Friday, January 31, 2014

Lesson VT: from Train to Vtols ! / Dalla locomogiva a vapore agli vtol ❄

 From the steam engine to the .... VTOLs ! 

http://steamcommunity.com/app/220200/discussions/0/648814842635366431/

http://www.scuolabook.it/furci-francesco-pozzi-elisabetta-le-strade-della-tecnologia-volume-b-gruppo-editoriale-raffaello-0992e-08sm010k02.html

978-88-472-8026-7 eisbn















History



Puzzle online (Big Boy)

http://www.effe-siti-torino.com/puzzle_BigBoy_130.asp


http://www.ataf.ch/ataf-new/images/stories/Tecnica/heusinger-steuerung.gif


http://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locomotiva_a_vapore


http://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locomotiva_FS_740

Monday, January 27, 2014

from Stephen Downes blog: ... On Reading and Learning !

Commentary #aboutREADING 
Your Assumptions About Reading Are Wrong
Tim Kastelle, The Discipline of Innovation, January 27, 2014
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Way back in the 1990s there was a prevailing opinion that the internet would result in the end of reasing. This was (I guess) because most people thought of it as another sort of TV. But there was a minority opinion to the effect that the internet would increase reading, because so much communication (from email to discussion boards to blogs) was in text (you can probably find this discussion somewhere in the annals of OLDaily). So, who was right? The long term results are still to come, but as of 2014, the short term results are encouraging. An old (2005) Gallup survey shows rates of reading climbing to the highest levels in half a century. And a new (this week) Pew survey shows readings rates (especially of e-books) continuing to climb. So if you're still in the group that thinks internet use decreases reading, check your assumptions.




 

Books: Rome
Various authors, Project Gutenberg, January 27, 2014
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Richard Seltzer has been pushing educational eBooks recently, for example this collection on the history of Rome. Which would be nice, but he is charging money for works that are available for free (he even borrows the descriptions of the works from Wikipedia). If you want to study the history of Rome (and you do, it's so fascinating!) then you should turn to the excellent and absolutely free works offered by Project Gutenberg.





Deep Learning
Hugo Larochelle, YouTube, January 27, 2014
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I spent the better part of the day Thursday watching Hugo Larochelle's presentation on deep learning. This is basically the use of neural networks to support unsupervised machine learning. The morning covered deep learning basics, and the afternoon looked at text analysis using deep learning. This was really good stuff. Some of the mathematics I couldn't follow, but I got the gist of most of it. And anyhow, he's placed a mountain of videos online. My photo is from my 'photo-a-day' set, newly revived for 2014.



The Origins of Totalitarianism, Hannah Arendt

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Saturday, January 25, 2014

On Creativity and divergent thinking / Della creatività e del pensiero divergente

Divergent thinking

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Divergent thinking is a thought process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions. It is often used in conjunction with convergent thinking, which follows a particular set of logical steps to arrive at one solution, which in some cases is a "correct" solution. Divergent thinking typically occurs in a spontaneous, free-flowing manner, such that many ideas are generated in an emergent cognitive fashion. Many possible solutions are explored in a short amount of time, and unexpected connections are drawn. After the process of divergent thinking has been completed, ideas and information are organized and structured using convergent thinking.[1]
Psychologists have found that a high IQ alone does not guarantee creativity. Instead, personality traits that promote divergent thinking are more important. Divergent thinking is found among people with personality traits such as nonconformity, curiosity, willingness to take risks, and persistence.[2]
Activities which promote divergent thinking include creating lists of questions, setting aside time for thinking and meditation, brainstorming, subject mapping / "bubble mapping", keeping a journal, creating artwork, and free writing.[1] In free writing, a person will focus on one particular topic and write non-stop about it for a short period of time, in a stream of consciousness fashion.[1]

See also

About Flipped Classrooms / Parliamo di Classi 'ribaltate'

What is a 'flipped classroom'?


The flipped classroom describes a reversal of traditional teaching where students gain first exposure to new material outside of class, usually via reading or lecture videos, and then class time is used to do the harder work of assimilating that knowledge through strategies such as problem-solving, discussion or debates. (Vanderbilt University, Center for Teaching).

