TED Community » Stephen Camm

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• A comment on Conversation: Is it possible to develop a global classroom in which participants work collaboratively to design local solutions to global challenges?

  Dec 17 2011: Managed to actually get something to post (see my other posts) but was unable to correct the flying finger word omissions....it won't let me edit. Hello TED....you have software issues.
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  A comment on Conversation: Is it possible to develop a global classroom in which participants work collaboratively to design local solutions to global challenges?

  Dec 17 2011: Kristina....Let me assume I can read your mind with respect to the idea and give you a view reality. 1. The master / apprentice teaching method is the best ever know. 2. Classical education does not make sense for the following reasons....expense, addresses the average at the expense of those on either side of "average", no child left behind (a USA political rallying cry) has resulted in illiteracy as an example plus drop out rates are high, the focus of education....rote memory work as opposed to the actual purpose of school, "to learn to think" is not the primary focus, the methods used are varied and sadly querying the Internet will not answer the question, "how do children learn", the curriculum do not focus on making a living and living life, universities have become businesses and sports franchises, and so on and on and on....
  
  Solutions...Yes the technology and the tools already exist. There is an abundance of educational material available and schools are evolving slowly...but Politics and academia (a group that has made very little progress using technology until recently) are stumbling blocks. Worse still there is NO organization, politician or educational group that has a vision or a plan.
  
  Am already working towards solutions....always happy to work as a team. Tangoblue@netscape.net is the preferred contact for the moment. Have commented (as a test) on education elsewhere on TED to see what the response was....suspect most people are overwhelmed. I am not. If interested in "working" drop a note. Regards....Steve

• A comment on Conversation: Is it possible to develop a global classroom in which participants work collaboratively to design local solutions to global challenges?

  Dec 17 2011: Kristina.......this is a test....have tried to reply 4 times but TED has a problem. If you are reading ths my reply follows.

• A comment on Conversation: Are their any EFL studies on Japanese children who started reading within a year?

  Nov 27 2011: I am not sure how much research has been done in this area but it might make sense to explore the Internet in depth (and don't be surprised if a lot does not exist by the way). My observations of small children in mixed language households or with neighbors that have children that speak a different language though may give you a clue...at age 3 up they very rapidly pick up another language, and, dependent on exposure, are fluent (to the extent they need to be) in a very short time thereafter. Exposure is obviously the key as well, in this case, play. How the process works I suspect is both a genetic trait (the time when we are most receptive to learning language) and environmental (what that language exposure is). An interesting test (and graduate thesis) would certainly be 4 children together who spoke only their native language) for a set period each day, possibly from 3 or 4 years of age on.

• A comment on Conversation: will print newspapers survive in the current business environment ???

  Nov 27 2011: Logically the answer is no but that assumes everyone has access to information via the Internet or some other means. So for a percentage of people they will not. There is also other aspect you may not realize. Local news. They exist in small towns across rural America as one example and while they could be replaced it will not be in the immediate future. Whether that exists in your country would be up to you to check.

• A comment on Conversation: What would mankind's next life changing innovation be?

  Nov 27 2011: Peace.
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  A comment on Conversation: Is it possible to not have friends in life?

  Nov 27 2011: Certainly it is possible and there are many examples....solitary monks on the one hand and many senior citizens as well, that would tend to be a small percentage. Is it normal, yes and no. By nature humans are gregarious cooperative beings but that does not (obviously) apply to all and there is no norm. True friends, of which most of us have only a few, tend to be far and few between. Being jealous, at any age, is an absurd emotion. Examine it for a minute..(in the context of what I suspect your question might be)...what are you doing to yourself other than wasting time and practicing self pity? Would not that time be better spent living as opposed to regretting? And in the final analysis wouldn't an honest self appraisal be more appropriate if friends were what you sought....just thoughts.

• A reply on Conversation: What does one's family/home environment have to do with their choice of religion as an adult?

  Nov 26 2011: I suspect you are right but I would also not be surprised if a very significant number of people had answers with more substance for their religious convictions. One other point that might also be made is given religion is personal, someone believing that energy is constant and we simply become stardust again might easily be construed as a religion (actually a somewhat reassuring thought in some respects). And on that note it's probably best we leave this arena....see you "wherever"
  someday.

• A comment on Conversation: Your task is to persuade someone to change their mind, without threats of loss or violence. Possible?

  Nov 24 2011: To answer the one question, yes there are, have been, and will continue to be many champions and, they have been persuasive. Using Jesus as your example what can be concluded is that message has not been accepted by all, it has not reached all and there are competing beliefs. Whether religion is rational from a religious person's perspective is a mute point since "faiith" (and yes I understand that many consider that "blind") is what most are based on. In other words it can not be argued from a scientific platform. That chasm, between empirical evidence and belief, may never result in one or the other or a single belief system coming into place. That is the nature of homo sapiens I suspect and supports your last comment. Conversely, for certain base freedoms, there have been champions - Ghandi as an example - who succeeded. My personal belief is that these types of champions will continue to improve the world, country by country and person by person. From a practical perspective the schism(s) in religion and faith will in all probability preclude any likelihood of one central religious belief. On the other hand a set of common core values, more noticeable, will evolve. Those might be...to accept, to give, to love and to not cause pain. These things many of us already practice regardless of religion. One last point, and I am not taking the God can't be proven or dis-proven path, is creation (not in the creationist sense). We exist, we have changed and the net effect of all change has been positive over the historical record. Given we do not go extinct and change continues the collective world will become a better place.
  
  And on that note have a Happy Holiday even if you don't believe in Turkey's or Pilgrims...(as well as the rest of the TED Audience).

• A comment on Conversation: How can I help? I have so much energy and I would love to make a positive impact! If I can help in some way let me know!

  Nov 24 2011: Elle.... Tangoblue@netscape.net is the email address. Conversely you can leave me yours. If it still does not work I can give you another. Let me know and thank you again.