Green screen wizardry

Cheery Friday Greetings to our Learning How to Learners!

Wondering about Green Screen?

Here’s a picture Barb took last week at the great MOOC-making studio at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. It captures the magic of green (and red!) screen in one seamless image.  Notice how the talent in the photograph is standing against a plain green background holding a red placard.  (The person being videotaped is always referred to as the “talent.”) The magic of digital wizardry converts the green background into a bright corridor and the red placard into a picture-filled poster.

Interview with Gayle Allen on Curious Minds

In this interview, Barb has a lot of fun speaking with master interviewer Gayle Allen about a life of learning. (Feel free to rate the interview on iTunes.)

MOOCs on Personal Development

Class Central has developed a great list of top MOOCs on personal development. Take your pick and enjoy!

Getting to know MiríadaX

If you’re interested in learning about a large Spanish-language MOOC provider, this fascinating article by our very own Orlando Trejo, Lead of the Spanish Learning How to Learn, is just the ticket.

NeuroBytes: Modular electronic neurons designed for ages 12+.

Here’s a really interesting Kickstarter campaign to “build your own brain with NeuroBytes”! This looks like one of the most awesome gifts for a kid (or a grownup!) that we’ve seen in a long time. [Hat tip: Massimo Curatella]

Slow and Steady: The Effects of Teaching a One-Semester Introductory Mechanics Class Over a Year

We’re keen proponents of the idea that if you’re a slower learner, it isn’t necessarily bad. In fact, you can sometimes learn more deeply and see further than “race car brain” type learners. In a related vein, here’s an interesting paper by  Michael Thouless, “Slow and Steady: The Effects of Teaching a One-Semester Introductory Mechanics Class Over a Year.” International Journal of Engineering Education 33, 6 (2017): 1842-1855. Nice work!

For Santiago Ramón y Cajal Fans!

Those who have been with Learning How to Learn for a while realize that we are dyed-in-the-wool Ramón y Cajal fans.  Here’s a fascinating look at the impact that Santiago Ramón y Cajal, the artist-scientist father of modern neuroscience,  has had on one artist’s life and work. [Hat tip, Lynda Hoffmann]

Plagiarism Checkers for Online Platforms

Grammarly is a valuable tool in our writing arsenal–we find the professional version to be well worth the cost). To our surprise, Grammarly has come out with an intriguing new tool for plagiarism checking on online platforms. Here is a short video about how Grammarly integrates with Canvas. [Hat tip Sebastian Koelper.]

Now, if only Grammarly would check our bad links (sorry–the jet lag has obviously left us a bit addled!)  Here’s the right link for last week’s wonderful book of the month The Like Switch: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over!

That’s all for this week. Have a happy week in Learning How to Learn!

Barb, Terry, and the entire Learning How to Learn team

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