Right Brain World

Game Based Learning for Social Studies Teachers

2011-07-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

The Global Challenge Project is a proprietary "game-based" educational program which has been tested with positive effects for nearly a decade in high school-level World History and U.S. Government courses. Though the game was designed as a new way to teach world history, it also covers geography and government and helps students to learn teamwork and understand the principles of money management.

For information about the program or to inquire about inservice workshops, contact the author at: lchazen@gmail.com

How Creative Are You? - Newsweek

2011-03-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

GamesBeat@GDC: Norwest’s Tim Chang wants to invest in the “game-ification” of life (video) | VentureBeat

2011-03-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

Seth Priebatsch: Building the game layer on top of the world

2011-03-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

YouTube Blog: YouTube Symphony Orchestra: From Idea to Reality

2010-12-03T16:37:00.000-08:00

YouTube Blog: YouTube Symphony Orchestra: From Idea to Reality: "Today represents the final culmination of an idea many months in the making: a first-class global orchestra brought together by YouTube. Thi..."

TEDx Sacramento Youth Day Promo Video

2010-11-24T10:16:00.000-08:00

This is the promotional video for TEDx Youth Day @ Sacramento.

As noted on YouTube, credit goes to:

The Makers Lab
Urban Now
DOOMbird
wilsonfotografie
The Urban Hive

Special thanks also to Lisa Donchak for her excellent coverage of the event.

TEDx Youth Day will be streaming live

2010-11-19T16:37:00.000-08:00

I know... enough with the TED stuff already. But.... if you're the kind of person who is into new, thought provoking ideas, you'll want to catch this. If you can't make it to TEDx Youth Day in your city tomorrow (11/20) you can watch it streaming live here:

http://www.livestream.com/tedxyouthday

For the Sacramento TEDx event, go here: http://www.livestream.com/TEDx Youth Sacramento

Quick preview of the presentation by one of the many speakers to present tomorrow in Sacramento.

Many of today's youth spend their time in Internet-based virtual worlds like Second Life or in role-playing games like Final Fantasy and World of Warcraft. What is this doing to their brains? Alex Terrazas, President and Chief Scientist at Media Balance, addresses this question through a discussion of his research on the hippocampus (the brain area critical to cognitive mapping). He says that by living in virtual worlds and relying on technology like GPS devices, we may be letting the hippocampus out of its usual job of mapping events to their locations. The question is, what is the hippocampus going to be used for now?

Impressive Line-up of Thought Leaders to Present at TEDx Sacramento

2010-11-16T12:33:00.000-08:00

The line up of presenters at this year's TEDx Sacramento conference is impressive.

Here is the list (in alpha order):

Brendan Boyle IDEO

Sarah Cook

Neeru Khosla

William Rankin

Rivkah Sass

Julie Schweitzer

Jay Silver

Alex Terrazas

Daniel Wetter

Musical guests and performers will include:

On Twitter, Look for #TedxYouthSac

Facebook

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm on the planning committee for this year's TEDx conference

Can exercise improve cognitive function?

2010-11-16T11:33:00.000-08:00

The date of the article is November, 2007 - but the evidence seems strong that exercise improves cognitive function - and it is doubtful that it has been overturned.

According to the authors (see below): "In people, fitness training slows the age-related shrinkage of the frontal cortex, which is important for executive function. In rodents, exercise increases the number of capillaries in the brain, which should improve blood flow, and therefore the availability of energy, to neurons. Exercise may also help the brain by improving cardiovascular health, preventing heart attacks and strokes that can cause brain damage. Finally, exercise causes the release of growth factors, proteins that increase the number of connections between neurons, and the birth of neurons in the hippocampus, a brain region important for memory. Any of these effects might improve cognitive performance, though it’s not known which ones are most important."

Sandra Aamodt is the editor in chief of Nature Neuroscience. Sam Wang is an associate professor of molecular biology and neuroscience at Princeton. They are the authors of the forthcoming “Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys but Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life.”

Apple's Advertising Takes Left and Right Brain Into Consideration

2010-11-12T14:20:00.000-08:00

After reading this article, I recognized that Apple was catering their advertising to a right brain audience. Now, according to the author, they are trying to position themselves as "scientific, business-like and productive. Pretty left-brained thinking…and pretty effective."

Innovators, Thought Leaders to Converge in Sacramento for TEDx Event

2010-11-09T14:01:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, November 20th 2010, some of the areas most talented speakers, innovators, musicians and artists will converge at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria to deliver the “talk of their lives” in 18 minutes or less. Under the theme of “Celebrating Youth” speakers will share their creative ideas, projects and inventions. Tickets for the event are issued by invitation only. To be invited to the event, you can e-mail the event director, Brandon Weber at brandon@tedxsacramento.com.

The first TEDx event for Sacramento was held this past April and was attended by roughly 200 people. Speakers from as far away as Idaho came to speak to an enthusiastic crowd packed with local thought-leaders, entrepreneurs, public servants, academics, artists and musicians. One such idea presented last year, Solar Roadways, went on to win G.E.’s Eco-Magination prize and has received federal funding. Our other speakers and performers were no less extraordinary or interesting.

Speakers this year will be giving inspiring talks around the topic of “Celebrating Youth” as part of TED’s celebration of International Youth Day. The event will be a collaboration with more than 25 cities, including Tokyo, Singapore, Berlin, London, Los Angeles, Toronto, India, Montreal, NASA, Melbourne and Budapest. Plans are also in the works to live-stream the event, both to our website as well as to an iPhone/iPad app created by the people at TED.

While the event will focus on the extraordinary ideas and accomplishments of youth, the audience will be no less impressive -- made up of 100 of the areas top thought-leaders and ideators, educators, public servants, technologists, professionals, as well as a select group of amazing youth.

Speakers will include the minds behind such amazing projects as The M.I.T. Media Lab's "Scratch" and "Lifelong Kindergarten" projects, the U.C.Davis M.I.N.D. Institute, one of the world's foremost authorities on neurological disorders in children, a teen journalist, the creator of a ground breaking technology that democratizes the world of textbooks as well as a member of the Board of Directors of Wikimedia, a man who has brought health care to thousands of women and children in Africa, a developer who uses wireless technology to affect the behavior of children, a peek at the amazing things being done by child entrepreneurs around the world, as well as music and ballet performances by youth.

Using the simple theme of “ideas worth spreading,” TED offers Amazing speakers, powerful connections and unforgettable moments. Bringing together the world’s leading thinkers and doers, TED events have been called “The ultimate brain spa,” “Davos for optimists” and “A journey into the future, in the company of those creating it.” Speakers at TED events - some of the world’s most fascinating, innovative and influential individuals - are challenged to give “the talk of their life” in 18 minutes or less. Attendees are as exceptional as the speakers. Sharing happens from the stage or in the lounge. It’s the conversation that will change your life. TEDx is a new extension initiative of the TED organization. TEDx Youth @ Sacramento will follow the TED form and spirit.

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world's leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com.
TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The annual TED Conference takes place in Long Beach, California, with simulcast in Palm Springs; TEDGlobal is held each year in Oxford, UK. TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily, and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide.

TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to organize local, independent TED-like events around the world; and the TEDFellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

About TEDx (x = independently organized event)

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (Subject to certain rules and regulations).

Follow TED on Twitter at twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at facebook.com/TED.

TED2011, "The Rediscovery of Wonder," will be held February 28-March 4, 2011, in Long Beach, California, with the TEDActive simulcast in Palm Springs, California.

TEDx San Diego is streaming right now! Check it out.

2010-11-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Brandon Weber for the link.

TEDx Sacramento (coming on 11/20) will be using a similar format. Stay tuned for details.

Click on the title (above) to go directly to Ustream.

Top 100 Tools for the Twittering Teacher

2010-11-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some good Twitter tips - not just for teachers, but for anyone (click on the Title above).

Source: Donna Scott, http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/

Mae Jemison on teaching arts and sciences together

2010-11-05T08:32:00.000-07:00

What if you had to decide between being an astronaut or being a dancer?

From the TED website: "Mae Jemison is an astronaut, a doctor, an art collector, a dancer ... Telling stories from her own education and from her time in space, she calls on educators to teach both the arts and sciences, both intuition and logic, as one -- to create bold thinker

In 1992, Mae Jemison was the first African-American woman to go into space. She's become a crusader for science education -- and for a new vision of learning that combines arts and sciences,…"

The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

2010-06-29T15:26:00.000-07:00

Artist/Neurocientist Collaboration To Examine The Way We See Things

2010-03-31T10:08:00.000-07:00

Artist/Neurocientist Collaboration To Examine The Way We See Things

Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy

2010-03-19T15:18:00.000-07:00

“If you saw two guys named Hambone and Flippy, which one would you think liked dolphins most? I'd say Flippy, wouldn't you? You'd be wrong though. It's Hambone.”

