Category: popular culture

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books literature music popular culture sociology YouTube

Top books and YouTube 2017 and other trivia

Goodreads Choice Awards 2017

Over 3.8 million votes cast – the only major book awards decided by readers. Winners and nominees for categories – fiction, mystery & thriller, fantasy, sci fi, horror, humour, non fiction, science & technology, autobiography, graphic novels, young adult, picture books etc  Winners include: Into the water – Paula Hawkins; Artemis – Andy Weir; Sleeping beauties – Stephen King; Fantastic beasts screenplay – J.K.Rowling; We’re all wonders – R.J. Palacio.

https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-books-2017

 

Top viral YouTube videos of 2017

Includes History of the entire world, I guess; In a heartbeat animated film; Children interrupt BBC News interview: Bad lip-reading of Trump’s inauguration.

http://time.com/5049496/top-viral-youtube-videos-2017/

Australia’s top 10 YouTube: Ping pong trick shots; Superwog skits:  https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/12/australia-these-are-your-top-10-youtube-videos-of-2017/

Top YouTube music videos:  Despacito; Shape of you…https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/6/16741044/top-10-youtube-videos-2017

 

40 best gadgets of 2017

Virtual bikes, smart speakers, toy robots, wireless earbuds….….

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/nov/19/tech-gadgets-toys-luxury-items-of-2017

 

The world’s highest paid celebrities

  1. Sean Combs 2. Beyonce 3. J.K. Rowling…..

https://www.forbes.com/celebrities/list/#tab:overall

 

Categories
future pedagogy popular culture robots and drones sociology

ICT news – trends, robots, A.I., the singularity

Top 20 Trends Report

These will shape the next decade. 1. Artificial Intelligence 2. Empowered consumers 3. Nanotechnology 4. Blockchain 5. Autonomous cars 6.  Rise of the robots 7. 3D printing 8. Environmental change 9. Emerging generations 10. Shifting economic power….and 10 more.

https://michaelmcqueen.net/images/Reports/Top-20-Trends-Report.pdf

 

The morality of robots: Genevieve Bell’s predictions for the future of A.I.

A good one to listen to in the holidays – Conversations with Richard Fidler on ABC Listen app etc. Bell spent 14 years working in futurist research at Intel in Silicon Valley and believes predictions about the AI-driven future are far too apocalyptic.

http://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/conversations-genevieve-bell/9173822

 

Genevieve Bell Boyer Lectures 2017 – Fast, smart and connected: What is it to be human, and Australian, in a digital world?

Bell is now back in Australia and has delivered a series of Boyer Lectures.

  1. Where it all began: Australia’s role in building our current digital world.
  2. Dealing lightning with both hands: How personal computers and the internet have reshaped our lives.
  3. All technology has a history (and a country): New technologies change life, but rarely in the ways we anticipate.
  4. How to build our digital future: What should Australia plan?

Bonus: Your hopes and fears for where technology is heading.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/boyerlectures/

 

The singularity will happen by 2045

Ray Kurzweil, futurist and Google’s Director of Engineering has an 86% success rate with his predictions coming to fruition (eg. fall of Soviet Union; ubiquitous wifi).  He believes that Artificial Intelligence will achieve human levels by 2029 and by 2045, machines will be smarter than humans (the ‘singularity’). Kurzweil is not fearful of the singularity, but sees it as an opportunity for humankind to improve. By the 2030s, he believes we will connect our neocortex (the thinking brain) to the cloud, making us smarter with better memories!

https://futurism.com/kurzweil-claims-that-the-singularity-will-happen-by-2045/

More predictions: https://futurism.com/ray-kurzweils-most-exciting-predictions-about-the-future-of-humanity/

 

Teachers to police students’ online activity in class

NSW schools are trialling edQuire, an Australian-made program which uses colour codes on the teacher’s laptop to show when a student is on-task or off-task. Research shows when students’ attention strays in class, boys spend 55% of their time gaming, 25% on videos, 15% on sports sites, 5% on music. Girls spend 59% on videos, 19% gaming, 8% music, 7% celebrity news and 7% social media.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/world-first-computer-program-enables-teachers-to-police-students-online-activity-in-class/news-story/606e49a62d9a77d87ce1fe348609634f

 

Net neutrality

The US government is currently debating whether they should continue with net neutrality, where internet service providers treat all internet traffic the same and don’t block or slow down particular websites or services. We wouldn’t want Netflix to be slow, would we?!

https://blog.csiro.au/net-neutrality-bigger-netflix-gifs/

 

48 Critical Thinking Questions For Any Content Area

Critical thinking involves evaluation, critiquing, problem-solving, creativity, questioning, rationalizing..….The Ultimate Cheatsheet for Critical Thinking suggests using 48 questions under the headings Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? eg. Where is there the most need for this? Why has it been this way for so long? What is another perspective? Who is this harmful to? A good summary.

https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/48-critical-thinking-questions-any-content-area/

 

35 psychology-based thinking strategies

You could try spaced repetition, cognitive dissonance, serial vs parallel processing, the method of Loci….

https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/35-psychology-based-critical-thinking-strategies/

