Time travelling with Google Street View

It's interesting when media draws attention to itself - like this:
Teletubbies - Laa Laa shows a film on her tummy screen

So I felt I had to share this experience of looking up a local hotel in Google Street View:



Swivel to the left and you'll see a restaurant. There's snow and ice everywhere and it looks pretty bleak.

Now try stepping forward into the car park...



It's the Google Streetview team setting up their equipment and planning their routes!

Much as I enjoy my job, it must be fun to work for Google. It has a certain mystique - almost like brain surgery...


Anyway, back to Årsta and if we move forward out of the car park and we see that the Google Streetview team have gone, but they've left behind a gift to the people of Årsta...



Google Street View has a history function - click on the date at the top left hand corner of a Street View page to reveal a timeline. Think what fun people will have with this function in a couple of hundred years!

In my lifetime, I look forward to doing this:



Dear students & colleagues, thank you for a great Michaelmas Term and look forward to seeing you on Monday 11th January for the commencement of Hilary Term in our English courses at Hagabergs folkhögskola.

Wonders of the Human Body

Here is the link to our presentation:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1e03t_A89SS3KLBrP5EHluuT4NAN3eZk7YMlopJaCaMo/edit?usp=sharing

Choose one part (or aspect) of the human body that you want to learn more about.

Read as much as you can around your subject.

Present the highlights of your research in the shared Google presentation above. Feel free to create extra pages. Include references to what you've read - think of this primarily as a reading exercise and then as a teaching exercise.

Some useful websites:

http://www.innerbody.com/

http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body

Technology that is changing our lives

Today we watched this cool video:

We also learnt how to activate subtitles and transcripts in different languages for TED talks...

Inspired by Mr. Rosling (who incidentally has a problem pronouncing "chair" - making it sound like "share"), we settled on the following 2 questions:

What technology is changing your life the most?

What technology are you most thankful for?

Share your thoughts and pictures here:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1qLnriHtGzvi_M4wKorPczIEbnNiaKKCPHAhqgOBOLc4/edit?usp=sharing

Week 48 - Learning the lessons of WW2

As I'm away on Monday, here are the rest of the parts of Timothy Snyder's essay that we've been studying over the past few weeks:

Hitler's world may not be so far away - parts 1-6

By now, most of you have read parts 1-3 and as you're reading more quickly, I decided to put up the rest of the article in one go - parts 4-6 are waiting to be read.

Other students are working on their alternatives to Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Inspired by Snyder, we've also begun to look at visions of the future. 

Here is the TED talk we looked at on Wednesday:

Timothy Snyder lecture

As we're in the middle of reading a rather complex essay by Timothy Snyder, you might be interested in the following lecture he gave in Ohio Wesleyan University in 2013: 

Snyder, T. “The Global Holocaust: the Central European Past and Our Future,” Ohio Wesleyan University,
30 January 2013. https://youtu.be/bkdcFWUOc10?t=10m56s

Worth watching for the extra light he sheds on the same subject. Also, the questions and discussion after the lecture are also really good: https://youtu.be/bkdcFWUOc10?t=1h5m16s

Thanks to Isa who shared this!

Litteraturveckan - filmer

We all know that...



but here are some real movies (well short films) to enhance LITERATURE WEEK!


Supermodel survivor - Waris Dirie: https://youtu.be/-pWcOBTdUrc

Paulo Coelho on Luck, Coincidence, and Faith: https://youtu.be/kwkxzx6N6XE

George R.R. Martin Likes "Game Of Thrones" Fans To Be Afraid: https://youtu.be/ulUBDu_97z8

The role of the state

We continue our exploration of themes from Timothy Snyder's essay Hitler's world may not be so far away


In part 2, Snyder describes how state institutions were destroyed in Poland and the Baltic states, causing people to stop thinking reciprocally (i.e. taking care of one another) and begin to kill Jews.

For those working directly with the essay, here is your text: Hitlers world not so far away Part 2

For everyone else...

Many of you made mindmaps of needs, relating them to conditions for those needs.

What conditions did your mindmaps have in common?

In groups, look again at Maslow's hierarchy of needs and draw your own pyramid containing your needs. 

Which needs should the state be engaged in? In what ways can the state help fulfil your needs?

Which needs must you take responsibility for yourself?

Living space

In different ways we're going to be working with ideas from Timothy Snyder's essay, "Hitler's world may not be so far away".

For those of you working directly with the essay, here is part 1: Hitler's world not so far away Part 1

If you have difficulty reading the text, try the podcast: http://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2015/sep/24/podcast-audio-longread-hitler-ethics-history)

Source of the original essay:
Snyder, T. (2015, September 16). Hitler’s world may not be so far away. Retrieved November 2, 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/16/hitlers-world-may-not-be-so-far-away

* * *

For everyone else, I'd like you to think about the concept of "Lebensraum" - the space and resources we need in order to survive.

