one of the only stable things MS produced… after 4 service packs… and trillions of hacks
Monthly Archives: March 2014
What Is The Best Way to Learn Something New?
Finished an English paper, thought you may enjoy:
Here is an M4A audio file of the article
What Is The Best Way to Learn Something New?
Anthony P. Kuzub
Everyone learns in his or her own way. As an adult returning to school, there have been many strategies to getting the best value from the academic industry. Time, both in and out of class, is lost income for many learners. Wondering if there was: a more efficient and effective way of learning new concepts, a strategy for processing fresh information, and an approach for subject retention, seemed a worthy topic. How to Learn Better at Any Age (Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014) and How Classroom Teachers Can Help Students Learn and Teach Them How to learn (Kiewra, 2002) are two great resources on the topic. Both articles stress similar factors and compliment each other but Brown et al. push the argument towards the right answer.
“Instructors who present information so effectively that students are compelled to learn in effective ways are good “fish givers.” They give students the means to learn what is being taught right now. What more can instructors do? Be fishing teachers” (Kiewra, 2002)
“When learning is harder, it’s stronger and lasts longer”
(Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014).
Effective learning is broken down into three parts done in an organized way: intake, practice, and self-testing. The best way to learn: is a lesson you can properly ingest; with ‘questions from yourself’ and ‘questions to yourself’.
“You usually cannot embed something in memory simply by repeating it over and over. Rereading has three strikes against it: It is time-consuming; it doesn’t result in durable memory and it invokes a kind of unwitting self deception, as growing familiarity with the text comes to feel like mastery of the content.” (Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014)
Classroom lessons are the most expensive way to learn, using this time efficiently is to the learners benefit. To make classroom lectures effective, Kiewra advocates that teachers provide skeletal note-taking devices. These devices encourage attention and focus on the material presented in lectures. Such devices should include: pre-prepared point form user format-able packets of core concepts with matrix style illustrations (for simplified reference) and practice questions. Learners can format the layout of this information to whatever medium they prefer to read with. Emerging software allows users to create their own audio books, read everywhere, and take advantage of speed-reading technologies like Spritz. These outside tools compliment classroom mentoring. With these augmented experiences, learners can easily take “a single, simple quiz after reading a text or hearing a lecture [that] produces better learning and remembering than rereading the text or reviewing lecture notes.” (Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014) Notes are external information, not internalized knowledge. Having personalized notes make for easy retrieval. “Recalling facts or concepts from memory — is a more effective learning strategy than review by rereading.” (Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014)
“Practice makes perfect. But, perfect practice makes permanent.”
Mr. Vince Lombardi
Comprehension of new material is best achieved through practice. Practice inspires questions that classroom lectures cannot provide. This engagement has long-term benefits and allows greater comprehension of the subject material being learned. Practice must be tailored to the learners learning style and to their unique intelligence. “Periodic practice arrests forgetting, strengthens retrieval routes, and is essential for hanging onto the knowledge you want to gain.” (Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014) Comprehension allows the learner visualize, recall, predict, and connect with material. practiced knowledge. If the learner makes personal connections they can evaluate problems and synthesize answers more effectively and accurately. “Flashcards and example tests are a simple example. Retrieval strengthens the memory and interrupts forgetting.” (Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014) Practice and instant self-monitored feedback of learned material creates long last knowledge.
Self Testing, delivered in whatever form that is reflective of ‘measure of the learned material’, – should be make freely available through online resources. Self-testing material is more effective than the re-reading lengthy material. “Instructors can facilitate self-testing by providing students with previous tests or practice tests as study device. [Teachers could] assign students to generate practice tests.” (Kiewra, 2002) Making mistakes, and being able to learn from them, comes through practice and implementation of concepts. Self-testing is a mirror to knowledge. Having personalized practice is : “… giving new material meaning by expressing it in the learners own words and connecting it with what they already know.” (Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014) Mistakes, in application, are made through hands on experience.is an option worth embracing; it is a necessity to overcome learning obstacles. “Self-explanations are statements learners make as to why certain ideas are so. Learners should test themselves so thoroughly prior to an exam that there is nothing the instructor can ask them that they haven’t already asked themselves” (Kiewra, 2002) Learners asking “what’s on the test?” are looking for guidance in practice. What’s on the test is the reflection of good instruction and good practice.
Kiewras wrote an enjoyable academic review on the approach to teaching. It was a sort of ‘wakeup call’ for “fish giving teachers” to become “Angling Technology 112.7FLY instructors at the school of choice. Learners are choosing their own adventure, and their hard work always pays off. Brown et al. say it best in that “the elements that shape your intellectual abilities lie to a surprising extent within your own control.” (Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014). For an instructor the best pupils: are the ones who want to be there, who want to learn, and who want to be good at something. If there is a meaningful rewarding lesson in the work, with someone there to tell them: “how to know” and “what to avoid”, they’ll be okay.
Works Cited
Brown, P., Roediger , H., & McDaniel, M. (2014, 03 09). How to Learn Better at Any Age. Boston Clobe Magazine .
