Man's Job is to Take Selfies

Record-Breaking 1800 Selfies Taken in 1 Hour

 (Bhanu Prakash)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Hyderabad-boy-eyes-new-record-by-clicking-1800-selfies-in-one-hour/articleshow/48845060.cms

1)  What are the parameters of the competition?  Are they valid?  Is this something worth competing for?  What evidence is most compelling in training for this activity?

2)  Why might his parents feel differently than his former teachers?  His current or future partner/s?  The relatives of George Eastman?
  
3)  In what ways is this more connected to chemistry than to psychology?  To what degree is this connected to math?  

4)  How might the reporting of this story be different if it was about a teenage girl?  An American?

5)  What are the basic assumptions about people who take selfies?  What are the basic assumptions of those who share selfies about their followers/friends?

Extension Activities:

1)  Students can chart the rate of posted selfies of their friends and compare them to those of celebrities'.

2)  Students can research the use of selfies within different social networks and predict future trends.

AoK:  Human Sciences

WoK:  Imagination

6 Humans Step Into One-Year Isolation Dome

Mars Isolation Experiment Begins

(NASA)

http://phys.org/news/2015-08-year-mars-isolation.html


1)  What collected data could be the most useful for NASA?  In what ways could the experiment prove to be useless?  

2)  Why might a former astronaut think about this differently than a junior high school student?  In what ways might Buzz Aldrin and Chris Hadfield think similarly about this experiment?

3)  In which class would this topic be most appropriate?  In what ways is this experiment more about physical health than psychology?  

4)  What if the participants all spoke different languages?  Were related?  The length of time was shortened to 1 month?  Extended to 3 years?

5)  In what ways is this experiment significant?  What are the long term consequences on the participants?  What are the short term consequences for NASA?  What are the basic assumptions tested in this experiment?

Extension Activities:

1)  Students can research the effects of extreme isolation on humans ("feral" children, solitary confinement, etc.) and write a story from the perspective of someone who is recruited by NASA because of their previous experience.

2)  Students can write a journal in the voice of a future astronaut from different points in time, considering time traveled and their eventual return.  

AoK:  Human Sciences

WoK:  Intuition

Tongue-Rolling Myth Totally 'Debunked'

Classic Genetic Myth is Wrong

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/genetic-myth-textbooks-get-wrong/

1)  In what ways is wisdom 'conventional'?  To what degree should science textbooks be believed?  What confers expertise in genetics?    

2)  Why might an American child feel differently about this than their grandparent?  In what ways would a 7th grade science teacher think about this differently than a student?  

3)  How might this be connected to psychology?  Math?

4)  In what ways would this story be different if it was about another classic example (i.e. widow's peak, ear lobe)?  How would this story be different if it was about genetics more than certainty?    

5)  What are some under lying assumptions about science in this article?  About belief?  In what ways is this significant for educational institutions?  

Extension Activities:

1)  Students can create a list of debunked artifacts of conventional wisdom and compare them to those in a country of their choice.

2)  Students can create a Top Ten list of the most widely believed debunked conventional wisdom in an area of their choice (history, science, nutrition) and survey their classmates.  Students can then analyze the results and offer prescriptive advice on combating them when they are encountered again.

AoK:  Human Sciences
 WoK:  Reason

Tallest Mountain in North America Now Officially Denali

Obama Administration Changes Name of Mt. McKinley



(AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/31/us/mount-mckinley-will-be-renamed-denali.html?_r=0

1)  What evidence is used in this article?  How do we know the Athabascans were indigenous to the area?          

2)  Whose perspectives are being represented in this issue?  Whose are left out?  Why might a teenager in Ohio feel differently about this than a teenager in Hawaii?

3)  To what degree does the President's political party affect the public's reaction to this issue?  Is this more of a religious issue or a political one?  

4)  What if a Republican president had changed the name?  What if the name was changed to someone living?  To what degree would this story be different if it was Mt. Everest?