The purpose of flipping the classroom is to shift from passive to active learning to focus on the higher order thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation (Bloom). As explained in this short video, Flipping the Classroom: Simply Speaking (Penn State), students access key content individually (or in small groups) prior to class time and then meet face-to-face in the larger group to explore content through active learning and engagement strategies.
There are many permutations of what a flipped classroom will look like and depends on variables such as class size, resources, support and readiness to change. At UQ, several teachers across the faculties have already flipped their classrooms and their valuable experiences have been captured in the Case Studies section.
In the flipped classroom, the roles and expectations of students and teachers change where:

  • students take more responsibility for their own learning and study core content either individually or in groups before class and then apply knowledge and skills to a range of activities using higher order thinking,
  • teaching 'one-to-many' focuses more on facilitation and moderation than lecturing, though lecturing is still important. Significant learning opportunities can be gained through facilitating active learning, engaging students, guiding learning, correcting misunderstandings and providing timely feedback using a variety of pedagogical strategies,
  • there is a greater focus on concept exploration, meaning making and demonstration or application of knowledge in the face-to-face setting (see Diagram 1 below).

Structure of flipped classroom Diagram 1: Learning opportunities of the flipped classroom (adapted from Gerstein)

Educational technologies
(see Diagram 2) are an important feature of the flipped classroom as they can be used to:
  • capture key content for students to access at their own convenience and to suit their pace of learning (e.g. lecture material, readings, interactive multimedia),
  • present learning materials in a variety of formats to suit different learner styles (e.g. text, videos, audio, multimedia),
  • provide opportunities for discourse and interaction in and out of class (e.g. polling tools, discussion tools, content creation tools),
  • convey timely information, updates and reminders for students (e.g micro-blogging, announcement tools),
  • provide immediate and anonymous feedback for teachers and students (e.g. quizzes, polls) to signal revision points,
  • capture data about students to analyse their progress and identify ‘at risk’ students (e.g. analytics).

What is flipped classroom Diagram 2: Key elements of a flipped classroom (Strayer)
For further information about the flipped classroom see the ‘Why’ and ‘How’ sections as well as further case studies, useful links and academic papers below.
In the 'Flipped Classroom : What is it?' video, University of Queensland academics describe what the flipped classroom means in their context.



This video can also be viewed here.
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Flip teaching

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Flip teaching (or flipped classroom) is a form of blended learning in which students learn new content online by watching video lectures, usually at home, and what used to be homework (assigned problems) is now done in class with teachers offering more personalized guidance and interaction with students, instead of lecturing. This is also known as backwards classroom, reverse instruction, flipping the classroom and reverse teaching.[1][2]

Traditional vs flipped teaching

The traditional pattern of teaching has been to assign students to read textbooks and work on problem sets outside school, while listening to lectures and taking tests in class.
"My AP Calculus class was a really anxious environment, it was weird trying to get through way too much material with not enough time. It was exactly the opposite of what I was looking for when I got into teaching." (A teacher explaining what motivated her to adopt flipped teaching.)[3]
In flip teaching, the students first study the topic by themselves, typically using video lessons prepared by the teacher[4][5] or third parties such as Mathletics,[6] the Khan Academy, and The University Edge.[7] In class students apply the knowledge by solving problems and doing practical work.[8][9][10] The teacher tutors the students when they become stuck, rather than imparting the initial lesson in person. Complementary techniques include[11] differentiated instruction and project-based learning.[12]
Flipped classrooms free class time for hands-on work. Students learn by doing and asking questions. Students can also help each other, a process that benefits both the advanced and less advanced learners.[13]
Flipping also changes the allocation of teacher time. Traditionally, the teacher engages with the students who ask questions — but those who don’t ask tend to need the most attention. “We refer to ‘silent failers,’ ” said one teacher, claiming that flipping allows her to target those who need the most help rather than the most confident. Flipping changes teachers from “sage on the stage” to “guide on the side”, allowing them to work with individuals or groups of students throughout the session.[13]

History



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