What I'm Learning
Technology can transform education by simplifying access to great material, providing new approaches to learning, and offering a framework for assessing student progress and teacher effectiveness. A recent book looks at how technology is being used today and the barriers to change in the future.
Posted 08/16/2010
In his recently published book, Life is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment, Peter Buffett writes about the values he absorbed growing up as one of three children of Warren Buffett and the late Susan Buffett, and the independent path he has pursued as a musician and producer.
Posted 06/18/2010
Agricultural biotechnology is controversial but essential, Bill believes, to ease the plight of the 1 billion impoverished people who live with chronic hunger. He reviews a provocative book on the realities of farming today – and its future.
Posted 03/08/2010
Knowing what caused the current economic crisis is critical if we are going to prevent the next one. A new book provides interesting background about the way the Federal Reserve managed the crisis, but important questions remain about the steps that are needed to measure and mitigate future risk.
Posted 02/22/2010
Vaclav Smil, a distinguished professor at the University of Manitoba, takes a broad interdisciplinary approach that combines a deep understanding of the environment, energy, food, population, economic and public policy studies, and more. He is the author of more than 25 books.
Posted 02/09/2010
With more than 250 lectures from some of the world’s leading professors, The Teaching Company provides the opportunity to learn from great teachers who are true experts in their fields. Bill offers recommendations for some of the courses that he has enjoyed the most.
Posted 02/05/2010
Entertaining, well-written, and full of surprises and insights, SuperFreakonomics is Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner’s follow up to Freakonomics.
Posted 02/01/2010
One of the real challenges in education is finding ways to give more people access to brilliant teachers who inspire and excite with their ability to bring material to life. Today there are some great examples of how technology can enable almost anyone to learn from the world’s greatest minds.
Posted 01/23/2010
Founded in 1994 by Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin, KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) is one of the most promising examples of innovative thinking in American education.
Posted 01/21/2010
The web provides incredible opportunities to learn from people who are both experts in their field and great communicators. Hans Rosling, a doctor and researcher who is a professor of global health at Karolinska Institute in Sweden, is a great example.
Posted 01/18/2010
For all that has been written lately about energy conservation, where energy comes from, how we use it, and how much CO2 gas it generates, it’s hard to gain a clear picture of the situation. A new book by David MacKay provides the framework people need to really understand this critical subject.
Posted 01/15/2010
Conversations
Energy sources that provide power without producing CO2 are critical to addressing the challenge of global warming. The book Sustainable Energy – without the hot air prompted Bill to ask climate researcher Ken Caldeira what the prospects are for generating power from wind in the upper atmosphere.
Posted 01/23/2010
