-studio-animated.html

Haiti's Enduring Creativity
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/03/04/world/americas/1247467248066/haitis-enduring-creativity.html

Forbidden Art in China
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/10/05/arts/1247465005209/forbidden-art-in-china.html

A Film about the Environment
Saving Sea Turtles, One Nest at a Time
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/11/13/science/earth/1247465671443/saving-sea-turtles-one-nest-at-a-time.html

Short Biography clip on Brad Pitt
New York Times Shorts: The First Ones
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2007/02/08/magazine/1194818820142/brad-pitt.html

Here's a trailer for a film produced by the NFB (National Film Board of Canada)
http://www.nfb.ca/film/and_music_trailer
What are the features of a catchy trailer?

Autobiographical Short Titled: "Away"
http://www.nfb.ca/film/Away

Semi- biographical: "Blossom"
http://www.nfb.ca/film/blossom

On the Importance of Recording our Personal Stories from "Caputring Reality: The Art of the Documentary
http://www.nfb.ca/film/capturing_reality_alanis_obomsawin/

There's nothing like a good old fashioned story! A Canadian classic, The Sweater by: Sheldon Cohen http://www.nfb.ca/film/sweater/

Assessment: Beyond "can" and "can't"

Have a look at this section in the B.C. Mathematics 2007 IRP
Achievement Indicators offer language with which to describe student performances in math.





(This graphic was created on Wordle. Visit http://www.wordle.net/ to create one yourself!)

A Day in the Life of a Timberwolf

Hands help you learn on PhotoPeach



(This slideshow was created on PhotoPeach. http://photopeach.com/ Simple, simple! Why not try a classbook? Just upload kids' artwork, compose the captions as a class et voila, instant digital book.