-- Jack Handy

Einstein on Rational Thinking

2010-03-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

"I never came upon any of my discoveries through the process of rational thinking." -- Albert Einstein 

"The brain is a monstrous, beautiful mess."

2010-03-14T21:49:00.000-07:00

"The brain is a monstrous, beautiful mess. Its billions of nerve cells-called neurons-lie in a tangled web that displays cognitive powers far exceeding any of the silicon machines we have built to mimic it." 

William F. Allman (from Apprentices of Wonder. Inside the Neural Network Revolution, 1989

Various Left Brain vs. Right Brain Tests

2010-03-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

Learning to Change...

2010-01-24T20:32:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Steven W. Anderson of Web 2.0 Classroom for providing this link on Twitter.

Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity | Video on TED.com

2010-01-22T16:39:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Elizabeth Gilbert for delivering this inspiring talk about creativity. You nailed it.

Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity | Video on TED.com

IQ

2010-01-20T14:42:00.000-08:00

What is IQ? How is it determined? What does it measure? Are there more important measurements - maybe a measurement using Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory, or a measurement which looks at how well someone can synthesize information?

The Genius in All of Us

Working Memory More Important Than IQ

2010-01-18T14:23:00.000-08:00

If what this study suggests is true, shouldn't the schools be focusing more on cognitive skills, i.e. working memory? It really makes one wonder why there is still so much emphasis on IQ and standardized test scores. If only there was a way to quantify how well a student synthesized information or how they performed in a game or project. Oh wait..... project based learning.

Right Brain Thinkers on Facebook

2009-12-05T19:17:00.000-08:00

These guys have the right idea.

Click on the title above to see what they're doing on Facebook.

Zoidge: weird combinations of nothing important

2009-10-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

When the economy is in shambles and times are tough, sometimes it helps to delve into the world of non-sense for a quick laugh.

Click the title above for a quick dose of "zoidge."

Non Equilibrium Thermodynamics: a New Model for Teaching

2009-09-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Drink a cup of coffee and get into hyper-focus mode before you read this next piece. It is not for the casual reader. This is an excerpt from my thesis paper “Thriving on the Edge of Chaos: an Argument for a Complex Adaptive Theory of Education.”

The simple translation is this: students learn better from the bottom up.

As a teacher of high school social studies, I began experimenting with the idea of using an interactive game not as a side-unit of instruction nor as a supplement to the curriculum but as the curriculum itself. In doing this, I became more of a facilitator (creating a feedback loop) and switched from the use of lecture to an open-ended game format in order to deliver course content. I changed the structure of my classes to give students more opportunities for creative and critical thinking. As the classes changed in this way from the use of a traditional hierarchy to a lateral distribution of power, or heterarchy, I observed profound changes. The classes experienced a major increase in participation and, arguably, thinking as a result of complex, higher order behavior.

During the use of this game (called Global Challenge) I realized something interesting was taking place; a phenomenon of sorts. It remained an idea without a model for many years until two things happened:

1. I discovered a book by the famous biologist Edward O. Wilson entitled Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge (1998). This book opened up the door on how one might merge ideas and subject areas in order to discover universal truths. There was occasional mention in the book about how physicists do not work enough with mathematicians and biologists, even though one might find answers for their area of study in a completely different discipline. The idea occurred that, by analogy and metaphor, professionals could find universal answers. One might even see the possibility for a “borderless,” 24-hour learning environment, uninhibited by pre-fabricated, school-imposed barriers on learning.

2. On a trip to England in early 2002, I discovered another book in the London Museum of Science called Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities and Software (2001) by science writer Steven Johnson. This book exposed some other ideas, mainly the notion that the most productive and creative behavior seemed to happen from the ground up (Johnson, 2001). This book, and discussions with a long-time friend, led to the discovery of something more profound – chaos theory. Chaos theory disproved the second law of thermodynamics and offered hope that things do not have to disintegrate.

Since entropy and thermodynamics are important to the model or metaphor being presented in this paper, they are worthy of deeper analysis here. According to Gleick

(1987) the concept of entropy derives from thermodynamics and is a part of the Second Law (of thermodynamics). Thermodynamics, according to the Encarta World English Dictionary (1999), refers to a branch of physics dealing with the conversions of energy from one form to another “and how these affect temperature, pressure, volume, mechanical action and work.”

Gleick wrote that entropy was the tendency of systems in the universe to move towards a state of increasing disorder. Gleick also noted that this term has taken root in the non-scientific world and has woven itself into our culture. He gave as examples the non- scientific explanations for disintegrating societies and economic decay. People, it seems, use the term entropy to describe any system that is likely to fall apart.

In thermodynamics, certain things are true such as losing heat when transferring one form of energy to another. This would make perfect efficiency impossible. In addition, Gleick (1987) pointed out that the universe, because of this, was a “one way street.” A process tending towards disorder could not be reversed. These things may be true in the world of thermodynamics, he pointed out, but are not so true in complexity. He went on to say that thermodynamics did not explain the creating of amino acids, microorganisms, self-reproducing plants and animals, and the complexity, even, of the human brain. Systems such as these did not fall victim to entropy, but rose to a higher level.

When Johnson (2001) wrote about non-equilibrium thermodynamics, he spoke of the work done by Ilya Prigogine in the 1950s, and defined non-equilibrium thermodynamics as “environments where the laws of entropy are temporarily overcome, and higher-level order may spontaneously emerge out of underlying chaos” (p. 52).

Putting these things together, one might move in the direction of accepting complexity as a better system to use when defining and explaining the social system in use in education. Where thermodynamics refers to the transfer and conversion of energy, complexity is more of the working model, large enough to explain all systems. Entropy has become an excuse from which cynics can look to explain disintegration of social systems. When, in fact, such disintegration may be because of faulty design, imposition of too much order, lack of balance in the system and, most importantly, a model not suitable to handle random variables. At this point, these are suppositions but are worth considering.

The question naturally emerged as to whether there was some way to make sense of all the disarray and confusion people found in their personal and professional lives. What if there was a larger order to things that humans simply were not seeing, one where order would arise out of seemingly meaningless interactions? What if chaos and confusion were part of a larger design and could lead to greater things?

From a psychological, emotional, and social viewpoint, this could revolutionize the way people think and interact, just knowing that everyday friction and random interactions might actually lead to something. In Consilience, Wilson (1998) argued that there may be a higher order, one that fuses or synthesizes many subjects at the same time; that there might be, in fact, some universal laws that underlie all knowledge. This made an excellent case for interdisciplinary studies. After reading Johnson, however, I became more interested in emergence and chaos theory, thinking that such ideas might make for an appropriate model for education. These two ideas, if synthesized, could form a model for a higher order of learning based on complexity.

Search Engine Obfuscation

2009-09-27T18:55:00.001-07:00

Search Engine Obfuscation: Don’t Worry About Pleasing the Machines

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Follow me on Twitter

2009-09-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

Hybrid_Solution

Question: Is it possible to have "tweets" feed directly into the posting section of a blog - via an RSS feed? I know you can easily run an RSS feed over to the side bar. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

This is what happens when talent meets coffee

2009-09-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

This is a 1973 recording of the band Focus.

Important Trend Against NCLB and Standardized Testing

2009-09-14T16:41:00.000-07:00

Recent grant writing may suggest a trend towards more creative, interdisciplinary studies - and away from standardized testing.

Click on the title above for the full story.

Video Games in School...

2009-09-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

Using video games in the school is not really a "cop out."

Future of Education? Video Games. (Well I Coulda Told You That)

The "Creative Class"

2009-09-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

In 2002 Richard Florida made an important argument in "Rise of the Creative Class." This segment of our society is sizable and makes great contributions to the economy.

"The distinguishing characteristic of the creative class is that its members engage in work whose function is to 'create meaningful new forms.' The super- creative core of this new class includes scientists and engineers, university professors, poets and novelists, artists, entertainers, actors, designers, and architects, as well as the 'thought leadership' of modern society: nonfiction writers, editors, cultural figures, think-tank researchers, analysts, and other opinion-makers. Members of this super-creative core produce new forms or designs that are readily transferable and broadly useful---such as designing a product that can be widely made, sold and used; coming up with a theorem or strategy that can be applied in many cases; or composing music that can be performed again and again."

According to Florida, there were 38.3 million Americans in this group in 2002.

Game Focused School to Open in New York - Fall of 09

2009-08-26T18:54:00.001-07:00

If you are a creative teacher, this would be a dream. I look forward to getting the year-end statistics, in terms of attendance, drop out rates, test scores, etc. I'm betting they will look good.

