A historical account is always better when it comes directly from someone who experienced it, and scientists at USC have come up with a way to offer firsthand accounts to students even after the storyteller is long dead.
Utilizing hologram technology, Holocaust survivors are being recorded and saved so that generations of students will be able to benefit from hearing their stories.
Reporting on the development tech site CNet states, "USC is teaming with the USC Shoah Foundation Institute and design firm Conscience Display to develop installations that let students and others converse with the hyper-photorealistic life-size digital versions of the survivors. Viewers ask questions, and the holograms respond, thanks to Siri-style natural-language technology, also developed at USC, that allows observers to ask questions that trigger relevant, spoken answers."

“We believe the training and collaboration with teachers around the world will be absolute key to increasing the adoption more rapidly, and could easily lead to millions of students using VR globally to learn science more effectively.”
– Michael Bodekaer Jensen
Will all students one day have the...
Fun May Activity: Celebrate Leprechaun Day, May 13th.
Did You Know?
There’s an expression in education known as “teaching to the middle.” This means gearing the majority of instruction and curriculum towards students performing at grade level or in the middle of the class.
I’ve never cared for this concept since I believe it produces a mediocre mindset in teaching, and thus, mediocre results. Rather, I resonate with the idea of teaching to the top of of the class, which means setting the bar high and expecting students to eventually meet those...
For most teachers, the last days of school are a frantic sprint of classroom tidying, teary goodbyes, and messy end-of-year parties. Teachers are usually too tired or too excited or too busy to take time for reflection. I get it; you really do have to track down that missing library book and account for all your curricular resources.
But when the dust settles and you’ve checked all the boxes on your classroom close-up list, carve out a few hours to systematically reflect before you...
It always amazes me when teachers don’t pay attention or act respectively during faculty meetings. Sometimes, teachers can make the most difficult students. During my time as a k-12 teacher, while a principal was speaking to the faculty, some teachers would be on their cell phones, talking among themselves, or grading papers.
It’s also surprising (though, a little less considering their stage of development) when student teachers fail to turn in assignments on time or, similarly, act...
Students spend hours studying reading, math, science, and social studies. When they get to high school, they study geometry, physics, trigonometry. While I believe there's value in all subjects and disciplines, I do question our use of time in classrooms when it comes to curriculum and the preparation of productive members of society.
In other words, are we wasting time?
Is there another way to prepare young people to be successful?
I base these questions on the idea...
Mentoring a student teacher (often known as a teacher candidate) can be a truly rewarding experience. Helping someone enter the teaching profession and preparing them for that role is an incredibly important role.
If you are considering hosting a teaching intern, there are many considerations. As a university supervisor, who has worked with many mentor teachers, I’d like to offer the following advice:
Know Your Purpose
Consider the reasons why you want to...