1) Write down everything you can think of that you (and most other people) need in order to live a happy and fulfilled life.

2) Write down the conditions required for these needs to be fulfilled.

Blog, email or use good old pen and paper to share your answers!

Accountability ladder

Here is an interesting tool you can apply to some of life's problems:

 The accountability ladder gives individuals and organizations a way to look objectively at an issue that they are dealing with  and to make some deliberate choices about how they want to handle it.

The further up the ladder you feel you are, the more choices become available.

The greater the percentage of people who describe themselves as in the top portion of the ladder, the greater the chance an organization has of collaborating and successfully attaining its goals.

Here it is:

Think of two situations in relation to the accountability ladder - one where you, a group you were part of or an organization climbed up the ladder - and one where you stayed near the bottom.

What do you think of the ladder - is it a useful tool or does it oversimplify things? Justify your opinion!

Abas - important music

Music spells a very important role in our lives.

Every so often, there are musical breakthroughs - new types of music are created that open our minds to new possibilities - new worlds of sound!

Music is personal - something that affects you might not affect me at all.

Our taste in music changes all the time - some music evokes memories of a particular time of our lives even if we no longer listen to it now.

Let's compare notes on what music we like and what music we think is important.

Click the link below and post music that you think is important and write a few sentences about it.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1qnv1mr8cN6igI4QCYWo5anT6eKzHNV3JK4YKROHrhLA/edit?usp=sharing

Abandonded places

The French photographer David de Rueda travels the world in search of unusual places. He is captivated by the aesthetic beauty of derelict buildings: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2015/oct/05/abandoned-places-in-pictures

When I grew up, I loved exploring derelict buildings with my friends - such as an abandoned warehouse full of empty washing powder packets, an old geriatric hospital where a scary tramp lived, an abandoned RAF camp and an old coal mine full of mysterious objects which fired our imaginations.

What about you? Describe an abandoned place that you have visited.

Tell us about the place and what it means (or meant) for you. You can blog about it or write directly here:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Xy4yCxT0X98rFrtf7m3vlW8-aflOZ8j0ODrWe85J-A4/edit?usp=sharing

Museum of crap things

Here is the link to our museum:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1s3_68iDUtueoywTyjdPs0BD9vr8aOlW88PTkYH1m9N0/edit?usp=sharing


Post an image and write a short description to accompany it.

Future archaeology

Earlier in the week, we looked at Ötzi the Iceman - a 5000 year old man found buried in ice. He was so well preserved that archaeologists could study his body and his belongings and draw conclusions about how it was to live in the mountain region between Austria and Italy.

Here is the paper, based on Ötzi's Wikipedia entry: Ötzi also called Ötzi the Iceman.

Now imagine that in 5000 year's time, archeologists discovered us, perfectly preserved in ice.

What things would they find? How would they explain what they find?

Fact, theory & hypotheses

Science uses specialized terms that have different meanings than everyday usage. These definitions correspond to the way scientists typically use these terms in the context of their work. Note, especially, that the meaning of “theory” in science is different than the meaning of “theory” in everyday conversation.

• Fact: In science, an observation that has been repeatedly confirmed and for all practical purposes is accepted as “true.” Truth in science, however, is never final and what is accepted as a fact today may be modified or even discarded tomorrow.
• Hypothesis: A tentative statement about the natural world leading to deductions that can be tested. If the deductions are verified, the hypothesis is provisionally corroborated. If the deductions are incorrect, the original hypothesis is proved false and must be abandoned or modified. Hypotheses can be used to build more complex inferences and explanations.
• Law: A descriptive generalization about how some aspect of the natural world behaves under stated circumstances.
• Theory: In science, a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses.

Can you find examples of facts, hypotheses and theories in the research about Ötzi man?

Abas 13 - Why do the leaves fall off the trees in autumn?

Mail me your blog address - gordon@hagaberg.org

If you have time, answer the above question.

The secret life of chaos

Week 36

We're watching this film together:

The Secret Life of Chaos



The.Secret.Life.of.Chaos.(2010) by costello74

Heroes who broke rules

Right now we are investigating people who broke rules for a greater good.

Some examples that students have begun to explore are:
Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson
Che Guevara
Rosa Parks
Aaron Swartz
George Washington
Malcolm X

Part of the project is to learn the life story of the person you choose to study. Focus on what the person believed in, what they did and what they ultimately achieved.

