Author Archives
26
Apr 11
12-Year-Old Genius Expands Theory of Relativity
Jacob Barnett, a 12-year-old genius from Hamilton County, Indiana, is challenging Einstein’s theory of relativity and he’s working on solutions to prove Einstein might actually have been mistaken.
Some academics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, have confirmed the boy is on the right way to coming up with something completely new. Curently Jacob Barnett works for Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis and is paid for doing what he likes most, which is explaining calculus using a whiteboard marker on his bedroom windows. In the YouTube video below, recorded by his mother, Jacob explains his expanded theory of relativity.
In his early childhood, Jacob was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of Autism, so his parents expected him to have problems in school. However his IQ is as high as 170. His parents realised they were wrong when by the age of 3 Jackob started solving 5,000 piece puzzles. He also grasped calculus, algebra and geometry in two weeks. As an 8-year-old he left high school and since than he’s been attending college-level advanced astrophysics classes.
He is an unusual boy, but like any other kid he loves playing video games, watching shows on the Disney Channel and sci-fi movies.
Source: Time.com
16
Mar 11
Go Green on St. Patrick’s Day
The 17th of March is St. Patrick’s Day, a holiday known for parades, shamrocks and all things Irish. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for more than a thousand years but today it´s more of a secular celebration of Irish culture. According to history.com, there are 36.5 million U.S. residents who claim Irish ancestry. This number is more than eight times the population of Ireland itself (4.5 million).
Here we have a few ideas on how to go green on St. Patrick’s Day with your friends:
Wear Something Green
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day put on a green shirt, jeans, scarf, cap, shoes, even shoelaces or socks.
Join the Parade
More than 100 St. Patrick’s Day parades are held across the U.S. The first took place in New York City in 1762 and the New York parade has become the largest Saint Patrick’s Day parade in the world.
Colour Your Food Green
How about celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with a glass of green milk with your breakfast? All you need is some imagination and a bottle of green food coloring. Chicago is famous for dying the Chicago River green every year for the St Patrick’s Day celebration, a tradition that started in 1962.
Have a Traditional Irish Dinner
Try potato soup, corned beef, colcannon and soda bread, and finish your meal with an Irish Coffee.
And for those really green at heart:
Put Down Some Green
If you’re green at heart and concerned about your carbon footprint, put down some green in your garden or give a donation to plant more trees. As little as $90 is enough to plant 900 trees.
Sign up for a day run
Put on your green sneakers and sign up for a fun-run near you. Running outdoors is a green form of exercise. Promote an active life style, and walk the distances that are shorter and save on fuel used by cars.
Do Some Good for Your Community
Building houses with Habitat for Humanity, volunteering in animal shelters, or offering free tutoring for students from low-income families are some examples.
If you want to learn more about Irish life, past and present, the Irish emigrant experience and Ireland´s literature and culture, consider taking a Liberal Arts Diploma in Irish Studies at the London Metropolitan University.
Source: history.com
14
Mar 11
Prince William, Kate Middleton and the University of St Andrews
The Royal Couple, Prince William and Kate Middleton, who will marry on April 29, visited the University of St Andrews in Scotland to mark its 600th anniversary, which was celebrated at the end of February. It must have been a trip down memory lane for Prince William and his fiancee as the couple met and fell in love at St Andrews.
In their first year they were taking art history together, and they eventually became friendly and started socialising more often. At the time however, Miss Middleton was dating another student. In their second year they began sharing a house with two other friends. Teachers at St Andrews say that it’s thanks to the university’s close-knit community that the couple kept their romance a secret. No one knows exactly when their relation became serious but it is rumoured to be around Christmas 2003. The Royal Couple both graduated in 2005. Prince William with an Honours Degree in Geography and Miss Middleton with an Honours Degree in Art History.
Over the centuries St Andrews has gained a reputation as one of Britain’s top match-making universities, with students there having about a one in 10 chance of meeting their life partner. Founded in 1413 St Andrews is the third oldest university in the English speaking world.
Source: telegraph.co.uk
11
Mar 11
The Oscar for Education
Best Documentary Short Subject Academy Award, Strangers No More
Recently, Los Angeles held the 83th edition of the Oscars. Beyond the glamour of the red carpet, the celebration of the commercial cinematography and the reunion of the best actors and actresses in the world, it is worthwhile to emphasise the Academy Award winner for the best documentary short subject: Stranger No More. In the film, social problems and cultural differences are portrayed through the stories of 48 students of different nationalities and backgrounds in a school in Israel.
Besides the importance of education, this short film highlights the role of teachers in the educational process and the social and cultural inclusion of foreign students. In acknowledgment, the directors Karen Goodman and Simon Krika underline: “Through education peace really is possible“.
The development and prestige of independent cinema has grown and captured the interest of not only the general public but most importantly, of students. The world behind the camera is considered fascinating by many young people, attracted by what is known as the seventh art – Film Studies, they decide to pursue university programs in this area.
