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Maybe you need to clear your head. There are several ways that we can bolster our ability to think clearly and increase our learning potential. The first way is to take a walk.
Walking is not only good for your physical health; it helps your mental health as well. It increases blood flow to the brain and delivers the oxygen and glucose it needs to work better. Aerobic exercise is better for your brain than exercises that are more strenuous because the more intense workout causes muscles other than the brain to use more of the oxygen and glucose.
A study at the University of Illinois found that those who walked up to 45 minutes per day improved their ability in processes such as planning, scheduling and working memory. Another study found that more oxygen and glucose delivered to the brain helped people subtract faster and helped expert Tetris players play even better; but that is probably only good news to people who subtract a lot or play Tetris.
Walking can also affect the Hippocampus. No, I don't mean the mythical sea horses that pulled Poseidon's sea chariot. They are sea creatures and obviously don't walk. I mean the major component of the brain that plays an important role in long-term memory. It is also one of the first regions of the brain to suffer damage by Alzheimer's disease.
A study of how aerobic exercise affects the hippocampus at the University of Pittsburgh indicated that aerobic fitness is associated with an increased hippocampus volume and translates to better memory function and reduces the risk for developing dementia.
So, the next time you just can't wrap your head around a problem or idea, walking may be just what you need to clear your head, improve your memory and increase your learning ability. Then come back and see if you can make a six-legged walking robot from Lego.
skip to next post
Advancement
Most games on Facebook are based on advancement. You start out at level 1 and, as you complete tasks, you gain experience and levels. Each level requires more experience and more completed tasks than the one before it.
A system of advancement with clearly defined goals for each level and a list of specific activities that can be used to achieve those goals allows students and employees to take charge of their careers and continually move toward accomplishing the goals and advancing in levels. If taking on another assignment in school or project at work will add a measurable amount to your 'experience' and move you closer to the next level of advancement, you are going to take it on.
Recognition
Another concept that is common among Facebook games is trophies. These trophies are like Boy Scout Merit Badges. Each time you accomplish pre-determined goals, like harvesting a specified amount of crops in a farm game, you receive a trophy.
There are some trophies already in schools and businesses, but they tend to be trophies for being the best, like champion trophies or employee-of-the-month or year. Only one person can have it and if you didn't get it, you would have to wait until next month or year.
Recognition should be something that anyone and everyone should be able to get anytime they achieve that goal. If everyone in the class or business achieves the goal, each gets the recognition.
Benefits
Benefits are also common in Facebook games. As you climb in level, more things are available for you to have and use. Everything is clearly marked with the level you need to be in order to earn it or obtain use of it. You can have better farm equipment, more fish tanks or a larger island, depending on which game you are playing.
Everyone appreciates a little extra incentive. If reaching a certain level means that you will receive two tickets to a movie, concert or sporting event, you will work that much harder to do it. It doesn't have to be expensive, just useful and enjoyable.
By using Advancement, Recognition and Benefits, you can turn your school or business into a competitive game and help your students or employees become more productive and consistently working toward goals that advance your organization.
skip to next post
Theories about individualized ways of learning have been around since the 1970's. One of the most popular ones today breaks the list of learning styles down to Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing and Kinesthetic. Although I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, I prefer to ignore the Reading/Writing style because I see it simply as a combination of the Visual (Reading) and Kinesthetic (Writing) styles. Let's look at each of these learning styles.
Visual Learning
Visual learners typically are better at understanding information presented using video, charts, diagrams or text. They are usually good spellers, distracted easily by noises and dream in color. To maximize learning ability as a visual learner, look for how-to videos, make outlines, take abundant notes and highlight important ideas.
Auditory Learning
Auditory learners typically are better at understanding information presented through lectures, speeches and discussions. They are usually good at understanding the meaning of the information through audible signals such as the tone, pitch and speed of the spoken word. To maximize learning ability as an auditory learner, read text aloud and use text-to-speech capabilities available in computer software. Listening to music can help also.
