The Road Less Traveled » Computers

Good (But Not New) News for Geeks Everywhere…

wolfdreamer — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:38:59 +0000

I stumbled onto this article written in 2003 titled “It’s Official, Games Can Make You Smarter.” The article says that action video games can improve your ability to monitor objects in your field of vision faster than people who don’t play those kind of games. I think a similar argument could also be made about people who hunt. Here is the article:

It’s Official, Games can make you Smarter…

Source: UN, 9 June 2003
Submitted by Ann Light

Research conducted at the University of Rochester has shown that action video games can give a person the ability to monitor more objects in their visual field and do so faster than a person who doesn’t play such games. The study suggests that in addition to making game players more aware of their surroundings while performing tasks such as driving, action game playing might be a useful tool to rehabilitate visually impaired patients or to train soldiers for combat.

‘Players can process visual information more quickly and can track 30% more objects than nonplayers,” says Daphne Bavelier, associate professor of brain and cognitive sciences, and member of the Center for Visual Science ‘Several game players even achieved perfect scores on tests barely doable for non-game players.’

The link between visual attention and action games was first recognised when a student of Bavelier’s, Shawn Green, demonstrated exceptional proficiency at the visual tests Green and Bavelier were devising. Upon discovering that Green was an avid game player, the two embarked on a line of research to test if playing action games like “Grand Theft Auto3″, “Medal of Honor”, or “Half-Life”, could train the brain to better process certain visual information.

Aficionados of action games (all males since only a single fanatic female gamer could be found on campus) were presented with three tests. One flashed a small object on screen for 1/160th of a second, and the participant would indicate where it flashed. The slightest lack of attention and the brain would miss the appearance of the object completely. Gamers tended to notice the object far more often than non-gamers.

The second test presented one to 12 small objects on screen at once and the subject had to type how many objects they’d seen. Again, gamers saw the correct number of objects more often. The final test flashed black letters in extremely rapid succession. One letter was white, and it may or may not have been followed by a black ‘X’. Gamers again picked out which letter was white and whether or not an ‘X’ followed it better than non-gamers.

To guard against the possibility that their findings were merely the result of more visually attentive people naturally gravitating toward action games, Bavelier and Green tested non-gamers, both men and women this time. They set up nine of the group to play the action game “Medal of Honor” and eight to play “Tetris”, a puzzle-oriented game. After just an hour a day for two weeks, the action players showed a marked increase in their test performances, which the “Tetris” players did not.

‘It’s likely the sense of danger heightens awareness and trains the visual response of the brain, but other aspects might also contribute,’ says Green. ‘On the other hand, the “Tetris” players, while scoring low on our tests, might score well if testing for ability to rotate and organise objects.’

If the brain can be trained to have heightened visual attention as this study indicates, then it might be especially useful for helping patients with neurological visual impairments to see more normally. Often in stroke patients, for instance, a kind of blindness occurs in part of the visual field, but the impairment isn’t physical, it’s a result of the brain’s “inattentiveness” to that area. Current treatments are laborious, taking years for improvement, but Green and Bavelier’s research suggests that video games may provide a much more economical way of bringing the brain’s attentiveness back. If a healthy brain can improve in their tests after just 10 hours of game playing, perhaps similar results could be seen in patients.

Green and Bavelier point out that gaming is no substitute for building other areas of the brain, and that exercises that demand prolonged attention, such as reading or solving maths problems, are likely not helped at all by extensive game-playing.

As a next step in their research, the members of the team would like to design their own action video games that they can modify at will to see just what aspects of gaming allows such efficient learning . With that knowledge, Green and Bavelier would ultimately like to create non-violent action games that could help stroke patients recover their visual awareness.

http://www.usabilitynews.com/news/article1121.asp

I agree that constant video game playing doesn’t do much for mathematical skills. That’s why I love Nintendo for releasing what I call the “smart games” like Brain Age, etc. for the DS. Game designers are quickly figuring out what players are lacking. And Wii game designers have caught on to the need for physical activity for young adults.