Any plans to open a school out west?

New York to open game-focused school this fall

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Is conceptual thinking catching on?

2009-08-24T09:05:00.001-07:00

Dano responded to one of my posts back in November of 08. (umm... Sorry I never responded, but this was before I understood how Blogger's alert program for comments worked. I missed it altogether). In any event, Dano's comment gives hope to conceptual thinkers.

Dano: Nice post. The term "conceptual thinker" was a term I was exposed to when my manager told me he wanted me to lead a particularly challenging project because I was one of the only people in the office who could think conceptually. I wasn't sure how to take it at the time but I am quite happy with it now. Thanks for writing about it.

Games May be the Key for Teachers

2009-08-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

"What if every type of learner, every student would find a niche or a unique way to demonstrate their understanding of the material? Since this was a world history class, they would have to learn history, geography and some 40 chapters of a textbook. Could this be accomplished by playing a game?"

You can read the story of Global Challenge here.

Thanks to Brent Pottenger and Brian Geremia at Academic Impact for their encouragement and support of this article, Mike Powers for his on-going “technical support” - and Britt Easterling and Katie Murphy for their feedback and enthusiasm. Special thanks are also in order for family and friends.

I also appreciate the help with editing and guidance provided by Colleen Belcher and Ben Ilfield at Sacramento Press

More Companies are Allowing for Creative Time

2009-08-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

One way to get employees in any organization to be more productive, is to allow them time to work on their own projects and ideas. Google allows employees to spend 20 percent of their time doing exactly that.

Source: Gerard Darby, NESTA (The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts)

Right Brain Meetings

2009-08-20T12:58:00.000-07:00

The next time you need some fresh ideas, consider getting out of the office.

Read here to learn more about "Right Brain Meetings."

Photo credit: Aynsley Floyd for The New York Times

The New Economy and the Right Brain

2009-08-13T18:26:00.000-07:00

Marco R. della Cava of USA Today tells us that "As companies continue to triage their way through this economic war, a growing chorus of cultural observers argue that recovery is contingent on the marriage of right-brain innovations with left-brain skill sets."

This article makes a great argument for the need to embrace innovative, entrepreneurial thinking. As Daniel Pink (quoted in the article) says "We're realizing that our economy is not about standardization."

The real challenge for those right brainers who are either out of work or "under employed"... is to convince employers of the need for your creative generalist, right brain approach. What is the best way to do this? Your comments on this are welcome.

Click on the title (above) to go to the article.

Check out the new Global Challenge website!

2009-08-12T22:20:00.000-07:00

The new website is done. If you are a history, geography, government or economics teacher out there and want to try it out for your class – just send me an e-mail. If you’re the first to do so, try it out for free.

Why post this on Right Brain World? If you’re a right brain student, it’s sometimes easier and more interesting to learn through projects. During the playing of Global Challenge, it's often important to be a big concept thinker. Your vision or understanding of where things are headed could help guide students who do not see things in this way. Left brain students are sure to thrive too, since their keen skills in analysis are necessary to getting many things done in the game. You'll quickly find out how much the two "hemispheres" need one another.

Here’s a quick analysis:

Right brain students will see historical patterns, put together creative plans, help create team logos, theme music, design currency, formulate plots, or interpret the behavior of other players.

Left brain students will enjoy calculating strategies based on per capita incomes, put together spread sheets to keep track of money, points, armies, teams, facts, etc. They will help in providing the much needed order and structure to keep the game moving forward.

The great part about this game, honestly, is that there is something for every type of learner.

If you’re a creative teacher, you’ll be free to integrate the arts. Have your students create theme songs, design team logos or a new look for the classroom itself. If you’re into the idea of integrating technology, then you may want to find creative ways to use Facebook or Twitter, create a class blog or wiki. It’s all up to you. Global Challenge will provide you the overall framework – and you can take it from there.

I hope you will give it a try.

More Famous Right Brainers

2009-08-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

In her essay "Learning Styles of the Left and Right Hemispheres" Michelle Morris provides a list of others who were likely right brained.

Note: to those new to the concept of "right-brained," this can be interpreted to mean that these people did not lack a left brain. Rather, It means that the right hemispheres of their brains were dominant. In other words, they were and are big concept thinkers, innovators and non-linear thinkers.

The list includes:

Thomas Edison

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni

Pablo Picasso

Rembrandt Harmenszoon Van Run

Walt Disney

General George Patton

Nelson Rockefeller

Hans Christian Anderson

Leonardo da Vinci

Sir Winston Churchill

Benjamin Franklin

John F. Kennedy

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

John Lennon

Louis Pasteur

Orville and Wilber Wright

Alexander Graham Bell

Ludwig Van Beetoven

Thomas Jefferson

George Washington

Vincent Van Gogh

Agatha Christie

Ernest Hemmingway

Mark Twain

Anna Roosevelt

Woodrow Wilson

King Gustav IV of Sweden

Albert Einstein

Marie and Pierre Curie

Socrates

Galileo Galilei

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Abraham Lincoln

Steven Spielberg

Bill Gates

Famous "Right Brain" People

2009-08-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

If you are a "right brained" person, you are in good company.

According to Barbara Pytel, Einstein "couldn't show his work in math. He would skip steps. His mind would process answers so quickly that he just couldn't slow down to show his work. His brain streaked toward the answer so quickly that he lost focus if forced to slow down. Showing his work distracted him so much that he could not continue the process."

This might explain why Einstein had problems early on in school. The linear environment of many schools can be a frustrating place for right brain students.

Click the title above to go to the article.

Creativity Test

2009-07-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

I'm interested to know how The Art Institute of Vancouver created this test (if, in fact, they are the ones who created it). If you have a bit of free time, take the test and record your scores and thoughts about the test in the comment section.

Idea: if you are a teacher, have your students take this test. If the test indicates the student is highly creative, consider altering the way you evaluate their work, i.e. give them different options to demonstrate their knowledge on a certain subject. Instead of taking a multiple choice test, the right brain student might prefer creating a multi-media presentation. You might even have them design a right-brain oriented test... what better way to have them review and analyze course content.

Click the title above to go to the test.

Right brain will steer you through chaos

2009-07-29T19:49:00.001-07:00

Daneen Skube suggests that your right brain can get you through chaotic times. Another way to look at this is that if you are right brain dominant, you stand a very good chance of handling the times we are in currently. Intuition and ideas are, perhaps, more important now than a linear, methodical approach.

Right brain will steer you through chaos

Jill Bolte Taylor and Her "Stroke of Insight."

2009-07-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

What is the function of the right brain? What are the critical differences between our left and right brains? How can we use our right brains to connect to the more important things in this world? Jill Bolte Taylor, a brain scientist, had to unfortunately suffer a stroke on the left side of her brain to find the answers.

Why do we give standardized tests to "right brained" people?

2009-07-20T08:32:00.000-07:00

Question: if "right brain people" demonstrate their intelligence by thinking abstractly, by creating new combinations of things or by possibly communicating concepts through music or art – how can it be fair to give them a left brained test (traditional IQ test) as an objective measure of their intelligence!! Furthermore, how can you objectively compare their scores to the "left brained" population when the test will likely favor left-brained people?!

In other words, is it fair to give right brain people left-brain oriented IQ tests and college entrance exams like the SAT?

Thus, the new study shows that basic differences in brain activity between creative and methodical problem solvers exist and are evident even when these individuals are not working on a problem. According to Kounios, “Problem solving, whether creative or methodical, doesn’t begin from scratch when a person starts to work on a problem. His or her pre-existing brain-state biases a person to use a creative or a methodical strategy.”

Take a look at this last line. One way to interpret this is that a right brain person taking a standardized test will naturally try to be creative in answering a question. The only problem is that on many of these problems, it’s not necessary and will probably slow you down!

Solution: begin work on creating a whole brain standardized test or consider giving different types of tests to people who classify themselves as “right brained.”

Source: posted by Rebecca Sato on The Daily Galaxy (link is on the title of this post).

Study: Kounios, J., Fleck, J.I., Green, D.L., Payne, L., Stevenson, J.L., Bowden, M., & Jung- Beeman, M. (2008). The origins of insight in resting-state brain activity. Neuropsychologia, 46, 281-291.

Will Wright Talks About Games and Education

2009-07-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

Will Wright, inventor of Sim City and the Sims, makes a good point about the value of games; it's more about motivation than content. That said, if we can weave the two together, haven't we solved a major problem in education?

