La Colonialidad del Saber: eurocentrismo y ciencias sociales

Edgardo Lander (editor) La colonialidad del saber: eurocentrismo y ciencias sociales. Perspectivas latinoamericanas. Caracas, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Sociales (FACES-UCV), Instituto Internacional de la UNESCO para la Educación Superior en América Latina y el Caribe (IESALC), 2000.

"...en la mayoría del conjunto de textos que conforman La colonialidad del saber: eurocentrismo y ciencias sociales. Perspectivas latinoamericanas puede observarse un objetivo común: acabar con uno de los signos más claros de la limitación conceptual de las ciencias sociales, es decir, con la persistente negación del vínculo existente entre modernidad y colonialismo."Los autores consiguen su meta colectiva al vincular los mecanismos disciplinarios  que buscaban crear el perfil del homo economicusen América Latina a la dinámica de la constitución del capitalismo como sistema-mundo, es decir, al mostrar el proyecto de la modernidad como el ejercicio de una "violencia epistémica". -Arnaldo E. Varelo. Descarga aquí.

Campaña sobre el uso seguro de Internet

Con un portal web, una campaña radial y seminarios para padres y apoderados en todas las regiones del país, el Ministerio de Educación a través de Enlaces, busca crear conciencia sobre los riesgos y potencialidades de Internet. La iniciativa se enmarca en el Programa Escuela Segura.

Lo que se sube a Internet es como una huella imborrable: siempre queda una marca ya sea de la foto, el video o de lo que se escribe. Los adultos deben conversar con los niños sobre los peligros que existen en la red, igual como les enseñan a cruzar la calle o a no hablar con extraños. Este y otros temas son desarrollados en los seminarios “Ser Familia en la Era Digital”, iniciativa que tiene como objetivo orientar a los padres, apoderados y profesores sobre los riesgos y potencialidades de Internet, brindándoles la posibilidad de que asuman un rol de mediadores activos y “guías digitales” de sus hijos y alumnos en la navegación por la red.

Son 33 seminarios que se están realizando en todas las regiones del país. Enlaces invitó a participar en esta actividad a dos instituciones: Policía de Investigaciones (PDI) y Fundación Queveo, con el objetivo de entregar una mirada desde el tema legal y criminal y desde la sociedad civil.

En forma complementaria, se estrenó el portal www.internetsegura.cl, el cual entrega datos sobre buscadores infantiles, vínculos a sitios de estudio como www.yoestudio.cl, consejos para que niños y adolescentes hagan un uso seguro y responsable de esta tecnología y padres y profesores sepan cómo orientarlos en relación a este tema. Cuenta con distintos perfiles de acuerdo a las necesidades de cada usuario y reúne información propia del Ministerio y de distintos países e instituciones sobre el uso seguro de Internet.

Adicionalmente, desde el sitio Internet Segura se puede acceder al de los seminarios “Ser Familia en la Era Digital”, donde hay información sobre el calendario nacional y los videos de las presentaciones.

Otra estrategia para crear conciencia sobre este tema es la realización de una campaña que actualmente se está emitiendo en varias radios naciones y regionales.

Todo lo anterior se enmarca dentro del Programa Escuela Segura, que busca fortalecer en todos los colegios del país, las medidas para prevenir y proteger a los estudiantes, de todo tipo de riesgos.

Various Cause Effects Of Video Games Psychology Essay

The most successful aspect of video games is that they provide a huge amount of human interaction through imagery and audio, thus encouraging the player to think and act quickly(Wolf, 2001, p15). This aspect makes video games different from any other forms of non-interactive media like television or radio. Video games give clear instructions about actions to be performed to reach particular levels in the game and instils a level of confidence and spirit of victory in its players. They also serve academic purposes and can be utilised as a powerful medium for educating children and youth in a very interesting and powerful manner. For example, video games involving driving can be used as a medium to teach players the traffic rules and penalties imposed if the rules are violated. Puzzle based video games give valuable practice lessons of time management, helps to sharpen specific skills needed to succeed in the game, encourages critical analysis and thought and improves cognitive abilities (Wolf, 2001, p17; Seller, 2006, p20).

Social

Video games have a part in influencing the social behaviour of young players especially children. The interactive gaming gives a virtual environment involving the player and his opponent which is essentially the computer system. In addition to promoting a level of healthy competition among players, the penalties imposed help to give due respect to fellow participants and encourages sportsman spirit to a great extent. Games which involve military contents can help to inculcate patriotism in youngsters as they are made to believe that they are protecting their country from rival attacks. Though there has been criticisms regarding the effect of video games in sparking criminal behaviour among youth, Jenkins (n.d.) observes that the hostile factors contributing to these acts are coming from unsound minds and disrupted families rather than interactive media. In fact, James Gee’s work highlights the benefits of using video games as effective media for logical problem solving and continuous improvement, thus improving the qualitative skills (Gee, 2001).

Psychological

Apart from providing relaxation and enjoyment, video games boost the player’s confidence level and raises curiosity as in most games, each level is exciting and cannot be seen unless the players pass all the previous stages. In children, the level of psychological development obtained leads to sharpening of memory and logical skills, increased mental development and simulation, making them tougher to face the challenges of the real world.

Vices

Contrary to the popular belief that video game players are just youngsters, Entertainment Software Association(ESA) has shown that 49% of game players are in the age range of 18-49 while the demographic statistics give 52% male and 48% female players (ESA, 2009, p3). The revenue obtained by video game sales in US was $11M in 2008 with Wii console games at the top according to NPD statistics (ESA, 2009, p10).

