education

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The Protein Synthesis Dance

Here's a bit of Friday nerdery for you. In this gloriously retro 70's video, a group of dancers demonstrate how protein synthesis works...via interpretive dance, complete with trippy music and Jabberwocky-inspired narration. Entitled "Protein Synthesis: An Epic on the Cellular Level," I'm not sure if this counts as an educational film...but it's definitely fun and weird. The introductory lecture does help to set the stage for the dance, featuring about three minutes of genuine educational material on... READ ON

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Bill Gates, Philanthropist

Bill Gates is the world's third-richest person, and the driving force behind the vastly-endowed Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation -- which is concerned primarily with global health and education issues. Two days ago, Gates gave a great talk on the problems his philanthropy is tackling. The talk is remarkable first because he's actually a terrific speaker and knows his topic...but also because he released a small swarm of mosquitoes into his audience: "Now, malaria is, of course, transmitted by... READ ON

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What Does I.Q. Really Test?

Back in 2007, Malcolm Gladwell wrote a terrific article for The New Yorker on the history of I.Q. At its core, Gladwell's article is a book review, covering James Flynn's What Is Intelligence? Gladwell discusses a series of surprising facts about I.Q., and explains long-held debates about differences in I.Q. among populations (the most famous being the brouhaha over The Bell Curve). The salient facts are: 1. I.Q. scores are frequently normed. In general, the entire population taking the test tends to... READ ON

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Wikipedia for Schools

The Wikipedia for Schools project is an effort to distill the vast content of Wikipedia onto one DVD. This single-DVD version is very portable, and can be used in schools worldwide, though its focus on articles written in English probably limits its global appeal. The project focuses on children, and what's most interesting (and appropriate) for them in a school environment; project volunteers selected articles for quality and appropriateness, then manually reviewed them for content (avoiding "adult"... READ ON

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Photos: Making Exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History has posted an online exhibit called Picturing the Museum. Included are a series of archival photos showing old exhibits at their museum, the most interesting (to me, anyway) being a bunch of behind-the-scenes photos showing the staff putting together exhibits. The photos are all over the map, but in general are a fascinating look at the making of great exhibits. Some of the photos are picturesque, like this shot of "Sister and Sammy Keith collecting tadpoles for... READ ON

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Memorize the Presidents With This Song

Folky troubadour Jonathan Coulton has recorded "Washy Ad Jeffy," a mnemonic device/folk song that helps you remember the order of all the US presidents. By nicknaming the presidents with differing numbers of syllables (like "Jeffy" for Jefferson or "Ad" for Adams), the number of syllables tells you how many terms (or partial terms) that president served. Coulton describes the song's history: My father learned it from Mrs. Govan, his 8th grade history teacher at Memorial Junior High School in Ohio.... READ ON

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Ira Glass on Storytelling

Ira Glass, host of PRI's This American Life, is a master storyteller. But it's taken him a many years to achieve that status. Today I came across a series of four videos of Glass explaining storytelling and his own past in broadcasting. He gives simple advice for storytellers of all kinds, and he even plays clips of his old (and pretty embarrassing) NPR reporting. If you're looking to develop your sense of narrative, or just love listening to Ira Glass ramble, take a few minutes to watch these.... READ ON

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Documentaries I Like: Connections

Connections was a documentary series produced for the BBC in 1978. It sought to explain human history through an "alternative view of change" in which multiple aspects of history, including technology, religion, and finance combine to bring about social change. This mode of analysis moves beyond conventional linear narrative, and as a result embraces complexity. Each episode is an essay connecting several seemingly disparate events or technologies through an extended web of logic -- it's great fun to... READ ON

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4 Must-Read Books for Aspiring Writers

If there's one thing writers love talking (and complaining) about, it's writing. Lots of authors have put out books about their writing processes -- some better than others. Here are four of my favorites. (And please use the comments to suggest more books on writing that deserve to be featured!) 1. Telling Lies for Fun &... READ ON

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iTunes U Expands

We covered the launch of iTunes U in May, pointing to a body of free educational content delivered via the iTunes Store. Recently, iTunes expanded "beyond campus" to feature content from partners including Smithsonian Global Sound, KQED, American Public Media, and the Museum of Modern Art. The new content is accessible from the iTunes U landing page (this is an iTunes link -- if you want to access it from your own iTunes program, just click the iTunes U link in the upper left corner of the iTunes Music... READ ON