Kinesthetic Learning
Kinesthetic learners typically are better at understanding through a hands-on approach through labs, games, flash cards and group interaction. They are usually physically active and involved in sports, theater, dance, martial arts and other activities that use movement to learn. To maximize learning ability as a kinesthetic learner, study with others, use memory games and role-play.
As for me, I am primarily a visual learner. I learn best by reading material on the internet or in textbooks. I first realized this in college. When meeting my roommate, I would immediately forget his name unless I saw it written down. Once I saw it written down, it was committed to memory.
Try to discover how you learn best and you can maximize your learning potential by using the tools designed for your learning style.
skip to next post
I was wrong.
The good news is that if you are interested in learning more about your profession, about business in general or just about anything else that may tickle your fancy, there are many opportunities. Here are just three examples.
1. Take advantage of Online and Distance Classes
Check out your local college or university. Online and distances classes and degrees are becoming more readily available. At North Dakota State University, one of the local universities in my area, they will soon be offering a Masters Degree in Software Engineering online.
Online and distance classes give you flexibility of time. They are usually work-at-your-own-pace and allow you to fit the work into your schedule. You could work on it early in the morning before your regular job, on breaks or late at night before bed. In addition, you also don´t have to worry that a professor will call on you and catch you daydreaming about that cute girl you met at a frat party the night before.
2. Use Open Course Ware
A number of universities worldwide offer free audio & video lectures, course notes and exams online free of charge. The Open Courseware Consortium has a list of these. One of the most extensive collections belongs to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Whether you want to take a course in Multicore Programming, Economy and Business in Modern China and India, Geodynamics, or Hip Hop, there is a course for you online.
3. Try Self Study
If you prefer simply reading a textbook about a subject, and who doesn´t, there are a number of sources for free downloadable and online textbooks.
Textbook Revolution has an extensive list of eBooks on a wide variety of subjects from Computer Science and Engineering to Environment and Health Sciences. You can find something interesting here even if the topic you are interested in is Territorial Use Rights in Fisheries in Chile.
FreeBookZone has a list of eBooks available from many sources such as Microsoft & NASA. Most of them are computer science books but there are some Math, Medical and Chemistry books as well.
Whether you want to enhance your job skills, learn more about the world or delve further into a favorite hobby, there are many opportunities online. Best of all, you don´t need a hall pass to go to the bathroom.
When I was just a wee lad, I would go to my father and ask him my many insightful questions. How do computers work? What does insightful mean? How do you perform heart surgery?
Actually, I never asked the last question, but one night, at dinner, he explained it...in detail. I didn't eat much that night.
His response to my questions was nearly always the same. He would point to the bookshelf where three different sets of encyclopedias rested or the wooden table where the 8" thick dictionary laid open to the letter P and say the magical words "Look it up." Today, with the convenience of the internet, he would have said, "Look it up online."
When I discovered computers in High School, Windows were still just rectangular holes in the wall that you could look through and CDs were financial investments. The computer department consisted of an Apple II computer that saved data on a cassette tape. While most people took the computer class that taught you how to turn the computer on and add two numbers, I worked with one other independent study student to figure out how to build a database application that kept track of the statistics for our high school basketball team. Our only resource at that time was the reference manual for Applesoft BASIC.
In College, time seemed to fall backward as one of my first classes taught me how to punch one program line at a time on 80-character cards in order to run the program on one of those mainframe computers that took up a large room. At the same time, I discovered the newsgroups on USENET, which were the first online discussion forums. Other online resources such as CompuServe started appearing that not only expanded the number of other computer people that you could connect with, but also the amount of time you could play online games.
By the time I graduated, I had learned a programming language called Pascal that ran on DOS computers with a hefty 32 MB ram, and I racked up a $400.00 CompuServe bill for one month of playing some role-playing game. Neither of these things was useful for getting my first job.