Though the video game industry has flourished and sales figures have been accelerating over the last few decades, a lot of negative publicity has affected the popularity of interactive games to a large extent. Though there are many pros, the bad effects are so obvious and derogatory that they outweigh the advantages to a large extent.

Medical

The increasing popularity of video games is making more and more youngsters spend considerable amount of time and money in front of the gaming console or computer which has harmful medical effects arising due to addiction (Gunter, 1998, p31). The addiction can lead to childhood obesity as children will find no time for outdoor games which are healthy and provides relaxation and exercise to brain, mind and body. The strain caused by continuous exposure to harmful radiation from television affects a significant number of youngsters by ending up having problems with their eyes. The adult players are even more in danger as the addiction causes a change in lifestyle which trigger a variety of fatal illnesses from high cholesterol to heart attacks in addition to causing spinal alignment problems due to wrong posture.

Psychological

Most of the video games depict violence and the motto is to kill and succeed. Young minds are particularly interested in games involving violent attacks, abusive language and homicide. Different researches have been conducted in psychological aspects due to violent video games. Anderson et al. (2007, p12-39, p40-60) has described about the different kinds of aggressive behaviour exhibited by children based on which an aggression model is created. 

The effects of violence can arise from thefts for buying video games to thrills obtained from imitation of the shootings and attacks on innocent subjects. Continuous exposure to violent media has a profound influence on the mental balance of the young player, giving a very wrong impression that ‘killing is winning’.

Social

Recent reports have shown that an average time spent by a child playing console, arcade or home video games is almost 11-13 hours/week (Gentile, 2004, p1; Olson et al.,2007, p1). It means that they get little time for social interactions, academic reading and outdoor games. 

Decrease in peer association hinders development of social etiquettes, family ties and character. The social and emotional commitments are disrupted by over indulgence in interactive media leading to a set of humans devoid of emotions, respect or self-esteem. The increasing amount of violence and destruction involved in most games and the lonely atmosphere provided acts as detrimental to good social conduct. Stromberg (n.d.) has shown that almost 50% of popular games depict either fantasy or human violence to the extent that they encourage players to become less caring and friendly. According to Gentile & Anderson (2003, p131-152), the tendency of aggressive behaviour is affected by repeated game play which often reward the players for violence.

Critical Analysis

Wirth et al. (2003) has given that the virtual environment created by video games is essential to establish a spatial presence. But the impression of world as given by games has very little relation with the original real circumstances or actions. The violence and plan of action depicted in these scenarios, if practised in actual circumstances give horrendous repercussions for both the doer and the society. Some researches show video game learning as better to classroom learning in terms of memory retention (Moreno & Meyer, 2000, p724) but it does not in any way substitute the knowledge obtained from books, classrooms or other interactive learning techniques but just complements them.

The reason for success of video games has been described as the level of “active control” involved (Greenfield, 1984, p102). Active control often enables the player to decide on the course of action to be taken to fight the circumstances which gives them an uneven control and pseudo confidence that may urge them to enact similarly in a real situation. Moreover, the points gained during shooting or killing tends to glorify the violence depicted in games. The addiction to video games often leads to fits of anger and rows between the children and parents. The first rehabilitation centre for teenagers addicted to video games has been set up in London following the urge of parents (Taylor, 2010, p9).

Parents have expressed concerns on the influence on video games on the psychological and social behaviour of children (Gunter, 1998, p35). Most video games have parental control through which the type, intensity and mode of play can be controlled by parents. But recent research has shown that only one-fifth of the parents are exercising their control over purchase of video games, with 55% of stores educating them on ratings (Walsh et al. 2003).

Lee et al. (2009, p562) have put forward that the technological aspect has an influence on violent psychological behaviour in a way that a game played using less sophisticated graphics and audio do less harm. But here also, time is the deciding factor as continuous exposure to the virtual world even in low resolution graphics can cause psychological imbalance and health problems.

Even though clear correlation between violent shooting attacks by teenagers and interactive gaming has not been established in all cases, the increase in vocal abuse and insensitiveness towards crime itself are appalling. American Health Association’s research has given results stating that time spend by teenagers belonging to lower socio-economic status playing games was almost five fold than those of their educated and rich counterparts (ScienceDaily, 2008). This shows that education, and not money is the judging factor for use of technology.

Read more: http://www.ukessays.com/

Psicolojía del Pueblo Araucano - T. Guevara (1908)

“Este trabajo ha sido redactado con intención científica. No es, pues, labor de propaganda contra la raza indígena: seria eso pueril i sin ningún fin práctico. No es tampoco un idilio para ensalzar las cualidades de nuestros aborígenes, porque tal obra tendría el inconveniente de perturbar el criterio público i particular, por consiguiente, el plan de asimilación de los 70 u 80 mil indígenas que aun sobreviven."

"Tiene este libro otro interés de orden teórico: dar a conocer a la raza en aspectos que no pudieron estudiar los cronistas, i suministrar algunos datos sobre instituciones de conocimiento contemporáneo, como el tótem, el tabú, la majia y otras."

"Por lo demás, el plan de este libro es mui sencillo: va dividido en dos partes que dan a conocer el medio natural i social primero i el alma araucana en seguida; se estudia la evolución de las instituciones indígenas i se hace el análisis psicolójico de ciertos estados sociales."

El Autor.

Psicolojía del Pueblo Araucano

Autor: Tomas Guevara.

1a Ed. Santiago de Chile. 1908.

psicología del araucano- T. Guevara by Cami Cabrera Aranda

Three are dead, hundreds injured, but the reasons remain a mystery

Apr 20th 2013 | BOSTON | The Economist.