Some communication and new media programs include courses related to film in their curriculum, and they can provide you with more extensive training. However, for those who want to gain more specific knowledge in film there are undergraduate and graduate programs dedicated exclusively to Film.
Author: Lenice Laflor
Translated by Kasia Nosal
9
Mar 11
Skype in the Classroom
Skype has over 560 million registered users that are active in almost every country on the planet. Lots of people use Skype everyday, chatting or video chatting with friends and family. Skype has recently become popular among educators who are using it in the classroom in many innovative ways. It is a free and easy way for teachers to open up their students to a world way beyond their school. With Skype, students can learn from other students, connect with other cultures, and expand their knowledge in innovative ways.
Here we list some creative ideas of how to use Skype in your classroom:
- Videoconferencing in the Classroom - Utilising experts, authors, and guest instructors who would never otherwise be able to visit the school.
- Virtual Field Trips – Using video chatting to bring the field trip into the classroom – for example, visiting a TV production site guided by one of the student´s parents who works there, which includes all students despite budgetary or distance constraints.
- Foreign Language Learning and Cultural Exchange – Teachers use Skype to connect local students with native speaking students from other countires.
- After School Help – Tutors and teachers can provide after school help to students needing extra attention via Skype.
- Student Inclusion - Helping an ill classmate join the classroom from home.
- Foreign Culture Lessons – Skype allows students to see in real-time what people’s lives, homes, schools, weather, and more look like in other countries.
- Volunteer to help kids in India learn English – Connect with schools in developing countries for both cultural connections and educational benefits.
Skype has recently launched Skype in the Classroom, a free directory that connects teachers and helps them use Skype to enrich students’ educational experiences.
Source: teachingdegree.org
4
Mar 11
Old School: Europe’s Oldest University Towns
Bologna, Italy
Università di Bologna founded in 1088, is considered the oldest degree-awarding institute in Europe and also the oldest continually operating university in the world. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian university town, famous for its rich history, art, cuisine, music and culture. Classes are taught almost exclusively in Italian so if you’d like to study there you need to speak at least intermediate Italian.
Oxford, England
Since it’s establishment in 1096, Oxford University has produced 47 Nobel Laureates, 26 British Prime Ministers and at least twelve saints. It’s the oldest university in the English-speaking world. If you plan to travel to the UK, Oxford offers a range of extended guided tours, which show you the interior of the different buildings that form the historic heart of the university. The magnificent Bodleian library for example, was used for filming Harry Potter.
Salamanca, Spain
The University of Salamanca was founded in 1134 and is the oldest university in operation in Spain, and the first European university to receive the title of “University” as such. In 1929 the university added Spanish Language & Cultural Courses for foreigners to it’ s curricula. Today, more than 3,500 foreign students and teachers from all over the world come to learn and improve their Spanish. In 1988 the old city of Salamance was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Montpellier, France
The University of Montpellier located on the Mediteranean coast, was founded in 1220 and is even older than the famous Sorbone University in Paris. University of Montpellier boasts the oldest medical school in the western world. The Museum of Anatomy of Montpellier’s Faculty of Medicine is housed in the Anatomy Conservatory which was first opened in 1794. If you have strong nerves you can visit the surgical theatre, which opened in 1806 and is one of the first purpose-built examples of it’s kind.
Source: Wikipedia and university websites
2
Mar 11
Living in the Information Age – 174 Newspapers a day
If you think you’re suffering from information overload, we don’t blame you. Each day, every person is bombarded by the amusing equivalent of 174 newspapers of data, comparing to just 40 newspapers full of information per day in 1986. However, the scientists from the University of Southern California lead by Dr Martin Hillbert proved that we’re not even close to being saturated with information. The study, whose results were published this February, cross-examined humankind’s ability to handle information and how it has changed over the last 25 years.
Some of the main findings prove that:
- The growth in the internet including email, twitter, social networking sites, and mobile phones means that the average person produces daily the equivalent of 6 newspapers of data compared with just two and a half pages per day 24 years ago.
- Thanks to 24-hour TV, radio and mobile phones we receive 5 times more information than we did in 1986.
- There is now 295 exabytes of data floating around the world – that’s 29,500,000,000,000,000,000,000 pieces of information.
- 2002 could be considered the beginning of the digital age, the first year worldwide digital storage capacity overtook total analog capacity. As of 2007, almost 94 percent of our memory is in digital form.
Dr Martin Hillbert says that the figures, despite showing enormous growth, prove that we are only in the middle of the information age and he assures us the human brain is very plastic and very good at understanding and processing information. It seems for now, we have nothing to worry about.
Source: uscnews.usc.edu and telegraph.co.uk
25
Feb 11
How to Improve Your Online Image
Have you recently graduated from college and are looking for a job? There is one thing you should bare in mind: recruiters will review some social media sites to do a background check on you. Most young people tend to express themselves freely on social sites like MySpace, Facebook or Twitter, and a Microsoft survey found that 70% of recruiters rejected a candidate based on their online reputation.
