Most ed-tech startups suck! Here’s where they’re going wrong.

Most ed-tech startups suck! Here’s where they’re going wrong.

This is one of many reasons why we're hosting this event -- so we can get developers talking to teachers. It could lead to better product development.

Mediocrity versus Mastery: The Case for Game-Based Learning - Forbes

Mediocrity versus Mastery: The Case for Game-Based Learning - Forbes

The Education Super Collider (Un) Conference

Imagine a super collision between all the forces driving innovation in the field of education. Imagine further if this were done in a way to encourage collaboration, creativity and the free exchange of new ideas. This is not a "sit in your seat and take notes" kind of conference. This is an (un) conference with both structured and non-structured segments. There will be presentations, action pitches, break-out sessions and panel discussions. In fact, by attending you'll be determining the outcome of this event. We wanted to design it in a way that matches the possibilities for the future of education - an event which is emergent, adaptive, experiential and curiosity-based. 

Brought to you by:  The Education Super Collider and Hacker Lab.

Sponsored in part by:  The Education Now 2012 Tele Symposium

Who is invited: Innovators, entrepreneurs, service providers, technology experts, educators and business developers, i.e. people who want to share new, disruptive technologies and ideas.

Purpose

• to introduce new concepts, innovations, applications to teachers at all levels
• to give teachers a chance to share ideas that are working in their classrooms
• to improve teaching / instruction and overall classroom performance
• to help facilitate the growth of businesses in the educational space
• to build collaborative networks

Format: It’s an “unconference” designed to allow a free and open exchange of ideas. Speakers can sign up before the event or upon registration and will be given anywhere from 2 to 15 minutes to make a presentation. There will be two break-out sessions or workshops during the day to allow for networking, collaboration, instruction, feedback from participants and the facilitation of ideas and plans.

Note: All major presentations (in the 8 to 15 minute range) must be pre-approved and will be considered on a first come-first served basis.

Speakers (who sign up before the event) get

• a chance to debut your disruptive idea or product

• two free tickets (one for you and a friend/ colleague)
• name / company information on all marketing material
• great networking and collaboration opportunities

Sponsors get

• company information and links on all conference materials, including un-conference website
• 4 free tickets to the event
• an opportunity to present
• booth space

Exhibitors get

• booth space at the event
• 3 free tickets
• company information and links on all conference materials, including the un-conference website

Join us and get to your "next level" -- sign up today! Don't forget to tell a friend or colleague.

The Powder Keg of Awesome!

Enjoyed chatting yesterday with Jerry Kennedy and Jackie Dotson on the 50th episode of The Powder Keg of Awesome radio program. We got into a range of topics including a.) the psychology of certain presidential candidates; b.) navigating the "space between" in educational curricula and c.) being non-linear in an otherwise linear world and many more topics that lack descriptive words.

Powder Keg of Awesome - Episode 50 09/19 by The Powder Keg of Awesome | Blog Talk Radio

In other news, I've recently completed a massive project in helping to organize TEDx Sacramento 2012 and am now officially ready to begin something new and exciting. If your organization is looking for help with event planning, marketing, curriculum development, etc., please don't hesitate to contact me. Operators are standing by. Here's my most recent resume.

Game Based Learning for Social Studies Teachers

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

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

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

http://youtu.be/Yn9fTc_WMbo

YouTube Blog: YouTube Symphony Orchestra: From Idea to Reality

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

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

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

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:

• DoomBird
• Dog Party
• The Bad Apples

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?

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.”