Category: technology

Ask a question, get an answer

I stumbled upon http://vyou.com/ via twitter and found it fascinating.

I first experienced questions people asked Deepak Chopra and his video responses. By scrolling on the right I was able to see some of the questions and decide which video I wanted to watch. Check out his response to the question, “How do you access intuition?” by clicking here.

As I played around on the site I found I could even ask other people questions. Many of the people were not too entertaining or terribly articulate.

What I did like were the montages of different people’s answers to a question. For example, listen and see how a group of folks answered “Has America Won the War on Terror?” I realize that the montage may have been organized to give a specific view point, but I still found it interesting. Check out the montage here: http://vyou.com/montage/3

I imagine this could evolve into an interesting educational or corporate vehicle to get information out in an entertaining way.

Peddling stitches

I’m fascinated by artists who incorporate old technologies into their art processes.

For example, this team that uses a sewing machine that is pedal powered to make caps at NYC New Museum. Their performance art is a great example of self-sustainability.

Read more about this group based in Madrid, Spain by clicking http://www.ecouterre.com/bike-powered-sewing-machine-churns-out-bicycle-caps-for-nycs-new-museum/pesata-new-museum-bicycle-sewing-machine-2/?extend=1

Creative type

I remember taking typing in high school. I was horrible at it, too slow and too many typos. I used to type my reports on my mother’s typewriter. I always had a lot of white out around.

I am delighted to find out about British artist Keira Rathbone, who uses a typewriter to create her work and she does it in period garb too!

New green gyms make energy

Love this idea of connecting health, exercise, and energy!

In Detroit:

Converting the wasted the kinetic motion of treadmills, elliptical machines, and stationary bikes, into renewable energy is cost-effective and energy-efficient -that’s what a community organization in Detroit did this week with its new green gym, for people living in its transitional housing and other shelter programs, staff and volunteers. “Not only is this gym a good idea for the environment, but it will help build the general health of our clients who often struggle with diabetes or heart disease,” states Rev. Faith Fowler, the executive director. The Cass Green Gym’s facility offers weight machines, boxing bags, a treadmill, and stationary bikes featuring Green Revolution technology that generates electricity. Cass Community Social Services (CCSS), located on Detroit’s Cass Avenue, projects that full classes with ten people, is enough power to light three homes for an entire year. It will redirect it back to the building’s electrical grid, reducing operating costs. Read more at treehugger.

In China:

Six exercise bikes lined up in the street of Beijing’s Fengtei district look like toys with their bright purple and chartreuse components, and the senior citizens riding the bikes certainly don’t seem like they are trying to get anywhere fast – in the clip they are barely pushing the pedals hard enough to keep the bikes in motion. But these retirees are proud that they are not only getting exercise to maintain their health – they are also generating around 180 watts of power per hour, saved to a row of batteries that are later dropped off to low-income local residents to run TVs and other electric devices. It’s senior power at its best. Read more at treehugger.

Introducing The Purpose Prize, winners 50-70+ years old

Unwilling to stuff envelopes or go off quietly to the sidelines, thousands of innovators in their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond are combining their creativity and experience to address big social problems. These change-makers are taking matters into their own hands and fashioning a new vision of the second half of life, one in which the expertise and talent of a lifetime is refocused on finding solutions to challenges in our communities, our country, and the world.

The Purpose Prize, now in its fourth year, provides five $100,000 and five $50,000 awards to social innovators over 60 in encore careers. It is the nation’s only large-scale investment in social innovators in the second half of life. Rather than a lifetime achievement award, however, The Purpose Prize is a down payment on what these 60-plus innovators will do next. Read more by clicking here.

Now floating wind turbines

I just read this interesting post:

The energy company Statoil has begun operation of the first full-size Hywind floating wind turbine at a location 10 kilometers off the Norwegian coast. What is remarkable about this turbine is that is is floating in the water, rather than being rigidly attached to the ocean floor.

Click here to read more: http://ecogeek.org/component/content/article/2952

Free arts education workshop, 8/3-4

ISKME’s OER Academy Course on Arts Integration

Integrating and Sharing Teacher-Led Curriculum in the Arts using Social Collaboration (all grades)

Dates & Times: August 3 – 4 | Mon – Tue | 9:00am – 4:00pm

Location: Mills College 5000 MacArthur Blvd. Education Complex Room 101 Oakland, CA 94613 http://www.mills.edu/maps/index.php

Participants will gain:

* Hands-on art and multi-disciplinary approaches to learning using easy-to-procure material* Open access to lessons and other materials that support learning, especially in the arts

* Experience with finding and sharing resources with others and using online networking and digital media tools and methods

* Practice in resource search and identification, and an introduction to licensing that makes content legal to adapt and share online

* Continued online support and networking through the OER Commons site and education programs

* Opportunities to connect and collaborate with teachers internationally

Instructors:

ISKME: Amee Godwin, Director, Strategic Initiatives and digital media and open education leader

Megan Simmons, Education Program Manager and K-12 educator

Judy Shintani, artist, arts educator, and arts research consultant

plus special guest presenters

More information available on the OER Commons wiki . http://wiki.oercommons.org/mediawiki/index.php/ISKME%27s_OER_Academy_on_Arts_Integration

Join the Academy by contacting Megan Simmons, ISKME’s Education Program Manager megan@iskme.org or 650.728.3322

Please provide the following information: Name; Email; School, Subject, and Grade taught; and if you will be bringing your own laptop

Breakfast and snacks provided by ISKME. Participants are responsible for bringing their own lunch.

Each course is free of charge for 20 teachers.

Feel free to spread the word to other educators that might be interested in attending the OER Summer Training Academy.