Don´t worry, we have some tips on how to repair your online image:
1.Google Yourself
Google your name and variations of it to read what has been written about you. The Search Engine Results can reveal a lot, and some of that information could be misleading. Take time to remove these negative search results. You don’t want a recruiter to uncover unfavourable or even false information about you.
2.Clean up Your Profiles
You don’t want information that you share on your profile to be used against you. Visit your favourite social media sites to check if anything unsuitable needs to be removed.
3.Protect Your Privacy
Go through your contacts and assign them to different groups: eg. friends, limited profile view and acquaintances. You can decide what sort of information you want to share with each group. You can also decide if you want to appear in public search results. Investigate the options carefully.
4.Use a Professional Email Address
ThePirateMajesty@cutey.com or DjTara@popstar.com are funky emails for music forum members but not for serious job applicants. Be more mainstream and establish your email account at Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo. The safest would be a combination of your name and surname.
3.Update Your Photos
The photos you post on social media speak a lot about you and put you in a social context. Select photos that represent you best. Remove photos that you wouldn’t like even your parents to see.
4.Cancel Community Memberships
You probably belong to a lot more social communities than you realize. Cancel all inactive accounts if you don’t use them anymore.
6.Check Your Blog Comments
The comments you leave on someone else’s blog or forum never disappear. It they’re harsh and spicy they could come back to bite you. Be prepared to explain it to the interviewer if that conversation is brought up.
7. Think Twice Before you Make a new Post
You don’t want to make the same mistake again, do you? Before you make a comment on a blog or post a photo, think about who will see it. Colleagues from work that you just accepted as a friend? Your boss?
If you’re keen on learning more on the subject of privacy and IT, you might find these programmes interesting:
Postgraduate Training in the Security of Computer Networks and Information Systems offered by University of Essex, UK or Bachelor of Information Technology in Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia.
18
Feb 11
Why do Chinese Pupils Perform so well?
Photo: Alamy
According to a British ethnic breakdown of exam results published this week, children of Chinese origins whether rich or poor, have the best results of all ethnic groups in national curriculum tests at age 11. They outperformed caucasian British children by 6%. Similarly, British Chinese youngsters are the highest performing ethnic group in England for the General Certificate of Secondary Education (an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject). Further evidence of Chinese students’ success was shown through the PISA, a global exam of 15-year-old students, where students from Shanghai got the best scores and were ranked at the top.
Why do Chinese pupils perform so well at school? What can we learn from them? We asked our colleague Ying, the Content Manager for Educaedu China, to give us some insight:
- Fierce competition
With such a huge population, and the fact that there can be 1000 people fighting for 1 job, it’s pretty common that children and students in China study a lot more than others. And the competition is not just between students but also parents. A pupil who performs well gives the parent a sense of superiority among other parents, so they help their children by signing them up for various tutoring classes after school.
- Academic score matters
The Chinese are taught during their entire childhood that ranking matters a lot. And GPA (Grade Point Average) is considered to be the easiest way to evaluate one’s ability. A GPA of 3.9 usually guarantees a much better school/university and a much better life compared to a GPA of 3.89.
Source: guardian.co.uk and independent.co.uk
7
Feb 11
How to Cultivate a Sense of Wonder
Cultivating a sense of wonder in life is essential for people of every age, but the older we get the more difficult it becomes to marvel at our day to day lives. We lose our sense of wonder as it is replaced with daily routines, college deadlines, exams, social obligations and responsibilities, and the simple pleasure of a sunrise may not be enough to amuse us in our increasingly sophisticated world.
Have you experienced something remarkable recently? We would like to share with you a few ideas on how to cultivate wonder in your life this year:
1. Learn about creativity, and how to enjoy freedom of imagination and to generate more outstanding ideas. Get yourself a book on creativity to understand what it is. You can also join a creative art workshop like Hand Painting on Silk or take up a Course in Creativity to enhance your natural abilities.
2. Take up photography to memorize beauty around you. Create a photo blog to share your photographs with others. Enrol in one of the many photography courses around to learn how to find and capture the moment and the beauty in the smallest of things. A Photography Distance Learning Course from UK Open Learning is for all ages and all ability levels. They defiene photography as an art form that allows you to appreciate who you are and what you do.
3. Study abroad to learn about other cultures, open your mind, and to think more originally. Studying abroad will also help you to increase your self-confidence and will benefit your career. Consider Latin American destinations like Argentina and Mexico if you’d like to improve your Spanish. UIC Universidad Intercontinental in Mexico offers a Spanish program aimed at foreign students interested in learning the language and Mexican culture.
4. Watch kids. Do you remember your childhood? Do you remember how every day brought new and exiting experiences? Discover the child in you. Spend time with your younger brothers and sisters or volunteer at a child care centre.
5. Learn something new every day! Fashion, modern architecture or breading dogs, what is it that has always interested you? What subjects did you enjoy at school? Find time to investigate them and dig deeper. Watch popular science tv channels, read travel magazines or visit your local museum.
Source: Psychcentral.com
Facebook
Twitter
Flickr
YouTube
Orkut
LinkedIn
Sonico
Wikipedia
RSS