It's Time to be Inventive

2009-06-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

If it's true that artists do some of their best work when they are at a low point, wouldn't the same be true for a nation? While Tom Friedman doesn't say this exactly, he does strongly suggest that now is a good time to be inventive.

"Therefore, the country that uses this crisis to make its population smarter and more innovative — and endows its people with more tools and basic research to invent new goods and services — is the one that will not just survive but thrive down the road."

Read more here.

Thanks to Lincoln Rolls for the link.

The type of wood is really important

2009-06-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

“I wanted generally to apologize to every one of you all for letting you down,” Mr. Sanford told the gathering of his cabinet secretaries in a mahogany conference room in the ornate state Capitol complex. (New York Times, 6/26/09)

I once apologized to a group of people, but was standing next to a stainless steel counter top.

Other options:

1. Showing gratitude next to a cedar desk...
2. Feeling shameful in a tile kitchen...
3. Expressing remorse near a laminated board room table...
4. Displaying sympathy next to an outside stucco surface...

The Struggles of a "Knowledge Worker"

2009-06-25T15:59:00.000-07:00

How does an intellectual come to terms with the world of work? Easy... he becomes a motorcycle mechanic.

Matthew Crawford on the Colbert Report

Response to "Intelligence Augmentation"

2009-06-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

The following was submitted by Sue at SBW Design.

If "making you smarter" can be twisted to "preventing you from becoming dumb," check this out:

Then go Indian for lunch!

Speaking of Medications

2009-06-24T17:02:00.000-07:00

There was an interesting discussion about medications (for ADHD, etc.) on Thom Hartmann's program yesterday. Hartmann has written extensively on the topics of ADD and ADHD. Regardless of your political affiliation (he is a progressive radio talk show host) you should find this interesting.

Word of the Day

2009-06-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

We've all heard of a grocery store. It's where we go to buy groceries. Someone who owns or operates the store is called a "grocer" - which sounds pretty weird in and of itself. But, what if you wanted to buy just one item? Would you be buying a "grocery?" It seems to me if you're going grocery shopping, you ought to be able to buy a grocery.

I'd ask the people over at Safeway, but that's a "super market."

"Intelligence Augmentation"

2009-06-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

After reading the article in The Atlantic on "getting smarter," I’m now interested or curious to know if any readers out there have information on interesting combinations of technology, software, social networking and pharmacology that are used – not necessarily to enhance intelligence – but to combat symptoms of ADHD, depression, OCD, etc. If you have any thoughts or ideas on this topic, please put these in the comment section. If you write a really thought provoking or informative post I can create a separate posting for your response.

Additionally, I’ve now seen two articles (in The Atlantic) on whether Google makes us smarter or dumber, but I’m curious to know if there are any good articles out there on whether Google can also make us more creative. Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Star Trek and the DSM IV

2009-05-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

Don’t get me wrong... the new Star Trek movie is great, but I think they missed a good opportunity. Over the years, the Star Trek institution has advanced the idea that you can succeed regardless of race, age, species, etc. But, if they truly wanted to go where no one has gone before, what about this idea: instead of showing a crew that is different in appearance and culture (Vulcan, African American, Japanese, Russian, Scottish, etc.), show us a crew who can turn the DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) upside down. They would not only look and speak differently, but would have abilities that in the 20th and 21st centuries were considered disorders or liabilities.

Let me explain. In the 20th and part of the 21st centuries ADHD, autism, bi-polar disorder, OCD and depression were all stigmatized. If you had such a disorder you may have been accommodated in the classroom, but not accommodated at work. Without the proper treatment, you were often not able to work at all. Life was hard. People didn’t always value your hidden abilities. But people were beginning to realize that if you had such an “illness” there was often a hidden talent or skill.

Some examples:

Bi polar: Great energy, new creative insights…
ADHD: Ability to hyper-focus, creative…
OCD: Intensity, deep thinking, persistence, etc.

So, the message to the writers of Star Trek is this. You’ve done a good job of advancing the cause of equal opportunity. Now, it’s time to take this one step further and advance the cause of people with “disorders.” In our time they still call this mental illness. In the future, it may have a different name.

Note to J.J. Abrams. I’m hoping you will explore this possibility for the next Star Trek movie and will consider hiring me to write the screenplay for this. I’m out of work… and would love the opportunity.

Photo credit: http://tinyurl.com/qw9nwa

Thinking Creatively in 21st Century Schools

2009-05-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

I've stumbled into this blog a couple of times now, so it's about time I posted a link over to it. It provides a view into everything good that is happening in the public schools; things that are often "below the radar." In particular, you'll learn more about project-based learning and how to use blogs in the classroom.

Also, you should take a look at the writing of this student. He writes well about the importance of project-based learning.

Oh... and if you're looking for a way to put these concepts to work in your school, I'll have to quote the Video Professor and say "try my product."

The Concept Behind Succesful Websites

2009-04-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

The best way to explain the boom of sites like eHow, Facebook and Twitter is through an analogy. According to a former college professor, In the Soviet Union under Stalin, approximately 70% of the farms were collectivized (run by the state). Thirty percent were private. Guess which sector produced more? The land that was privately owned. This same kind of thinking holds true for rental cars. When was the last time you saw someone Armor All the tires of their rental car?

The principle behind this is that people tend to have pride in things they own, or products that they have contributed to. No doubt this will be true in the classroom too. There is no “ownership” in reading a text book and answering the questions at the end of each chapter. But, if the student knows they can use this information to create something – like a blog or website, or contribute to a class wiki, they might just read the information.

I think the same goes for teaching too. If your principal or department chair were to write out your lesson plans and, therefore, take away your creativity, how many of you would be 100% motivated to carry that out? I believe sites like eHow are doing well because people can both make and see their contributions. It’s interactive. You can see the results almost immediately.

Bottom up behavior

2008-06-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

This is the first of several installments on the topic of bottom up or "emergent" behavior.

The "wiki" is an excellent example of bottom up/ participatory behavior. If you are new to the the topic, visit Wikipedia. In short, a wiki allows anyone in the world with Internet access the ability to enter or edit website content. This was alarming to many people at first, since information might easily be distorted or fabricated. But an interesting phenomenon has emerged because of this - the self-corrective nature of people. Calvin Andrus, the chief technology officer for the Central Intelligence Agency’s Center for Mission Innovation, has been advocating for the use of wikis for a while now. I'm discussing it here because I think it applies well to education. When people feel that their contribution matters, they will be more likely to get involved.

"As an example, he points to a Wikipedia [www.wikipedia. com] entry on last summer’s terrorist bombings in London. Within 90 minutes of the bombing, a Wikipedia page was posted about the event and was updated almost continually in the days that followed. 'There was no editor-in-chief. No one told anybody to do this. [People] took it upon themselves to make this entry. They were empowered,' Andrus said."

Source:

The phenomenon is interesting and suggests several applications to education: 1.) Information should not be presented to students as static because it is always evolving; 2.) Compare a teacher presenting information to the class in a one way
format (top down) to the "wiki" way of doing things. In a wiki more people can get involved and information corrects itself over time and provides multiple perspectives.

For more on this topic, look for workshop dates in the fall here.

Teachers Pay Teachers

2007-03-31T11:15:00.001-07:00

A while back, I saw an interesting ad on Craigslist promoting a new site for teachers. The site, started by a former New York teacher (Paul Edelman), offered teachers a place to sell their lessons, classroom ideas, curriculum, etc. After months of sitting on the idea, I finally posted my classroom project.

If you are a social studies teacher and looking for a way to get your kids interested in international affairs, you should try this semester-long project and let me know what you think. It's a different (rebellious?) way to teach towards your state standards. You can insert whatever content you like into the game.

Here is the link:

The Global Challenge Project for Teachers

Skypecasting with Chris Anderson

2006-07-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

Below are some notes and comments regarding a recent Skypecast with Wired editor and author Chris Anderson. Anderson is currently on tour promoting his new book, The Long Tail, which explains an interesting phenomenon in the current economy.

Background: the interview took place Monday July 25, 2006 at 1:30 P.M. Anderson was in L.A. on his book tour. He was interviewed by TypePad General Manager Michael Sippey. There were approximately 50 people listening to the Skypecast, which, in itself, proves that the “long tail” is a very real thing.

What I learned:

1. The “long tail” is described by Anderson as “life after the blockbuster.” Until recently, most people looked at the "left side of the graph," the best sellers and the big hits. Anderson compiled a lot of information, studied the data and looked at how big the demand was for niche items in comparison.

2. There is great demand for these niche items, evidenced by sales on iTunes, Netflix, Rhapsody, etc. These companies can aggregate all the smaller items and offer the consumer infinite shelf space. Technology makes it possible to carry everything at very little or no cost. Blogs are a perfect example of providing content or information to small interest groups.

