First Day of Class Experience

James Lang advises new faculty on creating a positive first day experience for students.

-DD

Google Smart Display

J. R. Raphael suggests how Google Smart Displays could become an asset in the modern office. Raphael proposes that Google make the Google assistant interface user customizable:

...what if you had the option to add and then pin elements like a quick view of your inbox, a scrollable glance at your agenda, or a short list of your latest high-priority notes and lists? And what if, at the same time, you had the ability to remove elements that didn't make sense for your current purposes?

-DD

In the Fulness of Time

Matt Ridley speaks about the cause of cultural readiness for new technology.

-DD

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8jWUSmxkJg

Increase the Classroom Impact of Tech

Michelle Miller suggests how a teacher can maximize the impact of tech in her class.

-DD

What Is Wrong With Icons?

Barry Schwartz notes that Google has stopped using the magnifying glass as a search icon, replacing it with the word "Search ".

-DD

Aleutia

Mike Rosenberg shares the mission of his fanless computer company , Aleutia. He developed computers to work in the hot and dusty environment of African schools, where only solar power is available. The equipment is now being used in commercial settings, where low energy usage and small size are paramount.

-DD

Lost In the Stacks

WREK in Atlanta offers a weekly radio show focused on music commentary and library technology .

-DD

Refrigerator Care

Dale Sawa suggests how to care for your refrigerator , the things within it, and relationships with those who use it.

-DD

Book Discussion Replacing a Single Textbook

Instructor Ed Cunliff tells of replacing his course textbook with a reading list . He has students summarize their readings, and then the class discusses the concepts.

-DD

Identifying Public Domain Books

Matthew Gault reports on work by the New York Public Library to determine which works published prior to 1964 have fallen into the public domain . Preliminary work shows millions of books published from 1923 to 1964 never had their copyright renewed.

Gualt's article provides links to sites were public domain books can be downloaded.

-DD

Audio Sermons

The United Methodist Church has created an archive of over a thousand sermons .

-DD

Echolocation

Jessica Hester explains that echolocation can be learned . She tells of the experimental work of Daniel Kish, who now teaches echolocation to blind students.

-DD

Developing an Organizational Plan

David Perlmutter offers tips on developing a plan for a department or an organization.

-DD

Unintended Consequence of Technology?

J.R. Raphael has been raving about the capabilities and potential uses for the Pixel 4's radar system, saying:

According to previous ATAP demos, the Project Soli radar system can sense and detect gestures being performed as far as 15 meters — roughly 49 feet — away. Forty-nine feet! That's almost a third of the width of a U.S. football field.

and,

According to Google's ATAP group, the nature of the radar technology being used in the Pixel 4 allows the system to detect hand movements even through fabrics — without any visible path between your hand and the gadget.

The release of a phone that can resolve images of human flesh through cloth seems to have the potential to violate the privacy of strangers. Does anyone else predict awkwardness for Pixel 4 owners once someone hacks the phone to turn it into an "x-ray" goggle?

-DD

iCloud as a Collaboration Tool

Johnny Evans provides directions for using iCloud for collaboration between different Apple devices.

-DD

Getting to "Know"

The online newsletter Farnam Street in 2012 ran an article on the learning practices of Richard Feynman . Feyman observed that there is a huge difference between someone knowing the name and domain of a concept (what we retain from a typical classroom education) and the mastery that is demonstrated when one can utilize the concept and explain it to another person.

His test for mastery is as follows:

1. Choose a concept you want to learn about
2. Pretend you are teaching it to a student in grade 6
3. Identify gaps in your explanation; Go back to the source material, to better understand it.
4. Review and simplify (optional)

-DD

Chromebooks Offline

J.R. Raphael explains how to use a Chromebook offline using the tools Google provides.

-DD

Ikea's Vision for the Futurte

Elizabeth Segran writes of Ikea's vision for the future , which includes:

• People will spend years with roommates;
• Multignerational homes are coming into style;
• Longer lifespans allow a second career.

-DD

Sleeping Soundly

Tara Swart gives advice for a sound night's sleep :

1. No alcohol before bed;
2. Dim all devices;
3. Avoid fatty food before bed;
4. Smelling lavender or jasmine relaxes;
5. Enjoying a warm bath and/or personal contact is releases sleep hormones;
6. Drink nut milk With turmeric.

-DD

Deleting Zombie Apps

Brittany Hosea-Small directs readers in eliminating zombie apps from a device.

-DD

Android Security Advice

J. R. Raphael lists topics of interest to those charged with Android security . [You may need to register as an "insider" to view this content].

-DD

Career Change After Fifty

Rich Karlgaard gives examples of late bloomers , who developed a valuable career late in life.

-DD

Inclusive Teaching

Viji Sathy and Kelly A. Hogan discuss techniques for adding inclusive teaching to your skill set.

-DD

Employee Privacy

Sarah Krouse addresses employee privacy in an age when the employer can record almost every activity at your desk.

-DD

Budgeting

Chris Kornelis warns about common spending mistakes .

-DD

Strategic Thinking

Ron Carucci praises strategic thought .

-DD

Benefits From Playing Music

John Rampton outlines the benefits of playing music .

-DD

MS-DOS Viruses

Andrada Fiscutean tells of the gradual extinction of MS-DOS viruses .

-DD