Categories
ed tech future Games and gaming Google internet media popular culture robots and drones sociology TV virtual reality

ICT news

Young and eSafe

Portal from the Office of the eSafety Commissioner that empowers young people to make a positive impact in their online world.“ Practical advice by young people, for young people to help challenge the haters and fakers online.” Sections include: I question things; I get back up; I am responsible; I feel for others; I respect differences. Lots of clear information – great for secondary class discussions.

https://esafety.gov.au/youngandesafe/

Excellent primary and secondary classroom resources: https://esafety.gov.au/education-resources/classroom-resources

 

Tim Berners-Lee on the future of the web: ‘The system is failing’

The inventor of the web remains optimistic but has concerns over advertising, net neutrality, fake news, propaganda and the web’s increasing polarisation. The web as an open platform has changed and there are ‘increasingly powerful digital gatekeepers’ who can easily manipulate algorithms and use Artificial Intelligence to distract and target web users. Clickbait, fake news and ad revenue does not promote truth and democracy.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/nov/15/tim-berners-lee-world-wide-web-net-neutrality

 

Google’s push to make the web more secure

Google wants all websites to migrate to using HTTPS and now flags websites as ‘not secure’ that use HTTP. Google states that 64% of Chrome traffic on Android is now protected as well as over 75% of Chrome traffic on ChromeOS and Mac. 66% of Windows Chrome traffic is also protected. 71% of the top 100 websites now use HTTPS by default. Apple and Facebook have also supported the shift to HTTPS.

https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/20/https-is-booming-says-google/

 

Twitter doubles tweet limit to 280 characters

User growth has been slow so you can now use more characters. Tests showed that longer tweets meant more followers, more interactions and more time on the platform. It was also easier to tweet and fit thoughts in. The roll-out includes all languages except Japanese, Korean and Chinese because they can convey double the amount of information in one character compared with many other languages.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-07/brevity-begone-twitter-doubles-tweet-limit-to-280-characters

 

Technology addiction and what you can do about it

Short and sharp facts about children and technology (12 min.) – parents have an important role in appropriate screen use.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0adeZP6aDQw

 

How Netflix sucks you in

Netflix tries to personalise its service, featuring different titles for different customers. It hires taggers around the world who watch every piece of content and tag it eg. storyline, tone etc – yes they get paid! For the hit show Stranger Things, the Netflix algorithm applied 12 tags to capture how people relate to it. Netflix also has 2000 ‘taste communities’ and a popular show can appear in more than one community. It also tailors the images that accompany recommendations for you, to suit what you like to watch.

https://www.cnet.com/news/stranger-things-addict-heres-how-netflix-sucked-you-in/?ftag=CAD1c318f6&bhid=23787909704659446143753669728655

 

Animojis

Animated emojis – only for the iPhone X, which uses its front-facing camera for facial recognition. Using thousands of data points, your facial expressions are turned into an animoji which mimics your movement.

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/getting-started-with-the-iphone-x-animoji-apple/

 

Are you eSports ready?

Professional video game playing is huge – thousands of teams, millions of players, $24m prize pool, $266m in sponsorship, $696m revenue and a global audience of 385 million and growing. Players are usually aged 16-30, with 80% male. Popular eSports include League of Legends and Dota 2. Watch highlights on YouTube or streamed live on Twitch, where you can interact with players and other fans.

https://australiascience.tv/vod/are-you-esports-ready/

http://www.businessinsider.com/esports-market-growth-ready-for-mainstream-2017-3/?r=AU&IR=T

 

Sophia robot granted citizenship to Saudi Arabia

The lifelike robot was granted citizenship at a tech summit. She appeared on stage saying she was very honoured to be the first robot in the world to be granted citizenship. Sophia responded to simple questions about artificial intelligence. She has also visited Australia recently.

https://www.livescience.com/60815-saudi-arabia-citizen-robot.html

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/why-sophia-the-robot-is-not-what-it-seems-20171030-gzbi3p.html

 

Augmented Reality enhanced educational books

Textbooks of the future will probably all be like this….Livit Studios is launching a series of AR books with features including animated 3D models, animated characters and interactive 3D games.

http://www.emergingedtech.com/2017/11/new-electronic-text-augmented-reality-textbook/

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1418527006/imagina-books-human-body-augmented-reality-educati

 

Trust me, I’m an expert

A new monthly podcast for The Conversation. Fascinating stories where the experts “bust the myths, explain the science and put the news headlines into context…in a way we can understand and enjoy”. 2 Nov: Sibling competition and its role in evolution.

https://theconversation.com/au/podcasts/trust-me-podcast

Categories
ed tech future Google internet Mental health mobile phones popular culture robots and drones sociology

ICT news, top tools and tech trends

We need to talk about kids and smartphones

US statistics and a variety of expert opinion..…. but are increasing rates of teenage depression and suicide linked to smartphone use and social media? Since the advent of smartphones in 2007, mental health issues have increased dramatically and anecdotal evidence from Australian schools seems to support this hypothesis. Even if smartphones aren’t the cause of mental health issues, they can fuel teenage angst. With phone use, young people are constantly distracted, less sensitive to the emotions of others, feel disinhibited about saying things and see whitewashed lives that seem perfect. Staring at screens also limits social interaction and its benefits.

http://time.com/4974863/kids-smartphones-depression/

 

Top 200 tools for learning 2017

Compiled by Jane Hart in the 11th annual survey of 2 174 learning professionals from 52 countries. Includes top 100 tools for personal and professional learning, workplace learning and education.

