24 January 2014

Weekend List!

Jill's List:

I'm so interested in this article.  My exposure to modern day standardized testing is very limited. Thinking. Thinking.

Trying to learn French?  Frantastique subscriptions are 20% off this week! (Here's a review.)

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Screenshot from Frantastique.

Combining the faces of people who are genetically related.  Craziness ensues.  Mind blown.

And these people aren't twins.

Oh shit.  Oh, nice!

Vlisco's hero fashion.



Found this gem of a bronze pendant hidden in the case at Je Gagne Ma Vie here in Kinshasa.  Never been to this great shop where the profits directly support the artists?  Go this weekend!



This is so weird and gross.  Even more disturbing is the fact that the story keeps popping up... (Go here for a calmer perspective, thanks to a reasonable reader!)

How to be present for a friend experiencing loss or tragedy.  An important piece.

Sigh. Celebrities and their "African adventures". I had a hard time with this article. (Thank you, Alice.)

Let's Save Africa! - Gone wrong.



Sarah's List:

Breaking news: Froot Loops are all the same flavor.

froot loops by Andréia, on Flickr
That's right. There's no lime, grape, orange, lemon or cherry. Just the same sweet cardboard flavor.
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License  by  Andréia 


Here's what happens when you give poor people money.

The Central African Republic's got a new president. And she's a woman.


Here's a list of all the other women running the world. And a map.

Pink equals a female head of state. (Thank you, filibustercartoons for the image.)




Everyone over-thinks social interactions. Except for people outside the United States. The rest of us suffer great peril.

Le Baiser des Amies by simpologist, on Flickr
Just two friends sayin' hey in France. No big deal.
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic License  by  simpologist 


40 Maps to Help You Make Sense of the World. Especially #36. Ah, that world just makes so much more sense now...


Dove has a new ad about selfies that's so good it debuted at Sundance.


365-336 by Canned Muffins, on Flickr
Pretty sure this is a selfie by Dove.
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License  by  Canned Muffins


God Loves Uganda now playing in DC. Won't someone see it for us and write a review.



3 comments:

  1. The thing about the rat ship is largely overblown. No one knows exactly what's on that ship because no one has been on it in over a year. It's likely there are rats, but there have been reports that they're cannibal rats. They're probably not. They're probably just regular rats. Read the Smithsonian Magazine article here: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/no-abandoned-ship-full-diseased-rats-not-floating-towards-britain-180949477/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=01242014&utm_content=smartnewsratship1

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  2. Haha, jeannifloyd. I'm completely sure you're right! Such a weird media blip this week. Thanks for the Smithsoian Mag link. I'm amending the List!

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  3. Thank you for the standardized testing article. As an educator, I believe in the importance of standardized tests. There does need to be some sort of standardized method for verifying whether a student is ready to move on to the next level. We should be able to expect the same basic knowledge and skills from high school graduates from Loudoun County, VA; Hazard County, KY; and Orange County, CA. However, I also believe that most standardized tests are faulty—requiring rote and repetition rather than critical thinking and creative problem solving skills. A test requiring critical thinking and creative problem solving is more difficult, of course, but also more interesting. It also doesn’t have to be as long. I’m imagining a math test with just a few complex (but not necessarily difficult), real-world applications problems requiring multiple steps that would test multiple concepts, and also requiring students to provide written justifications to their solutions. This mirrors my limited understanding of the PISA test—a test that I’ve only read a little about and that I yet respect more than any other standardized test I’ve encountered. I also don’t think that standardized testing causes good teachers to “teach to the test.” It requires them to teach the standards, yes, but I think that a good teacher would take those standards to the next level and teach “above” the test.

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