TO HELP friends and family members find one another amid the crowds expected at this year’s Boston marathon, the organisers set up a series of meeting points in the streets around the finish line. The bright yellow and orange signs are still there, but most of the planned reunions were thwarted—and a few will never now take place—thanks to the two bombs that blew up on April 15th near the end of the course in the closing stages of the race.

The explosions, separated by 600 feet (180 metres) and 12 seconds, killed three people: an eight-year-old boy and two young women. Another 180 or so were injured. At least 13 people lost limbs. That makes the attack the most deadly act of terror in America since September 11th 2001, apart from mass shootings. To add to the alarm, the authorities intercepted two letters, one addressed to Barack Obama and another to Roger Wicker, a senator, which appeared to contain ricin, a lethal poison. A fire followed by an explosion at a fertiliser factory in west Texas on the night of April 17th, which killed at least five people, increased the sense of apocalypse. But as The Economist went to press there was still no indication that this was anything but a horrific accident.

Shortly after the Boston bombing Mr Obama vowed that “any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice.” The FBI, sifting through the mass of video footage and photographs provided by broadcasters, security cameras and bystanders, homed in on shots of two individuals who officials believe may be responsible for the bombs. But their whereabouts, identity and motives remained a mystery. An aggrieved constituent of Mr Wicker was arrested on April 17th, suspected of sending the poisoned letters; but he has not been tied to the bombings.

Boston is now flooded with police, soldiers and other security forces, both to ward off further attacks and to help with the investigation. State troopers stand watch outside metro stations; whole squadrons of national guardsmen march back and forth on Boston Common, a park a few blocks from the site of the bombings. Barricades festooned with flowers and notes of condolence block access to the immediate area of the blasts, as investigators pore over it in the hunt for evidence.

Fragments retrieved from the scene suggest that the bombs were constructed from six-litre pressure-cookers packed with gunpowder, a simple detonator and shrapnel in the form of nails and ball-bearings, intended to cause horrific injuries.

The simple but effective design of the bombs, which may have cost as little as $100 to make, is similar to countless improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that have inflicted casualties on civilians and Western troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Instructions for building such bombs can be easily found on the internet. The bombs’ lack of sophistication suggests they were either the work of a lone individual or a small group with limited resources.

In 2010 an online magazine, Inspire, published by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, ran an article entitled “How to make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom”. Inspire, aimed at aspiring young jihadists in America and Britain, was edited by Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan. Both were American citizens who were killed by the same drone strike in Yemen in 2011.

However, the fact that pressure-cooker bombs are popular with al-Qaeda operatives is far from conclusive evidence that the Boston bomber had jihadist aims or connections. America has suffered several terrorist attacks by native-born extremists with domestic grievances, such as the IED set off near the Olympic stadium in Atlanta in 1996, or the bombing of a federal office building in Oklahoma City in 1995.

The bombings in Boston took place as locals celebrated (four days early) Patriots’ Day, the anniversary of the first skirmish in America’s war for independence. The date could be significant to the sort of radicals who believe the federal government is bent on the destruction of their liberties and the confiscation of their guns, especially as it coincides with the anniversaries of two violent episodes involving like-minded people: the end of the siege of the compound of a heavily armed cult in Waco, Texas, on April 19th 1993, and the Oklahoma City bombing exactly two years later. April 15th is also the day by which federal income-tax returns must be filed, another flashpoint for many.

Mr Obama’s re-election and his support for immigration reform and gun-control legislation, however ill-fated, have enraged this extremist fringe. The Southern Poverty Law Centre (SPLC), a civil-rights organisation that tracks and exposes the activities of right-wing extremists, says that outfits of this kind have proliferated during his presidency, from around 150 in 2008 to an all-time record of 1,360 last year (see chart).

The SPLC estimates that of those about 1,000 could be classified as “hard-core”, and thus by implication capable of violence. Among recent incidents, it points to the murder of six people at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin by a neo-Nazi gunman last August and the rounding up, also last year, of a murderous militia group based in Georgia, which included several active-duty soldiers. According to prosecutors, the group, which called itself FEAR (Forever Enduring, Always Ready), had stockpiled $87,000 worth of weapons and explosives, and was plotting to overthrow the government through a campaign of terror and assassinations.

If the perpetrator is identified it will have political ramifications. If the bomber is a jihadist, Mr Obama can expect to be taken to task for complacently declaring victory over al-Qaeda courtesy of his drone campaign. If it is a home-grown nut, Republicans can expect some blame for not stamping more firmly on the furious claims made about Mr Obama from the right’s wilder shores. And there is always the possibility that the bomber is an awkward combination of the two: a home-grown Islamic loner.

From the print edition: United States

The Psychology of a Boston Marathon Terrorist: 10 Questions for a Retired Marine

By Elaine M. Grossman | National Journal

Many of those who knew the two Boston Marathon bombing suspects, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, believed them to be talented students and athletes with promising careers ahead of them. So how could these seemingly “normal” young men have become terrorists -- and why?

The two brothers actually fit into an emerging trend, according toG.I. Wilson, a retired Marine Corps Reserve officer and militancy expert who specializes in counterterrorism, criminal behavior andforensic psychology.

“Terrorists are not psychotics or mentally disordered,” Wilson said on Friday. The study of terrorism over the past couple of decades has given experts “a greater appreciation of how normalcy is reflected in terrorists’ behavior,” he toldGlobal Security Newswire.

Like those implicated in the 9/11 attacks, the Tsarnaev brothers appear to have quickly assimilated from another nation into their local community and had no outwardly apparent radicalism, psychosis or inclination toward violence.

The pair of blasts near the marathon’s finish line on Monday resulted in three deaths and more than 175 injured.