All 3 lists, including new tools with info: http://c4lpt.co.uk/top100tools/

Top 100 tools for education: http://c4lpt.co.uk/top100tools/rankings/

  1. Google Docs/Drive 2. Word 3. PowerPoint 4. YouTube 5. Google Search 6. Excel 7. Wikipedia 8. Prezi 9. Twitter 10. Kahoot. Interesting to see WhatsApp at #13 – great for backchannelling, projecting via web, collecting material, sharing resources, no text limitation. Canva, the very simple and effective graphic design tool, is at #19. http://c4lpt.co.uk/top100tools/canva/

WhatsApp: http://c4lpt.co.uk/top100tools/whatsapp/

Analysis: http://c4lpt.co.uk/top100tools/analysis/

 

Top 10 technology trends 2018

From research firm Gartner – foremost are artificial intelligence and machine learning, used in many areas. Intelligent apps that use AI have the potential to transform the nature of work. Other intelligent ‘things’ such as autonomous vehicles and drones will see rapid growth. Conversational platforms (eg.Siri) will be the main goal for user interaction. Virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality are of high interest but need much more development. Blockchain technologies, a core component of the digital currency BitCoin, are still in their infancy, but will have a huge impact on the future of the internet.

https://www.crn.com.au/gallery/here-are-the-top-10-technology-trends-of-2018-according-to-gartner-474796/page1?eid=61&edate=20171007&utm_source=20171007&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=crnweekly_newsletter

 

Blockchain

Blockchain is a kind of ‘vast, global, distributed ledger running on millions of computers and available to everybody, and where every kind of asset from money to music can be stored, moved, transacted, exchanged and managed all without powerful intermediaries’ (Don Tapscott). Blockchain technologies enable ‘exchange of value without intermediaries acting as arbiters of money or information’. They will enable excluded people to enter the global economy, protect privacy, allow people to monetise their own information and ensure creators are compensated for their intellectual property. Uses of blockchain include cryptocurrencies, online voting, insurance, Internet of Things, medical records, smart contracts, music industry and copyright payments.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockchain

http://au.pcmag.com/amazon-web-services/46389/feature/blockchain-the-invisible-technology-thats-changing-the-world

 

Robots to mark NAPLAN?

From 2018, NAPLAN writing tasks will be marked by an automated essay scoring system and then double-marked by a teacher. Fully automated testing and marking will be introduced by 2020. Some experts believe it is impossible for a robot to score the subjective aspects of writing. Perelman (ex MIT) notes that algorithms tend to reward ‘verbose gibberish’ and give higher marks to essays with complex words and sentences. ‘Assessment of creativity, poetry, irony or other more artistic uses of writing is beyond such systems.’ Rabinowitz (from ACARA) believes automated essay scoring for NAPLAN tasks ‘works as well as human markers.’ Robots vs humans…it’s happening.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-12/us-academics-warn-against-automated-naplan-english-testing/9039408

 

School Library Journal Tech Trends 2017

Free webcasts, available live or on demand. 1. Build a makerspace 2. 60 tools in 60-ish minutes 3. Take the plunge: STREAM (add reading).

https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=reg20.jsp&referrer=&eventid=1488038&sessionid=1&key=5AEEB5CADFA4BAD227B0D13CB1C29AE8&regTag=155881&sourcepage=register

 

18 good Chromebook apps for education

Kahoot, Socrative, Canva, PiktoChart, Haiku Deck, Tiki-Toki….

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2017/10/18-good-educational-chromebook-apps-to.html

Categories
future Games and gaming Mental health pedagogy popular culture sociology

Work, Society, Youth and Education

Some interesting social info…..

 

The New Work Smarts: thriving in the New Work Order

This report from the Foundation for Young Australians notes that the way we work is increasingly affected by three key economic drivers – automation, globalisation and flexibility. The research analysed 20 billion hours of work completed by 12 million Australian workers each year to predict the skills and capabilities that will matter most in 2030. “It is predicted that we will, on average, spend 30% more time per week learning skills on the job; spend double the time at work solving problems, spend 41% more time on critical thinking and judgment, and 77% more time using science and mathematics skills; utilise verbal communication and interpersonal skills for 7 hours a week each (up 17 per cent); and develop an entrepreneurial mindset due to having less management (down 26 per cent), less organisational coordination (down 16 per cent) and less teaching (down 10 per cent).”

https://www.fya.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/FYA_TheNewWorkSmarts_July2017.pdf

https://www.fya.org.au/

Interesting articles: https://www.fya.org.au/category/all-articles/

 

If Australia was a street of 100 households

Interesting stats from the census. 20% baby boomers; 22% Gen Y; 11% Gen Alpha (from 2010). 47% both Aust. born; 34% none Aust. born; 11% one Aust. born. Average house price 11x average full-time earnings.

