The Discovery Channel has an interesting series of videos about the effects of global warming on: polar bears; the Antarctic Ice Sheets; the Amazon rainforest; and the Great Barrier Reef. They also have a nice bit on what goes into the average American carbon footprint.
Tag: video
Counter-intuitive Rube Goldberg
A really neat take on a Rube Goldberg machine by 2D House:
Empathy
Empathy is seeing the world through the eyes of others. Adolescents tend to look inward, not outward, but empathy is the basis of morality, so exposure to others and other points of view is an important element of their education. I find the following video interesting (much like the Bright Eyes video) because in its hints at so many hidden messages and meanings. It provokes thoughts about who these kids are, what is life like for them, and how do they see the world.
Note: David Brooks argues that while empathy orients one toward moral behavior, it’s really sacred moral codes that convert that orientation into action.
Hurricane Sandy – Before and After
Sport Related Poetry Online
One of the neat things that came out of the London Olympics is the Winning Words website that collects sports related poetry in text and video form (full video collection here).
Dealing with Procrastination
To avoid putting off work:
- Change your thinking; self-motivate: Convince yourself that you’re enjoying your work, or you’re being productive.
- Change your environment: Put barriers between you and distraction
- Disciplined breaks: start with 25 minutes working and then take a 5 minute break. Increase the work interval over time.
- Deadlines: costly self-imposed or even external deadlines work.
Fixing the Voting System
C.G.P.Grey lays out the problems with the U.S.A’s current “first past the post/winner take all” voting system and then explains how to fix them:
The problems:
- Minority rule: You can win with less than half the vote (at least in the beginning).
- Inevitable, unavoidable, two-party system evolves over time.
- Third-parties become spoilers; the better a third-party does the worse it is for their voters because it takes away votes from the other party they would favor.
The solutions:
1. The Alternative Vote/Instant Runoff.
2. Mixed Member Proportional Representation.
Encouraging Academic Honesty
Dan Ariely concludes (video by RSA) that making people think about morality increases the likelihood that they’ll act honestly.
People try to balance the benefiting they gain from cheating against being able to feel good about themselves by being honest. While very few people tend to cheat a lot, many people cheat a little and self-rationalize their dishonesty.
Our school has adopted a short honor code that we’ll ask students to write at the top of tests and other assignments that is intended to remind them of their moral obligations.
Based on one of Ariely’s other conclusions, I’m also considering having students confess their in-class transgressions — talking out of turn; improper use of technology — every month or so, since this type of thing also seems to encourage probity.