Sir Ken Robinson: private schools & public schools

Sir Ken Robinson talks about private schools and public schools after his last book The Element. 


In a year of big changes, the debate goes on!  It's interesting to hear his opinion about the theme.




"People who think differently make the world a more interesting place. We need to nurture and help develop creative people, instead of labeling them as damaged."

Temple Grandin, Author of 
Thinking in Pictures


G-Souto

25.01.2011
Copyright © 2011G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com® 




Credits: video - PalomaTV (Santiago, Chile)


The Element book
http://www.elementbook.com/

Sir Ken Robinson: private schools & public schools by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Some apps for iPad helping education

Some apps for iPad helping your learning skills in school! Interesting apps and well demonstrated.

G-Souto

21.01.2011
Copyright © 2011G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com® 

Some apps for iPad helping education by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Credits: (included in video presentation)

Herbie Hancock : The Imagine Project at Casa da Música !

The Imagine Project

Herbie Handcock

https://www.herbiehancock.com/

"The Imagine Project is a 21st century Love-In, complete with psychedelia (Dave Matthews singing The Beatles's "Tomorrow Never Knows") and some groovy, good-time peace and love (singer Susan Tedeschi and slide guitarist Derek Trucks, stretching out on "Space Captain," made famous by Joe Cocker). Peter Gabriel's gentle "Don't Give Up" retains its writer's world interests in a duet partnering pop megastar Pink and R&B singer John Legend, but with some tasty contributions from guitarist Jeff Beck"

John Kelman

photo: Tribo de Luz, Portugal

https://i890.photobucket.com

December, 9th I have been at Casa da Musica to listen Herbie Hancock. The composer and keyboardist presented his musical project of peace, inspired by John Lennon's song "Imagine".

"It's a peace proposal"

    

Herbie Hancock

Collaborating with legendary trumpeter Miles Davis on the early nexus of jazz and rock, Hancock is considered one of the pioneers in the integration of funk, soul, hip-hop and synthesizer (electronic music) in jazz.

His musicians James Genus (bass), Trevor Laurence Jr (percussion), Greg Phillinganes (keyboards), Lionel Loueke (guitar), and Kristina Train (voice and violin). Excelllent musicians!

"The Imagine Project shall remain at its core, entertainment content that is creatively and emotionally deeply fulfulling."

photo: Tribo de Luz, Portugal

https://i890.photobucket.com

The beautiful Guilhermina Suggia room was full! 

Famous songs like 'Imagine', 'Don't give up', 'Times are a changing' and others have been reinvented with talent by the amazing musicians.

It was unbelievable  to have all those international musicians on stage that night. 

But the impressive jazz musicians on stage in front of us, had a wonderful performance in the art of improvisation and contact to the audience!

After two hours of splendid jazz music, Herbie Hancock and his musicians played an encore: "Rocket", one of his great hip-hop and electronic classics.

Wonderful breakdance sound! Big applause! And when Herbie Hancock (70 years old) and his musicians began to dance, the entire room followed them!

Here the beautiful theme of Kate Bush featured by Pink and John Legend of the album "The Imagine Project".

Há poucas personalidades com um impacto na história do jazz comparável ao de Herbie Hancock. O seu 70º aniversário deu origem ao álbum comemorativo intitulado The Imagine Project, preenchido por canções tão célebres como "The Times They Are A Changing" (Dylan), "Imagine" (Lennon), "Tomorrow Never Knows" e outras. Gravado em múltiplos locais com convidados de todo o mundo, dá agora lugar a uma tournée com o mesmo título e com uma banda de músicos soberbos, onde a voz terá um papel destacado.

Casa da Música, agenda

G-Souto

22.01.2011

Copyright © 2011G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

(musical break, in a sunny but freezing weekend)

credits: Photos - 'Tribo da Luz' Portugal

Herbie Hancock: Imagine by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Billabong Surf Trip nominated for IMGA 2011

http://www.billabong.com

Well well! Do you remember my post about the Portuguese surf game for iPhone and  iPad? 

"Billabong Surf Trip" is nominated on the category "Best Sports Games" of the 7th Annual international Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA). Read the details here

Screenshot Billabong

                                              http://www.imgawards.com/

The dynamic wave system is unique on iOS every wave is diferent and made in real time 3D. All the waves in the game represent the actual ones in real life. It's a serious Surf Sim game for iPhone and iPad

“This is a surf game with the kind of true surfing simulations that will make you feel you are at that perfect spot” says VP, New Media Scott Wallace. “It’s a trip around the world to surf the best waves on the planet.”
 
Super-realistic waves that can be traveled to on Billabong Surf Trip include World Championship Tour locations like Mundaka, Spain; Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa; Pipeline, Hawaii; Teahupoo, Tahiti and many others 

Play here

screenshot Billabong

                                                 http://www.billabong.com

The 22th October 2010 I wrote on my post Portuguese surf game for iPhone and iPad that Billabong Surf Trip was a game developed by Billabong and Bidroid, and it brand new surf game for surfers made by surfers. 

“The player has direct control of the board on the wave,” says Taj Burrow currently rated #1 on the ASP World Tour. “You focus on pace rather than on action.”

http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/

You can vote for the People's Choice Award of the International Mobile Gaming Awards. The game with the most votes will be announced on 17 February 2011 at the Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona.