https://mccrindle.worldsecuresystems.com/blog/2017/07/Australia-Street-2017-McCrindle-DIGITAL.pdf

Australia’s population map and generational profile: https://mccrindle.myportfolio.com/pop-map

Other interesting visuals and infographics from McCrindle social research group: https://mccrindle.myportfolio.com/

 

Generation Next

Generation Next has excellent resources to protect and enhance the mental health of young people. Subscribe to the newsletter.

http://www.generationnext.com.au/

Blog – many interesting articles including: Want to rebound from failure?; When to push a child; Working memory boosters for kids.

http://www.generationnext.com.au/inform/blog/

 

Generation Next YouTube channel:

Videos include: How to support teens in distress; How can we support someone with a gaming addiction? Encouraging boys to be respectful and caring; How resilient are young people today?

https://www.youtube.com/c/GenerationNextCommunity

 

The potential of pro-social media

Generation Next video by Dan Haesler. Social media is not all bad news. What strategies can be used to enhance digital literacy, understanding of the world and even job prospects?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5tPHZVfQKE

 

Schools need to slow down

Australian schools are caught up in the cult of speed, driven by NAPLAN reporting and the evidence of improvement. ‘Slow schooling’ is needed to support learning for all. Teachers and school leaders need time to work together to find effective and creative ways of educating hard-to-reach learners, considering carefully the individual interests and aspirations of students. There should be no pressure for quick responses.  https://theconversation.com/for-long-term-improvements-schools-need-to-slow-down-83222

 

Business of addiction: how the games industry is learning from casinos

Video gaming on mobile devices has led to a massive expansion of the games industry. The industry uses psychologists, neuroscientists and marketing experts to turn customers into addicts. The ‘free to play’ (FTP) model allows the majority of players to play for free, while a few players will become addicted and spend huge amounts on extra content. The latest trend is the creation of ‘whales’ – people so addicted to games that they spend their life savings buying in-game content.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-13/video-game-addiction-how-the-industry-is-learning-from-casinos/8941114

 

Categories
books films popular culture science fiction

Good films

Some good upcoming films, many based on novels…..

 

Goodbye Christopher Robin

Directed by Simon Curtis. Stars Domhnall Gleeson as A.A. Milne and Margot Robbie as Daphne Milne. Explores the life of A.A. Milne and his relationship with his son. Milne suffers post traumatic stress after WW1 and writing the Pooh stories for his son helps him cope. However, international success comes at a cost to his family. Opens 23 Nov.

http://ew.com/movies/2017/08/10/domhnall-gleeson-goodbye-christopher-robin/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1653665/

 

Wonder

Based on the book by R.J. Palacio. Directed by Stephen Chbosky. Stars Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay. A young boy with a facial deformity deals with friendships, prejudice, love and life. Opens 30 Nov.

http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/movies/wonder/40483/wonder-the-brand-new-trailer

 

Namatjira project

Documentary tracing the quest of the family of indigenous artist Albert Namatjira to have the copyright of his works returned to them. The Northern Territory public trustee sold the copyright to a private art collector in 1983 for $8,500. The Namatjira Project is also an initiative that seeks to highlight the continued appropriation of indigenous culture. Opens 7 Sept.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-07/fight-for-copyright-continues-from-namatjiras-family/8881474

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/film-festivals/miff-2017-premiere-charts-familys-battle-to-reclaim-albert-namatjiras-legacy-20170724-gxha3o.html

https://www.namatjiradocumentary.org/

 

It

Based on the novel by Stephen King. A terrifying being terrorises a group of bullied children in a small town in Maine. Opens 7 Sept.

https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/6/16257788/it-movie-review-stephen-king-andy-muschietti-pennywise-the-clown

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1396484/

 

Wonderstruck

Based on the book by Brian Selznick. Directed by Todd Haynes. Stars Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams. Set in 1927 and 1977. Two children run away from home – one to find their idol, and the other to solve a mystery about his father. Half of the film is silent as the main character is deaf. “Alive with the magic of pictures and the mysteries of silence, this is an uncommonly grownup film about children, communication, connection and memory.” (David Rooney). Opens 14 Dec.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/wonderstruck-review-cannes-2017-1004568

 

Blade runner 2049

Directed by Denis Villeneuve, co-produced by Ridley Scott. Stars Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling. Set 50 years after the events of the first film. A new blade runner unearths a long-buried secret that could plunge society into chaos and sets out on a quest to find a former blade runner, missing for 30 years. Opens 5 Oct.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/blade-runner-2-news-rumors/

 

Rebel in the rye

Biopic of the life of J.D. Salinger. Directed by Danny Strong. Stars Nicholas Hoult and Kevin Spacey. After the horror of WW2, a young Salinger embarks on his writing career under the mentorship of his professor at Columbia University. In real life, Salinger fought during D-Day and was at the liberation of Dachau concentration camp. He always carried notebooks and wrote about Holden even during WW2. Opens Oct.

http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/news/a52565/rebel-in-the-rye-review-jd-salinger/

 

