Substance not popularity, reflection and boredom, not pace

I read with interest Frances Bell's post on Binaries, Polarization and Privacy in which she highlighted the divisive and binary nature of voting and such systems online that favors popularity over complexity and substance in online environments. Of course network theorists, such as Barabasi, have more than ten year ago shown that this development is inherent in online network forming: preferential attachment is one of the main characteristics in network forming: it is the person who gets most votes, the person who has been on the network the longest, the person who is most popular, who gets the attention, not necessarily the person who has something profound to say.

In an educational sense, this is problematic as it would be more important for people who have something valuable to say, and this might be something that is critical of the view point of the majority on the network, or a different point of view altogether, who would stimulate thought processes and debate on the network. In a learning environment where the voice of instructors is heard less and less, for instance in MOOCs, the emphasis should be on collecting the serendipitous, the slightly different to ensure a critical engagement with resources.

I would also like the incorporate here some thoughts on pace. It seems to become more and more valued to do everything fast, presumably as we have less time to give attention to each happening and piece of writing or video, but I wholeheartedly enjoyed this piece by Popova that harks back to reflections from some of the great minds of the past on 'boredom' and its importance in 'getting your act together' and being creative and making connections between information by taking the time for reflection. If there ever was a time in which boredom and reflection is important, it is today!

What MOOCs might have been...................

Well, I have not used my blog for a long time. A new job and sitting back to see how the commercialization storm that took MOOCs by surprise would unfold were my excuses. I have decided that I would not be true to my own principles and ideas of education and learning that involve active participation and human interaction if I would not do exactly that, participate and interact.

How did my change of heart come about? This morning a final draft student thesis landed in my inbox. It was a total surprise, it included many of my own thoughts, advanced on some of those thoughts, spun my own data around and it made me realize that what is at the heart of the original MOOC  development, connecting and sharing with other human beings, is as valid today as it was when I took part in one of the first MOOCs as a student on 2008. That experience blew my mind away as it lifted my educational experience to a global level and involved sharing with people who I considered experts and forward thinkers in the field. It flattened the hierarchy of power in educational institutions with the click of the button.  That is for me the essence of the MOOC!

I can no longer be quiet and sit back. It is clear that the highjack of the MOOC concept by some has opened up access to learning for some (especially already educated people). It is debatable if the xMOOC commercial development has done and will do anything to advance the essence of the original MOOC development: opening up access to education and learning for ALL; sharing of the learning experience and resources between young and old, advanced technology users and experts in the field and novices; advancing models of learning that take advantage of emerging technologies; creating technologies that will enhance this non-hierarchical connectivist learning; creating learning and knowledge commons structures in society, to name a few issues, but we will see.

My first reaction when xMOOCs appeared that used the same old, same old, top-down course (infra-)structure that we were used to from institutions was: how dare they distort something really good to something pretty mondane, just at a large scale, and then to make money out of it? Of course it is because they could. That's the beauty of humans with technology in their hands, we can create, build on something else and make it into what we want it to be.

I still wish they had called it something else, or perhaps the original MOOC should not have been called a MOOC, but a COOL (Connectivist Open Online Learning) event.

Anyway, Anna, you have made my day and guided me back to the origin of MOOCs of connecting, creating and sharing. Thanks!

Health Facts for Kids

Here are some more interesting facts regarding health…

Food gives you energy. It helps you to grow and be healthy.

The foods you eat are made up of different components – Proteins, fats, vitamins and proteins.

Proteins help your body to grow. They help your body to make muscles, skin and other organs and blood. They also help your body to mend when it is damaged.

Carbohydrates help your stay warm.

There are many different minerals such as calcium and iron and vitamins – A, B, C, D and E.

Keep your gums and teeth clean. Remove all the harmful bits of food that get stuck in your mouth, otherwise it will cause toothache, tooth decay and bad breath.

Your body is filled with muscles. You have more than 600 of them. Some of your muscles are fastened to your bones; and these muscles help you to move.

If doctors want to know how fast your heart is beating, they take your pulse. They can feel how fast the blood is being pushed through the artery in your wrist.

Blood flows away from your heart through your arteries. Blood flows back to your heart through your veins.

Almost every human being has some, or the other phobia. What is phobia? A phobia is an intense fear of a particular animal, situation, activity, or object. The fear is so much that it can affect one’s mental and physical health.