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The two suspected perpetrators, whose identities were made public on Thursday, were reported to have moved to the Boston area more than five years ago from southern Russia, near the restive area of Chechnya.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was described as a gifted amateur boxer who studied at Bunker Hill Community College part time between 2006 and 2008, and hoped to become an engineer. He was killed in a firefight with police Thursday night, according to news reports.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was described an all-star wrestler in high school and a student at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He was the focus of an epic manhunt in the Boston area on Friday and remained at large at press time.

Wilson, a former infantry colonel, said a sense of normalcy can pervade groups of extremists when individuals surround themselves with like-minded compatriots.

He recalled a segment on CBS News’ “60 Minutes” more than a decade ago about Yahya Ayyash, a Hamas bomb-maker who was nicknamed “the Engineer” and was ultimately assassinated by Israeli operatives in 1996.

“One of the Engineer’s followers was asked to describe how a terrorist could do such a terrible thing. His answer: ‘He’s a very normal person, just like us,’” Wilson said.

When the CBS interviewer took exception, the militant replied, “There thousands and thousands in our country that believe what we believe -- and not only in our country, in the rest of the Arab world and even in your country,” according to terrorism expert.

Wilson, who retired in 2006 after more than 30 years of uniformed service, responded to GSNquestions about terrorism and psychology in an e-mail exchange. Edited excerpts follow.

GSN: Based on your understanding of the criminal mind, what is going on now inside the head of an accused Boston terrorist on the loose amid a major manhunt, whose alleged co-conspirator brother was just killed?

Wilson: No one can read a criminal's or terrorist’s mind, but past behavior is an indicator of future behavior.

Psychiatrist Jerrold Post … contends we should not speak of a terrorist psychology in the singular, but rather of terrorist psychologies.

Ideology is central to the terrorist's psychology, no matter their ilk. They are therefore totally committed – [or] radicalized – and [this] tends to be expressed in all-or-nothing activities.

Watch for a very violent conclusion.

GSN: Reports are that the surviving suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, is a second-year medical student and came with his family to the United States about a decade ago from a Russian area near Chechnya, a region known for Islamic militancy and separatists. Any theories about why a young man like that would undertake a terrorist attack in the United States?

Wilson: Chechnya fighters -- [who typically refer to themselves as] "volunteers” -- have been seen in Iraq and Afghanistan. [It is a] matter of participating in jihad, which is an integral part of their belief system, ideology and psychology.

GSN: Specifically, news media is reporting that these young men seemed like "normal Americans," who like many in the nation are first-generation immigrants. What are we not seeing here, in terms of hidden psychological pathology?

Wilson: Appearing normal is the norm [for terrorists], and they often just blend in. [Stanford University’s Martha] Crenshaw … identifies normalcy as a characteristic feature of terrorists, rather than psychopathology or personality disturbance.

GSN: Is someone who carries out such a horrific attack necessarily a psychopath? Or could these be psychologically healthy individuals who are killing for a cause in which they deeply believe?

Wilson: Current data indicates terrorists and suicide bombers do not display any marked psychopathology. … Nevertheless, a trend and frequent perception has emerged asserting that terrorists possess traits of pathological personalities but do not possess the actual clinical disorders. This effectively paints terrorists with the psychological brush of pathology. 

Violence today may be a norm and the norm for such radicalized young people, whether it is on a wide scale or within a smaller community or family. It may come to be considered the normal response to achieve objectives. 

In fact, many terrorists view themselves as soldiers engaged in a just war. 

GSN: How could we do a better job at recognizing in society a person who has the potential to become a terrorist?

Wilson: [Counterterrorism expert Marc] Sageman found that about 70 percent of terrorists had joined while they were living as expatriates in other countries, looking for jobs and education. Prior to moving they were not strongly religious, but while in their new countries they visited mosques and moved in with other Islamic expatriates. Some of the latter were already members of terror organizations who then recruited them into those organizations.

GSN: Given what the FBI has revealed about the composition of the two pressure-cooker bombs and the way in which the suspects have operated, how likely do you think it is that they had the support of additional co-conspirators?

Wilson: While terrorists often operate in cells and are compartmented for operational security reasons, they often do need support. I would not rule out any co-conspirators or support personnel, be it intentional or unknowing support. Association with others must be looked into.

Terrorists use groups and networks for both logistical and psychological support. Groups afford a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose, perhaps even a sense of identity. 

GSN: When working with a fast-breaking case like this, how do you deal with the phenomenon of not knowing which incoming information is accurate, and which is inaccurate and leading you down false paths?

Wilson: Any operator will tell you your first information is neither your worst nor best, and generally is incomplete and inaccurate. That is very true here, as well. Every data point must be checked and verified. Never rely on single-source reporting. The best example of this was the deluge of reports of an arrest being made that were not accurate.

GSN: What would it take to plan the Boston attacks in terms of devising a plan, scoping out targets, assembling bomb materials and carrying out the logistics? Can you make sense, after all that planning, why the Boston bombers would have stuck around the area before being identified and then robbed a local convenience store?

Wilson: They lived [in the area] so they knew the "terrain" and blended in, which no doubt gave them the opportunity to do surveillance and reconnaissance.

GSN: What are one or two things you have learned from past terrorist attacks around the globe that you've thought this week might be applied to this episode?

Wilson: Their capability to adapt so very quickly using our very own system of laws and technology against us. [They employ] simplicity, sophistication, and global networks, much like third-generation street gangs. 

