Top Ed-Tech Trends of 2011: The Higher Education Bubble
Part 8 of my Top Ed-Tech Trends Series To Uncollege One of the most interesting people I met this year was Dale Stephens. Dale is just 19, but he's an incredibly intelligent and poised young man. Peter Thiel's Higher Education Bubble It was a simple opening sentence to one of the most-read articles in the tech industry this year. "A true bubble is when something is overvalued and intensely believed, he says. As part of his critique of higher ed, Thiel formed the "20 Under 20" program, paying 20 students under the age of 20 to drop out of school, giving them $100,000 over the course of 2 years to do so. The Dropout Success Story Both Thiel's narrative and his fellowship program are a nod to a powerful piece of Silicon Valley mythology: drop out of college, build your own business, be wildly successful. The Other Kids I've only met 2 of the Thiel fellows: Dale and Andrew Hsu (CEO and co-founder of the educational gaming company Airy Labs). DIY Higher Ed Open Badges
How Genetically Modified Foods Could Affect Our Health in Unexpected Ways |
January 11, 2012 | Like this article? Join our email list: Stay up to date with the latest headlines via email. Chinese researchers have found small pieces of rice ribonucleic acid (RNA) in the blood and organs of humans who eat rice. The type of RNA in question is called microRNA (abbreviated to miRNA) due to its small size. Should the research survive scientific scrutiny -- a serious hurdle -- it could prove a game changer in many fields. That knowledge could deepen our understanding of many fields, including cross-species communication, co-evolution, and predator-prey relationships. This study had nothing to do with genetically modified (GM) food, but it could have implications on that front. Monsanto's website states, "There is no need for, or value in testing the safety of GM foods in humans." The Central Dogma resembles the process of ordering a pizza. We've known for decades that the Central Dogma, though basically correct, is overly simplistic. And,
khan academy • ESL Techies
Why the blended learning model is a good choice One of the latest trends in the education world is blended learning. So what is blended learning and how can it help English Language Learners? The term blended learning has been used in education for many years. In a flipped learning environment, the traditional format of in-class lectures followed by at-home student assignments is turned around or “flipped”. Another objective of this individualized approach is to empower students to direct their own learning by coming to class prepared to ask questions and problem solve with their peers after viewing the subject matter on their own. For English language learners the model has some obvious advantages. The next day, teachers can spend less time lecturing in the front of the room (a la “chalk and talk”) and have more time to spend engaged with students, giving more personalized instruction, while the students use class time to complete tasks alone or collaboratively.
What is MicroRNA?
MicroRNAs are a class of post-transcriptional regulators. They are short ~22 nucleotide RNA sequences that bind to complementary sequences in the 3’ UTR of multiple target mRNAs, usually resulting in their silencing. MicroRNAs target ~60% of all genes, are abundantly present in all human cells and are able to repress hundreds of targets each. These features, coupled with their conservation in organisms ranging from the unicellular algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to mitochondria, suggest they are a vital part of genetic regulation with ancient origins. MicroRNAs were first discovered in 1993 by Victor Ambros, Rosalind Lee and Rhonda Feinbaum during a study into development in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) regarding the gene lin-14. Since then over 4000 miRNAs have been discovered in all studied eukaryotes including mammals, fungi and plants. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
A Look Inside - Flipped
Posted By Meris Stansbury On February 9, 2012 @ 2:39 pm In Curriculum,eClassroom News,school reform,School Reform News,Top News | Teachers say that even though the pilot is over, they won’t go back to the old way of teaching. There have been many school reform trends over the past few years: student response systems, video games for math, mobile phones for learning—but none have completely transformed the notion of learning like the flipped classroom. Flipped learning [2], in essence, turns the idea of traditional classroom instruction on its head by asking students to watch videos of teacher lectures for homework, then apply the lesson with the teacher in the classroom. Using this method, proponents say, teachers have the opportunity to help students learn as individuals, and students can learn concepts more quickly. Watch Lake Elmo Elementary’s experience: One of the open houses took place at Lake Elmo Elementary School in Lake Elmo, Minn. And neither will students.
Regulators Discover a Hidden Viral Gene in Commercial GMO Crops
by Jonathan Latham and Allison Wilson How should a regulatory agency announce they have discovered something potentially very important about the safety of products they have been approving for over twenty years? In the course of analysis to identify potential allergens in GMO crops, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has belatedly discovered that the most common genetic regulatory sequence in commercial GMOs also encodes a significant fragment of a viral gene (Podevin and du Jardin 2012). This finding has serious ramifications for crop biotechnology and its regulation, but possibly even greater ones for consumers and farmers. This is because there are clear indications that this viral gene (called Gene VI) might not be safe for human consumption. It also may disturb the normal functioning of crops, including their natural pest resistance. Cauliflower Mosaic Virus It is easy to see the attraction for EFSA of option two. Unsurprisingly, EFSA chose option two. Séralini, G-E., E.
There Is No Such Thing as THE Flipped Class
The term "Flipped Classroom" is being thrown around a lot lately in both positive and negative light. I think the term is a bit ambiguous and does not fully do justice to all that is being done under the guise of the Flipped Classroom. My colleague, Jon Bergmann, and I have a book coming out soon that I hope brings clarity to what most of us mean by "The Flipped Classroom." In the mean time, I hope to shed some light on some of the confusion, critique, and hype. 1. What's in a name? A few years passed, our model morphed from content delivery via video, to a flex-paced mastery system and the name shifted to Reverse Instruction. Another year passed and we began to include elements of UDL and inquiry in our model. And then the "Flip" word was used. Here is the problem with the term "Flipped Class:" it implies version one of our screencasting model: that which used to be done in class is now done at home, and that which used to be done at home, is now done in class. 2006-2007 Live Recording
The CaMV promoter story
The CaMV promoter story The Biosafety Protocol concluded in Montreal reaffirms the precautionary principle but the problem is one of ensuring that the principle is implemented, as illustrated by the case of the CaMV promoter. The CaMV promoter is a gene-switch from the cauliflower mosaic virus which is incorporated into practically all current GM crops. Recent scientific findings reveal it may be highly unsafe. But many of the scientists themselves are refusing to read the implications of the findings or to draw the right conclusions in accordance with the precautionary principle. By Mae-Wan Ho The CaMV promoter - a recipe for disaster? THIS was the title of a scientific paper co-authored by myself and my colleagues, Angela Ryan from the Open University UK and Prof. We wrote a detailed rebuttal, which was likewise circulated and posted to the same website. Prof. What is a 'promoter'? A 'promoter' is a stretch of genetic material that acts as a switch for turning genes on. Worse