Loving Vincent

World’s first fully hand-painted feature film – an animated drama about the life and mysterious death of Vincent Van Gogh. The film uses a new oil painting for each shot, with movement added from one frame to the next by a painter’s brush. Each of the film’s 65,000 frames is an oil painting on canvas, using the same technique as Van Gogh. Stars Saoirse Ronan and Chris O’Dowd. Opens 2 Nov.

http://lovingvincent.com/

http://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/loving-vincent-review-van-gogh-1202469734/

 

The man who invented Christmas

Biopic  adapted from the book by Les Standiford. Directed by Bharat Nalluri. Stars Dan Stevens and Christopher Plummer (Scrooge). A young Charles Dickens sets out to write and self-publish A Christmas Carol, after suffering the failure of his last 3 books. Opens 30 Nov.

http://screenrant.com/man-who-invented-christmas-trailer-poster/

 

Murder on the Orient Express

Directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as Poirot, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench. Poirot investigates the murder of a wealthy American on the train. Opens 9 Nov.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3402236/

 

The greatest showman

Directed by Australian Michael Gracey. Stars Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron. Musical about the life of the original showman P.T. Barnum and how he founded Barnum & Bailey’s Circus. “It started as a movie about the power of imagination and will and never giving up on your dreams. It grew into a deeper idea that what makes you different makes you special.” (Hugh Jackman). Can’t wait – a musical with Hugh J Opens 26 Dec.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1485796/

https://www.vogue.com/article/the-greatest-showman-hugh-jackman-september-issue-2017

 

Other fun upcoming films include Captain Underpants : the first epic movie (14 Sept) and The emoji movie (14 Sept) – emojis go on a mission to save the hidden world within our phones. Jumanji: welcome to the jungle, sequel to the 1995 film, opens 26 Dec and also in December Star Wars Episode VIII: the last Jedi. Will Kylo Ren make a reappearance??

 

Categories
books libraries literature popular culture

Happy Book Week 19 – 26 Aug 2017! Theme: Escape to everywhere.

To celebrate, we have had some fun activities on offer. Students can solve the puzzles in the ‘Escape from the library’ game; enter our Signpost quiz (what book is the destination on the sign from?); take part in our ‘Escape to everywhere’ quiz with escape-themed questions or enter the visual art competition.

 

Book Week 19-25 August. Theme – Escape to everywhere.

Each year the Children’s Book Council of Australia chooses the best Australian children’s books in various categories – early childhood; younger readers;  picture books; older readers and information books. The ‘older readers’ books are suitable for high school and college. https://cbca.org.au/

Winners: https://cbca.org.au/winners-2017

Shortlist: https://cbca.org.au/short-list-2017 and Notables: https://cbca.org.au/notables-2017

 

Better Reading Australia

Some great reads can be found in the Better Reading Australia’s Top 100 list. The votes are in – new list for 2017 out soon.

http://www.betterreading.com.au/book_list/australias-top-100-for-2016/

Reading suggestions and weekly best-sellers: http://www.betterreading.com.au/

Themed book lists and book suggestions: http://www.betterreading.com.au/book_list/

Top 50 Kids’ Books 2017: http://www.betterreading.com.au/book_list/better-reading-presents-australias-top-50-kids-books/

Reading helps develop empathy: http://www.betterreading.com.au/kids-ya/the-power-of-reading-how-books-help-develop-childrens-empathy-and-boost-their-emotional-development/

 

Dymocks Top 101 2017

  1. All the light we cannot see 2. The book thief 3. The girl on the train 4. Harry Potter series 5. The light between oceans

https://www.dymocks.com.au/top-101

New releases and bestsellers: https://www.dymocks.com.au/?gclid=CjwKCAjwrO_MBRBxEiwAYJnDLDfzZFhAM-toicJoUPGaO9b4wj2dE2f1slJ9iSBKoeKB-gFRYds63hoCMS8QAvD_BwE

 

Goodreads Choice Awards 2016

The only major book awards decided by readers – over 3.55 million votes. Fiction winner: Truly madly deeply by Liane Moriarty. Sci fi winner: Morning star by Pierce Brown. Mystery & thriller winner: End of watch by Stephen King.

https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-fiction-books-2016

 

Goodreads

World’s largest site for book recommendations, quizzes, quotes – owned by Amazon.

Books with different kinds of escapes: https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/escape

Escaping from difficult situations: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/15465.Escape_Books

 

Indie Book Awards 2017

Awarded by Australian independent booksellers. Winner: The dry by Jane Harper. Young adult winner: Words in deep blue by Cath Crowley. Children’s winner: Circle by Jeannie Baker.

https://www.indiebookawards.com.au/

 

Australian Independent Bookseller

New releases, weekly top 10, literary awards news. The 91-story treehouse by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton is top this week.

http://www.indies.com.au/indie-book-awards#sthash.TCqx1sDo.dpbs

 

Tsundoku anyone?

The condition of acquiring reading materials but letting them pile up in your home without reading them….From the Japanese ‘tsunde’ (to stack things) ‘oku’ (to leave for a while) and ‘dokusho’ (to read).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/theres-a-japanese-word-for-people-who-buy-more-books-than-they-can-actually-read_us_58f79b7ae4b029063d364226

 

Artificial Intelligence creates romance book titles!

