Finland's school system accomplishes some impressive feats: so what makes Finnish students so successful?
"Students get plenty of teacher interaction: Finland and New York City have the same number of teachers. But Finland has nearly half the number of students. Standardized testing is kept to a minimum: before a New York student reaches high school, he or she will have taken 10 standardized tests. Collectively, US students take 100 million standardized tests a year. Finland's only standardized test is taken when students are 16 years old. Kids have more time to be kids: an average us 5th grader has 50 minimum of homework per day. Finnish students rarely do homework until their teens. And while us elementary students average 27 minutes of recess students in Finland get about 75 minutes a day). Finland knows good teachers are essential: teachers in Finland are all required to have a Master's degree (which is fully subsidized by the state)."
(OnlineClasses.org, 21 January 2013)
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
open: output (design student portfolio site)
"'open :output' is an online community which allows students of design and architecture to create their own personal portfolio websites free of charge. The platform makes the work of young talent from all over the world visible to wider public. The works on 'open :output' would otherwise probably never have been published. 'open :output' offers students the opportunity to present themselves as designers and architects in a strong network. The power of students as well as educational institutions of design and architecture throughout the world are promoted to the general public by 'open :output'."
(Output Foundation)
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
Narratives for Europe: Launderette
"Imagine that you have just got home late from a long day of work only to be confronted by an endless list of chores. You drag yourself and an old bag of dirty clothes to the laundromat around the corner. Suddenly some young film-maker is putting a camera in your face and asking you about your laundry, your life and your ever-fading childhood dreams. At first you want to be left alone-get out of my face! But after a while you relax. It feels good to talk and it feels good to listen. On your way home, you keep thinking about the stories you told and the ones you heard. Your mind just keeps on spinning...
The scenario of the short film ‘Laundrette’ transforms an anonymous public space into a dynamic one where stories are swapped and strangers are given faces. The film also acts as a remarkable metaphor for what Narratives for Europe wants to become: an open space where significant stories can be voiced, echoed and debated. Selected from the media collection of ECF’s Youth and Media programme, ‘Laundrette’ was awarded ‘Best Documentary’ at the BFI Futures Film Festival 2011 in London. You can watch this film and other shorts on ECF’s VIMEOchannel.
The BFI recruited this video and is one of the 6 partners of the Doc Next Network. This network functions as the core of the Youth & Media Programme of the European Cultural Foundation (ECF). Doc Next is a unique movement of independent cultural and media organisations working with young people and media in the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey and Scandinavia."
(European Cultural Foundation)
"Launderette": Director - Bertie Telezynski, Producer - Johnny Orme, Producer - Mark Davies, Cinematographer - Alex Nevill, Cinematographer - Rachel Lewis, Editor - Louis Rossi, Sound - Liam Cook
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Simon PerkinsSHARE
The Impossible Project Brings Back Polaroid
"In October 2008 The Impossible Project saved the last Polaroid production plant for integral instant film in Enschede (NL) and started to invent and produce totally new instant film materials for traditional Polaroid cameras. In 2010 Impossible saved analog instant photography from extinction by releasing various, brand new and unique instant films."
(The Impossible Project)
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
Waag Society magazine: 2005 to 2011
"Waag Society magazine was published quarterly 21 times between 2005 and 2011.
...every issue carries articles on the wide variety of projects and activities of the organisation. Part of its content was translated in English. Articles came from our own editors as well as from well-known journalists from outside. ...
In 2011 the magazine was replaced with unregularly published thematic publications."
(Waag Society)
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
