Items to Share: 26 July 2015

Education Focus

• Memory is more than Ebbinghaus | Donald H Taylor

• Building a Better Discussion - Advice - The Chronicle of Higher Education '[W}hat I found was something new, illuminating, and provocative: a research-based approach to understanding the classroom as a social space, and an awareness of how the norms of that social space can help or inhibit classroom discussion. Howard’s book should be essential reading for any faculty member who wants to hear students speak up in the classroom, real or virtual.'

• What Fitness Bands Can Teach Us about Classroom Assessment [facultyfocus.com] 'Although fitness bands are cool tech tools, their “magic” is rooted in the continuous feedback they provide on one’s progress toward fitness goals determined by age, height/weight, and activity level. [ ...] Watching her response and seeing her success have caused me to revisit what we know about the power of formative assessment as a learning tool.'

• ‘Growth mindset’ – Panacea or double-edge weapon? | The Language Gym 'The principles embedded in Carol Dweck’s Growth mindset theory have played a great role in my life, especially in recent years. They are inspiring, motivating and reassuringly universal. However, they are nothing new. [...] In the realm of social learning theory, Bandura’s (1994) produced very similar findings and his self-efficacy theory overlaps with Dweck’s work in many ways. [...] Finally, at the risk of trivializing the present discussion, Rocky Balboa’s famous ‘motivational’ speech to his son, in Sylvester Stallone’s movie, could be seen as a forerunner of many of Dweck’s principles… [ ] So why all the fuss now? Why is ‘Growth mindset’ all the rage in the business and education world at this moment in our history? Why do, these days, so many diagrams displaying Carol Dweck’s commandments pop up in so many Tweets and Facebook posts day in day out?'

• Why Plagiarism Doesn’t Bother Me At All: A Research-Based Overview of Plagiarism as Educational Opportunity | Teaching & Learning in Higher Ed. 'But once we begin to view plagiarism not as an atrocity, an evil misdeed, a crime, but as a mistake, an error in judgment, a lapse, a misstep, a miscalculation, then, knowing how important trial-and-error and revision are at all levels of learning, we begin to recognize that plagiarism can be an opportunity for learning.'

Other Business

• Furlongs Per Fortnight: Interesting Thing of the Day 'something moving at the speed of one furlong per fortnight (f/f) would be moving very slowly indeed. Interestingly enough, though, 1 f/f is almost exactly equal to 1 centimeter per minute; therefore, furlongs per fortnight would be a good unit of measurement for a snail’s pace, which ranges from a bit less than 1 f/f to about 30.5 f/f.'

• I’ll Give it to Mary With Love – and other songs banned by the BBC | The Dabbler Nige recalls some vintage songs banned by the BBC – including some, like a ditty by Cliff Edwards – with good reason…

• Web Design - The First 100 Years 'Brilliant funny provocative talk about technology and design. The first third argues that civil aviation design flatlined after the Boeing 747 because the 747 was good enough for getting round the world fast. The second third argues that the Internet has reached the same stage of development: It’s done. The third third takes issue with software and AI visionaries who claim that the digital revolution is only just beginning (6,600 words)' Thanks to The Browser

• Does Mindfulness Mean Anything? : 13.7: Cosmos And Culture : NPR 'We are in the middle of a mindfulness revolution. According to Time, The Huffington Post and a host of other media outlets, mindfulness and meditation are having their moment in the spotlight. From hospitals to corporate wellness programs, mindfulness is — supposedly — a new path to relieving stress, lifting depression and increasing happiness. But, depending on your perspective, the advent of mindfulness and meditation in America is either a milestone in the evolution of the culture — or a mighty avalanche of hype.'

• We Are Ruled by Professors [Victor David Hanson, Sept 8 2010] 'Since we seem now to be ruled during this administration by former professors, here is a rant about what I have learned of the university...'

• Daniel Kahneman: ‘What would I eliminate if I had a magic wand? Overconfidence’ | Books | The Guardian The psychologist and bestselling author of Thinking, Fast and Slow reveals his new research and talks about prejudice, fleeing the Nazis, and how to hold an effective meeting.

• Video: How to cook an egg perfectly in just 3 seconds - Boing Boing But it does remind me of a camping trip in Scotland in 1960... with my brother and his room-mate from university (later Speaker of the Norwegian parliament). We didn't have a primus stove, so we borrowed Dad's blowlamp instead, which proved capable of charring the bottom of a fried egg to a cinder and leaving the top totally raw, in about the same length of time.