20 000 Harlequin Romance novel titles were given to a neural network, a type of artificial intelligence that learns the structure of text. The AI created its own titles and authors, including: The savage bride; Surgery seduction; Impossible Santa wife; Under the cowboy and the bestselling Sob over the boss…

https://medium.com/towards-data-science/romance-novels-generated-by-artificial-intelligence-1b31d9c872b2

 

Minimalist book covers

https://au.pinterest.com/nwelindt/minimalist-book-covers/

 

Book covers for 1984 the novel

https://bookriot.com/2017/03/03/1984-in-covers/

 

10 words for book lovers

Hamartia: refers to a fatal flaw that leads to the downfall of a tragic hero. Or maybe you are a librocubicultarist – someone who reads in bed.

http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2015/08/unusual-words-for-book-lovers/

 

Why did they choose that as the book title?

Moments in popular books where book titles are mentioned.

http://forreadingaddicts.co.uk/quotations/book-titles-appear-book/19471

 

25 fun bookish quizzes

Is it a line from The great Gatsby…or is it a Jay-Z lyric? What classical character are you? Match the author with the ailment.

http://bookriot.com/2013/04/10/25-fun-bookish-quizzes/

 

What can you learn from a book?

Biologists at Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries have investigated the 12th century book the Gospel of Luke and discovered holes from 900 year old bookworms, microbes from people who coughed on the book and the various animal skins used in the parchment – 8.5 calves, 10.5 sheep and half a goat. They want to build a parchment DNA library, using ancient DNA from various sources.

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/07/goats-bookworms-monk-s-kiss-biologists-reveal-hidden-history-ancient-gospels

 

Why we love the smell of old books

Many people think old books smell like chocolate, followed by coffee. However, old libraries smell ‘woody’, ‘smoky’, ‘earthy’….

http://www.stylist.co.uk/books/old-book-smell-why-love-science-study-chocolate-coffee-scent

 

Interesting literature facts for trivia lovers

https://www.buzzfeed.com/erinlarosa/20-literary-facts-to-impress-your-friends-with?utm_term=.frO83w87L4#.qnkMQJMjkL

 

Canberra Writers’ Festival 25-27 August

http://www.canberrawritersfestival.com.au/

 

OverDrive ebooks and audiobooks

All ACT government staff and students have access to a great collection of over 5000 ebooks and audiobooks  – for primary, high school, college and adults, accessible on all devices. Find them in Oliver, the library catalogue, available in the Backpack. Search for titles, authors and subjects in Oliver (ebooks have a tablet icon), click on it and then click Borrow OverDrive ebook. For personal devices, allow pop-ups in your browser and download the OverDrive app: http://app.overdrive.com . Have a browse – there’s lots of great titles to be discovered!

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coding ed tech Facebook future Games and gaming geography and global resources Google Indigenous resources internet iPads mobile phones pedagogy popular culture robots and drones Science resources sociology TV Wikipedia YouTube

ICT and STEM news

STEM learning

Special edition of STEM articles from Teacher magazine. Includes virtual classrooms for Year 10s, STEM and gender and best practice for primary STEM.

Demystifying the AC Digital Technologies Curriculum P-6

Webinar with Dr Linda McIver; 19 June and 31 July 3.45-5pm.

http://email.acer.edu.au/t/ViewEmail/r/60882C5177B09AF02540EF23F30FEDED/F4AF64F35C0EDFC438A555EB6E97B45B

STEM learning: international best practice: Queensland science teacher Sarah Chapman gathered evidence from around the world. Essential elements include real world experiences, expertise from industry links, mentorships and cross-curricular integration.

https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/article/stem-learning-international-best-practice

Full report: https://cew.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Engaging-the-future-of-STEM.pdf

 

Australian Online Landscape Review (latest: April 2017)

Quarterly report produced by IAB/Nielsen. Top 10 brands: 1.Google 2.Facebook 3.YouTube 4.MSN/Outlook/Bing/Skype 5.Apple 6.eBay 7.Microsoft 8.Wikipedia 9.Instagram 10.Yahoo7.

Top 10 brands for streaming: 1.YouTube 2.Facebook 3.VEVO (music) 4.Vimeo (videos) 5.news.com.au 6.smh.com.au 7.MSN/Outlook/Bing/Skype 8.nine.com.au 9.Yahoo7 10. ABC Online

Smartphones are used more than desktops, which are used more than tablets.

file:///H:/Downloads/Digital%20Landscape%20Report_April%202017.pdf

 

Australians’ viewing habits

There are more screens (6.4 in each home) and most are internet-capable. Viewing is spread across devices but TV remains by far the most-watched screen. 86% of video viewing is on TVs – free-to-air or subscription; live or played back. TVs are also used for other tasks – gaming, DVDs, internet, music streaming, YouTube videos etc

http://www.nielsen.com/au/en/insights/news/2017/how-australians-viewing-habits-have-changed-over-the-past-five-years.html

http://www.oztam.com.au/documents/Other/Q4%202016%20AMSR_release.pdf

 

Australia’s internet speeds

According to the most recent Akamai State of the Internet report we are now 51st in the world for home broadband internet speeds (10.1 Mbps). However, we are well above the global average of 7 Mbps even with a large area to cover. Fastest is South Korea (26.1Mbps) 2. Norway 3. Sweden 4.Hong Kong 5.Switzerland. We are leading the Asia-Pacific region in mobile connectivity speeds (13.8 Mbps).

https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/03/australias-internet-speeds-are-a-global-embarrassment/

 

Why do adults think video games are bad?

