Constructivism, iSchool and Design a New Educational Paradigm.

Here is my paper comparing the iSchool and Constructivist teaching as well as the aspects of design that are inherent in both. Once again, because i suck, i did not properly cite my information. All of the paper is paraphrased, the information that is in quotations are concepts that were mentioned in the readings. For ...

Constructivist education process. – System Map

Like the ISchool, I also organized my thoughts on the constructivist education process in a system/mind map. Its messy. Constructivist teaching, teaches the similar kinds of skills that the ISchool tries to teach as well : Interdisciplinarity, Divergent Thinking, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Creative thinking, Collaboration However, while the ISchool believed that they could get ...

System Map of the NYC ISchool

Earlier I wrote about my visit to the NYC ISchool and what I experienced there. I have been organizing my thoughts on this and a constructivist teaching approach and have made a very rough system map of what the ISchool learning experience and philosophy is. Its a bit rough, but maybe interesting. The rough Idea ...

Global but not the Same, Different but not Together.

This is a very long paper (12 pp) on the effects of globalization on culture, and that we as a global society have two options. Either give in to fear and eliminate the otherness of all others, or we can become Cosmopolitan and learn to be different together. The last part of the paper is ...

General Trends in the Middle East ‘Arab Spring’ Movements

A few hours ago, Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to step down from his role as president of The Republic of Yemen. This marks the third Middle Eastern government that has been uprooted by popular-protest, following  Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and  Ben Ali of Tunisia. But what does this mean for the future? A change in either ...

Nuclear Non-Proliferation & the Case of Iran

1. Introduction

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (hereafter referred to as the NPT) sets out to create a framework to prevent the creation and use of nuclear weapons. It is enforced firsthand by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and secondhand by (on referral to) the United Nations (UN), the Security Council (SC) and the greater international community. It has recently (2003-onwards) come into conflict with the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran) over various issues, such as possible military dimensions of the Iranian nuclear program, and Iran’s consistent non-cooperation and concealment of activities, leading to 7 SC resolutions as of June 2010 (resolutions 1696, 1737, 1747, 1803, 1835 and 1929) but failing to resolve the program issues.

How do you build a community of strangers?

Or, more accurately, “How do you build a community of strangers?” That’s right, you. I’m involved in a lot of different and potentially far reaching and ambitious projects — “The Committee To Address the Future”, various art projects, social projects, interests in developing philosophic, political and economic theories, a general love of exploration and parkour/free-running, making ...

How do we reframe economic growth?

The longer question is, “Can we reframe economic growth & jobs/work in a way representative of the complex realities of the 21century?” Because, old models of ‘success’ aren’t showing us what is meaningful. For example: sure, China and India are poised for 9, 10% GDP growth yearly, which is pretty phenomenal with its consistency in the ...

How do we radically rethink Print Media?

As everyone is well aware, print media is facing a readership crisis, one-upped by the internet and the powers of aggregation that be, and then again by gadgets like the iPhone and iPad. Tangibility arguments aside (see the joys of holding a a physical book in your hands), physical artifacts are often useful because they are complete in and ...

What is value?

What is value? Economics seems to be collapsing in on itself because it does not know what it is actually representing. The basic units of economics, ‘capital and supply and demand and profit’, have gradually evolved into additional ideas of ‘labour’ and ‘productivity/health’ and ‘knowledge/technology’, among other things. These are measurable, but not complete in ...

What do we do with outdated technology?

What do we do with the obsolete? Outdated technologies, old magazines, unrevised drafts, older editions? I mean, sure, in terms of archivist’s terms, all this is important to catalog and have off-hand to know exactly how history worked (Footnote 1). On the other hand, what do I do with all my old CDs and DVDs? Or, my ...

How do you interact with the world around you?

This comes a bit as a response to an earlier question of “Can you be a functioning member of society without a selfone?” Err.. cellphone. Because, the tools you use to interact with the world around you shape the way you understand the world. I know three New Yorks– one by bike, one by public transportation, one ...