They have a very fast, adaptive [and] complex orientation-decision-action cycle, leveraging the physical -- for example, operationalizing IEDs and suicide bombers -- with the moral-mental aspects – for example, radicalized ideology concordant with the psychology of terrorism. [They are intent on] creating widespread global fear, giving [the] impression that governments cannot protect their people. Cartels and gangs in Mexico do much the same.

GSN: What are a couple of key questions on your mind now as the details of this episode unravel?

Wilson: Today we are recognizing many of the misconceptions regarding terrorists and their profiling. Terrorists are not psychotics or mentally disordered. Terrorists do not suffer markedly formed personality disorders nor does data support terrorism finding its genesis in personal frustration, economic deprivation, or psychological coercion.

We do have a better idea today of what is and is not psychologically related to terrorism and a greater appreciation of how normalcy is reflected in terrorists’ behavior.

Sir Ken Robinson - Los Secretos de la Creatividad (Redes N°89)

Todos poseemos un talento, todos tenemos la capacidad de ser creativos, y la mayoría vivimos sin saberlo, convencidos muchas veces de que el creativo es aquel que sabe componer melodías, o escribir una poesía. Ken Robinson reclama en este capítulo de Redes la necesidad de que en nuestra sociedad existan entornos donde cada uno pueda encontrar la inspiración necesaria para desarrollar su creatividad.

George Siemens - Conectivismo (Lima, 2012)

George Siemens y su teoría del conectivismo en el marco del Encuentro Internacional de Educación 2012 - 2013 de la Fundación Telefónica durante el evento presencial realizado en la ciudad de Lima, Perú.

Psicología Educativa - A. Woolfolk (7a ed.)

Este libro ofrece una cobertura actualizada y precisa de las áreas fundamentales de la psicología educativa: el aprendizaje, el desarrollo, la motivación, la enseñanza y la evaluación. En “ Psicología educativa” encontrará una combinación de las tendencias que surgen en el campo de la educación y en la sociedad, que influyen en el aprendizaje de los estudiantes, como la diversidad de los alumnos, la inclusión de estudiantes con necesidades especiales, la tecnología, la instrucción y el avance de las neurociencias. Reseña: buscalibre.com

Psicologia Educativa by free2web

Carta de un padre a un profesor...

La carta va dirigida a un profesor para exigirle hacer bien su trabajo... para pensar...

Touchscreen interface for seamless data transfer between the real and virtual worlds

Diginfo.tv - 15 april, 2013.

Fujitsu Laboratories has developed a next generation user interface which can accurately detect the users finger and what it is touching, creating an interactive touchscreen-like system, using objects in the real word.

"We think paper and many other objects could be manipulated by touching them, as with a touchscreen. This system doesn't use any special hardware; it consists of just a device like an ordinary webcam, plus a commercial projector. Its capabilities are achieved by image processing technology."

Using this technology, information can be imported from a document as data, by selecting the necessary parts with your finger.

This technology measures the shape of real-world objects, and automatically adjusts the coordinate systems for the camera, projector, and real world. In this way, it can coordinate the display with touching, not only for flat surfaces like tables and paper, but also for the curved surfaces of objects such as books.

"Until now, gesturing has often been used to operate PCs and other devices. But with this interface, we're not operating a PC, but touching actual objects directly, and combining them with ICT equipment."

"The system is designed not to react when you make ordinary motions on a table. It can be operated when you point with one finger. What this means is, the system serves as an interface combining analog operations and digital devices."

To detect touch accurately, the system needs to detect fingertip height accurately. In particular, with the low-resolution camera used here (320 x 180), if fingertip detection is off by a single pixel, the height changes by 1 cm. So, the system requires technology for recognizing fingertips with high precision.

"Using a low-res webcam gives a fuzzy picture, but the system calculates 3D positions with high precision, by compensating through image processing."

This system also includes technology for controlling color and brightness, in line with the ambient light, and correcting for individual differences in hand color. In this way, it can identify fingertips consistently, with little influence from the environment or individual differences.

Also, in situations that don't use touch, the system can be operated by gesturing. In this demo, when you move your fist, you can manipulate the viewpoint for 3D CAD data. So, there could be applications for this touch system by combining it with current gesture systems.

"For example, we think this system could be used to show detailed information at a travel agent's counter, or when you need to fill in forms at City Hall."

"We aim to develop a commercial version of this system by fiscal 2014. It's still at the demonstration level, so it's not been used in actual settings. Next, we'd like to get people to use it for actual tasks, see what issues arise, and evaluate usability. We want to reflect such feedback in this system."

Posted By Don Kennedy and Ryo Osuga

Etnicidad, raza, género y educación en América Latina

Donald R. Winkler y Santiago Cueto, ed. Santiago de Chile: Programa de Promoción de la Reforma Educativa en América Latina y el Caribe [PREAL], 2004.

Cada uno de estos informes confirma que, en América Latina, las personas de origen indígena o afro-descendientes tienen un menor nivel de educación promedio que las personas de otros orígenes. Descargar.

Psicología de la Motivación - Diego Jorge González Serra

El presente libro tiene como objetivo fundamental exponer los resultados principales que hemos obtenido en el decursar de 40 años, en la investigación teórica y empírica de la motivación humana. Todo este trabajo tiene un sentido integrador de las diferentes corrientes teóricas en la investigación de la motivación humana, a partir de la dialéctica materialista y dentro del enfoque histórico-cultural, aunque este empeño integrador debe ampliarse y perfeccionarse. Dr. Diego Jorge González Serra: Doctor en Psicología, Profesor Titular. ECURED. Descarga.

Richard Dawkins - The Selfish Gene

Richard Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands of readers to rethink their beliefs about life.