Screenshot Billabong

http://www.imgawards.com/

                                           

“The player paddles in the water waiting for the right wave. At the right moment the player jumps onto the board,” says Tiago Pires another ASP top surfer who has been involved with testing Billabong Surf Trip. “The camera tracks the player as he rides the wave. The wave is dynamic and changes constantly. It’s the ultimate thrill for any die-hard surfer, nothing comes close to being in the tube!"

Education:

As I wrote before, there is not many games on sports. And less on  surf! So, this surfing game will be the perfect game to motivate young people to a healthy outdoor life!

And the fact of best international surfing champions being  behind the creation of this project will help kids and teens, girls and boys, to practice this healthy sport... learning wih a game in Sports curriculum.

And I was right! The game has been a success!


The surf-art style graphics create super-realistic visuals, and the game has many highlights that create a whole world inside the surfing culture. Future platforms will include Sony PSP, Wii Ware, Xbox 360.




Don't forget! Vote! And ask your students to vote !




G-Souto


20.01.2011
Copyright © 2011G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com® 

References

Billabong
http://www.billabong.com

The 7th Annual IMGA 2011
http://www.imgawards.com

Souto, Gina, G-Souto's Blog, Portuguese surf game for iPhone and iPad, 22.11.2010
http://gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com

Billabong Surf Trip nominated at IMGA 2011 by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Environmental Games at school : Fate of the World: a SG

Fate of the World game
credits: Red Redemption
http://fateoftheworld.net

"A diferença entre um jogo de impacto social e os meios tradicionais - livros, documentários, peças de teatro, etc. - é que sobre o mesmo assunto estas são todas experiências passageiras. Mas nos jogos pode-se 'calçar os sapatos' de uma perspectiva diferente e fazer escolhas significativas"

Jeff Ramos

Fate of the World
credits: Red Redemption

http://static.guim.co.uk

Fate of the World is a dramatic global strategy game that puts all our futures in your hands. The game features a dramatic set of scenarios based on the latest science covering the next 200 years. 

We must manage a balancing act of protecting the Earth’s resources and climate versus the needs of an ever-growing world population, who are demanding ever more food, power, and living space. 

Will  we help the whole planet or will we be an agent of destruction?

"But if people can feel and see the evolution of variables in a system – such as a changing climate – it can be a better way of learning than reading lots of scientific prose."

Tom Chatfield


Some information: Awards

Climate Challenge

http://www.bbc.co.uk

Fate of the World is the sequel to the popular BBC Climate Challenge played by around 1 million people all over the world. 

BBC Climate Challenge was winner of Best European Green IT Award 2008, DEFRA Climate Challenge Award, Serious Games 2009 Finalist, Games For Change 2008 Finalist, EuroPaws 2008 Finalist.

Fate of the World is brought to you by the award-winning Red Redemption games team including Executive Producer Klaude Thomas (Battlestations: Midway), Lead Designer Ian Roberts (BBC Climate Challenge) with climate modelling by Dr Myles Allen (University of Oxford), writing by David Bishop (Dr Who, 2000AD), music composed by Richard Jacques (Mass Effect, Alice in Wonderland) and gameplay direction by veteran game designer Matthew Miles Griffiths (Conflict: Desert Storm, Battlestations: Midway, Cannon Fodder GBC, Futurama, Thunderbirds GBA). 

Read the review in The Guardian/ Environment (December 2010).

Fate of the World
credits: Red Redemption

http://static.guim.co.uk

Education:

"Fate of the World is a PC strategy game that simulates the real social and environmental impact of global climate change over the next 200 years. The science, the politics, the destruction - it’s all real, and it’s scary."

It's certainly an excellent game! And an even better educational digital resource to include into school curriculum: Environmental education of young citizens at school.

This Serious Games will motivate students awareness to the problems of the Planet, preparing them to become active environmentalists.


Fate of the World help students to choose  which side they want to be: Helping the planet or be an agent of destruction?  Critical thinking will be developed as skill among other.

Fate of the World

credits: Red Redemption

http://store.steampowered.com/app/

Mission: 

Solve the crisis. But, like life, it won’t be easy. Students will must pass through natural disasters, foreign diplomacy, clandestine operations, technological breakthroughs, and somehow satisfy the food and energy needs of a growing world population

Will they help the planet or will they become an agent of destruction? That's the way to develop critical thinking.

Students might, in an independent act, after a real comprehension of the problems, choose which side they will be. Save the planet? Or destroy it?

Level: Elementary | Secondary Education +up 12.

Curricula: Sciences; Geography; Civics.

Fate of the World

credits: Red Redemption

http://store.steampowered.com/app/

Educators: 

Before including this awesome serious game into their curriculum, teachers educators must be informed about the technical requirements here

"Serious Games is a movement that aims to use new gaming technologies for educational or training purposes. It investigates the educational, therapeutic and social impact of digital games built with or without learning outcomes in mind. This movement has emerged to meet the needs of a new generation of learners."

Digtal Games in School~

"Video games are an ideal, natural medium for learning." 

David Samuelson 

G-Souto

17.01.2011

Copyright © 2011G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com® 

Environmental Games at school : Fate of the World: a SG by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

References:

Vaughan, Adam, Climate change chalenge for computer games, /The Guardian, Environment, 2010

Digital Games in Schools, May 2009

http://games.eun.org
Abreu, Bruno, Videojogos descobriram um novo adversário: as alterações climáticas, DN/ Ciência, 21.11.2010