I have a point, I promise. For the past five years or so, educators and researchers have been looking into the need for more educational video games. This is not a new concept (remember Carmen Sandiego or Qwerty?) but it is one that has recently exploded with interest. I have even read about teachers allowing their students to play brief segments of Final Fantasy games in the classroom to teach character or plot development. The Medal of Honor games mentioned in the article have also been hailed for their historical accuracy, putting players in the midst of familiar WWII battles, and have even been used by History teachers to present students with an interactive and visual image of historic battles. In addition, many of the games in the series have documentary clips, as well. In the hands of trained and responsible educators, these games could have a lasting impact on student learning.

I’ve written before about the future of education and how technology is being used to teach skills that will be needed in order to prosper in a growing society. Things are changing rapidly, for the better (in most cases) and for the worst (in some cases). Teachers and researchers are catching on to the demands and growth of society and how school systems need to rise to this.

Until later — “There’s no turning back now that you opened up to your mind.”

Panoramio & Google Earth

wolfdreamer — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:33:21 +0000

I don’t get to travel much. As a teacher, I snatch every opportunity to chaperon field trips because it is my best chance to get out of the state for a while.

It’s no surprise, then, that I’ve been fascinated with two things lately: Google Earth and a great photography web site Panoramio. Panoramio works along with Google Earth to upload photos of places around the world taken by visitors who join the site. I have already posted 164 pictures to the site of places in Nitro, St. Albans, Charleston, Erie Lake, and Myrtle Beach. The greatest thing is that every month or so, the site uploads pictures to Google Earth.

This causes a lot of gripes. One of the biggest complaints about Google Earth is the huge number of applications that can clutter the map itself with tiny icons. Panoramio has several hundred thousand pictures uploaded to Google Earth and its tiny blue dots can clutter the map. Here’s the solution. Turn the Panoramio feature off. If you’re not willing to learn how to do that, then you need to recheck your interest in Google Earth, since all of the applications that be activated and deactivated the same way. One click is all it takes.

Panoramio is great for the same reasons as Google Earth. Through their site, you can search any place in the world and view photos taken from that place. This is great for people like me who would love to travel around the world but may never get the chance (at least, not any time soon.) It has also changed the way I look at things around my community. It is easy to think of places and landmarks you see every day as uninteresting or not worth anyone’s time. Since I joined Panoramio, though, I’ve been trying to find ways to photograph things around the area and make them seem interesting. Much like these photos (go to my link below to see larger versions):

When I first browsed their site, there were maybe three photos taken from my home town. Now, however, there are about ten, thanks to Yours Truly. This site is also great for searching places you have been before and viewing pictures as a sort of reminiscence. I do this all the time with places like Kings Island, Cedar Point, etc.

One of the members of the site created a widget to upload to blogs, MySpace, etc., that displays a few of the pictures from a certain area. I had to find the lat. and long. of St. Albans, but I’ll post the widget below. Those of you from WV, you should enjoy seeing pictures of familiar places. If you’re not from WV, I hope my pics peak your curiosity and maybe you’ll visit our beautiful state. Here is the link to my photos:

http://www.panoramio.com/user/461591

The comments at the bottom are from people who have viewed my pictures and commented on them. There are also some responses to photos I viewed, as well. You don’t have to read them. I hope you enjoy the pics.

News to Me…

wolfdreamer — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:20:53 +0000

Everyone who knows me or reads my blog knows how much I love books and movies. When the two are combined, hey that’s just great. I just read on IMDB that a move based on the novel The Time Traveler’s Wife is coming out some time this year. It stars Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. I don’t want to give away too many details, but here is a basic plot summary for the novel from books.google.com:

“A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare’s passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap, and it is Audrey Niffenegger’s cinematic storytelling that makes the novel’s unconventional chronology so vibrantly triumphant. An enchanting debut and a spellbinding tale of fate and belief in the bonds of love, The Time Traveler’s Wife is destined to captivate readers for years to come.”

