Does music help learning? Does music improve intelligence?

I'm reading articles and books about the Mozart Effect. This theory states that listening to classical music improves spacial-linear reasoning. I'm working on a paper about this and other musical topics that I'll publish here soon.

However I am interested in your thoughts. Do you listen to music when you study? What types of music? Do you believe that music improves intelligence?

Christmas is just around the corner. So is Chanukkah, Eid, and other similarly-themed holidays from different cultures.

Giving to others is a personal choice. I'd like to let you know about two organizations that can make a difference.

Kiva (www.kiva.org) helps people in third world countries start businesses. Through Kiva, you can make a microloan to help someone start a business. Each recipient is pre-approved and is sponsored through an agency or skills training program from their country. Kiva has a 99 percent repayment rate. I donated $50 to a Colombian who was starting a mechanic's shop in Colombia and $50 to a pharmacist in Africa.

I like Kiva and felt good about making a loan. However, there are many people in my country, the United States who also need help. I wanted to find a "Kiva-like" business that helped people from my country.

ModestNeeds (www.modestneeds.org) helps people in the U.S. who need money. The only difference - you are making a donation, not a loan. Each recipient is pre-approved and the donation you make is given to the organization or company that the recipient needs to pay. For example, if the person is requesting money to help pay their rent, the money is directly paid to the landlord.

Since I gave $100 to Kiva, I decided to give $100 to ModestNeeds. I found a family that needed money to pay for their children's eye glasses. I donated $100 and few days later I received an email telling me that my and other's donations went to that family's eye doctor.

I do a lot of blogging and enjoy helping others learn English as a Second Language. If I could choose only one thing that you learn from this blog, it is to help others. It is by far the greatest thing that you can do.

Teaching writing is fun but laborious. It consists of a series of small steps that hopefully leads to success.

I began today's class with clustering. I wrote the word "happy" and circled it. I then asked the students to tell me things that made them happy. One student said New Year. That was correct so I wrote it on the board. Of course that set a pattern. The next set of answers were Father's Day, Mother's Day, Graduation, etc. Finally a student broke this pattern with "spring".

This is common. Once a pattern is discovered students use it.

After the students completed the cluster, we wrote a composition about being happy. We repeated the same process with "angry".

The students felt comfortable; they were warm to writing. I asked them to write one paragraph about "I am sad when . . ."

The students mistook paragraph for sentence. They wrote one sentence but they were good sentences.

They followed the sentence structure that I used. That was nice but I'm anxious to get them to write paragraphs and compositions.

I need to be patient. Little victories lead to success.

I'm exploring the possibilities of Twitter (www.twitter.com). This product has captured my imagination. If you want you can follow my "twitters". My twitter user name is acohen843.

I mentioned in a previous post that I was interested in why people twitter (www.twitter.com). I've been thinking about this and started to twitter.

While twittering I thought about how a character in a story would use this technology. As a writer that is how I think and work out problems.

Twitter can be a way to alleviate some loneliness and to vent. I'm thinking about writing a story where the main character is an elderly man who lives alone. He has no family. He vents and gets thoughts "off his chest" by twittering.

Does technology affect handwriting? Has your handwriting faltered since email has replaced letter writing? Do you still write letters?

I keep in touch with friends and family via email. For me, it replaces letters and many phone calls.

Has email improved writing?

How do you write? I read an article about using voice recognition software to eliminate the need to type. Some people find this to be an easier way to write.

I once tried this. It didn't work for me. I couldn't speak the story I wanted to write.

I need to write (type or longhand). It is the way I think. For me, the writing and blogging process is private. Writing/typing helps me think. That is how I communicate with the computer.

How do you write?

Fly Pen is a computer pen developed by Leap Frog. It allows the user to write on specialized paper. The pen stores the information that then can be transferred to a computer via USB.

A variety of software is available for the pen. Their are titles available for writing, math, music, etc. I purchased the writing software. I did this for two reasons, to get ideas to help my students with their writing and to find another method to write while on the road and easily transfer it to my computer.

It will be interesting to see how the technology works and if it helps with writing.

I love maps. Google Earth and Microsoft Earth are great programs. They are fantastic for map lovers, teachers, geologists, and others.

It is interesting to see how people use this technology. At my previous company, my boss used Google Earth to give us a virtual tour of the "Forbidden City" in China. Our company was developing a health information product; we thought of using Google Earth to display health statistics by geographic location.

TwitterVision.com integrates Google Earth in a different way. It displays your location for your Twitter messages. I'm exploring why Twitter has such appeal. Maybe I'll also understand the appeal of TwitterVision.

I'll be discussing Google Earth and Microsoft Earth in future entries. Please share your ideas with me.

I was listening to Radio Boston today on WBUR. This is a local news show that focuses on issues relating to Boston neighborhoods. The topic was immigrant newspapers.

This topic was of special interest to me. As a writer I've always been interested in newspapers and the newspaper industry. I'm also interested in the problems the newspaper industry is having competing with digital media.

As it turns out the immigrant press is doing well. This press by definition is a newspaper that addresses a specific ethnic community. The paper may be written in English, a foreign language, or may be bilingual.

Boston has a variety of these papers. Some service the Polish community, some the Irish community, and others the Hatian, Spanish, and Portuguese communities.

These newspapers provide a service. They inform and focus on local issues. According to the radio show, some believe that these papers also provide more balanced coverage of major world events.

This industry is interesting. Certainly, many immigrants use the Internet to read newspapers from their countries. However many immigrants can't afford a computer or Internet access in the U.S.

The immigrant press is a viable business. In some areas it may be the only balanced press.

Virtual education is becoming very popular. Most virtual teaching environments use message boards and other forms of texting even educational worlds such as Second Life.

This is fine but I'd also like to incorporate voice. It would be nice to use Skype within a virtual education environment. Voice communication is an important aspect of learning.

Voice and avatars are a nice combination. Listening to avatars talk improves the student teacher relationship. As a teacher that teaches online, I use Skype. It works well but it would be nice to use avatars to put a "face" to the voice. Looking at avatars in a virtual classroom while talking and teaching would make the online education environment more comfortable.

What are your thoughts?

I am researching avatars and virtual worlds, like Second Life, for use as a teaching forum. I am interested in talking with those who have experience with this concept.

I will be setting up a place to learn in a virtual world. I will let you know when it is ready.

I have one of those "smart" phones with Internet Explorer and Internet access. I'm writing this post from my phone.

My concept of a cell phone has changed. When I first bought this phone I thought of it as a phone with Internet access.

Now I use the phone to blog, email, and surf. Occasionally I use it to make phone calls.

Technology is interesting. It is amazing how it changes your work flow.

This blog is your blog as much as it is mine. I love writing and especially love writing this blog. What type of information or types of stories would you like to see here?

Sincerely,
Alan