In order to get my first job, I stayed up all night with a demo copy of the programming language, FoxPro 2.0 for DOS, which I had never used before. By the interview, the next day, I had consumed close to a gallon of Mountain Dew, but I was able to teach myself enough of the language to get the job. Within a month of starting the job, I had demonstrated enough skill with the language that the owner turned the company's flagship farm accounting product over to me and gave up active programming.
Since then, there has been a shift to object-oriented programming, to client-server with a SQL Server backend, to the dot-net framework with Microsoft's Visual Studio and to Rockstar Energy Drinks. With the exception of the energy drinks, each shift required the ability to find whatever information I needed to learn those subjects. There are many resources online from Blogs to Forums and Podcasts to actual Source Code. Searching for information on the internet has become so important and commonplace that some people think Google IS the internet.
Today, technology is still changing rapidly. However, if you know how to find new information and learn new skills, you be able to keep up with those changes. You will help keep both you and your employer on the cutting edge of technology. Learn to teach an old dog some new tricks, especially when that old dog is you.
Clear Your Head: Remember to Walk
by Steven Cameron (Programmer/Analyst), July 26, 2010 You've finally decided that you want to learn Lego Robotics because you're convinced that the demand for Lego engineers is going to skyrocket in the next few years. You've also determined that the best method to learn it is having the annoying Microsoft Sam computerized voice read you dry engineering textbooks. However, for some reason, your brain is still in a fog and the seemingly simple principles of robotics seem more like studying Nietzsche's philosophy of the Ubermensch.Maybe you need to clear your head. There are several ways that we can bolster our ability to think clearly and increase our learning potential. The first way is to take a walk.
Walking is not only good for your physical health; it helps your mental health as well. It increases blood flow to the brain and delivers the oxygen and glucose it needs to work better. Aerobic exercise is better for your brain than exercises that are more strenuous because the more intense workout causes muscles other than the brain to use more of the oxygen and glucose.
A study at the University of Illinois found that those who walked up to 45 minutes per day improved their ability in processes such as planning, scheduling and working memory. Another study found that more oxygen and glucose delivered to the brain helped people subtract faster and helped expert Tetris players play even better; but that is probably only good news to people who subtract a lot or play Tetris.
Walking can also affect the Hippocampus. No, I don't mean the mythical sea horses that pulled Poseidon's sea chariot. They are sea creatures and obviously don't walk. I mean the major component of the brain that plays an important role in long-term memory. It is also one of the first regions of the brain to suffer damage by Alzheimer's disease.
A study of how aerobic exercise affects the hippocampus at the University of Pittsburgh indicated that aerobic fitness is associated with an increased hippocampus volume and translates to better memory function and reduces the risk for developing dementia.
So, the next time you just can't wrap your head around a problem or idea, walking may be just what you need to clear your head, improve your memory and increase your learning ability. Then come back and see if you can make a six-legged walking robot from Lego.
skip to next post
Three ways Facebook games can change schools and businesses
by Steven Cameron (Programmer/Analyst), June 7, 2010 Many people have come to believe that the addictive games on Facebook waste hours of time and dramatically reduce productivity for both students and employees. However, if you look closely at what makes those games so addictive, you'll find three concepts that can actually increase productivity in students and in employees.Advancement
Most games on Facebook are based on advancement. You start out at level 1 and, as you complete tasks, you gain experience and levels. Each level requires more experience and more completed tasks than the one before it.
A system of advancement with clearly defined goals for each level and a list of specific activities that can be used to achieve those goals allows students and employees to take charge of their careers and continually move toward accomplishing the goals and advancing in levels. If taking on another assignment in school or project at work will add a measurable amount to your 'experience' and move you closer to the next level of advancement, you are going to take it on.
Recognition
Another concept that is common among Facebook games is trophies. These trophies are like Boy Scout Merit Badges. Each time you accomplish pre-determined goals, like harvesting a specified amount of crops in a farm game, you receive a trophy.