In the health facts here is given a list of the various phobias:

• Arachnophobia : Fear of spiders
• Ophidiophobia : Fear of snakes
• Aviatophobia, or Aerophobia : Fear of flying in a plane, helicopter, etc. (Imagine if birds had this phobia!)
• Agoraphobia, Cenophobia, or Kenophobia : Fear of open spaces
• Claustrophobia, or Clithrophobia : Fear of confined, or closed spaces
• Acrophobia, Altophobia, or Hypsophobia : Fear of heights
• Pogonophobia : Fear of beards (Santa Clause will not visit those with this phobia)
• Chorophobia : Fear of dancing
• Pediophobia : Fear of dolls
• Ichthyphobia : Fear of fish
• Batrachophobia : Fear of frogs
• Chaetophobia : Fear of Hair
• Eisoptrophobia : Fear of mirrors
• Triskaidekaphobia : Fear of number 13
• Linonophobia : Fear of strings
• Odontophobia : Fear of teeth

Health Facts for Kids

Here are some more interesting facts regarding health�

Food gives you energy. It helps you to grow and be healthy.

The foods you eat are made up of different components � Proteins, fats, vitamins and proteins.

Proteins help your body to grow. They help your body to make muscles, skin and other organs and blood. They also help your body to mend when it is damaged.

Carbohydrates help your stay warm.

There are many different minerals such as calcium and iron and vitamins � A, B, C, D and E.

Keep your gums and teeth clean. Remove all the harmful bits of food that get stuck in your mouth, otherwise it will cause toothache, tooth decay and bad breath.

Your body is filled with muscles. You have more than 600 of them. Some of your muscles are fastened to your bones; and these muscles help you to move.

If doctors want to know how fast your heart is beating, they take your pulse. They can feel how fast the blood is being pushed through the artery in your wrist.

Blood flows away from your heart through your arteries. Blood flows back to your heart through your veins.

Almost every human being has some, or the other phobia. What is phobia? A phobia is an intense fear of a particular animal, situation, activity, or object. The fear is so much that it can affect one�s mental and physical health.

In the health facts here is given a list of the various phobias:

• Arachnophobia : Fear of spiders
• Ophidiophobia : Fear of snakes
• Aviatophobia, or Aerophobia : Fear of flying in a plane, helicopter, etc. (Imagine if birds had this phobia!)
• Agoraphobia, Cenophobia, or Kenophobia : Fear of open spaces
• Claustrophobia, or Clithrophobia : Fear of confined, or closed spaces
• Acrophobia, Altophobia, or Hypsophobia : Fear of heights
• Pogonophobia : Fear of beards (Santa Clause will not visit those with this phobia)
• Chorophobia : Fear of dancing
• Pediophobia : Fear of dolls
• Ichthyphobia : Fear of fish
• Batrachophobia : Fear of frogs
• Chaetophobia : Fear of Hair
• Eisoptrophobia : Fear of mirrors
• Triskaidekaphobia : Fear of number 13
• Linonophobia : Fear of strings
• Odontophobia : Fear of teeth

Facts About Earthquakes

Earthquakes are movements of the Earth’s surface, often as a result of a fault, or fracture deep in the crust. They occur commonly in some parts of the world, as compared to others.

 An earthquake occurs when there is a sudden movement in the rocks underground.

 Earthquakes happen where the plates of the earth’s crust are moving in different directions. The rocks in the crust begin to bend because of the pressure, just as a stick would snap if you keep bending it.

 If the earthquake happens under the ocean, then it results in waves that travel through the water. They move in the same way that the ripples travel out from a pebble thrown into a pond. Waves made by earthquakes are called ‘tsunami’.

 Given here are some recorded facts about earthquakes:
 1. The worst ever earthquake to have occurred in the Middle East and North Africa was on 20th May 1202. This has been considered to be the worst ever known earthquake in which about 10,00,000 people lost there lives.

 2. On 2nd February 1556, 8,20,000 people were killed in the earthquake that rocked Shenshi in China.

 3. On 11th October 1737, a deadly earthquake is known to have rocked Calcutta in India, killing about 3,00,000 people.

 4. On 16th December 1920, an earthquake and landslides in Kansu Province left approximately 1,80,000 people dead.

 5. An earthquake in Tang-shan, China, on 28th July 1976, left approximately 2,42,000 people dead.

 6. An earthquake that rocked Kashmir going up to parts of Pakistan, on 11th October 2005, caused the death of approximately 1,00,000 people.