3. The Long Tail does not rule out blockbusters and big selling items. As an example, Anderson shows you can operate in both paradigms. He is the editor of a major magazine, Wired (with broad appeal) and runs a separate blog where he writes and offers research on "the long tail" (narrow appeal).

4. How can niches compete with the big companies? Anderson explains that you need to offer something the Wal Marts don’t have. Example -- have an online bookstore that only deals in science fiction.

Interview

Podcast

Alternative to Craigslist

2006-07-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

I started looking for an alternative to Craigslist last week and found Google Base. I'm interested to know from anyone who stumbles on this post if they've had any luck with this.

Chris Anderson Skypecast - July 24, 2006

2006-07-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

If you have questions about the "long tail" phenomenon (mentioned in a previous posting) you'll want to catch this upcoming Skypecast interview with Wired editor Chris Anderson. For more information, you can go to the Skypecast blog.

Master of Language: George Carlin

2006-07-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

Here's someone who has really taken the time to undertand the complexities of modern language. As you'll see in this video, (courtesy of YouTube) George Carlin also has an amazing memory.

Free Press Releases?

2006-07-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

Through some random Internet searching the other day, I came across a site which offers a way to get press releases out to all the major search engines. I have not used the service so I can't tell you how effective it is, but it might be worth a look. As they say:

"We want to help newsmakers - artists, authors, business professionals, designers, developers, entrepreneurs, filmmakers, musicians, retailers, and all other types of newsmakers - get free media exposure."

Do it Yourself Pay-Per-View

2006-07-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

I've got a bit of breaking news to share. Two guys I've been working with from FaceBridge Research are on to something that could really explode. In the interest of full disclosure, I hope it does. But, this is something really practical and.... cool. Let's say you're a tutor, or other professional, or a band, or lawyer or whatever. You have a message or song you want to get out to the public. You know your service or message / song is valuable. Now, thanks to Facebridge, you can broad or narrow-cast this direcly from you computer. When you're done, they (the audience of 1 to many) gets a bill and you get paid. Yes, it's that simple!

My small contribution was a report on the viability of this invention in the educational market. The full report is now available over at FaceBridge.

For the full presentation on this product and the potential markets, go here.

Grow your brain in just 48 hours

2006-06-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

Not satisfied with the current capacity of your brain? Try growing it.

"In 1967, brain pioneer Marian Diamond, a University of California at Berkeley neuroanatomist, discovered an amazing malleability to the brain (Diamond 1967). Her studies - and subsequent research by dozens of colleagues - have changed the way we think about our brains. The brain can literally grow new connections with environmental stimulation. Diamond says, 'When we enriched the environment, we got brains with a thicker cortex, more dendritic branching, more growth spines and larger cell bodies' (Healy 1990, p. 47). This means the brain cells communicate better with one another. There are more support cells, too. This can happen within 48 hours after the stimulation."

Source: Teaching With the Brain in Mind by Eric Jensen.

Image credit: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/brain/

Studies Suggest Starting Career Search Earlier

2006-06-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

The following is contributed by guest writer - Courtney Webb, M.A.

The relatively new field of career exploration for youth is on the verge of taking off. Children as young as 9 years of age have surprising amounts of information on "what they want to do." The trick is really in tapping into the child's own inner visions, creating a global career goal and thereafter, supplying the young 'client' with educational information and learning opportunities that will allow them to refine their initial goals. There is no reason a student cannot have fairly well defined career goals by the time they are in high school. Also, research indicates that students who are not 'plugged in' with some general goal in mind by the time they are 13 years old; are in much greater risk of getting involved with drugs, alcohol and of becoming school dropouts. So, let the floundering stop, and let the clarity begin with assessments and advisement for your son or daughter.

If you are interested in the E-WOW, Holland Code Assessment, learning more about natural preferences in the world of work, or finding educational programs to fit you or your child's personality type, contact Courtney Webb directly.

Phone: 916-955-2466

E-mail: courtne@earthlink.net

King of the who?

2006-06-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

As you’re going through your day, remember that “supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.” Below is a lesson in government from the writers of Monty Python, excerpted from The Holy Grail. As much as I’d like to be the first to use this bit as a way to introduce students to government, the idea has already been used. I credit Todd Millick with reminding me of the sketch. One of his professors at UC Davis actually showed students the movie clip as an introduction to his government class. Anarcho-syndacalism, by the way, is a real term and is explained here.

Source: Monty Python's Completely Useless Website

ARTHUR: Old woman!

DENNIS: Man!

ARTHUR: Man. Sorry. What knight live in that castle over there?

DENNIS: I'm thirty-seven.

ARTHUR: I-- what?

DENNIS: I'm thirty-seven. I'm not old.

ARTHUR: Well, I can't just call you 'Man'.

DENNIS: Well, you could say 'Dennis'.

ARTHUR: Well, I didn't know you were called 'Dennis'.

DENNIS: Well, you didn't bother to find out, did you?

ARTHUR: I did say 'sorry' about the 'old woman', but from the behind you looked—

DENNIS: What I object to is that you automatically treat me like an inferior!

ARTHUR: Well, I am king!

DENNIS: Oh king, eh, very nice. And how d'you get that, eh? By exploiting the workers! By 'anging on to outdated imperialist dogma which perpetuates the economic and social differences in our society. If there's ever going to be any progress with the—

WOMAN: Dennis, there's some lovely filth down here. Oh! How d'you do?

ARTHUR: How do you do, good lady. I am Arthur, King of the Britons. Who's castle is that?

WOMAN: King of the who?

ARTHUR: The Britons.

WOMAN: Who are the Britons?

ARTHUR: Well, we all are. We are all Britons, and I am your king.

WOMAN: I didn't know we had a king. I thought we were an autonomous collective.

DENNIS: You're fooling yourself. We're living in a dictatorship. A self-perpetuating autocracy in which the working classes—

WOMAN: Oh, there you go, bringing class into it again.

DENNIS: That's what it's all about. If only people would hear of--

ARTHUR: Please, please good people. I am in haste. Who lives in that castle?

WOMAN: No one live there.

ARTHUR: Then who is your lord?

WOMAN: We don't have a lord.

ARTHUR: What?

DENNIS: I told you. We're an anarcho-syndicalist commune. We take it in turns to act as a sort of executive officer for the week.

ARTHUR: Yes.

DENNIS: But all the decision of that officer have to be ratified at a special bi-weekly meeting—

ARTHUR: Yes, I see.

DENNIS: By a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs,--

ARTHUR: Be quiet!

DENNIS: But by a two-thirds majority in the case of more major—

ARTHUR: Be quiet! I order you to be quiet!

WOMAN: Order, eh? Who does he think he is? Heh.

ARTHUR: I am your king!

WOMAN: Well, I didn't vote for you.

ARTHUR: You don't vote for kings.

WOMAN: Well, how did you become king then?

ARTHUR: The Lady of the Lake,... [angels sing]...her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water signifying by Divine Providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur. [singing stops]That is why I am your king!

DENNIS: Listen, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.

ARTHUR: Be quiet!

DENNIS: Well, but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!

ARTHUR: Shut up!

DENNIS: I mean, if I went 'round saying I was an emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

ARTHUR: Shut up, will you. Shut up!

DENNIS: Ah, now we see the violence inherent in the system.

ARTHUR: Shut up!

DENNIS: Oh! Come and see the violence inherent in the system! Help, help!I'm being repressed!

ARTHUR: Bloody peasant!

DENNIS: Oh, what a give-away. Did you hear that? Did you hear that, eh? That's what I'm on about. Did you see him repressing me? You saw it, didn't you?

Millions of Niches

2006-05-31T11:28:00.000-07:00

Read about the "Theory of the Long Tail" and the new marketplace here.

"The Long Tail article (and the forthcoming book) is about the big-picture consequence of this: how our economy and culture is shifting from mass markets to million of niches. It chronicles the effect of the technologies that have made it easier for consumers to find and buy niche products, thanks to the "infinite shelf-space effect"--the new distribution mechanisms, from digital downloading to peer-to-peer markets, that break through the bottlenecks of broadcast and traditional bricks and mortar retail."

If you go to Chris Anderson's blog (link above) there is an interesting article on the "new" Al Gore.

Image credit: The Long Tail (blog)

Dr. Katz is alive and well

2006-05-27T15:19:00.000-07:00

I don’t know if this form of therapy is practiced anywhere but it’s not a bad idea. The client uses his session as a way to try out new material – humor. In the case of Dr. Katz, he just sat there, mostly with a blank look on his face, giving just enough feedback to keep the comic going. If you like the dry kind of humor, this is great television. In this clip, on YouTube, Dr. Katz's son has a talk with him.

