Links For July 14, 2015
LaMarcus Aldridge Leaves Trail Blazers to Join Spurs
LaMarcus Aldridge is now a Spur.... An era that began in 2006 when Portland drafted Aldridge and Brandon Roy in tandem has now come to a close. It bore none of the once-promised championship fruit; its winning legacy amounted to a single, miraculous playoff series victory over a 9-year stretch. But the quality of play from Portland’s stars during this decade–and from Aldridge in particular–left a mark on the franchise that transcends wins and losses.
Letter from LaMarcus Aldridge to Rip City
Thank You, Rip City – Wes Matthews is also leaving Portland, for Dallas. Not to mention Robin Lopez going to Brooklyn and Nic Batum being traded to Charlotte. The end of a very short era for the Portland Trailblazers.
Satoru Iwata, Nintendo Chief Executive, Dies at 55
Satoru Iwata, who as chief executive of Nintendo oversaw the introduction of gaming systems such as the Nintendo DS and the Wii, died on Saturday in Kyoto, Japan. He was 55.
Effective Digital Learning Games Blend the Virtual and the Real, Study Finds
Koedinger hypothesized that the mixed-reality game may have been effective for the younger group of students in part due to them being at a relatively early stage of development. While older students may be better able to process information simply presented on a flat screen, merging the physical and virtual world can be particularly beneficial for younger learners, he said.
Tech Toys (and Tools) for Learning
What I find most exciting about this trend is the ability to get manipulatives back in the hands of children while simultaneously allowing them to interact with digital tools. As an educator, I’m relieved to know that learning through virtual technologies is able to occur in conjunction with physical play, all while fostering creativity. Suddenly there has emerged a balance between digital play and physical, imaginative, and cognitively engaging play.
Landfill Harmonic Amazing and Inspirational
A cello made from an oil can and pieces of wood, that were thrown in the garbage; a saxophone made of spoons and buttons. These instruments are crafted by Nicolas, a ‘recycler’ with no previous experience making musical instruments, who is living ‘hand-to-mouth’ by the garbage dump in Catuera, Paraguay. Inspired by this initiative and creativity, Maestro Luis Szaran, director of “Sounds of the Earth,” formed the ‘recycled orchestra,’ with children living near the dump.