In his internationally bestselling, now classic volume, The Selfish Gene, Dawkins explains how the selfish gene can also be a subtle gene. The world of the selfish gene revolves around savage competition, ruthless exploitation, and deceit, and yet, Dawkins argues, acts of apparent altruism do exist in nature. Bees, for example, will commit suicide when they sting to protect the hive, and birds will risk their lives to warn the flock of an approaching hawk.

This revised edition of Dawkins' fascinating book contains two new chapters. One, entitled "Nice Guys Finish First," demonstrates how cooperation can evolve even in a basically selfish world. The other new chapter, entitled "The Long Reach of the Gene," which reflects the arguments presented in Dawkins' The Extended Phenotype, clarifies the startling view that genes may reach outside the bodies in which they dwell and manipulate other individuals and even the world at large. Containing a wealth of remarkable new insights into the biological world, the second edition once again drives home the fact that truth is stranger than fiction.

Diego, el primer niño robot que combina neurociencia, visión, psicología y aprendizaje

antena3.com  |  Madrid  | Actualizado el 30/03/2013 a las 16:46 horas
Diego es el primer proyecto multidisciplinario que incluye robótica, neurociencia, visión, psicología y aprendizaje y que se dirige hacia la robótica emocional. Es lo que se denomina "robótica emocional". El robot ve a la gente, sus gestos, expresiones y, gracias a la inteligencia artificial, aprende de los humanos como haría un bebé.

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“La educación debería liderar el cambio, pero es la institución más obsoleta”

ENTREVISTA CON CLAUDIO NARANJO

El Confidencial - 03/03/2013.

El psiquiatra chileno Claudio Naranjo (Valparaíiso, 1932) es una de las figuras más relevantes del humanismo contemporáneo. Aunque se dio a conocer por sus trabajos en torno a la terapia gestalt y el eneagrama de la personalidad, desde finales de los noventa ha centrado sus estudios en el ámbito de la educación. Pese a tener ya 80 años, Naranjo escribe una media de dos o tres libros al año y sigue impartiendo conferencias en todo el mundo.

En su última visita a Madrid, Naranjo atendió a El Confidencial en un pequeño piso del barrio de Ibiza, donde suele pasar las noches cuando visita nuestro país. El psiquiatra no necesita hoteles: en casi todas las ciudades tiene admiradores que le ofrecen techo, amistad y le siguen a todas partes. En cierto modo Naranjo parece un profeta, aunque él nunca se definiría como tal. Su misión, en cualquier caso, sí la tiene clara: trasmitir la idea de que es necesario cambiar este mundo, y de que ese cambio tiene que empezar en nosotros mismos.

Sólo hay dos cosas que pueden hacer que el mundo se transforme: un cambio personal y una nueva educación“Las personas están mal”, explica Naranjo, “y sufren en parte porque no saben que sufren”. Esta desazón vital, cuenta el psiquiatra, hace que aparezcan la depresión, las enfermedades psicosomáticas y se pierda la motivación y el sentido de la vida. “Hay malestar”, asegura, “pero el malestar no llegará más lejos mientras no se transforme en algo más”. En su opinión, sólo hay dos cosas que pueden hacer que el mundo se transforme: un cambio personal y una nueva educación.

Cambiar la educación para cambiar el mundo

Para Naranjo la educación es la institución más podrida de nuestra civilización pues lo que debería servir para hacernos hombres sirve en realidad para acabar con nuestra humanidad: “Hoy la educación está al servicio del poder y las empresas. Hay una voluntad política para que la educación sirva para tener a la persona dormida, para que forme parte del rebaño. No se puede comprobar, pero funciona así. Uno tarda en darse cuenta porque hemos sido educados en los valores de esta educación. La educación cumple su función deshumanizadora, pero no nos damos cuenta porque somos inconscientes”.

La verdadera función de la educación, cuenta el psiquiatra, debería servir para ir más allá de lo que somos. “En una escuela ideal”, explica Naranjo, “acompañaríamos los procesos de aprendizaje, fomentaríamos la creatividad y ayudaríamos a los niños a saber, sin la presión de las clasificaciones. Los exámenes son trabajo, no educación. Se enseña a los niños a pasar exámenes que no sirven para nada y no son útiles en la vida”.

Los propios maestros, por mucho que critiquen el sistema, son responsables de que éste siga funcionandoEl psiquiatra, que vinoa España, entre otras cosas, para impartir un curso para profesores, cree que los propios maestros, por mucho que critiquen el sistema, son responsables de que éste siga funcionando sin mayores problemas: “El espanto de la escuela es que el profesor se pone un uniforme interior, y al dar clase deja de ser persona. Son como robots. Muchas mujeres están en la educación por un instinto maternal, pero lo ponen de lado, como si no fuese adecuado dar cariño a los niños y proporcionales una vida feliz”.

La nave se está yendo a pique, pero tenemos un bote salvavidas

En su último libro, La revolución que esperábamos (Ediciones La Llave), Naranjo asegura que estamos entrando en una transformación que habíamos dejado de esperar, y que más bien nos asusta: hasta hoy solo hemos conocido revoluciones políticas e ideológicas, y lo que ahora ocurre es una revolución de la consciencia.

En opinión de Naranjo, nuestros problemas sólo pueden ser resueltos con una conciencia distinta de los que los ha creado. “La educación”, cuenta, “debería ser la institución que liderara este cambio, debería estar a la cabeza, pero es la más obsoleta. Así son las burocracias. Comienzan teóricamente al servicio de algo, pero al final se sirven a sí mismas”.

