Educating the Masses on the Lottery Odds

The lottery is up to 640 million.  People are flocking to get their tickets.  What is interesting to me is the education going on through the newspaper and online articles.  Here are some statistics they are using to educate the masses:

- Your odds are 1 in 176 million

- Getting hit by lightning are 1 in a million

- Drawing a royal flush in five-card draw is 1 in 650 thousand

- Having identical quadruplets is 1 in 13 million
- Dying from a bee sting is 1 in 6 million

- Dying in a plane crash 1 in 30 million

Education through statistics is fun.

Which came first, technology or slackers?

I constatly hear how technology has caused our kids to become dumber.  Technology is blamed for bad grammer, poor social skills and wild abandonment of morals and values.  You know who is saying this, the adults.  Every generation of adults complains about how bad the kids are.  When I was a kid, it was generation X.  Known for bad grunge music, worst poetry and hanging out in coffee shops.  We were considered the wasted generation, wallowing in self-loathing, apathy and a waste of potential.  My parents, the baby boomers are known for woodstock, dropping acid, the hippie counter-culture and free love.  Every generation thinks the generation that comes after it is a bunch of useless kids.  And then those kids become your boss. 

These poor grammer, no social skill kids will adapt.  Just as we adapted, because the adults will adapt more slowly, or not adapt at all.  And then those kids, as they become adults, will be our professors, our leaders, our intellectuals, our politicians and our society.  So for those who fighting against the rapid changes occuring in society, fight on.  But know that society will shape itself regardless of your actions.  And technology will that catalyst that changes it more rapidly than the adults can adapt.

Using Visuals

So today I did an experiment.  I was tasked with communicating information to two people.  The information was the same, but with one person I used a visual and with the other I did not use a visual.  I know that both individuals prefer an auditory style of learning. 

After meeting with each, I found that even though they both have auditory styles of learning, using the visual still made a dramatic impact to the retention and understanding of the information being presented.  Very interesting.

Hybrid Philosophy of Adult Education - An "Aha" Moment

I have been contemplating how all of the philosophies of adult ed overlap and play off one another.  For example, it is actually impossible not to use some form of behaviorism in your training, teaching or facilitation.  The same can be said of liberalism's Socratic method or discovery through questioning or focusing solely on the idea.  The idea without application is meaningless.  And application comes into play in progressivism.  And anytime you lay your hands on a view and steer it a certain direction, you are engaging in radicalism.  Which is also unavoidable.  So the discussion isn't so much which you use, it is which you use at which times.  And there is your natural inclination and your purposeful use of the philosophies.  In a sense, when you use a particular philosophy to achieve a specific goal, you are once again using the behaviorist philosophy. 

I wonder why instead of focusing so much time on the definitions and roots of these philosophies, we aren't instead focusing on the proper use.  For example, use behaviorism for classroom structure, training plans, objectives and tests.  Use liberalism for small group and group discussion and for brainstorming and critical thinking.  Use Progressivism for practical examples, labs, exercises and small group projects.  Focus on the practical application of the idea.  Use Humanism for independent study outside of the classroom to promote learning outside of the learning environment.  Use Radicalism to discussion social and political ideas, critical thinking in a macro-sense and call to actions.

Had the topic been introduced and broken down into the application of these philosophies instead of the learning about these philosophies, I certainly would have been hooked from the beginning.

Thoughts on question #2 of "It can't happen here" (cont)

Of the 15 planks, which do you agree with?

Disagree with #1 - All banks, stock, insurance, bonds, mortgages, mines, oilfields, water power, public utilties, transportation and communication beed controlled by the government.

Disagree with #2 - Government determines which unions represent the people and they are bureaus of the government where all labor disputes are settled by the government.

Agree with #3 - Right to private property

Disagree with #4 - Right to religious freedom except.  Once you say except, I'm out.

Disagree with #5 - Cap on individual annual income of $500,000 and lifetime cap of $3,000,000 and cap on inheritence of $2,000,000.

Disagree with #6 - No profits on wartime manufactoring.

Disagree with #7 - Military expanded until the same size as the largest army on earth.

Disagree with #8 - Double the supply of money.  This would decrease the value of current money making debts cheaper but savings diminished.

Disagree with #9 - Do not strongly condemn un-christian nations.  Support jews as long as they support american ideals.

Disagree with #10 - African-americans income capped at $10,000.  Absurd.

Disagree with #11 - Every family gets $5,000 a year.

Disagree with #12 - Women not allowed to work.

