Thanks for the minute

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Question/Idea

Allow students to pick a topic of interest, research and summarize in a short audio-cast that follows a particular pattern.

Inspiration

I got behind on my podcast feed and ended up listening to 8-10 episodes of 60-Second Science back-to-back. During that 8-10 minutes it became very evident to me the pattern/structure that each episode follows. Basically: hook, reference to study, data, cross-content connection. Interesting strategy to teach critical reading, summarizing and concise writing.

Scientific American: 60-Second Science
http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/podcasts.cfm?type=60-second-science

Mystery Hunt

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Question/Idea

Interesting how sophisticated the MIT mystery hunt has become. Interesting example of collaboration to construct and solve. How does this translate to an interdisciplinary project? There is an idea hiding in here that can’t find it’s way out.

Inspiration

http://bigthink.com/strange-maps/596-sound-like-a-map-to-you

At first the overlay of sound files to produce a visual representation of sound caught my attention. But the longevity and complexity of the puzzles is more intriguing.

Unique words as a function of worth

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Question/Idea

What relationship do the number of unique words have to the quality of the work?

cc licensed ( BY SD ) flickr photo shared by bionicteaching

Inspiration

I was looking at syllabi from famous authors and saw a paper requiring 3,500 words. I went to WolframAlpha to see how many pages that was. After seeing it was about 14 double spaced pages, I clicked on the option to use “words” as a unit and got the image you see above.

Architecture over time

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Question/Idea

Something about the architecture in cities intrigues me. What was society like during the construction/renovation of these buildings? How has space been conceptualized (reconceptualized)? What do these structures tell us about growth/development/health/happiness? How does the angle at which I look at the shot influence my perceptions?

Inspiration

http://btlondon2012.co.uk/pano.html

I can’t stop going back to this pan and looking at it from different angles. Wondering… What if we had panoramics like this that span out from the heart of the city at it’s inception?

Murmurations

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Question/Idea

I have witnessed a murmuration, I just called it a bird cloud. I was struck by their natural beauty, but also could see analogies to other patterns of nature. This is how an electron cloud around an atom must look. This is what a summer breeze would look like. Even more abstract, this is what the “I have a Dream” speech looked like.
Thoughts…

Inspiration

 

Murmuration from Islands & Rivers on Vimeo.

Murmuration Photos and Video
http://www.sciencedump.com/content/murmuration

Murmuration research
http://www.collective-behavior.com/publ/KingSumpter2012.pdf

Related Video: Bubble Man on Beach (I see this as an abstract notion of a poets life.)

Weather Modification

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Question/Idea

What happens when scientific curiosity and nature intersect? Should we take action to modify weather? When? Under what circumstances? Are there times when it is more acceptable than others? Should we apply scientific findings, just because we can?

Inspiration

Stuff you should know podcast found here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/stuff-you-should-know/id278981407

Persuasive Language

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Question/Idea

Are these the most persuasive words in the English language: you, free, because, instantly, new? I don’t know about that. Emphasize how context, content, and audience are interrelated in a persuasive argument by creating back up slides for an pitch that includes only these words (or whichever words you think make the list).

Inspiration

http://www.copyblogger.com/persuasive-copywriting-words/