La transformación, por tanto, no vendrá de manos de un cambio político, del que Naranjo no se fía. “Estoy en una época de mi vida en que estoy tirando la toalla respecto al cambio de las instituciones”, reconoce el psiquiatra. “No creo que se pueda ya hablar con las autoridades, con los que supuestamente tienen poder. Creo que la educación cambiará, si es que cambia, porque cambian los individuos”.

El colapso del sistema es nuestra única esperanza para construir algo mejorA lo largo de su vida, el psiquiatra, que en Latinoamérica es una reconocida personalidad, se ha citado con todo tipo de ministros y presidentes para hablarles de sus teorías sobre la educación pero, a día de hoy, no tiene la más mínima confianza en ellos: “Pienso que los políticos tienen un acuerdo para irse cambiando sin hacer nada. Cuando llegan al poder creen que van a ostentarlo, pero son parte de una red que no se puede modificar. Hoy en día la política no tiene poder. Los partidos tienen algo de poder aparente, no los gobernantes, pero es el poder económico el que controla todo, y la educación es su socio invisible, parte del complejo militar-industrial”.

Naranjo ya no cree, siquiera, en la protesta ciudadana. Y tiene un mensaje para la ‘marea verde’: “Las protestas educativas no tienen contenido, no piden un cambio en la educación, piden mejores sueldos. No se cree en una educación para trascender la mente patriarcal”.

Esta mente patriarcal, sobre la que Naranjo ha escrito largo y tendido, es para el psiquiatra el origen de nuestros males como sociedad. “Es una mentalidad de hombres cazadores que ya no cazan animales, sino hombres”, explica. “Una mentalidad que nos convierte en depredadores de nosotros mismos”. Por suerte, cuenta, la nave del sistema patriarcal, que construimos hace miles de años, ya no funciona, y está naufragando: “El colapso del sistema es nuestra única esperanza para construir algo mejor. No debemos preocuparnos por que se hunda o no el barco, debemos preocuparnos por encontrar el barco salvavidas”. 

Internet y educación: "Aprendiendo y enseñando en los espacios virtuales"

Autor: Jorge Rey Valzacchi

Internet y educación: "Aprendiendo y enseñando en los espacios virtuales" es una contribución para todos aquellos interesados en incursionar en el análisis de las ventajas y limitaciones que existen en la relación entre Internet y Educación.

La obra se estructura en tres secciones: Servicios y Herramientas en Internet, Cómo implementar una Página en laWeb e Internet como Recurso Educativo. Através de un abordaje sencillo y abarcativo el autor presenta un panorama global sobre esos temas desde sus aspectos teóricos y referencias hasta los funcionales. A lo largo del texto se presenta como una constante transversal lo referido a las posibles aplicaciones pedagógicas para los docentes de los diferentes niveles educativos.

En síntesis, el autor busca generar un conocimiento básico y reflexivo sobre las ventajas y desventajas, aportes y herramientas que el uso de Internet y las nuevas tecnologías tiene dentro de las instituciones escolares. Definitivamente el valor de estas nuevas y poderosas herramientas dependerá del proyecto pedagógico al que se incorporan.

Es la calidad de este proyecto lo que define el potencial que pueden tener para la transmisión de información y para la generación de nuevas habilidades en estos entornos virtuales Con esta nueva contribución de la serie digital de INTERAMER se aspira realizar un aporte para todos aquellos interesados en este tema para iniciar su camino y sistematizar sus experiencias sobre el empleo de Internet en educación.

INTERAMER DIGITAL Nº 73. Agencia Internamericana para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo AICD/OEA, 2003

Internet Educacion Valzacchi by Eugenia Gonzalez Cruz

El mal de Portnoy - P. Roth

En sus sesiones de psicoanálisis, Alexander Portnoy confiesa que la obsesión por el sexo ha dominado su vida. Portnoy,Mal de [llamado así por Alexander Portnoy (1933- )].Trastorno en que los impulsos altruistas y morales se experimentan con mucha intensidad, pero se hallan en perpetua guerra con el deseo sexual más extremado y, en ocasiones, perverso. Al respecto dice Spielvogel: «Abundan los actos de exhibicionismo, voyeurismo, fetichismo y autoerotismo, así como el coito oral, no obstante, y como consecuencia de la “moral” del paciente, ni la fantasía ni el acto resultan en una auténtica gratificación sexual, sino en otro tipo de sentimientos, que se imponen a todos los demás: la vergüenza y el temor al castigo, sobre todo en forma de castración» (Spielvogel,O., «El pene confuso», Internationale Zeitschrift für Psychoanalyse, vol.XXIV,p.909). Spielvogel considera que estos síntomas pueden remontarse a los vínculos que hayan prevalecido en la relación madre-hijo. 
«Un monólogo histéricamente divertido, que aporta un nuevo prototipo a la literatura norteamericana», The Spectator, «Una novela desternillante, escabrosamente divertida y profundamente conmovedora», Financial Times, «El libro más increíblemente divertido sobre sexo escrito hasta la fecha», The Guardian. 

Insomnia, Despair about Sleep May Raise Risk of Suicide

By Makini Brice. Counsel & Heal.
Researchers have long known that insomnia and nightmares are risk factors for suicide, but they were not sure what role that the conditions precisely played. Now, researchers believe that they may have the answer. They found that insomnia can give way to a specific form of hopelessness. While hopelessness has also long been a characteristic risk factor for suicide, this despair is different. For people who fear that they will never have a good night of sleep again, suicidal thoughts may increase.

In fact, according to WJBF, people who have insomnia that persists for over a year have up to 30 times the risk of developing depression than people who do not. An estimated 60 percent of people who have depression also have insomnia.

