Stump your students by posing the question: What was the very first text? In our tech-driven world, this is sort of a trick question. Your students will LOL when they find out that many scholars consider the first text to be a book printed with moveable type. The Gutenberg Bible is celebrated by many scholars as the first book printed with moveable type in the 15th century. … Continue reading Weekly Warm-Up: The Very First Text
WORLD Chunyun, the Chinese spring travel season, begins weeks prior to the Chinese New Year, and lasts for about a month. The number of annual trips equals the combined population of the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. (Gong hey fat choi!) (CNN) Learn more about the People of China with this classic Nat Geo map. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources … Continue reading The World’s Greatest Human Migration is Happening Right Now
TECHNOLOGY Scientists have created a metal that is so extremely hydrophobic that water bounces on it as if it were repelled by a magic force field. Instead of using chemical coatings, the researchers used lasers to etch a nanostructure on the metal itself. (SPLOID) Use our activity to better understand the properties of matter at the nanoscale. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources … Continue reading Amazing Metal Makes Water Bounce Like Magic
HEALTH “I watched the piles of feces go up the conveyer belt and drop into a large bin. They made their way through the machine, getting boiled and treated. A few minutes later I took a long taste of the end result: a glass of delicious drinking water.” —Bill Gates Bill Gates has drunk a glass of water made from human feces to showcase technology … Continue reading From Poop to Potable with Bill Gates
BUSINESS The location of startup companies is a key indicator of innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth. A new map identifies the clustered locations of software companies founded in the past decade that have reached billion-dollar valuations. (The Atlantic CityLab) Match up the “Startup Cities” map with our own map of Internet use. See any similarities? Discussion Ideas Familiarize yourself with this fascinating interactive map, the … Continue reading The New Geography of Startup Cities
