#trendcentral

Cool stuff happening this week...check out the Tuesday Top Five...

1. Techbooks - a great piece from Trendcentral on digital textbooks. Ok, so, big deal - kids can download text books to an iPad or laptop and read them, right? Now think about what the digital space can do. Pop quizzes at certain points, that you have to pass before going on, 3D images, videos, audio...study groups using collaborative and social platforms...a page turner in more than one way. The only thing to think about is the decrease in real-time interaction with others - a skill that is much needed (and often lacking) in the professional world. But that's another post. 

2. Insane. I love photography and I think old mental hospitals (like, 1800's old) are totally haunted. All of them. Without question. Brainpickings did a great piece on 19th century state mental asylums.  Don't believe on ghosts? I dare you to spend the night in one of these - we aren't talking "Patrick Swayze ghosts" in these places. 

3. Octocopter. No, not a new James Bond movie. It's basically a small remote controlled helicopter that flies around while filming video.  Open Culture highlights the work of Microcoptervideo (gee, guess what they do) and their inside tour of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Spain. 

4. MIT Media Lab just launched their new blog. Bookmark it and read it. And while we are visiting MIT, they apparently believe mobile is worth paying attention to - they just announced the launch of a new center for Mobile Learning.  If MIT thinks it's worth creating a field of study around, you should REALLY pay attention.