 7. An earthquake does not last more than a minute, two; however, an earthquake that rocked Alaska, on 27th March 1964, lasted for approximately 5 minutes. Thankfully, only 131 deaths happened. However, the damage done amounted to approximately 450,000,000 Dollars.

 8. On 26th December 2004, a Tsunami was created by an undersea earthquake, which caused catastrophic floods in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, The Maldives, Malaysia, India and a few parts of Africa, leaving over 2,83,000 people dead.

Facts About Earthquakes

Earthquakes are movements of the Earth�s surface, often as a result of a fault, or fracture deep in the crust. They occur commonly in some parts of the world, as compared to others.

 An earthquake occurs when there is a sudden movement in the rocks underground.

 Earthquakes happen where the plates of the earth�s crust are moving in different directions. The rocks in the crust begin to bend because of the pressure, just as a stick would snap if you keep bending it.

 If the earthquake happens under the ocean, then it results in waves that travel through the water. They move in the same way that the ripples travel out from a pebble thrown into a pond. Waves made by earthquakes are called �tsunami�.

 Given here are some recorded facts about earthquakes:
 1. The worst ever earthquake to have occurred in the Middle East and North Africa was on 20th May 1202. This has been considered to be the worst ever known earthquake in which about 10,00,000 people lost there lives.

 2. On 2nd February 1556, 8,20,000 people were killed in the earthquake that rocked Shenshi in China.

 3. On 11th October 1737, a deadly earthquake is known to have rocked Calcutta in India, killing about 3,00,000 people.

 4. On 16th December 1920, an earthquake and landslides in Kansu Province left approximately 1,80,000 people dead.

 5. An earthquake in Tang-shan, China, on 28th July 1976, left approximately 2,42,000 people dead.

 6. An earthquake that rocked Kashmir going up to parts of Pakistan, on 11th October 2005, caused the death of approximately 1,00,000 people.

 7. An earthquake does not last more than a minute, two; however, an earthquake that rocked Alaska, on 27th March 1964, lasted for approximately 5 minutes. Thankfully, only 131 deaths happened. However, the damage done amounted to approximately 450,000,000 Dollars.

 8. On 26th December 2004, a Tsunami was created by an undersea earthquake, which caused catastrophic floods in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, The Maldives, Malaysia, India and a few parts of Africa, leaving over 2,83,000 people dead.

Volcano Facts for kids

Volcanoes are amongst the most dreaded natural calamities, as the a hollow mountain top over flows with steaming hot lava.

 Here are some interesting volcano facts…
 1. Santorini : The eruption of the Greek island of Santorini in c1450 BC, is considered to have been one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions.

 2. Vesuvius, Italy : On 24th August AD79, Vesuvius erupted with little warning, engulfing the Roman city of Herculaneum in a mud flow. Nearby Pompeii was buried under a vast layer of pumice and volcanic ash. This preserved the city, in the bodies of many of its inhabitants, till it was excavated by archaeologists in the 19th and 20th centuries.

 3. Laki, Iceland : Iceland is one of the most volcanically active places on earth. On 11th June 1783, the largest lava flow ever recorded engulfed many villages in a river of lava measuring upto 80 km in length and 30 m in depth. It released poisonous gases that killed those who managed to escape the lava flow.

 4. Unsen, Japan : On 1st April 1793, the volcanic island of Unsen completely disappeared under the lave flow.

 5. Tambora, Indonesia : On the island of Sumbawa the eruption of tambora, between 5th and 12th April 1815, killed approximately 10,000 people instantly. Another 82,000 died over a period of time due to disease and famine.

 6. Krakatoa, Sumatra/Java : The uninhabited island of Krakatoa exploded on 27th August 1883, with what may have been the biggest bang ever heard by humans. People heard it up to a distance of approximately 4,800 km.

 7. Mont Pelee, Martinique : Mont Pelee began to erupt in April 1902, after lying dormant for centuries. The volcano finally burst apart on 8th May, showering the port with molten lava, ash and gas, destroying all the buildings and taking a large number of lives.

 8. Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia : In 1985, this Andean volcano gave warning signs that it was about to erupt; but the local people were not evacuated soon enough. On 13th November, the hot steam, rocks and ash ejected from Nevado del Ruiz melted its icecap, causing a mudslide. This completely engulfed the town of Armero.