We are nearing the end of the “Brood II” swarm of 17-Year Cicadas, so-named because the flying insects literally spend 17 years underground before emerging for one month to breed, lay eggs, and die. Also called “swarmageddon,” this entomological phenomenon has sadly (or fortunately, depending on your bug-loving/hating persuasion) not had a major impact on […]
Being an introvert should not be a problem in our society, yet it is. According to author Susan Cain, schools and workplaces are designed for extroverts and corporate America often doesn’t allow introverts to be introverted. Cain wrote a book called Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, in which she suggests […]
One of my favorite things about my series of Wade’s Favorite Ted Talks are the unique ways educators and scientists view a problem and the interesting ways they approach a solution. David McCandless, who describes himself as an “author, data journalist and information designer,” delivers this compelling TedTalk about data mining and ways to visualize […]
What, exactly, is sustainability? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that, “Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.” Productive harmony…pass me my tie-dyed shirt, Ringo. We hear a lot about sustainability at […]
John Bohannon believes that bad PowerPoint presentations are “a serious threat to the global economy.” He says that poor use of PowerPoint gives the illusion of competence, simplicity, and understanding. Wouldn’t a presentation go over much better if it were delivered as a dance? In his Ted bio, Bohannon is described as “a biologist and […]
In the latest in my series of Wade’s Favorite Ted Talks, Clay Shirky, a writer, professor, and consultant, delivered the following embedded presentation to the US State Department regarding the transformed media landscape. According to Shirky, whose consulting firm develops decentralized technologies such as wireless networks and peer-to-peer, what matters in today’s communication “is not […]
In the latest in my series of Wade’s Favorite Ted Talks, Khan Academy founder Salman Kahn talks about the power of interactive exercises for next level learning. “My cousins preferred seeing me on YouTube instead of seeing me in person!” says Kahn. After he got over the initial pain of the insult, he realized something […]