Every day natural resources are being rapidly depleted, while production and consumption rise in nations like China and India. In response to this crisis, a new philosophy promoting a non-toxic or recyclable destiny for all man-made products has triggered a new industrial revolution among designers and manufacturers. Rob van Hattum's award-winning documentary explores how companies such as Nike, Herman Miller and Ford are experimenting with completely clean and sustainable production methods and products following the concept that "waste=food."
The world's most famous vampire has been undead for over a century. The famous novel Dracula, written by Irish author Bram Stoker, was a mixture of reality, superstition, fearful fantasies and history. Stoker's role model for the novel was an actual Romanian Prince born in the 15th century: Vlad Tepes or "Vlad the Impaler," so named because of his favorite method of executing his enemies - the horrific medieval torture known as "impaling." And so "Vlad the Impaler" and the Transylvania vampire Count Dracula, became forevermore, one and the same.
This is an incredible modern-day story of a native peoples' victory over Western globalization. Sick of seeing their environment ruined and their people exploited by the Panguna Mine, the Pacific island of Bougainville rose up against the giant mining corporation, Rio Tinto Zinc. The newly formed Bougainville Revolutionary Army began fighting with bows and arrows and sticks and stones against a heavily armed adversary. In an attempt to put down the rebellion the Papua New Guinean Army swiftly established a gunboat blockade around the island. But with no shipments allowed in or out, how did new electricity networks spring up on the island? And how were the people of Bougainville able to drive around the island without any source of petrol or diesel? Watch as the world's first eco-revolution unfolds within the blockade. A David and Goliath story for the 21st century. A multi-award winning documentary
The F-Word follows radio DJ Joe Pace, who is being forced of the air after racking up 1 million dollars in unpaid indecency fines. For his final show, Joe takes to the streets of New York to cover the protests around the Republican National Convention, discovering that the city's politics are as diverse as its residents. Combining fictional scenes set among actual protests with documentary footage of real people, director Jed Weintrob weaves a seamless narrative about America's struggle to find the balance between preserving national security and protecting free speech.
SCIENCE is useful but that is not all it is. Science can be uplifting, thrilling, life-enhancing. Originally broadcast on Britain's Channel 4 in 1996, Break the Science Barrier follows the Oxford Biologist Richard Dawkins as he meets with people who have experienced the wonders of science first-hand. We meet the astronomer who first discovered pulsars, the geneticist who invented DNA fingerprinting, a scientist who discovered a protein that causes cancer, and others. Dawkins interviews famous admirers of science such as Douglas Adams and David Attenborough, and asks them why science means so much to them. We also see how dangerous ignorance of science can be in classrooms, courts, and beyond.
Channel 4 news reporter Krishnan Guru-Murthy embarks on his own narrative journey to investigate the whole Gorillaz phenomenon and find out exactly who the Gorillaz are. Set against the context of massive media interest and a growing global following, Krishnan explores both the real and surreal worlds of the Gorillaz - the 'lives' of the animated band members and their creators. It is a blend of drama, documentary and animation, with humour being the key to the programme.
Whatever is in store--a massive cosmic collision, a global environmental disaster, an Armageddon-like religious showdown, or a more subtle transformation--many believe that December 21, 2012 will mark a major shift in the history of our planet. There is no cogent distinction between the sobering facts and hysterical fiction--what, if any, modern scientific proof exists? Is there any other compelling evidence throughout history that 2012 will be a year of unprecedented, deadly upheaval? This special looks for the parallels between the nightmarish daily headlines and the 2012 prophecies from Nostradamus and others.
Me'colleague Andy Pipes at Channel 4 has published some of the results of in-depth research carried out for the Channel into how young people relate to the web, gaming, the telly and each other. It's got some insights that would dispel some of the myth mongering that will take place in this summer's education conference circuit. Prepare your bullshit bingo cards now...
"Yet despite living such a ‘connected’ life, kids these days still find technology a means to an end - primarily meeting up with their friends, watching television and listening to music. Above all, youth’s obsession with technology is around communication. The average person surveyed was doing 5 simultaneous actions whilst they watched television these days; and the majority of those actions involved communicating at some level. One young teenage girl admitted “I talk to my friend and MSN (instant message) her at the same time.” In fact, a full 34% of those asked said that they texted friends they were with at the time..."
"The TV is still young people’s most popular way to consume media, though in terms of time spent, TV time is pipped to the post by spending time on the internet."
edinburghmsc: via @sbayne: Free downloadable TV for education - it doesn't expire http://www.bufvc.ac.uk/services/bob.html
edinburghmsc: via @speedysnail: d edinburghmsc RT @Glinner @TweetReport 50 Useful Twitter Tools for Writers and Researchers: http://is.gd/v8B8
edinburghmsc: via @anna_jambat: is anyone going to DiGRA 2009?
I'm pleased to see that former colleagues in Learning and Teaching Scotland have managed to get their LTS iTunes U site opened, following our friends at the Open University. Scotland heads out as the first iTunes U provider of professional development material podcasts for those working with 3-18 year olds.
It's not been an easy journey. In 2005, on joining LTS to head up their Modern Languages work, I challenged the organisation to get podcasting (audio) the entire Scottish Learning Festival contents, and video as much as possible. Four years on we're still not able to access good quality recordings of everything, despite the costs of doing so being derisory and the long-tail interest being high - just take a look at the figures viewing what might be conceived as obscure education topics on the Slideshare site I created for the event.
We also had a challenge getting more audio and video material out in subsequent years through the now-defunkt Connected Live site, intended to be an evolution of the print magazine with media-rich addition to the limits of the atom presented by the magazine. Arguably, as with all social media projects in the large, it took two years for the culture to change sufficiently for blogging one's experiences to be seen as part and parcel of one's work, not a geeky pass-time. Mike Coulter along with Saint Andrew of Brown and others have continued to develop that culture slowly and successfully over the past year. We now have an education agency with elements that have moved the organisation from its glossy corporate sheen, to a more 'honest', approachable voice.
LTS's involvement with iTunes U is part of that evolution, and signifies a small victory for those of us who had been pushing for some more budget and effort to be spent on bite-sized professional development designed for small mobile screens, at a time when there was no YouTube or video podcast device.
The organisation's biggest challenge is to make sure it does not become the voice of the marketer or a self-referential poster-child for the politics of education, but a place where grassroots honesty and constructive reflection on our teaching and learning practice can be amplified.
edinburghmsc: via @flittleton: grants for students. deadline June 18th 2009. http://escalate.ac.uk/grants/student
edinburghmsc: via @jar: AHRC PhD studentship at UCL and the National Archives - user participation in archive description. http://bit.ly/ZmlD5