There are some trophies already in schools and businesses, but they tend to be trophies for being the best, like champion trophies or employee-of-the-month or year. Only one person can have it and if you didn't get it, you would have to wait until next month or year.
Recognition should be something that anyone and everyone should be able to get anytime they achieve that goal. If everyone in the class or business achieves the goal, each gets the recognition.
Benefits
Benefits are also common in Facebook games. As you climb in level, more things are available for you to have and use. Everything is clearly marked with the level you need to be in order to earn it or obtain use of it. You can have better farm equipment, more fish tanks or a larger island, depending on which game you are playing.
Everyone appreciates a little extra incentive. If reaching a certain level means that you will receive two tickets to a movie, concert or sporting event, you will work that much harder to do it. It doesn't have to be expensive, just useful and enjoyable.
By using Advancement, Recognition and Benefits, you can turn your school or business into a competitive game and help your students or employees become more productive and consistently working toward goals that advance your organization.
skip to next post
Learn How You Learn
by Steven Cameron (Programmer/Analyst), Mar. 15, 2010 Some people learn by reading a textbook. Other people learn by listening to instructions. Still others prefer hands-on training. Of course, there are also those who only learn when you swat them on the nose with a newspaper. But, that usually only works with dogs. And, even then, it only teaches them to avoid newspapers. Still, teaching yourself something is a whole lot easier if you understand how you learn.Theories about individualized ways of learning have been around since the 1970's. One of the most popular ones today breaks the list of learning styles down to Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing and Kinesthetic. Although I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, I prefer to ignore the Reading/Writing style because I see it simply as a combination of the Visual (Reading) and Kinesthetic (Writing) styles. Let's look at each of these learning styles.
Visual Learning
Visual learners typically are better at understanding information presented using video, charts, diagrams or text. They are usually good spellers, distracted easily by noises and dream in color. To maximize learning ability as a visual learner, look for how-to videos, make outlines, take abundant notes and highlight important ideas.
Auditory Learning
Auditory learners typically are better at understanding information presented through lectures, speeches and discussions. They are usually good at understanding the meaning of the information through audible signals such as the tone, pitch and speed of the spoken word. To maximize learning ability as an auditory learner, read text aloud and use text-to-speech capabilities available in computer software. Listening to music can help also.
Kinesthetic Learning
Kinesthetic learners typically are better at understanding through a hands-on approach through labs, games, flash cards and group interaction. They are usually physically active and involved in sports, theater, dance, martial arts and other activities that use movement to learn. To maximize learning ability as a kinesthetic learner, study with others, use memory games and role-play.
As for me, I am primarily a visual learner. I learn best by reading material on the internet or in textbooks. I first realized this in college. When meeting my roommate, I would immediately forget his name unless I saw it written down. Once I saw it written down, it was committed to memory.
Try to discover how you learn best and you can maximize your learning potential by using the tools designed for your learning style.
skip to next post
Learn Something New
by Steven Cameron (Programmer/Analyst), Dec. 31, 2009 At my college graduation, like many graduates before me, I had to demonstrate my learned skills by being able to shake someone´s hand, grab my diploma, and avoid tripping over the graduation gown all at the same time. Moreover, like many graduates before me, I thought that with that complex rite of passage, for the first time since preschool, I was done with learning forever.I was wrong.
The good news is that if you are interested in learning more about your profession, about business in general or just about anything else that may tickle your fancy, there are many opportunities. Here are just three examples.
1. Take advantage of Online and Distance Classes
Check out your local college or university. Online and distances classes and degrees are becoming more readily available. At North Dakota State University, one of the local universities in my area, they will soon be offering a Masters Degree in Software Engineering online.
Online and distance classes give you flexibility of time. They are usually work-at-your-own-pace and allow you to fit the work into your schedule. You could work on it early in the morning before your regular job, on breaks or late at night before bed. In addition, you also don´t have to worry that a professor will call on you and catch you daydreaming about that cute girl you met at a frat party the night before.