5)  What are the short term consequences?  Long term?  What are the basic assumptions about ownership of land?  

Extension Activities:

1)  Students can develop different headlines for the story to evoke emotional responses from different readers.

2)  Students can research natural monuments and propose name changes for some with indigenous names and defend another.


AoK:  History

WoK:  Language

Strict Dress Code Enforcement in Kentucky School

Kentucky Teen Sent Home for Showing Collarbone

(Facebook)


http://www.today.com/style/kentucky-student-violates-high-school-dress-code-exposed-collarbone-t39211

1)  When do clothes become a distraction?  In what ways could you prove that certain policies affect groups disproportionately?  How can we prove a concept like decency?  Who gets a say?  

2)  Why might the girl's grandmother feel differently about this issue than her grandfather?  Why might a teenager in 1940 feel differently about this than a current teenager?  A woman from Iran?

3)  How is this connected to geography?  In what ways is this connected to science?  Censorship of books?

4)  What if  a male had word the same outfit?  If she were brunette?  Heavier?

5)  To what extent does this affect you?  What are underlying assumptions about physical appearance?  What are the short term consequences of this issue?  Long?  

Extension Activities:

1)  Students can create objective measures of dress code which factor in mathemathical concepts such as percent of skin showing, length of shorts, width of sleeves, proportional measures, etc.

2)  Students can research the bikini or other fashion trends and how it is perceived through time.  They can then predict what their school's dress code policy will be in 25 years.

AoK:  Ethics

WoK:  reason, emotion

The Tooth Fairy Is Lowering Payments

Less Money Under Pillows for 2nd Year in a Row


(CreativeNature R.Zwerver/Shutterstock)

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2015/08/17/Survey-Tooth-Fairy-paying-less-for-second-year-in-row/5991439848364/

1)  In what ways is truth acquired about the economy?  What are the limits to economic surveys?  How could someone disprove the existence of the tooth fairy to a child who believes?

2)  How might a 28 year old think about this differently than a 68 year old?  Why might a dentist view this differently than an economist?

3)  To what degree is this connected to history?  Science?

4)  What would happen if the number suddenly spiked next year to $6/tooth.  Lowered to $1?  What are alternate explanations for the reduced rate?

5)  What are some basic assumptions about giving money to children?  In what ways is it appropriate to allow children to believe in the tooth fairy?  Not appropriate?

Extension Activities:  

1)  Students can research the tooth fairy in various cultures and create a hybrid with the best features from five they researched.

2)  Students can identify multiple ways in which to gauge the health of an economy through holidays, superstitions, and conventional wisdom.

AoK:  Human Sciences

WoK:  Imagination

Restaurant Sued for "Throwed Rolls"

Lambert's Cafe Sued After Patron Injured

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gutcheck/2015/08/thats_how_we_roll_lamberts_cafe_sued_for_throwed_roll_injury.php

Johnny Fugitt


1)  What evidence is used in this article to convince you of truth?  What is the role of evidence in the justice system?  What number would convince you that the defendant deserves the money?  That the restaurant deserves exoneration?

2)  In what ways might the injured woman's doctor feel differently about this report than a waiter at Lambert's?  The same?

3)  What connection is there between this story and attending an athletic event?  What is the connection to math/physics?

4)  What if the injury had been more serious?  What if you found out that this person has sued 10 other companies?  What if you found out Lambert's has paid in the past?  How might Miranda Lambert capitalize on this news story?      

5)  Why is this significant?  What are the long term consequences of this story?  Short term?

Extension Activities:

1)  Students can research the layout of the building and develop a "Code of Best Practices in Throwed Rolls" for future hires at Lambert's including recommended height and angles of throws.

2)  Students can research frivolous lawsuits from the past and identify the impact to business.  They can then identify potential threats to a local business and provide suggestions for mitigation.  

AoK:  Human Sciences, Mathematics

WoK:  Intuition