The excellent news site The Conversation is running a series for children – Curious Kids, where children send in questions they would like an expert to answer. Recent research suggests that playing online games that involve puzzle-solving increases scores in maths, science and reading, whereas using social networking reduces academic achievement.

http://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-do-adults-think-video-games-are-bad-76699

http://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/5586/1742

 

The science for and against video gaming

They can make your brain grow and they make you more self-aware and happier; but they can make you less empathetic and more violent.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/is-video-gaming-bad-for-you-the-science-for-and-against/

 

People could be genetically predisposed to social media use

One to two-thirds of variance in social media use is attributable to genetic traits; unique and shared environmental factors account for the remainder of variance.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/ica-pcb050217.php

 

NASA EarthKAM

“A classroom with the ultimate view” – students enrol in missions on the International Space Station and request images of specific locations on Earth. The program was set up by astronaut Sally Ride in  1995, initially on space shuttle flights. 8000 schools from 78 countries have now participated with over 500 000 students creating a library of 94 000 images.

https://www.earthkam.org/

Search the image gallery: https://www.earthkam.org/ek-images

https://cosmosmagazine.com/geoscience/capturing-the-earth-as-art

 

Google Maps street-view of Uluru

Just launched after 2 years of consultation with traditional owners. The interactive map includes audio stories from the Anangu owners about the significance of Uluru, traditional law and creation stories. Many sacred sections of the rock were not photographed. Viewers can zoom into crevices, walk along trails and view ancient art. Google plans to map other Australian cultural sites, including Kakadu.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-08/google-street-view-allows-visitors-to-experience-uluru/8599050

 

Live interactions with robots increase their perceived human likeness

We need to get used to a future where robots will be part of our everyday lives, but rarely do we see robots face to face. A recent study found that people who watched live interactions with a robot were more likely to consider the robot to have more human-like qualities. Robots presented in virtual reality also scored high in human likeness. Watching a robot on a 2D screen scored lowest. “Many people will have their first encounter with a service robot over the next decade. Service robots are designed to communicate with humans in humanlike ways and assist them in various aspects of their daily routine. Potential areas of application range from hospitals and nursing homes to hotels and the users’ households” (Schreiner).

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/ica-liw051017.php

 

The 2017 emoji list: emoji version 5.0

All those cute little emoji have to be approved by the Unicode consortium and will be launched this month. There are 69 new images; 24 have 5 additional skin tones and 10 are non-gendered. New emoji include a genie, an older person, a breastfeeding mum and broccoli. There are now a total of 239 approved emoji.

http://blog.emojipedia.org/final-2017-emoji-list/

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ed tech Facebook Google internet maths resources news popular culture sociology websites

Wootube maths tutorials and ICT news

Eddy Woo and Wootube maths tutorials

Head Teacher Mathematics at Cherrybrook High in Sydney, young and enthusiastic Mr Woo has been uploading his maths lesson videos to YouTube since 2012. He has attracted 4 million views and many grateful students. He featured on Australian Story this week – Channelling Mr Woo (iView until 24 May).

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-01/teacher-eddie-woo-changing-the-face-of-maths/8472522

http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/australian-story/NC1701Q012S00

https://misterwootube.com/

 

Google moves to demote fake news

Following increasing incidents of fake news and other flaws, Google is updating its algorithms and demoting misleading and offensive content in its search results. Algorithms will prioritise more “authoritative” content eg. affiliation with a university or verified news site and the quality of sites that link to the site in question. Users can now use a feedback button to report offensive and false results, including offensive autocomplete results that appear as you type in the search box.

https://www.recode.net/2017/4/25/15415428/google-updating-search-flagging-fake-news

 

China is creating an online encyclopedia

Known as the ‘Chinese Encyclopedia’, the national encyclopedia will go online in 2018. Twenty thousand scholars from universities and research institutes will contribute articles in more than 100 disciplines with 300,000 entries of 1 000 words each. These will showcase China’s science and technology developments, promote historical and cultural heritage and strengthen the core values of socialism.  The goal isn’t to mimic Wikipedia, which is blocked in China (though internet giant Baidu has its own online encyclopedia). “We have the biggest, most high-quality author team in the world. Our goal is not to catch up, but overtake” (Yang Muzhi, editor). China has the world’s largest internet population (720 million users) and some of the world’s most restrictive internet laws. The ‘Great Firewall of China’ is the world’s most most sophisticated censorship tool, blocking ‘unsavoury’ parts of the internet.

https://news.vice.com/story/china-is-recruiting-20000-people-to-write-its-own-wikipedia

 

Facebook ramps up its response to violent videos

Facebook will hire 3000 more people  to review violent videos and other posts (4 500 employees already identify questionable material for removal). Since introducing the live video feature Facebook Live in April 2016, many unacceptable videos have been uploaded. Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook wants to respond quickly when someone needs help or when an unacceptable post needs taking down.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/facebook-hire-3000-review-videos-crime-suicide-47178911