2. Use Open Course Ware
A number of universities worldwide offer free audio & video lectures, course notes and exams online free of charge. The Open Courseware Consortium has a list of these. One of the most extensive collections belongs to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Whether you want to take a course in Multicore Programming, Economy and Business in Modern China and India, Geodynamics, or Hip Hop, there is a course for you online.
3. Try Self Study
If you prefer simply reading a textbook about a subject, and who doesn´t, there are a number of sources for free downloadable and online textbooks.
Textbook Revolution has an extensive list of eBooks on a wide variety of subjects from Computer Science and Engineering to Environment and Health Sciences. You can find something interesting here even if the topic you are interested in is Territorial Use Rights in Fisheries in Chile.
FreeBookZone has a list of eBooks available from many sources such as Microsoft & NASA. Most of them are computer science books but there are some Math, Medical and Chemistry books as well.
Whether you want to enhance your job skills, learn more about the world or delve further into a favorite hobby, there are many opportunities online. Best of all, you don´t need a hall pass to go to the bathroom.
Teaching an old dog some new tricks
by Steven Cameron (Programmer/Analyst), Oct. 12, 2009 No matter what job you have or what profession you pursue, the single most valuable skill you can have is the ability to teach yourself something new. I learned this early on from my father.When I was just a wee lad, I would go to my father and ask him my many insightful questions. How do computers work? What does insightful mean? How do you perform heart surgery?
Actually, I never asked the last question, but one night, at dinner, he explained it...in detail. I didn't eat much that night.
His response to my questions was nearly always the same. He would point to the bookshelf where three different sets of encyclopedias rested or the wooden table where the 8" thick dictionary laid open to the letter P and say the magical words "Look it up." Today, with the convenience of the internet, he would have said, "Look it up online."
When I discovered computers in High School, Windows were still just rectangular holes in the wall that you could look through and CDs were financial investments. The computer department consisted of an Apple II computer that saved data on a cassette tape. While most people took the computer class that taught you how to turn the computer on and add two numbers, I worked with one other independent study student to figure out how to build a database application that kept track of the statistics for our high school basketball team. Our only resource at that time was the reference manual for Applesoft BASIC.
In College, time seemed to fall backward as one of my first classes taught me how to punch one program line at a time on 80-character cards in order to run the program on one of those mainframe computers that took up a large room. At the same time, I discovered the newsgroups on USENET, which were the first online discussion forums. Other online resources such as CompuServe started appearing that not only expanded the number of other computer people that you could connect with, but also the amount of time you could play online games.
By the time I graduated, I had learned a programming language called Pascal that ran on DOS computers with a hefty 32 MB ram, and I racked up a $400.00 CompuServe bill for one month of playing some role-playing game. Neither of these things was useful for getting my first job.
In order to get my first job, I stayed up all night with a demo copy of the programming language, FoxPro 2.0 for DOS, which I had never used before. By the interview, the next day, I had consumed close to a gallon of Mountain Dew, but I was able to teach myself enough of the language to get the job. Within a month of starting the job, I had demonstrated enough skill with the language that the owner turned the company's flagship farm accounting product over to me and gave up active programming.
Since then, there has been a shift to object-oriented programming, to client-server with a SQL Server backend, to the dot-net framework with Microsoft's Visual Studio and to Rockstar Energy Drinks. With the exception of the energy drinks, each shift required the ability to find whatever information I needed to learn those subjects. There are many resources online from Blogs to Forums and Podcasts to actual Source Code. Searching for information on the internet has become so important and commonplace that some people think Google IS the internet.
Today, technology is still changing rapidly. However, if you know how to find new information and learn new skills, you be able to keep up with those changes. You will help keep both you and your employer on the cutting edge of technology. Learn to teach an old dog some new tricks, especially when that old dog is you.