Disagree with #13 - Communist inprisoned.

Agree with #14 - All bonuses promised to former soliders will be paid.

Disagree with #15 - Congress holds no power but to advise and supreme court cannot overturn executive laws.  Absurd.

Thoughts on question #2 of "It can't happen here"

Why the term "forgotten men?"  Since Windrip is a populist candidate he focus is on the people over the elite.  So the forgotten men would represent the common person.  This separation plays on class warfare.  It reminds me of the call of the 99%. 

Social Loafers

A student completing their capstone brought in a survey for us to complete during class.  Her capstone project was over "social loafers".  I had not heard the term before but now that I have I like it.  A social loafer is a person on a small team that does not pull their weight.  They are unprepared, do not participate, expect others to do the work and take credit for it all.  It seems like overachievers and social loafers falls within a normal curve in classes.  10% overachievers, 10% social loafers, and a run of everything in between.

Learning about the Hunger Games

The movie "The Hunger Games" has to quickly educate its audience about the rules of the Hunger Games in the movie.  The director does a great job considering that the rules are relatively complex and the director has to educate a very diverse audience.  The education was delivered using a video within the movie, dialog between the characters, rules laid out by narration and rules given while participants were training.  Multi-prong approach seemed effective as the audience seemed like they understood the rules by the time the Hunger Games began.

The Hunger Games vs. It Can't Happen Here

While watching the new movie "The Hunger Games" I got to thinking about the statement, "It can't happen here".  In The Hunger Games, the rich live in a lavish city and poor live in 12 different districts and are very poor.  To keep the society in order, the aristocrats hold a game where 2 kids from each division compete to the death and the winner gets riches and fame.  When I think, "can it happen here", my answer at first was no.  But then I started thinking about the question itself.  It's really a poorly worded question.  When you use the word "can't", it's a term with a very difined scope.  It's almost a trick question.  Because if you reworded it to say, "is it likely to happen here?" the answer is clearly no.  If you "can't", the answer changes to maybe.  Of course, "It can't happen here" was written 80 years ago and it never happened.  So maybe it can't happen here.

Thoughts on Queston 1 for "It Can't Happen Here"

1. On page 26-30, Doremus delivers a monologue about why Fascism, Communism, etc. CAN happen here.  One quote follows:

“ Prohibition—shooting down people just because they might be transporting liquor—no, that couldn’t happen in America!  Why, where in all history has there ever been a people so ripe for a dictatorship as ours!”

Discuss this in context with today’s political climate.  What is happening in our world that mirrors events in the novel – or are there any?

Books examples:
1)  Huey Long's monarch over Louisiana - aka Kingfish, motto was "Every man a king".  Dominated the state government.  Wanted mass redistribution of wealth.  Assisinated in 1935.
2)  Father Coughlin divine oracles to millions - broadcasts have been called "a variation of the Fascist agenda applied to American culture".  After hinting at attacks on Jewish bankers, Coughlin began to use his radio program to issue antisemitic commentary, and later to support at least some of the policies of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.^[4]
3) Tammany grafting - It was the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in controlling New York City and New York State politics and helping immigrants, most notably the Irish, rise up in American politics from the 1790s to the 1960s.
4) Ku Klux Klan
5) Called sauerkraut 'Libery Cabbage' - due to concerns the American public would reject a product with a German name, American sauerkraut makers relabeled their product as "Liberty cabbage" for the duration of the war
6) Kiss the feet of Billy Sunday, the million dollar evangelist - Sunday was a strong supporter of Prohibition, and his preaching almost certainly played a significant role in the adoption of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919.
7) and Aimee McPherson - Accused of lying about being kidnapped and turning up in the Arizona dessert.  More likely with lover off the pacific.  Evangelist who used radio.
8) Voliva - Evangelist who believed in a flat earth
9) Mother Eddy - Wrote the textbook for christian science - healing power of god
10) OGPU were hiding in Oskaloosa - Soviet secret police
11) Al Smith - Democrat presidential nominee who believed in the pope over the consitituion
12) Tom Heflin - Democrat - Aruged that black Alabamans shouldn't vote and was against interracial marriage
13) William Jennings Bryan who learned biology from his pious old grandma - Democrat - attacked the theory of evolution.  Presidential candidate.
14) Kentucky night riders - a vigilante group that murdered, burned down buildings, and seized towns because of the unfair, low price of tobacco by the Duke monopoly.
15) Children's crusade - story tells of a Christian boy who gets 30,000 children to crusade to convert muslims and either died in a shipwreck or were sold into slavery.
Sinclair Lewis clearly dislikes religious extremists who are anti-prohibition and anti-evolution.