I’m really excited about this. If it is done right, this could be an Oscar contender. It is directed by Robert Schwentke, same guy who directed Flightplan. It will be interesting to see how he handles the scenes in which Henry passes through time. Parts of the book are also a little controversial and I’m curious to know if any of that will be included in the film.

Since we’re on the topic of movies, I have been obsessively browsing the web site Flixster, which is kind of like Facebook for movie-lovers. It’s funner that I thought it would be, reviewing movies, completing movie quizzes, and listing my favorite movies and actors/actresses.

I highly recommend this site to all movie lovers. It’s easy to navigate and has a lot of excellent features, including a movie theater with 100+ movies you can watch with limited commercial interruptions.

Here is a list of 140 of my favorite actors/actresses (not really in any order). Hopefully this works:

Cary Grant
Johnny Depp
George Cloo…
Ewan McGreg…
Katharine H…
Audrey Hepb…
Ingrid Berg…
James Cagne…
Humphrey Bo…
Gene Kelly
Spencer Tra…
Kevin Space…
Dustin Hoff…
Claude Rain…
Gregory Pec…
Marlon Bran…
Jack Nichol…
Cate Blanch…
Meryl Stree…
Heath Ledge…
Gary Cooper
Leonardo Di…
Robert Duva…
Tom Hanks
Robert De N…
Al Pacino
Hugh Jackma…
Russell Cro…
Bill Murray
Christian B…
Paul Newman
Ralph Fienn…
Morgan Free…
Liam Neeson
Ben Kingsle…
Joe Pesci
Albert Finn…
Daniel Day-…
Jude Law
Sean Penn
Gerard Butl…
Scarlett Jo…
Geoffrey Ru…
Samuel L. J…
Glenn Close
Kate Winsle…
Emma Thomps…
Harvey Keit…
Philip Seym…
Michael Mad…
Christina R…
Bruce Willi…
Robin Willi…
Tim Curry
Peter Kraus…
Tim Robbins
Sean Conner…
Denzel Wash…
Will Smith
Ashley Judd
Lauren Ambr…
John Travol…
Djimon Houn…
Nicolas Cag…
Tommy Lee J…
Joseph Fien…
Ron Perlman
Jonny Lee M…
Robert Carl…
Adam Sandle…
Harrison Fo…
Ian McKelle…
Brad Pitt
Edward Nort…
Bill Nighy
Owen Wilson
Adrien Brod…
Clive Owen
Carol Burne…
Richard Har…
Richard Dre…
Gwyneth Pal…
Michael Cai…
Gene Hackma…
Clint Eastw…
John Cusack
Christopher…
Jack Black
Val Kilmer
Drew Barrym…
Jeff Bridge…
Grace Kelly
Orson Welle…
James Stewa…
Patrick Ste…
Kate Hudson
Adam Brody
James Caan
Will Ferrel…
Kathy Bates
Wes Bentley
Benicio Del…
Josh Brolin
Ray Liotta
James Earl …
Julie Andre…
Winona Ryde…
Richard Ger…
Laurence Fi…
Kirk Dougla…
Charlton He…
Rex Harriso…
Lee Marvin
Ryan Goslin…
Joaquin Pho…
Helen Mirre…
Helen Hunt
Holly Hunte…
Javier Bard…
Matt Damon
Abigail Bre…
Steve Carel…
Alan Arkin
Judy Garlan…
Renée Zellw…
Ryan Philli…
Adrian Gren…
Jeremy Pive…
Stanley Tuc…
Michelle Pf…
Chow Yun Fa…
Kevin Conno…
Ziyi Zhang
David Carra…
Steve Busch…
John Goodma…
Sam Elliott
Judi Dench
Vince Vaugh…
Eric Bana
.