Kiewra, K. A. (2002). How Classroom Teachers Can Help Students Learn and Teach Them How to Learn. Theory Into Practice , 41 (2), 71.
Programming final project
So I’ve not programmed in a while and I must say I really really enjoyed this class.
I enjoy the process of examining logic.
The final project called for a resistor calculator. I’ve been enjoying the ELM program at Seneca, all of the classes compliment one another.
Going to re-manufacture some WBS daughter boards
As a part of my school program, I’ve decided to take a shot at re-designing 2 WBS components.
First the 4-110 mic pre-amp for the M460 – M461. In the 90s WBS redesigned the card using 5534 but I’m looking at something even more modern.
Second the 109 cards. While at Revolution Recording, Joe D redesigned his version of the 109 card and it was a HUGE improvement. He described it as “taking the cheese cloth off the audio” and he was right.
The idea is to have a plug and play module available for users with a few new features not incorporated in past designs.
Once they’re done I hope to have them for sale on www.AudioAholics.com
Going through filing cabinets….
Using a POD 2 switcher
I wanted to add some components to my home listening system, so a switcher was needed. I’ve decided to use a POD 2 switcher…
the POD-2 is a (6) Stereo input – stereo switcher that has the ability to sum all inputs. The output of the switcher feeds a Stereo Penny and Giles fader then directly to the Mackie HR824 speakers.
I’ve got to find a panel… but as far as home friendly user interface goes this is as simple as it gets.
1 Turn Table
2 Radio
3 Mac Mini
4 Cassette
5
6 Airport Express out
Jeff Wolpert dolling out the wisdom
Jeff and Sydney did some fantastic work while I was at Revolution Recording. They’ve setup a killer room downtown and have Wizard Services to offer. Here is a great lesson from a very learned man.
Went to the coolest Drum shop I’ve seen in a while
http://www.centurydrumshop.com/ opened a few months ago and I finally got a chance to visit Greg. very cool stuff in stock very well displayed. You should check it out sometime.
A Social Experiment
I’ve been thinking about a social experiment.
I often take calls from people looking for services, I’ve met a lot of great people in this industry and I do stand by their great work and contributions. So instead of fielding calls and answering the questions I’ve created a Wizard Services section at http://audioaholics.com/wizard_services
I am asking you my friends to use it to work, get work share work and do work together. I would like to consider it my rolodex
I’ve got the permission to post a few contacts and will be doing so this week.
The term outboard…
I had a thought and It makes a lot of sense to me… how about a few opinions:
The term outboard can be considered “out of board” or “not inside the board”. When recording engineers / live sound technicians needed an external processor that was not a part of their mixing board they would go “Outboard”.
To Avoid Injury…
A Major upgrade
Hauling equipment around on public transit has taken its tole on my body. Elizabeth and I have “levelled up” by getting a fancy 2010 VW Golf. Now visiting clients, collecting debts, doing service calls, moving gear, going to the shop, and visiting family will be so much easier!
very exciting happenings this summer!
Not a good idea… they are laws! Math practice anyone?
Had a date with a dream machine
I did a house call this weekend on a sick A80. Track 2 was being glitchy so it was replaced with track 15s chassis and pulled for bench service. It’s really nice to see these machines still kicking like it’s 1974! Making great records still!
Billie Jean… turns out is his son
From: http://www.cinemablend.com/pop/DNA-Results-Allegedly-Show-Michael-Jackson-Has-31-Year-Son-62653.html?fb
Go grab a cold glass of water and take a seat. It’s about to get really weird up in here. Apparently, Michael Jackson impregnated longtime Jackson family friend Miki Howard during the early 1980s. Who is she, you ask? She had a string of R&B hits in the late 80s and early 90s and, wait for it, just so happened to sometimes go by the name Billie. That would make the song “Billie Jean” an honest to God emotional response to what was actually happening in MJ’s life. It would also make it one of the biggest bombshells we’ve gotten about the singer who unleashed plenty of bombshells during his life, but at this point, everything is still one gigantic if.
Here’s what happened…
Apparently, singer Brandon Howard, 31, agreed to appear in a documentary for FilmOn.TV. During the course of that documentary, they asked him for a DNA swab. Later on, the producers of the documentary allegedly acquired a dental impression MJ gave to a Beverly Hills doctor, as per TMZ. A DNA comparison was run, and it allegedly showed paternity, and today, those results were released during a live broadcast that included Corey Feldman.
You would think B. Howard himself would be stoked about the findings, but according to the local news in Miami, he’s not. He allegedly never asked them to run the DNA test, has never publically acknowledged being MJ’s son and has no interest in going after the estate for money. Or he’s the puppet master behind this whole thing and doesn’t want to admit it.
If you trust these DNA results, it would seem Jackson has a child, but at this point, none of us have any reason to trust DNA results from some random company made public by a website most of us have never heard of. So, for the time being, it’s probably best if you don’t get too excited.
That being said, I highly encourage you to listen to “Billie Jean” with a totally new perspective…
The audio mixer as a creative tool in musical composition and performance
An interesting read
http://iem.kug.ac.at/fileadmin/media/iem/projects/2011/bem13.pdf