Simplicity = unlearning and synthesis.

2006-05-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

In the recent “Changethis,” (changethis.com) Dan Ward does some writing about the problems of complexity and over-thinking.

Click on the title above to go to the article.

Here are some highlights and notes:

1. There is a “complexity on the other side of understanding.”

In other words, people can often go too far in trying to develop an idea. Solution: peel back the layers to get to what is good and what works.

2. Complexity and goodness are not always directly proportional.

“Here we find the learned academician who everyone assumes is brilliant because no one can understand a word he says. In fact, his academics may simply be overcomplicated and have very limited goodness.”

3. To remedy the problem, Ward recommends “unlearning and synthesis.”

“To begin moving in this direction, we must learn a few new skills and forget some old ones. In place of learning and genesis, which served us well on the trip between Simplisticness and Complexity, we must now master a skillset that includes things like unlearning and synthesis.”

4. Reduce the design to basic components.

“The idea is to prune and pare down the design, reducing it to the essential components."

“For a more academically rigorous approach, we can look to Genrich Altshuller’s Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, which identified something called the law of ideality. This law states that as systems mature, they tend to become more reliable, simpler, and more effective—more ideal. This law goes onto explain that the amount of complexity in a system is a measure of how far away it is from its ideal state. Interestingly, Altshuller postulates that upon reaching perfect ideality, the mechanism itself no longer exists. Only the function remains; the various components have been simplified to zero.”

5. Experiencing complexity is an important step.

“One cannot usually jump directly from simplistic to simple, skipping complexity entirely. The initial increase in complexity is as crucial to maximizing goodness as the later decrease in complexity.”

“We have now replaced what Albert Schweitzer called ‘naive simplicity’ with a ‘profound simplicity.’ This is done by pursuing synthesis rather than genesis and goodness rather than complexity.”

The Frustration of Being a Creative Generalist

2006-05-16T15:17:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for a job, whether online or in a newspaper, one thing you won't see advertised is a position for a "creative generalist." After reading this piece (below) by Dr. Terry Rock, I know now that I'm not the only one who recognizes this fact. With the writings of Daniel Pink, Thomas Friedman and others, I hope this changes.

"The whole thing is worth reading, but one thing I face, and I know others face, is how to translate generalism into organizational reality. For example… finding a job as a generalist is difficult because there really isn’t “a place on most org charts and [generalists] are frequently told by HR that they’re smart but ‘we wouldn’t know where to put you.’” The flipside is running an organization that “gets” the need for generalists, but faces constant pressure to specialize."

Dr. Rock is referring to an essay written by Steve Hardy regarding creative generalism. I wrote about that piece here. You can also find the original essay at Steve Hardy's blog.

Using Chaos Theory in Organizations

2006-05-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

Finding a link between chaos, complexity and education was the central theme of my thesis research. The research has implications in any large or small organization.

Excerpted from a piece I worked on in 2004 called Bridging the Gap: A Complex-Adaptive Solution to the Great Political Divide

…Chaos theory tells us that everything in the universe has an emerging nature, from the evolution of organisms, to volcanic eruptions, to weather patterns, to the growth of civilizations. Secondly, the greatest creativity, evolvability and progress appear to take place at the “edge of chaos.” In chaos theory, random forces can converge to form a higher order. Research in the field has gone from the study of planets to the study of the weather to microorganisms, to the growth of companies to organizational and group behavior. What one learns from a study of complexity is that random forces converge to form a higher order behavior. Keep your eye on the larger picture as we delve into the details.

Steven Johnson, in a book called Emergence: the Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities and Software (2001) wrote about studies of slime mold in the 1960’s by Mitch Resnick. The studies revealed that microorganisms displayed collective intelligence. Instead of one large organism moving across a floor in search of food, it was revealed that the “slime” was actually hundreds of single celled organisms coming together for a larger purpose.

In fact, evidence of self-organization is everywhere. Prigognine and Stengers in their much-cited compendium Order out of Chaos (1984) said that the biosphere as a whole and all its components existed in a state far from equilibrium. Based on this, they said life, as part of the natural order, was the “supreme expression” of a self-organizing process. Simplified, this means that the air, land and sea are all part of a complex system that tends towards equilibrium. It does so because it is adaptive. If it doesn’t – if it were rigid – it would cease to exist, and we would cease to exist.

Another example of a highly productive emergent process took place at the RAND Corporation in the 1950s. As Nasser told the story in A Beautiful Mind (1998), people drifted into each other’s offices, or would just chat in the corridors. The grids and courtyards were set up “to maximize chance meetings.” The interchanges would lead to new research and colleagues exchanging challenging problems with one another. In this informal way, RAND memoranda would often start out simply as a handwritten paper being handed over to a math department secretary (Nasar).

Is ugly better?

2006-05-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

According to this blog, a site in Canada called Plentyoffish.com is making 10,000 a day in Google Adsense revenue through "anti-marketing." Instead of clever designs, try something sticky... or even ugly.

Will Andy Kaufman Please Return

2006-05-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

I had heard a story about Andy Kaufman, on stage, eating a bucket of potatoes and then taking a nap inside of a sleeping bag. His sporadic, improvised movements inside the sleeping bag became the entertainment for the audience. I checked it out and there seems to be some corroboration.

"Often, it was more elaborate -- Kaufman once ate a bucket of potatoes and then took a 25-minute nap (onstage) before coming to life as the King."

I also found a blog written from the view point of Andy Kaufman. Now, I know it's a lot to ask, but we desperately need a new wave of comedy to match Monty Python, the original cast of SNL and Andy Kaufman. If this is already happening somewhere, will someone kindly let me know.

What is the Higher Ed Blog Con?

2006-05-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

Skypecast on May 12 with the producers of the Higher Ed Blog Con. 10:00 AM (is that Eastern?)

"How can colleges and universities capitalize on new communication and networking tools to foster meaningful dialogue with constituents? In this inaugural Skypecast, we'll open the floor for ideas about how to use Skypecast to create a forum where we can discuss conversation strategies in Higher Education marketing and communications. This initial Skypecast will be hosted by producers of HigherEd BlogCon 2007."

For more information, go to the Higher Ed Blog Con site.

This information came from the Skype Blog.

Skypecast with Craig from Craigslist

2006-05-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

"In the weeks leading up to the Innovative Marketing Conference - June 8-9 in NYC - we will be hosting a series of provocative Skypecasts in which we will chat with conference participants as well as allow our audience to help shape the conversation at the physical event. In this Skypecast we'll sit down with Craig Newmark, the founder of craigslist, for a wide-ranging discussion of the threats and opportunities related to consumer generated content."

For more information, go to skype.corante.com.

What is a Skypecast?

2006-05-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

"Skypecasts enable people to discuss shared interests — anything from classic cars and cooking, to home design and computer support. Skypecasts are moderated by the ‘host’ who is able to mute, eject or pass the virtual microphone to participants when they wish to speak. Hosting or participating in a Skypecast is completely free."

You can read more about this here.

As a matter of fact, it IS a right brain world

2006-05-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

Thomas Friedman, being interviewed in the May, 2006 Business Strategies Magazine, said:

"Lastly, I would say—there's a book called A Whole New Mind by Dan Pink and he argues you've got your left brain and you've got your right brain. Your left brain is all the kind of repetitive mass production functions, rather boring. Your right brain is all the synthesizing, empathetic storytelling, creative side of your mind, and that it's basically a right brain world. Everything, as Dan says, on the left side of your brain is either going to be done by a computer, faster or by an Indian, cheaper. So how we nurture those creative right brain skills in our students is really important."

Quote of the day

2006-05-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer.

~ Albert Einstein

Source

Important Differences Between Chaos and Complexity

2006-05-05T17:09:00.000-07:00

In an upcoming blog entry, I'll be giving you some interesting information about complexity and the need to simplify. Before doing that, though, it's important for you to understand what complexity is and why it is different from chaos. This should help... and no, there will not be a quiz at the end of the hour, but you'll still need to pay attention.

"Chaos theorists typically look for patterns of order in chaotic systems – such as the eddies that appear and disappear in turbulent water – and try to derive these patterns from a set of generative mathematical rules. Complexity theory, in contrast, explores the activity of complex systems at the edge of chaos, such as living organisms. Complex systems exist on the cusp of too much and too little order; they are systems that act as wholes but are nevertheless far from equilibrium. In other words, complex systems are capable of undergoing rapid and radical transformations in order to adjust to changes in their environment. Complexity theorists are primarily interested in the ways in which such systems are self-organizing, or autopoietic, developing new structures without any external cause or motive."