Make Your Actor Wall

Flixster

Finally…

wolfdreamer — Sat, 17 May 2008 19:19:18 +0000

Finally… I own an I-Pod. Sure, it’s an I-Pop Mini and it’s a girly blend of pink and purple, but it’s mine. Thanks to an unbelievably generous student (who was already in my book as one of the nicest kids I’ve ever known) I now have an I-Pod filled with 300+ of my favorite songs.

I decided to share it, so if you were to check my artists, you would come across Fergie, Gwen Stefani, Kellie Pickler, and a dozen or so more that are far from what I enjoy listening to. You would also find a Playlist titled “Disney.” Not hard to guess who that’s for.

I’m just so excited. I’ve spent hours already, syncing it up to my I-Tunes and getting as many of my songs as I can on there. I was really pleased o know that Nine Inch Nails is offering their new album The Slip for free online. Of course I downloaded it. It’s not as good as other albums of theirs, but hey, free music. You can get it by entering your e-mail here:

T he Slip

I was also happy to find that Smashing Pumpkins (who were one of the first rock bands to offer an entire album online) still had Machina II available online. You can get it here:

Machina II

I think maybe I’m obsessed. I already have 433 songs on there and I still have more to go. I’m ripping some MP3s from CDs I have and putting them on, also. The CDs are just taking up space in my car.

If anyone knows of some other artists who offer MP3s of their music online, just let me know. I know Josh Ritter, an amazing songwriter comparable to Bob Dylan, has a few free MP3s on his homepage, as well:

Josh Ritter Music

Until later — “There’s no turning back now that you opened up to your mind.”

My new Playlist…

wolfdreamer — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:25:03 +0000

DISCLAIMER: The following playlist contains language that may be offensive to some listeners.

This one was actually not the result of boredom. I was made after a creative whim. I was thinking of how cool it would be to make a playlist inspired by the Beat Movement. The playlist has a mix of jazz and blues that are true to the Beat Movement time period as well as some more modern poetic songs that I feel are true to the messages and views of the Beat poets. And, my favorite part, there are some poetry readings by famous figures of the Beat Movement.

If you’re not familiar with the Beats, check out this Wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beat_Movement

Right now, my favorite Beat writer is Jack Kerouac. I’m currently working my way through On the Road and I just recently bought The Dharma Bums (which I heard is more enjoyable than On the Road, but not as important). I just love the idea of traveling across the country just to feel free. My brother and I are planning to hike into the woods this summer with sleeping bags, food, and anything else we think we need, walking until we get tired, rolling out our sleeping bags, and spending the night wherever we are in the woods.

Hope you enjoy. You should try this some time, create a playlist inspired by your favorite book, movie, video game, or whatever you want.

A Brief History of Morse Code…

wolfdreamer — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:52:17 +0000

After all the talk about technology and its current impact on the world, I decided to do a little research on some other inventions that revolutionized the way we communicate and connect. I found this article on morse code from White River Valley Museum:

Morse Code History

In 1836, Samuel Morsedemonstrated the ability of a telegraph system to transmit information over wires. The information was sent as a series of electrical signals. Short signals are referred to as dits (represented as dots). Long signals are referred to as dahs (represented as dashes). With the advent of radio communications, an international version of Morse code became widely used.

Morse code relies on precise intervals of time between dits and dahs, between letters, and between words. Here’s a chart that shows these relationships:

dit	1 unit of time
dah	3 units of time
pause between letters	3 units of time
pause between words	7 units of time

The speed of transmitting Morse code is measured in WPM (words per minute). The word “Paris” is used as the standard length of a word. To transmit the word “Paris” requires 50 units of time. If you transmitted the word “Paris” 5 times, you would be transmitting at 5 WPM. An experienced Morse code operator can transmit and receive information at 20-30 WPM.

Samuel Morse
Samuel Finley Breese Morse, (1791-1872), was a famous American inventor and painter. Morse graduated from Yale in 1810 and went on to study painting in England. In 1815, he took up portrait painting and was quite successful in this field. Morse helped to found the National Academy of Design and served as its first president.In 1827, Morse became interested in electricity. In 1832, he began a 12-year period perfecting his version of an electric telegraph, for which he subsequently received the first patent for this type of device.

