Unschooling Journal April 12-18, 2020

Hello Ethan,  Thank you for compiling another wonderful Observing for Learning! Are you choosing all of the photos now and writing all of the captions? It seems like you are and that your dad is just writing the intro paragraph and maybe final lines. I am impressed with your work and your involvement in doing your own self reporting.  How is this process going for you?  Do you like looking back at the week?  What sorts of patterns or trends do you notice in your own learning or the way you think about it? I have an exciting website I wanted to share with you. Have you seen it before?  It reminds me of your huge timeline project and yet it is developed around the concept of threshhold events and the ways they have shaped history and evolution in general.  There are several videos as well as follow up activities for you to consider and do some writing. It involved many disciplines and critical thinking.  Check it out and let me know what you think.  I have seen this project be used in middle school and I have two other Self Designers working through the modules as well. They were the ones who reminded me of it and I wanted to share it with you.    https://www.bighistoryproject.com/chapters/1#intro Where did everything come from? Where are we heading? Big History tells the story of the Universe starting from the Big Bang, the formation of stars, planets, life on Earth, modern civilization — and what might exist in the future.Where did everything come from? Where are we heading? Big History tells the story of the Universe starting from the Big Bang, the formation of stars,  

• INGREDIENTS GOLDILOCKS CONDITIONS=

   

  NEW COMPLEXITY

To grasp the entirety of the Universe we divide Big History into eight “thresholds.” You may consider a threshold a transition point. It’s an event that creates something completely new.Where to begin? It’s up to you. You may proceed through the thresholds in consecutive order, from the Big Bang to the Future, or skip around bouncing from protostar to Pangaea, from Silica to the Silk Road. Make your own connections between thresholds and test your knowledge as you go. Complete quizzes, earn badges, and become a “Big Historian.”Let’s get started.

NOT TOO HOT, NOT TOO COLD

The Universe is a simple place. Vast stretches of space filled with nothingness. Yet as it developed over billions of years, it grew increasingly complex. This is a central concept Big History will emphasize — the ever-increasing complexity of the Universe.Another central theme in Big History is “Goldilocks Conditions.” Big History uses this concept to describe when the right conditions occur at precisely the right time to trigger a form of fundamental change.Taking a look at these changes through the widest possible lens, Big History offers an understanding of where we came from, where we’re going, and the complexity and fragility of our world. planets, life on Earth, modern civilization — and what might exist in the future. I couldn’t remember when we were going to take a vacation week so I’m posting this, just in case 🙂The coronavirus has affected so many families and to this day, we’re all continuing to be in isolation. We take walks or go jogging along the beach early in the morning when it’s quiet and we’ve also taken some walks after dinner. But normally, we stay in pretty much the whole day.For Ethan, we’ve tried to keep him physically active but it’s definitely more of a challenge with not being able to go and play outside. Aside from that, it’s been pretty much business as usual for Ethan.The isolation is starting to drag on for me too. My life like you is not that different as I am still working online in Self Design and I even teach kids in person everyday too. But the general feeling is quite different isn’t it? I miss gatherings of friends, I miss the bustle of the downtown. It is so important to get outside and move in nature as much as possible. I am trying to do the same Doing some coding about how diseases spread. Perfect for this sorta situation. With COVID-19 and all. .  I am super interested in the coding work you did on Covid 19. What did you learn?  How are you applying this knowledge to the current Covid19 situation?  What do you predict will happen?  Are you following the BC news from Dr. Henry?  Are you wondering about how public policy is being influenced by these sorts of epidemiological models?  Probably just me fooling around with my pair of compases(That’s one compass by the way. After all, you wouldn’t Talk about a “Scissor”). Doing a logic problem from Brilliant.Doing a “Scientiic thinking” problem on brilliant.Learning some python coding on Brilliant! It looks like Brilliant is very engaging and inspiring for you. I am so glad you got this subscription!  Writing about the discovery of a “Teen” Black hole, just 40,000 times the mass of the sun. This is fascinating! Wow you really teach me a ton of things that are “way off my radar” thanks Ethan!  Gardening time! Planting green onion bulbs left over from my mom cooking. I am curious to see how this grows for you. My housemate has been growing a “broccoli temple” in the window sill for a few weeks. He put a piece of broccoli we had leftover in a cup of water. We are watching it grow too! it ‘s been pretty surprising actually. Here it is today.   Atomic size trends on the periodic table OK this video was pretty incredible Ethan. Your solid grasp of chemistry and how atoms behave is notable! This is one to send to a future mentor etc. it just demonstrates a lot about not only your understanding, but how you are able to convey and teach others in a multimedia video format. WOW!! VideoTime lapse films, marbles in the sand, asterioids, dandelion puff  I love these time lapse videos. The dandelion is a beautiful one and I am easily able to imagine how craters on the moon are formed in similar ways to these marbles falling into the sand.  I wonder how you could incorporate and edit these sorts of videos in to other videos to craft an even more dynamic film.  Carl: It looks like he’s learning about drawing circles.