I have seen a few of these around Japan and even a few tiles on sidewalks depicting historic scenes from local areas. Thanks to Toxel, here are a few more to view. A bit more interesting than a simple circular piece of metal and just as good as the storm drains from Brazil.
Two stumbles today. The first is on Daikichi Amano, a photographer who mixes the macabre, horror and manga through portraits. Then there is horror writer Koji Suzuki (author of Ring) who…
…has teamed up with a Japanese paper manufacturer to have his latest stomach-churning novella published in a very convenient form – on toilet paper. Story here.
Read only once? Buy your own multiple rolls? Not bad for approx 210 yen (2USD). 12 normal rolls would set you back between 250-400 yen here in Japan. Disposable book or proper recycling?
In a world in which information is like air, what happens to power?
New technologies and a closely related culture of collaboration present radical new models of social organisation. This project brings together leading practitioners and thinkers in this field and asks them to determine the opportunity for government.
This website features all material being created during the making of the film.
Us Now from Banyak Films on Vimeo.
TiltViewer is a free, customizable 3D Flash image viewing application. Very cool.
Will Lion uses it to gather and present digital bytes (pictured below).
Select a photo and click the arrow. This flips the picture and shows relevant info. Click on “View image info” and it will bring you to the Flickr page.
Could be a very nice way to display student work or an alternative way to give presentations. Since I am on the topic, you may also be interested in CoolIris or DestroyFlickr.
There’s an article in the new issue of IBWorld magazine entitled Schools 2.0.
Teachers and students are using technology to make connections with each other across the IB community, and extend their links with the rest of the world. It may be a good introduction to those unfamiliar with some 2.0 tools and terms, their possibilities and a few activities.
Read the full article here.
From the site:
Artopia is a comprehensive Web-based arts experience designed for middle school students, covering the visual and performing arts. Students can closely examine important works of art and take part in activities that teach about styles, principles and processes of each art form. They can write about the artworks online, collect art cards in a virtual portfolio and view videos of professional artists at work. Teachers may exhibit their students’ artwork in a virtual gallery and both students and teachers can communicate with other artists in an online message board.
In a special area for teachers there are downloadable lesson plans and classroom materials that tie Artopia activities to appropriate National and South Carolina curriculum standards. Artopia is a place where learning about the arts is participatory, educational and fun.
I haven’t made my mind up on this one yet as I need a bit more time to explore it. Any thoughts about it from others?
When the term and school year winds down, report writing rears it’s head. I find myself evaluating over a hundred pieces of student work and it’s always difficult to evaluate creativity. Using a hand wheel, Grade 8 students created pinch cups and slab plates for their ceramics unit. Grade 7 students studied positive/negative space and created designs for their lino printing projects (even though we used softoleum). They looked at the work of William Morris, Johanna Basford, and several world patterns, designs and motifs (Celtic, African, Islamic, Native American and ancient Egyptian). Video links for grade 8 here and grade 7 here.
Our Grade 2s had an Endangered Awareness Day yesterday for one of their units. The second grade area was transformed into a range of habitat zones, each exhibiting their species. Other students, classes, teachers and parents were invited to attend during certain times. Students researched their species along the following lines:
1. Interesting facts about my species
2. Food chain or food web for my species
3. Ways in which my species is suited to its habitat
4. Human activities that challenge my species to survive
5. How people can help my species survive
Presentations, displays, books, posters and dioramas were created. Some even dressed up! It really was a zoo ; )
One & Other
This summer 2,400 people from all over the UK will create an incredible living monument – the brainchild of the artist Antony Gormley. Every hour, 24 hours a day for 100 days, a different person will step up to the Fourth Plinth and help make a living portrait of the UK now. You can join in.
Read more
Making the world’s knowledge computable
Wolfram|Alpha is the first step in an ambitious, long-term project to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable by anyone. You enter your question or calculation, and Wolfram|Alpha uses its built-in algorithms and growing collection of data to compute the answer. Based on a new kind of knowledge-based computing… more »
Also read what Wired has to say about it here.
Thanks to Shane M. for the tips.