The study was led by Dr. W. Vaughn McCall from Georgia Regents University, and was performed in collaboration with researchers from Wake Forest University in North Carolina and the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Dr. McCall explained in a statement that he has had patients who developed increasingly negative and unfounded thoughts about their sleep, thinking that they had damaged their immune systems for good, or that one night of bad sleep would mean that their sleep for the rest of the week would be tainted as well, according to Fox News.

The study was conducted with 50 participants, with ages ranging from 20 to 80. All of the patients had depression disorder; they were all either in-patients, out-patients or being treated at the emergency department. Over half of the patients had attempted suicide before the study; most were taking some kind of antidepressant. The researchers asked all of the participants questions linked to dysfunctional sleep behavior, like "Do you think that you will ever get a good night's rest again?"

The answers surprised the researchers. "It was this dysfunctional thinking, all these negative thoughts about sleep that was the mediating factor that explained why insomnia was linked to suicide," said Dr. McCall in a statement. "If you talk with depressed people, they really feel like they have failed at so many things. It goes something like, 'My marriage is a mess, I hate my job, I can't communicate with my kids, I can't even sleep.' There is a sense of failure and hopelessness that now runs from top to bottom and this is one more thing."

The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

Zen psychology: Daisetz Suzuki remembered | The Japan Times

Zen psychology: Daisetz Suzuki remembered | The Japan Times

21 de febrero: Día Internacional de la Lengua Materna

El Día Internacional de la Lengua Materna, fue proclamado por la Conferencia General de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (UNESCO) en noviembre de 1999 (30C/DR.35 ).

El 16 de mayo de 2007, la Asamblea General en su resolución A/RES/61/266 exhorta a los Estados Miembros y a la Secretaría a «promover la preservación y protección de todos los idiomas que emplean los pueblos del mundo». En la misma resolución, la Asamblea General proclamó 2008 Año Internacional de los Idiomas, para promover la unidad en la diversidad y la comprensión internacional, a través del multilingüismo y el multiculturalismo.

El Día Internacional se ha observado cada año, desde febrero de 2000 para promover la diversidad lingüística y cultural y el multilingüismo. La fecha representa el día en 1952, cuando estudiantes que se manifestaban por el reconocimiento de su lengua, Bangla, como uno de los dos idiomas nacionales de la entonces Pakistán, fueron muertos a tiros por la policía de Dhaka, la capital de lo que hoy es Bangladesh.

Las lenguas son los instrumentos más poderosos para la preservación y el desarrollo de nuestro patrimonio cultural tangible e intangible. Toda iniciativa para promover la difusión de las lenguas maternas servirá no sólo para incentivar la diversidad lingüística y la educación multilingüe, sino también para crear mayor conciencia sobre las tradiciones lingüísticas y culturales alrededor del mundo e inspirar a la solidaridad basada en el entendimiento, la tolerancia y el diálogo.

Mensaje de la Directora General de la UNESCO, Irina Bokova

El Día Internacional de la Lengua Materna es una excelente ocasión para subrayar la importancia que tienen las lenguas para la identidad de los grupos y de las personas, como base de la vida social, económica y cultural.

El plurilingüismo constituye una fuerza y una oportunidad para la humanidad. Encarna nuestra diversidad cultural y fomenta el intercambio de puntos de vista, la renovación de las ideas y la ampliación de nuestra imaginación. El diálogo verdadero pasa por el respeto de las lenguas, y por este motivo la UNESCO trabaja para promover la utilización de las lenguas como motor del entendimiento mutuo. Alentamos la enseñanza en la lengua materna, que permite luchar mejor contra el analfabetismo y contribuye a una educación de calidad. La protección de las lenguas garantiza también la salvaguardia y la transmisión de los saberes singulares o autóctonos. Puede ser la vía para dotar a todas las personas de los medios para hacerse oír y para hacerse respetar, y es una fuerza de inclusión social.

Este año, la UNESCO ha decidido examinar los lazos entre la lengua y el libro. Los libros son una fuerza de paz y desarrollo que hay que poner al alcance de todos. Son también herramientas esenciales de expresión que participan en el enriquecimiento de las lenguas, al tiempo que preservan la huella de la evolución de las lenguas en el transcurso del tiempo. En la época de las nuevas tecnologías, los libros siguen siendo instrumentos preciosos, manejables, resistentes, prácticos para el intercambio de conocimientos, la comprensión mutua y la apertura al mundo. Son pilares de las sociedades del saber y están a la vanguardia de la promoción de la libertad de expresión y de la educación para todos.

La vitalidad de las lenguas depende tanto de la palabra compartida por los hablantes como de la producción abundante de material pedagógico y textos impresos. En algunos países, la falta de libros y manuales escolares escritos en las lenguas locales constituye un obstáculo para el desarrollo y la inclusión social. Es también de hecho una privación elemental del derecho a la libertad de expresión. Las herramientas digitales permiten en ocasiones suplir esta carencia, pero no bastan, y debemos hacer todo lo posible para garantizar una difusión más equitativa de los materiales y los libros que todas las personas, sobre todo los niños, podrán leer en la lengua que elijan, incluida su lengua materna. La facilitación de estos recursos es una forma de acelerar el cumplimiento de los objetivos de la Educación para Todos hasta 2015. También es importante la traducción al servicio de esta gran empresa, ya que tiende puentes hacia nuevos públicos.

En esta 14ª celebración del Día Internacional de la Lengua Materna, hago un llamamiento a todos los asociados de la UNESCO, los autores y los docentes de todo el mundo, en las universidades, las cátedras y las escuelas asociadas, para que colaboren en aras del reconocimiento de la importancia de la diversidad lingüística y cultural y de la educación en la lengua materna.

Irina Bokova