Joshua Foer: Feats of Memory [TED]: Just in time for exams!
Serendipitously timed in the TED Twitter Stream, here is a talk by Joshua Foer* on feats of memory that anyone can do. In his research for this, science-writer Foer ‘accidentally’ won the US Memory Championship. If you really like his talk, he also has a book: “Moonwalking with Einstein: the Art and Science of Remembering Everything.”
IBDP Biology is quite the memory challenge in itself, so take a break from your review for 20 minutes and see what you can pick up!
“Our lives are the sum of our memories. How much are we willing to lose from our already short lives by losing ourselves in our Blackberries and iPhones, by not paying attention? […] You have to be the kind of person who remembers to remember”
Have a go at the memory palace technique here. Remember – the more outlandish the image, the better.
………o0O0o………
*He’s also the brother of Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Everything Is Illuminated, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and one of my favourites, Eating Animals.
Command Terms & Drawing Skills for IBDP Bio Exams
The 17th and 18th May are just around the corner! Here are some tips for your studies. Find more on this page: Exam Skills.
Do make sure you have a solid grasp of the command terms. Work through your syllabus, and realise that the objective three command terms (explain, etc), include those below.
You could also use the ‘draw’, ‘label’ or ‘annotate’ command terms as stimuli for organising your knowledge visually. If only there was an IB Bio version of Draw Something…
Somewhere, by Miadox. Beautiful timelapse of nature & industry.
Just in time for Earth Day, here’s a lovely Vimeo video by Miadox. Timelapse images of human impacts and influences, mingled with nature.
I saw this on Twitter from the QI Elves. They also posted this great clip of an eagle owl. Follow them!
One World: Formative Assessment Video Discussion Task
In this one or two-lesson task, students watch one of the videos below as an introduction to science as a solution to a problem in a global context. They then work together to produce a mind-map poster of the issue and its solution, covering the main ideas of the One World criterion.
Here are the videos:
United Nations University Our World 2.0: Plastic to Oil Fantastic
TED Talk: Michael Pritchard’s Lifesaver Bottle
One World: Coversheet, Submission Checklist and Research/ Writing Frame
This is for my MYP 4-5 classes in Chemistry, Physics and Environmental Science. The aim here is to encourage self-assessment at all stages of the research and writing process.
The front page is a standard submission coversheet, which is attached to work before it is submitted to Turnitin. Students need to self-assess their work by highlighting the statements which they feel best fit. The second page is a checklist to help them structure and present the essay or article, in 7 sections. The final two pages is something which could be given digitally or printed and blown up to A3 and used as a research/ writing frame.
Free and Cheap Science Class Apps for the iPhone [Presentation]
This year I got my first ‘smart’ phone and have been playing with free and/or really cheap apps that might be of use in Science class. Many of the students in my school have iPhones or other smart devices – at least enough to make pairs or small groups. This presentation is a selection of those I use the most or like and would like students to make use of, too.
If you have any favourite – free or cheap – apps that you make use of in Science class, let us know in the comments below.
Update: March 31 Featured on SlideShare homepage.
The Missing Link to Renewable Energy? Donald Sadoway at TED2012
“We need to think big, we need to think cheap… Let’s invent to the price point of the electricity market. If you want to make something dirt cheap – make it out of dirt. Preferably dirt which is locally sourced!”
This is an entertaining and erudite TED Talk from MIT’s Materials Engineer Donald Sadoway which outlines our current problem of grid-level electricity storage, describes how batteries work and goes on to explain where we could go with molten metal batteries. He describes his passion as science and service to society, which is a great sentiment.
This is a good link to our units on Chemistry, Physics and Environmental Science and would make a fine starting point for a One World project. How can science positively impact the world?
Textbooks or e-texts? Poll and discussion.
In a recent discussion with a colleague, we were thinking about whether to update the printed texts we have with new editions or to go entirely online. We are a 1-1 school with fast, unrestricted internet use. Expecting all students to prefer the online mode, we were surprised to see them choose printed texts.
So what would you prefer? If you want to, give some of your reasons or experiences in the comments.
i-Biology 