From the review by Stephen Schryer of Mark C. Taylor's, The Moment of Complexity: Emerging Network Culture Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001. $32.00, 340pp.

Courage and Creativity

2006-05-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

“We are called upon to do something new, to confront a no man’s land, to push into a forest where there are no well-worn paths and from which no one has returned to guide us. This is what the existentialists call the anxiety of nothingness. To live into the future means to leap into the unknown, and this requires a degree of courage for which there is no immediate precedent and which few people realize.”

__ Rollo May, The Courage to Create

Note: you can add to this the courage it takes to ask for funding for projects that explore this "no man's land." According to Jeff Hawkins, it's very hard to get funding for the type of projects in science that have previously not been funded (if that makes any sense). The irony here is that breakthroughs usually happen in this "unknown" area.

You can listen to Hawkins' podcast over at iTunes.

Hawkins is the founder of Palm Computing and director of the Redwood Neuroscience Institute.

UC Berkeley Courses on iTunes

2006-04-29T11:44:00.000-07:00

If you feel you've missed out on a UC Berkeley education, don't worry. Now, you can go to iTunes and download classes. This is great, but I wonder how the people paying tuition feel. Another thought: I wonder if high school teachers could supplement homework assignments - perhaps for gifted or AP students - by having them download and take notes on some of these classes.

Things to remember about your memory

2006-04-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

The following points outline how mood and context can affect memory:

1. Emotions drive attention, create meaning, and have their own memory pathways (LeDoux, 1994).

2. While feelings travel a circuitous, slower route throughout the body, the emotions always take the brain’s “superhighways” (Jensen, 1998).

3. Emotions drive creativity, and this is a function of the amygdala. “Removing the amygdala, however, is devastating. That destroys the capacities for creative play, imagination, key decision making, and the nuances of emotions that drive the arts, humor, imagination, love, music and altruism” (Jensen, 1998).

4. “When you experience a gut feeling, it’s because the same peptides that are released in your brain are also lining your gastrointestinal tract.” Miles Herkenham of the National Institute of Mental Health says that 98 percent of all communication within the body may be through these peptide messengers (in Pert 1997, p. 139) “This view implies a far greater role for the understanding and integration of emotions in learning” (Jensen).

5. We remember that which is most emotional. This happens because all emotional events receive preferential processing (Christianson, 1992).

6. Emotions give us a more activated and chemically stimulated brain, which helps us recall things better. The more intense the amygdala arousal, the stronger the imprint (Cahill, Prins, Weber, and McGaugh 1994) from Goleman (1995). (see information on the amygdala above)

7. Conclusion: What is the effect of all of this on memory? We remember things that are emotional and meaningful and tend to forget those things that have no attachment to emotion or meaning. Even if dry material is presented in the context of something exciting such as field trip, it is more likely that the material will be remembered.

8. Context-dependent memory means that memory gets associated to the text in which they are studied. A person’s ability to recall an item depends on the person’s ability to reproduce the list context. There is evidence that subjects have difficulty recalling items when the context changes between study and test (Anderson).

9. “Subjects can show better memory when their mental states at study and at test match” (Anderson).

10. Mood congruency refers to the fact that people find it easier to remember happy memories when happy and sad memories when sad (Anderson).

11. How can one make use of this information? If you are a student trying to remember something for a test, keep the following in mind:

Attach the content of the material to something personally meaningful or emotional.

Paraphrase material to create personal meaning of content.

Re-create an internal mood at test time similar to the one you had at study time.

The Space Between

2006-04-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

Right Brain World now offers a research, writing and cyber-marketing service to innovators, inventors, educators and other creative people. Have a look.

We interrupt this blog...

2006-04-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

There has been a lack of "bloggage" on the site lately...but there is a reason. I'm in the middle of developing a site which will outline a new service in E-learning. Stay tuned for details.

More evidence in support of educational games

2006-04-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

Games are good tools for getting students to use all their senses, particularly visual, auditory and kinesthetic, which makes this a good method for different types of learners. Recent evidence shows the values of bringing emotion into the learning environment. Games create a positive association with learning and “allow for the repetition and deeper processing that strengthens neural pathways” (Millis, 2003).

Excerpted from: The Global Challenge Curriculum: The Application of Chaos Theory in the Classroom, Lee Chazen, EDTE 227, Dr. Sherrie Carinci

Check out Global Challenge.

Selling the Need for Conceptual Thinkers

2006-04-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago, I heard Daniel Pink in an interview on NPR. I was inspired because I thought someone was finally speaking on a topic that was hardly being addressed anywhere else. He was speaking about the need for more conceptual thinkers, and suggested that businesses would soon turn to people with M.F.A.'s as oppossed to M.B.A.'s. In his book, A Whole New Mind, he said:

"But the keys to the kingdom are changing hands. The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind - creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers, and meaning makers. These people - artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big picture thinkers - will now reap society's richest rewards and share its greatest joys."

I would just add one thing to this: If this is to become true, someone must devise a strategy to sell the idea. For people to believe in the power of conceptual, right-brain thinkers, someone will have to first convince school administrators, politicians and CEO's. Perhaps we should step back for a second and begin thinking of ways to sell the concept. Yes, it's a good idea, but how do we convince others of this?

What's Ahead in E-Learning

2006-04-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

Will we get to the point where a physical public school is an outdated idea from a bygone era? Will it soon be possible to have a “cyber-learning consultant,” whose purpose is to arrange a completely electronic curriculum for students? Will there come a time when students, for whatever reason, leave the public school entirely in exchange for a digitally-based education, designed specifically for them?

Under a program like the one described above, the student’s schedule would be filled with weekly podcasts, online tests and various online readings. For students who progress well and are in need of building interpersonal skills, there is the option of an educational online game with other students across the globe. What if the student experiences trouble in his or her classes and no one is around? No problem. Visit a cyber-tutor using instant messaging AV technology.

By creating a program to fit the needs of the students, the education becomes catered or more suited to the type of intelligence the student exhibits. Problems with ADHD are no longer significant in this environment. The cyber learning consultant comes in and constructs the type of program to fit the student who is easily distracted. A typical classroom with 30 other students and dozens of triggers and distractions may not be the place for this type of learner. Institutions are slow to react to the needs of special learners, but an E-environment adapts quickly.

Education is the second largest industry in the United States,* and many in this industry are familiar with E-learning. The world of online classes or cyber-based instruction and educational software is nothing new, but this three part essay takes us further down the path in order to ask some important questions: “where is this phenomenon taking us? Will it be good for students and teachers, and will it be good for business and the economy?

*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Career Guide to Industries, 2006-07 Edition, Educational Services, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs034.htm (visited March 22, 2006). Last Modified Date: December 20, 2005

Einstein, the defiant student

2006-04-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

The following information was excerpted from Creating Minds by Howard Gardner.

Only a few months from passing away, Albert Einstein credited a certain school for his success. Einstein attended a “progressive Canton school” in early adolescence. They offered a humanistic approach to subjects and emphasized the importance of visual understanding in the mastery of concepts.

Einstein recalled that he liked the teachers there because the teachers "based themselves on no external authority." He resented rote memorization and regimented learning, favoring instead open ended, problem solving type learning. “He revealed his contempt by performing poorly and acting defiantly in class.”

The point this makes is that a gap exists in many schools between the types of learners and thinkers that some students are, and the kind of education they are receiving.

Navigating the Cyber-Learning Environment

2006-04-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

New movements in consumer behavior sometimes sneak up on us. Consumers want to do things their way, and if they can find an easier, cheaper way to get what they want - They'll go after it. Take MP3s for example. There was nothing wrong with CD's in terms of ease of use and sound quality. But consumers, at times, wanted to download one or two tracks and not the whole album. They wanted to mix their own CDs and the freedom to instantaneously download and then play music. It took a while, but the music industry caught up to them. Proving this phenomenon was real, Apple's iTunes music store has already passed the billionth download of a song and the system they are primarily played on, iPods, have completely restored Apple to being a hugely profitable company.

Technology and the bottom-up revolution

MP3 players are not the only technology to make a bottom-up revolution possible. People can choose where they get their news and information or write their own on easy-to-use blogs. Companies like Technorati make it possible to syndicate a blog, or pick up news phenomena even if it is not being handled by one of the major news organizations.

Effect on Education

Will technology bring this type of bottom-up consumerism to education? Leaders in education have been quick to follow technological innovations. If teachers aren't driving it, then technically literate and game savvy students will. Adopting new technologies is unavoidable, but is also complex. Imagine being a teacher or administrator and trying to come up with plans that take into consideration podcasting, blogging, blog-portfolios, video-casts or even instant messaging. All the indicators show growth in these areas, which is why it is imperative to begin discussing creative and effective combinations. Thomas Friedman and Daniel Pink have been making the argument for more conceptual thinkers and generalists to help guide the way. In fact, in a recent article Friedman says that India and China will need more of these types of thinkers if their engineers, software developers and other technically trained people are to succeed.