Thoughts on "It Can't Happen Here"

I am into the first couple of chapter of the book "It Can't Happen Here".  I am having a hard time understanding how this book fits with the "Philosophies of Adult Education".  So far the book seems like political fiction written to show what happens when a extremist political views go unchecked.  I am not sure how that fits with the adult philosophies of liberalism, pragmatism, behaviorism, humanism and radicalism.  Unless it is an example of radicalism where education is used to advanced social change.  But we haven't studied Radicalism yet and I haven't seen an education in the book yet either.

Maybe it will make more sense as I get further into the book.

iPad 3 comes out tomorrow

The iPad 3 comes out tomorrow and pre-orders are sold out and lines are already forming a week in advance.  Just continued proof that the iPad is next revolution since the Internet.  I cannot wait to see how it continues to shift education, training and presentations. iPads for everyone.

Progressivism vs. Behaviorism

Of all of the chapters we have had to read so far the chapter on Progressivism has been the most difficult for me to grasp.  That philosophy just seems like a mish-mash of all the other philosophies.  How it exactly connects to the term pragmatism also escapes me.  Of course, I cannot think of a better way to categorize the learning philosophies though but if I did I would probably redefine Progressivism the same but take out the social change elements.  Radicalism seems to cover that topic enough.

My Thoughts on this Blog Journal

I have been thinking about whether or not this blog journal is effective.  It has been helpful in getting my thoughts written down, so in that regards it is helpful.  I wish blogging was used by all students and shared so that we could read and comment on each other's blogs.  It is a such a rich and meaning tool to allow for a deeper level of thought and critical thinking on subjects and topics.  Plus it is free and easy to set up and use.  I hope it increases in popularity.

The Art of Gamification

I stumbled across an interesting website today that is dedicated to the gamification of education.  The website is gamification.org.  Gamification is currently just a buzz word or better put, it's being hyped (see hype diagram =>).

Gamification is the idea of adding game elements to educational experiences.  The focus has been on computer-based training but there are several examples that use card games and board games as well.  The idea is sound, but the execution has been lackluster.

The reason for this is probably due to the difficulty of adding game elements into your computer based training.  There aren't very many delivered gaming solution for training.  The best implementation of gamification of education that I have seen is Khan Academy.  You can earn points and badges as you progress through the online video and math learning map. 

Oh iPad, Education will Never be the Same

Oh iPad, how you have changed the world.  It's ridiculous how such a simple electric device can shift the entire paradigm of education.  When you think about it, there are only four things that the iPad changed to make this massive change in education occur: 
1) It is ultra-portable
2) It turns on instantly
3) It uses single-service applications
4) It is relatively inexpensive compared to laptops

That's it.  That is the revolution.  And now children and adults alike are using iPads to learn.  Whether is browsing the news, interactive magazines, the Internet, YouTube videos, FaceTime interaction, learning applications, wikis, the list is endless.  Now all of these formal and informal learning sources are at our fingertips and available whether we are.  I even saw a physician carrying one around the other day looking up reference materials while walking to the cafeteria in the hospital.  Simply amazing.

I cannot wait to see how it transforms the classroom, corporate training and higher education. 

The Pencast

I have been learning about a new training technique called the Pencast.  While using a smartpen, you speak and write a lesson onto paper.  You then upload that to the Internet and now you students can view the lesson being written and spoken at the same time.  The student can click on any of the writing to skip ahead or go back to previous comment.  It is really a unique and exciting new teaching tool.  Thank you technology, for continuing to come up with cool ideas.

Sample Pencast on how to make sushi (be sure to click "fulls screen" mode):
http://www.livescribe.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/LDApp.woa/wa/MLSOverviewPage?sid=02Gp1k4jWc86

Stuxnet Virus vs. Mis-educative

The Stuxnet virus is a computer virus created by the CIA that was used to shut down Iran's nuclear program. The computer virus spreads from device to device until it gains access to a set of specific servers that control Iran's nuclear facilities. Once the virus finds its intended server, it begins to corrupt the computer until it is unusable.

I thought of this when I came across the term mis-educative in our reading which means to "educate improperly". With the growing popularity of the Internet it seems like incorrect information spreads like the Stuxnet virus until it gets into the minds of those reading it. Then it begins to take hold in the brain and cause all kinds of havoc with mis-information.