Samuel F. B. Morse (1791 – 1872)

In 1844, Morse demonstrated to Congress the practicality of the telegraph by transmitting the famous message “What hath God wrought” over a wire from Washington to Baltimore. He later experimented with submarine cable telegraphy.

Samuel Morse Telegraph Receiver
Used to receive the message, “What hath God wrought”
during the demonstration to Congress in 1844.
Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Electric Telegraph

The telegraph was the first device to send messages using electricity. Telegraph messages were sent by tapping out a special code for each letter of the message with a telegraph key. The telegraph changed the dots and dashes of this code into electrical impulses and transmitted them over telegraph wires. A telegraph receiver on the other end of the wire converted the electrical impulses to dots and dashes on a paper tape. Later, this code became universal and is now known as Morse Code.

Telegraph Key Set

Before electric telegraphy, most messages that traveled long distances were entrusted to messengers who memorized them or carried them in writing. These messages could be delivered no faster than the fastest horse.

In the United States, the Morse telegraph was successful for a number of reasons, including its simple operation and its relatively low cost. By 1851, the country had over 50 telegraph companies though most telegraph business was controlled by the Magnetic Telegraph Company, which held the Morse patents.

Does any of that sound familiar? How about, “… the Morse telegraph was successful for a number of reasons, including its simple operation and its relatively low cost.” Computers have increased in popularity because they have decreased in price and although they have become more complex, they have become easier to use.

Let me know what you think.

Shake it Up

wolfdreamer — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:32:27 +0000

Another clever video. This one is really similar to The Connected Classroom, with some slightly more catchy background music.

Download Video: Posted by bionicteaching at TeacherTube.com.

A Very Similar Video… The Connected Classroom

wolfdreamer — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:21:24 +0000

This is a very similar video to Did You Know 2.0 but is more focused for teachers. Before watching this video, I had my room set up in rows because I was taught in college that it was the best set up for maintaining classroom management. After, though, my desks are arranged in clusters of five.

Download Video: Posted by khokanson at TeacherTube.com.

I think I may start a series of videos on education and technology to post on this blog for anyone who has not seen them yet. I’m not as frightened of the 21st century as many others are but I am also a fast learner when it comes to technology. I think, though, one of the reasons so many people are worried is because now we have no choice but to learn and grow.

In The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Friedman interviewed Nandan Nilekani, CEO for Infosyst Technologies Limited. Nadan said, “The playing field is being leveled” and that America is going to be challenged but “… the challenge would be good for America because we are always at our best when we are being challenged” (Friedman, 7).

I love a challenge. I don’t always rise to the occasion, but I do believe that people are at their best when being challenged. That is an important thing to understand as a teacher. Increase expectations, challenge students, and you will see the best in them. They may not all meet the expectations, but they will be amazed by how hard they worked to try.

Until later– “There’s no turning back now that you opened up to your mind.”

Did You Know 2.0

wolfdreamer — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:53:34 +0000

This is a great video. I showed it to my students and they were amazed. The end of the video is an special message for parents on how to prepare their child for the 21st century. This video may change the way you view the future.

Download Video: Posted by mcleod at TeacherTube.com.

Let me know what you think, your reactions to the video.

My Playlist: The Coffee Shop

wolfdreamer — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:19:17 +0000

I created this playlist at http://www.playlist.com. I call it “The Coffee Shop.” It is a collection of artsy rock songs, easy listening, and some stuff that’s just really good. You should check out the site. It is really entertaining. I made another playlist called “Songs of Memory” and filled it with a bunch of songs that bring back some great (and a few not so great) memories. Maybe I’ll post it here later.

Let me give this code a try:

Hope it works. Enjoy.

Until later– “There’s no turning back now that you open up to your mind.”