Instead of formal presentations, we're having a seminar on Thursday 23rd April. There each student presents the person they studied and we discuss each one in turn.

Is there anything special about this person's character/personality?

What influenced this person to rebel against the existing order?

What problems in society did this person try to address?

Would that person be content today or do you think they would still feel the need to rebel?

Do you agree with everything this person did?

English week 10 - country projects

The plan is for everyone to give a 5 - 10 minute presentation on a country/area/people of their choice on Monday 23rd March and Thursday 26th March.



Some students are interested in particular countries (e.g. England, Cuba, Australia...) while others are interested in areas (e.g. the Arab world) and peoples (e.g. the Normans).


Everyone has an angle, e.g. football, cuisine, wildlife, politics or technology.

Here are some sources:

CIA World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

Foreign and Commonwealth Office Travel Advice: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

Culture Crossing: http://www.culturecrossing.net/

Here you will find lots of statistics.

Remember, a statistic is USELESS unless we have something to compare it to. So use Sweden as a benchmark when telling us things like how many people can read and write, how many people die in car accidents, etc.

Happy Planet Index: http://www.happyplanetindex.org/data/

Transparency International - Corruption (by country): http://www.transparency.org/country

World Bank Data: http://data.worldbank.org/country

index Mundi - a compilation of data from different sources: http://www.indexmundi.com/

Your mission

Create a visually interesting presentation containing facts about your subject - e.g. a wall display, collage, blog entry or powerpoint.

Present your country to the class on Monday 23rd March - preferably with music and pictures!

Digital autonomi 3

Hann inte med att skriva förra vecka men en sammanfattning av vår diskussion...

Det finns mycket positivt med spel, inklusive datorspel:

McGonigal, J. (2012). Jane McGonigal: The game that can give you 10 extra years of life [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_the_game_that_can_give_you_10_extra_years_of_life

Vad är din erfarenhet av datorspel?

Vilka sorts spel gillar du och varför? Har det förändrats under tiden?

Kan man spela för mycket? I så fall, hur sätter vi gränsar? (som individ och som föräldrar)

Innehåll och design - ska vi undvika våldsamma spel eller kan våldsamma spel var bra? Realism - är det viktigt att spelmiljön är realistiskt eller kan en mer abstrakt miljö stimulera fantasin?

Digital autonomi 2

"Filter bubble" 

Vad är det? Ska vi vara rädd för det?


http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles?language=en#t-6203

Pariser, E. (2011). Eli Pariser: Beware online "filter bubbles" [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles

Det kan var intressant att prova Google utan "filter bubble" genom att använda en sökmotor som söker anonymt, t.ex. https://duckduckgo.com/

Är det så farligt med "filter bubbles"? Inte enligt AJ Kohn som kallar det för "Preference Bubble"...

Kohn, A. (2014, December 11). The Preference Bubble. Retrieved January 28, 2015, from http://www.blindfiveyearold.com/the-preference-bubble

Han uppmuntrar oss att jämför med andra bubbles (familje, vänner o.s.v.) och hur de förändras över tid genom "social entropy".

Reklam

Vad är bra och dåligt med reklam, tycker du?

Vi kan förminska reklam med hjälp av tillägg som AdBlock Plus 

Digital autonomi 1

“Vi formar våra verktyg, sen formar våra verktyg oss”

(Marshall McLuhan)

Digital autonomi är ett samtal om hur vi påverkas av teknik. Vi ska också titta på praktiska tips, lek och skapande med hjälp av datorer.

Idéen med det här samtalet började med en artikel som jag läst precis innan jullov: This Christmas, demand the right to a silent night av Mark Pesce.

Jag identifierade direkt med hans beskrivning av hur vi drabbas av 24/7 tillgänglighet. Då följar andra tankar om hur mycket vi styra vår teknik - eller styras av den.

Känner du igen det här...?

Har du sovit gott?

Jag kom på följande intressant artikel: Who wants SLEEP DEPRIVATION for Christmas? som visar hur viktigt det är med bra somn och hur datorskärmar förstår vårt somn. Den är baserat på följande studie:

Anne-Marie Chang, Daniel Aeschbach, Jeanne F. Duffy and Charles A. Czeisler (2014)
Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep, circadian timing, and next-morning alertness PNAS 2014 ; published ahead of print December 22, 2014, doi:10.1073/pnas.1418490112
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/12/18/1418490112.full.pdf+html

f.lux

f.lux är ett program som kan förminska blå ljus från din datorskärm eller mobil/surfplattor efter solen har gått ner. Kolla här: https://justgetflux.com/ och om du har en Android enhet, kolla här: http://alternativeto.net/software/f46lux/?platform=android