8.22.2004

Visualizing Mathematics

I just reviewed a book about learning and graphics -- Graphics for Learning by Ruth Colvin Clark and Chopeta Lyon. It turns out that MIT professor John Belcher and his fellow colleagues developed a Java applet that turns analytic vector functions into visual works of abstract art to help students better understand concepts like Vector Fields, Electrostatics, Magnetostatics, Faraday's Law, and Light. The course also offer a number of other good learning techniques, such as collaborative learning and extensive course notes with visualizations.

America's Changing Classrooms

CNN has a Special Report on America's Changing Classrooms. The main focus in on online education and charter schools. The presentation is quite good with such options as an educational time line and art gallery. Be sure to check it out!

8.01.2004

Be a King, Not a Joker

"There is too much focus today on IT governance—the reporting, quantifying and measuring of the IT organization's output—and not enough on IT leadership." Stop measuring performance and get something done. At times it seems we are much more interested in measurement, rather than improving the organization. Thus, Be a King, Not a Joker.

Lost in Translation

"Total knowledge transfer is impossible, in large part because knowledge is geographically sensitive." Although this article, Lost in Translation, from CIO magazine is about outsourcing, it has plenty of lessons for the succeful transfer of knowlege within an organization The successful transfer of knowledge to an offshore vendor everything from programming expertise to what users expect from a system can make or break a project. Here's what you need to know to do it right.