:: The 4th Era ::

by Jordan Shapiro

 

"Upper One Games is the first indigenous owned video game company in the United States.

 

"Announced at the 2013 Games For Change Festival, the partnership between E-Line Media and Cook Inlet Tribal Council aims to make “meaningful and scalable social impact by creating world-class games and game-based learning infused with Alaska Native values and culture.”

 

"Their first consumer game will be a top line indie game to be released on major consoles. And Upper One Games is not holding back. They’ve handpicked top commercial talent who are excited to be working on games for impact."

By Valerie Strauss

Summary by Public Education NewsBlast

 

"In an open letter to the students and parents of Montgomery County, Maryland and the Montgomery County Department of Education, teachers in the math department at Poolesville High School explain what they see as the systemic reasons behind widespread exam failures in their content area by students (letter reprinted by Valerie Strauss in The Washington Post). The failures proceed from policies in place for many years having a cumulative effect, they write. Students have been accelerated through the math curriculum as teachers and principals have been pressured to meet unrealistic targets, with the result that students have gaps in understanding. As many students as possible have been placed in honors math classes, so higher-performing students lack sufficient challenges, and those not in honors find themselves in classes with no peer role models and a culture of failure. The ubiquitous use of calculators in the early grades has resulted in students who lack number sense and basic skills, and thus cannot make the leap to algebra. And Algebra I de-emphasizes algebraic manipulation, leaving students unprepared for Algebra II and beyond. The teachers also recommend that students be required to pass a final exam to receive credit for a course, and teachers be allowed to assign grades that truly reflect mastery of content."

A great collection of links for self-directed learners. Over 100 resources in 12 different areas such as Open Courseware, Non-traditional education outside of college, Noteworthy Blogs about undorthodox ways of working, and Work Colleges combining schooling and working.

by Brandon Busteed

 

"The best type of curriculum for preparing students for the workforce is one that focuses on real-world problem-solving. It sounds simple, but for the first time, we have clearly established a link between students learning 21st century skills and future work success.

"The results of a Gallup/Microsoft Partners in Learning/Pearson Foundation study show that young workers in the U.S. who reported learning 21st century skills in their last year of school are more likely to say they have higher work quality. In fact, those reporting high levels of 21st century skill development in school are twice as likely to have higher work quality compared with their peers who had low 21st century skill development.

"In the study, the 21st century skills include knowledge construction, real-world problem-solving, collaboration, self-regulation, skilled communication, technology, and global awareness. Of all these,real-world problem-solving is the most important factor of higher work quality. Positive responses to the following two items have the strongest link to work quality:

“Worked on a long-term project that took several classes to complete”“Used what you were learning about to develop solutions to real-world problems in your community or in the world”

by Mike Brown

 

"Productive strategic thinking exercises are at the heart of The Brainzooming Group methodology. Great brainstorming and strategic planning questions encourage and allow people to talk about what they know including factual information, personal perspectives, and their views of the future."

- See more at: http://brainzooming.com/strategic-thinking-exercises-more-than-200-strategic-planning-questions/17443/#sthash.l7toLvKE.dpuf

Expanding on our weekly Innovation column — which asks, Who made that? — we explore the origins of dozens of products and ideas in this special issue of the magazine.

by David Hochman

 

"What’s beautiful about Waze is how it constantly surprises you. “Here?! You want me to turn here, Wazy Daisy?” Not to sound like The Californians on SNL but we Angelenos pride ourselves on knowing the right route at any given moment (“Take the 90 to the 405 to the 10 to the 110 to the 101 to the 5, dude”). Waze just knows way better. The other day I’m taking what I think is the only route back home from Whole Foods. It’s the way I’ve driven for ten years. Traffic was slugging up so I asked Waze what to do. Two seconds later, I’m snaking around traffic on side roads — I swear — I didn’t even know existed. It also pointed out a traffic camera, a road hazard and flashed an icon where the stopped vehicle was blocking traffic on my normal route. I probably shaved ten minutes off the trip."

 

 

by Justin Pot

 

"Have you ever considered writing a book? Are you planning to self-publish the book? If so, you probably have a lot to learn about the various processes you need to go through and the companies that can best help you along the way.

 

"Check out “Your Guide To Self Publishing: From Print to Kindle and Beyond!” This guide is by Christian Cawley, a resident MakeUseOf writer who has self-published his own book multiple times. It’s a comprehensive guide to the self-publishing process in order to make your life easier when you embark on the journey.

 

"Whether you’re working on a piece of fiction, poetry or any other piece of literature, this guide outlines your self-publishing options – digital and physical alike."

by Patrick Tucker

 

"A little-known California company called Esri offers a “Facebook for Maps” that promises to change the way we interact with our environment, predict behavior, and make decisions in the decades ahead."