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
09
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
07
Mar 11
Music Encourages Effective Learning
When Albert Einstein faced challenges with his scientific experiments, he used to play the violin. Legendary diplomat Benjamin Franklin, among his other talents, played guitar and violin. The leader of India’s Nationalist movement Mahatma Gandhi reportedly played the concertina, and writer Charles Dickens loved the piano. None of these historic figures made music their profession, but they played brilliantly. Is there any connection between their intelligence and passion to playing music?
It is proven that playing music activates both parts of the brain and hastens processing and the retention of information. According to The Center for New Discoveries in Learning, learning potential can be increased a minimum of five times by using 60 beat-per-minute music. For example, the ancient Greeks sang their dramas because they understood how music could help them remember more easily.
Music is also a great tool to use when learning a foreign language. The ability to listen, classify sounds and recognize intonations has a direct impact on the success of breaking language barriers. Musicians rarely have strong accents and they catch and remember new words faster. One my friends, a passionate violin-player, could communicate fluently in 6 languages. He claimed that the reason for such achievements was music.
Listening to music supports the effective learning process. Everyone knows the “Mozart effect“, where listening to classical music increases the results in studies. Careful listening facilitates concentration and creativity. You only need to include music as a background to your learning, and you should start to see results.
References: http://www.cerebromente.org.br, http://musiced.com/
04
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
02
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
28
Feb 11
How to Find Your Element
For most people Friday is their happiest day of the working week, while others don’t count the days until the weekend because they love their job. Many people choose their career based on market needs, but some decide to follow their passions. Does it mean that this minority are more talented than everyone else?
Sir Ken Robinson, an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation and human resources, says that everyone is born talented. In his bestselling book “The Element: How finding your passion changes everything”, he explains that all children believe they are creative, but growing up they loose confidence in their own capabilities. The main reason he says, is that the education system kills this creativity and uses a standardized approach for each child.
According to Sir Ken “One of the essential problems for education is that most countries subject their schools to the fast-food model of quality assurance”. But is there any good alternative to such systems?
A key message of the book, which was translated into 16 languages and recognized by famous writers Stephen R. Covey, Susan Jeffers, Alvin Toffler and others, is that finding your true passion or element can make you successful in your career and personal life. Sir Ken claims that our life makes sense only when we do things that we are naturally talented in. To validate this statement he gives examples of people who discovered their talents and converted them into their professions. These include Gillian Lynne, Matt Groening, Ridley Scott, Paul McCartney, and others who are not so famous but are successful in what they do. These people also make a social impact by bringing about positive changes and being proactive.
From Sir Ken’s point of view, looking for an element is a process that doesn’t depend on age, IQ level or social status. The element can be found with the help of outstanding thinking, luck, mentors and good education, although many schools and universities still don’t provide these conditions. Sir Ken has a solution for this issue:
“The future of education is not in standardizing but in customizing; not in promoting groupthink and “deindividuation” but in cultivating the real depth and dynamism of human abilities of every sort. For the future, education must be elemental.”
Right now Sir Ken Robinson is looking for new stories for the sequel to his book, and you can contribute by sharing your own story.
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.
23
Feb 11
Fashion Week in Buenos Aires
Fashion Week Buenos Aires
This week in Buenos Aires it’s Fashion Week, from the 22nd until the 25th of February. Established local designers show their collections for the upcoming winter season, and the who’s who of the local scene gather to watch and be seen. The great thing about fashion week here is that anyone can buy a ticket for 30 Argentine Pesos and attend a show, you don’t have to know someone who knows someone on the inside. Are you a budding designer looking for some inspiration? A student of fashion design finding your own style? Someone who has a cool blog and wants to document the scene on and around the runway? Even if you are none of the above, fashion week may just give you the push you need to get creative in your own life, and what with all the energy buzzing around the main event, some may just rub off on you.
Are you adept at picking the next big thing? Do you think you can create a buzz around a brand, and create a cool image? A course in Cool Hunting may help you to sharpen your skills, as you analyse fashion trends and look at what is to come and what is happending on the streets where you live.
If you already have experience working with fashion design, illustration or textiles, or have an undergraduate degree, a Master of Art in Fashion could give you the refinement and direction to establish yourself as a designer. University of the Arts in London who run the course, help students with placements in companies such as Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs and Gucci. Excited at the prospect? Fashion design could be for you!
21
Feb 11
Google Art Project
Source: http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl
Last week Google unveiled its latest initiative Google Art Project, in which a selection of high-resolution images of famous art works are available online on a new website.
The project utilises the Street View tool, usually reserved for exterior landscapes, letting users take a virtual 360 degree tour of 17 of the world’s most acclaimed museums such as MoMA in New York, the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid or the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Users also have the ability to view individual pieces that have been photographed at a high resolution, enabling art fans to see the full details of the selected works (imagine being able to see an almost microscopic view of the brushstrokes of Van Gogh’s paintings!).
The web site also offers you the chance to create your own personal gallery, where you can save your favorite works, add comments and then share it with anyone.
For fans of art, museum lovers and for those who enjoy cultural activities in general, this initiative is a great opportunity to access museums and works of art that may have otherwise been out of reach. And in terms of art education, while nothing can replace the gallery, this sort of accessability can only be a good thing.
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
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