Do Schools Kill Creativity?

If you have 20 minutes to spare, I can't recommend this video highly enough.  Sir Ken Robinson is an expert in the education of youth and funny to boot.

What do you think about the notion that we need to re-think education and emphasize arts and humanities at the potential expense of math and science?  Sounds like a good idea to us at Ameribotics!

Google and Robots

I'm one who likes to believe that the Information Technology revolution is running out of steam, and that our best and brightest minds of the near future will turn their attention to Transportation Technologies (flying cars, or even a car that gets 100MPH?), Eco-Technologies (a battery that can make solar power a viable alternative for comprehensive energy needs?) or Household Technologies (a robot like they dreamed about in the '50's that can take care of basic household needs -- especially for the elderly?).

And it seems like I'm ALWAYS wrong.

As the IT revolution rolls on, Google is working on developing robots that can perceive, understand, share and react to their environments.

My question:  Do we REALLY need this more than we need cars with better fuel efficiency?  Or, perhaps tools like this one discussed by ZDNET are a portal to technologies that can better address our basic needs? 

What do you think?

Dancing Robots

Here is another Robot dance competiton much like one I posted a few weeks ago. These videos are really interesting to me for how they get robots to do all these different moves in time to the music. The green guy with the crazy hair makes me laugh everytime I watch this!

Students Sound Off

This article from The Huffington Post is pretty heady and asks students their thoughts on reforming education.

Marie Preston writes eloquently about the need for teachers to connect individually with their students. 

Does the public education system encourage this, though?  Do No Child Left Behind and the general focus on standardized tests force talented teachers, in fact, force the opposite pedagogical approach?

I thought one of the comments hit the nail on the head:

"The SYSTEM pressures teachers to teach to a test and often times a curriculum­. What it doesn't do is promote the teaching of independen­t learning skills. At present, the system - state and local districts - assume parents have prepared thier kids with those minimum skills. When a teacher like myself compensate­s for the lack...the system is rather hostile to the teacher in subtle but exhausting ways.

Obama: STEM Education a Must Have

Dear Mr. President,

Yes, we are in agreement that STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education is necessary for America's future competitiveness.

We would propose, though, that American ingenuity, American creativity, the American Spirit itself is best advanced by an education steeped in both STEM and the arts and humanities.  It's why we at Ameribotics believe that a "STEAM" education rich in the arts is the true key to our country's future business success.

Yours Truly,

Kevin

Hexapod: Best Dance of 2009

This is a little long and repetetive but I think it's  fun and it makes me wonder what has to go into making this possible. How complicated is it for a six legged robot to dance with along with a beat? Well I'm sure it's over my head anyway, I'm having a hard enough time just trying to learn some of their dance moves!

Putting Technology in It's Place

Ok, I know I had a post similar to this just a few days ago but this one has a slightly different take on it and hey I think it's an interesting subject and that's what's really important right? Anyway, this Article from the 'New York Times' quickly goes through the pros and cons of technology being used by and for students. Is it distracting students and not letting them get anything done? Or is it a tool we should take advantage of to it's full, incredible, potential.