 

Amazon is coming….look busy

‘The everything store – fast, vast and low-priced’ – it will shake up Australian retail. Amazon is the fastest company in history to hit $US100 billion in annual sales and leading businesses such as Harvey Norman, Myer and JB Hi-Fi could lose half their earnings to Amazon. Amazon will offer “extreme convenience” and goods could be delivered within an hour of ordering online. Amazon Marketplace, for third-party retailers, will launch this year. Amazon is currently searching for a huge logistics facility.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/companies/fast-vast-and-lowpriced-amazon-to-shake-up-australian-retail/news-story/026ace527679086657bc156735863dc8

 

Categories
Facebook future Google media news newspapers popular culture sociology

Fake news and other media news

Fake news

Politicians and the media have created a post-truth world and young people are easily duped. A recent Stanford University study found 80% of middle-school pupils could not tell an online news story apart from a piece of advertising and uni students did little better. The research covered news literacy, as well as students’ ability to judge Facebook and Twitter feeds, comments left in readers’ forums on news sites, blog posts, photographs and other digital messages that shape public opinion. Young people need to be taught digital literacy and learn about source criticism and cognitive bias and learn to mistrust the voice that says something must be right.

https://ed.stanford.edu/news/stanford-researchers-find-students-have-trouble-judging-credibility-information-online

 

News Integrity Initiative – countering fake news

Announced 3 April. Facebook, Mozilla, the Walkley Foundation (Aust.), Jimmy Wales (Wikipedia) and other tech leaders, non-profits and academics  have formed the $14 million consortium to counter fake news. The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism will administer the initiative and plans to make tools to help people be discerning about stories they read online and to increase trust in journalism around the world.

https://www.cnet.com/au/news/facebook-spearheads-14m-consortium-to-counter-fake-news/

 

Fake news, piracy and digital duopoly of Google and Facebook

“Google and Facebook, the 2 most powerful news publishers in human history, have created an ecosystem that is dysfunctional and socially destructive” (Robert Thomson, Chief Executive of News Corp). They do not distinguish between the fake and the real because they make a lot of money from both.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/wall-street-journal/fake-news-piracy-and-digital-duopoly-of-google-and-facebook/news-story/52784483d9650cdbf8624247a590c7f8

 

Google and Facebook should pay for content

Senator Nick Xenophon thinks news organisations, publishers and TV networks should be given the right to charge Facebook and Google a content fee for publishing their stories and videos. He believes protecting traditional media companies is a crucial part of safeguarding democracy and open debate.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/digital/xenophon-bid-to-charge-facebook-and-google-for-content/news-story/d5c5cdf7142b319ad7b8fd7c7bd9fc54

 

2016: the worst year for print

2016 saw decreased revenue from advertising for newspapers and magazines (so much advertising money goes to Google and Facebook). Readership in 2016: Sydney Morning Herald – decreased M-F and Sat; The Australian – increased M-F and decreased Sat; Aust. Geographic – 31% increase; Big Issue – 35.9% increase; New Scientist – 26.8% increase; Time – 18.2% increase; Rolling Stone – 11.5% increase; Frankie – 6.6% increase; Hyper – 6.9% increase.

https://mumbrella.com.au/2016-worst-year-yet-print-industry-new-smi-numbers-reveal-419898

http://www.roymorgan.com/industries/media/readership/newspaper-readership

http://www.roymorgan.com/industries/media/readership/magazine-readership

 

Newspapers – print or digital?

A University of London study reveals that online UK newspapers engage each visitor for less than 30 seconds per day, but readers of print newspapers engage for 40 minutes per day. Time spent reading print and online newspapers doesn’t vary much between countries. In Australia, Fairfax (The Age & SMH) was expected to switch weekday editions to digital only, but is continuing with daily papers ‘for some years yet’.

http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/study-national-press-online-readers-average-30-seconds-per-day-versus-40-minutes-for-print/

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/feb/22/fairfax-media-announces-half-year-profit-and-plan-to-keep-printing-newspapers

 

Digital news takes precedence at ABC

ABC News (the largest news organisation in Australia) is planning a major refocus away from TV and radio to concentrate on expanding its digital news output and this could affect the 7pm flagship news and other current affairs programs. The ABC has a declining and ageing audience for news and current affairs (the 7pm news has 82% of viewers aged over 50). Increasingly, younger viewers watch very little live TV and often don’t watch news programs. To reach younger viewers, the news division will increase production of digital videos and launch a mobile-first story-telling unit.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/digital-news-takes-precedence-at-abc/news-story/fc9f8cc6ced53f9dd5127ab3a6bb6cfa

 

Hilarious! Check this broken link and read comments from many well-known politicians eg. Trump: “Do you believe it? The Australian brought thousands of readers here and there’s nothing. Why? I will study this dumb broken link”. Someone had a lot of time on their hands J

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/fake-news-c hildren-of-the-internet-happy-to-live-a-lie/news-story/0045fccc 0724b8f8e1389202aef82c14