Growth in Private Instruction

Growth in the tutoring markets also points to, what I think will be the next great combination, that of private instruction and instant messaging, AV technology. Imagine a system that will allow for expert opinion, coaching, assistance and teaching in real time, from anyone to anywhere. Given enough choices in this market, students and adults will be able to locate instruction and help from people who more closely match their needs and learning styles, creating an adaptable, catered learning environment. Watch for news from a company called Facebridge Research. They are developing a system which will help to monetize cyber-tutoring. The real creativity in all of this will come in the potential applications and combinations of this technology.

Craigslist on Google Video

2006-04-08T14:04:00.000-07:00

Some random thoughts on Google Video: 1.) will it be a substitute for Blockbuster, netflix, DVDs, etc.? 2.) How does it compare to iTunes video downloads? 3.) Will there be anything of educational value there, and if so, will they offer a teacher discount? If I find out anything, I'll report back.

In the meantime, there's a video called "24 Hours on Craigslist," which looks interesting. According to the Mercury News, Craigslist had 8.7 million visitors in September of 2005. The same article, excerpted below, compares Craigslist to a new service by - of course - Google.

"EBay and craigslist are the dominant online marketplaces for now. But there are signs that Google may try to shake up the status quo. The Mountain View company recently launched Google Base, an online database that accepts a variety of content from individuals, including classified listings. And Google has also filed a patent application for a service called Google Automat, aimed at making the posting of classified-type ads fast and easy. As usual, however, the company has been vague about its long-range plans."

The Power of Randomness

2006-04-06T22:40:00.000-07:00

"It seems that creativity will flourish when we increase our chances for seemingly random events to occur. The best way to work this randomness into our thought patterns is to develop the habit of being exposed to new ideas, people and concepts on a regular basis. If we take the time to plan for this randomness by limiting our distractions, we can increase our ability to solve problems."

The quote is from Mark Sincevich, writing in his column called Creative Corner, which appeared in the latest Small Business Opportunity Magazine.

The blogosphere and Internet as a whole, certainly, are great ways of increasing the power of randomness.

About the photo: it comes from a site called VisualComplexity.com .

"VisualComplexity.com intends to be a unified resource space for anyone interested in the visualization of complex networks. The project's main goal is to leverage a critical understanding of different visualization methods, across a series of disciplines, as diverse as Biology, Social Networks or the World Wide Web. I truly hope this space can inspire, motivate and enlighten any person doing research on this field."

"The intent of WebTraffic is to develop prototype 3D visualizations of online behaviour - user paths across cyberspace. The project is lead by Antoine Visonneau, with colleagues in the Center for Design Informatics, Harvard Design School. Their latest designs used VRML to visualize traffic within a website, with the vertical gray bars being individual pages and the red lines links between them."

Note: Wouldn't it be interesting if one of these visualizations of online behavior turned out to look like dendrites in the brain?

The Chuck Norris Phenomenon

2006-03-31T12:30:00.000-08:00

In between annoying TV commercials for a place called Rich’s Tire Barn, I began wondering how this whole thing with Chuck Norris got started. Chuck, if you read this, I'm not implying that you're annoying. Seriously, you have to believe me. By now, Chuck Norris facts are as widely circulated as gossip about Paris Hilton. Then, to my good fortune, someone pointed out to me that Wikipedia tracks such Internet phenomena. But, I still had questions. You see, sometimes I get pretty deep into philosophical and scientific discussions. I wondered what Chuck Norris would say if he were to read some of my blog posts.

“Proponents of higher-order theories of consciousness argue that consciousness is explained by the relation between two levels of mental states in which a higher-order mental state takes another mental state. If you mention this to Chuck Norris, expect an explosive roundhouse kick to the face for spouting too much fancy-talk.”

I guess that answers my question.

Connecting people who love to teach with people who love to learn

2006-03-30T12:30:00.000-08:00

MindSync was created by Jason Robinson as a service to both teachers and students. Students can find out about classes and workshops or find someone to help them with their studies. Teachers and tutors can post information about their services.

MindSync just put together this new flyer, giving you an idea of what you'll find at the site.

Gaming across disciplines

2006-03-27T09:31:00.000-08:00

Also in the current Wired, author Steven Johnson explores the idea of virtual worlds colliding.

"One way or another, consolidation is all but inevitable. A single, pervasive environment will emerge, uniting the separate powers of today's virtual societies. And then we really will have built the Matrix."

Imagine an educational world that follows this metaphor ... allowing students and teachers to create connections where they see them... an adaptive system - bridging disciplines, filling gaps, forming new concepts, etc.

Picture credit

Video games and how students learn

2006-03-25T18:10:00.000-08:00

In the current Wired Magazine, Will Wright has some interesting observations about video games and non-linear thinking. I've been putting the idea out there for years now, for the need for an online, interactive educational game. If you go to this site (not fully functional), you'll see the type of game I'd like to get out to the public. I'm hoping that someone in cyberspace can connect me to someone who can make this a reality. The game would have the additional benefit of teaching students about diplomacy and international relations.

"In an era of structured education and standardized testing, this generational difference might not yet be evident. But the gamers' mindset - the fact that they are learning in a totally new way - means they'll treat the world as a place for creation, not consumption. This is the true impact video games will have on our culture."

...

"Games cultivate - and exploit - possibility space better than any other medium. In linear storytelling, we can only imagine the possiblitiy space that surrounds the narrative: What if Luke had joined the Dark Side? What if Neo isn't the One? In interactive media, we can explore it."

The ADHD - Creativity Connection

2006-03-24T15:27:00.000-08:00

In an earlier blog entry, I posted some information regarding a connection between mental illness and creativity. Now, it's time for some possible reasons for that connection. In this essay, author Justin Genovese discusses some of the reasons why those with ADHD might be more creative. What concerns me is that there is no recognition of this unique style of thinking on standardized exams. What I'll be looking for next is a study on whether or not students with ADHD do well on these tests. Is it possible for conceptual and creative thinkers to do well on tests which require such focus and linear thinking ability? What might a test look like if it were written by someone with ADHD? One more thing to think about - what if, rather than answering a series of questions, students (in a hypothetical class) were asked to compose their own questions at the end of a unit of study?

Citing a study by Bonnie Cramond (The Coincidence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Creativity, The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, 1995), Genovese writes,

In a 1992 study, a group of ADHD children and a group of normal children with similar backgrounds and IQs were compared. The ADHD group was found to have a higher creativity and more use of imagery in problem solving, as well as more spontaneous thoughts during a problem-solving exercise. One researcher hypothesized in 1980 that "Intelligent individuals who are bombarded by ideas seek to make sense of them by organizing them into new perceptual relationships. Thus the creative, original idea is born" (Cramond).

One creative solution to ADHD behavior, comes from Dr. Alejandro Terrazas at MediaBalance. He has invented a wireless device which rewards students/ clients with points for positive behavior. These points can then be used for television time (pay per view).

In search of dry humor

2006-03-21T14:04:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for some unconventional humor, try this site. It's called "Tooth paste for dinner."

iTunes offers lectures from major universities: with so many educational choices, who will help us decipher good from not-so-good?

2006-03-16T13:42:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don’t know, iTunes now has lectures available from Stanford and MIT. How popular are these downloads? IP & Democracy reports that:

Through the end of the Fall semester in December, Stanford’s content was getting 15,000 tracks a week accessed at iTunes. The university plans to expand the coverage to include sports, with Stanford’s athletic matches slated to be available in video podcast form at iTunes.

Thought of the day: With so many forms of education available to all humans of all ages, i.e. public school, private school, charter school, tutoring, e-learning, cyber-learning, podcasting, I think (and remember, you heard it here first) a new type of service will become necessary – that of an education broker / consultant. The job of this person will be to assess students (of any age) and put them in touch with the type of learning program that most fits their needs.

For example, “alright, I’ve looked over your portfolio, spoken to your teachers, examined your test scores, and here is what I recommend: one year of home-schooling, supplemented by weekly podcasts and participation in this online educational game.”

Who coordinates all these activities? The educational consultant, paid on a monthly retainer.

Related links:

ITunes University
A wireless device to help those w/ ADHD. This device uses a token economy system to reward users with points for positive behaviors. Points can be converted to pay-per-view time. One idea might be to allow users to “cash in” points for downloads of music, podcasts and videos at the iTunes music store.