Ashlar Online

Pick o’ th’ Moment: “The Mix Up” (album)- Beastie Boys

By Ashlar | July 11, 2010

"The Mix Up"- Beastie Boys An all instrumental, jam album. Here is “Off the Grid”, which stood out for me.

Off the Grid [4:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Topics: musica, podcast | No Comments »

Would You Hire Your Own Kids? 7 Skills Schools Should be Teaching Them | | AlterNet

By Ashlar | May 29, 2010

Would You Hire Your Own Kids? 7 Skills Schools Should be Teaching Them | AlterNet.

Schools aren’t teaching the skills our kids need. Why? May 28, 2010

I’ve spent the last two years researching and writing a new book, The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach The New Survival Skills Our Children Need—and What We Can Do About It. I began with several questions: First, in the new global economy, where any job that can be turned into a routine is being either automated or “off-shored,” what skills will our students need to get—and keep—a good job. And what skills are needed for citizenship today? Are these education goals in conflict, I wondered.

With a clearer picture of the skills young people will need, I then set out to learn to what extent we are teaching and testing the skills that matter most. And because we already know that many of our nation’s urban schools are failing, I chose to observe classrooms in some of our most highly regarded suburban schools in order to understand whether our “best” was, in fact, good enough for our children’s future. What I discovered in this journey may come as a surprise to many.

One of my first interviews was with Clay Parker, the President of the Chemical Management Division of BOC Edwards—a company that, among other things, makes the machines and supplies the chemicals for the manufacture of microelectronics devices, including silicon semiconductors and flat panel displays. He’s an engineer by training and the head of a very technical business, so when I asked him about the skills he looks for when he hires young people into the company, I was taken aback by his answer.

“First and foremost, I look for someone who asks good questions,” Parker responded. “Our business is changing, and so the skills our engineers need change rapidly, as well. We can teach them the technical stuff. But for employees to solve problems or to learn new things, they have to know what questions to ask. And we can’t teach them how to ask good questions—how to think. The ability to ask the right questions is the single most important skill.”

“What other skills are you looking for?” I asked, expecting that he’d jump quickly to content expertise.

“I want people who can engage in good discussion—who can look me in the eye and have a give and take.”

“I don’t understand,” I confessed.

“All of our work is done in teams. You have to know how to work well with others. But you also have to know how to engage the customer—to find out what his needs are. If you can’t engage others, then you won’t learn what you need to know.”

Topics: (special) educated | No Comments »

Audio Candy: Beat Bee Sessions

By Ashlar | May 6, 2010

The Beat Bee, mysterious cosmic funkanaut of the the intergalactic spaceways, delivers his magic Mixtapes throughout the universe to spread the love and joy of real music! He has chosen Food One and Jane Dope to broadcast his funky signals on planet Earth…and so, we proudly bring you The Beat Bee Sessions…an all-new, (semi) weekly podcast guaranteed to clean the cobwebs out ‘yo mind!

Current Mood: (sleepy)

sleepy

Topics: creativity, musica | No Comments »

Pick O’ Th’ Moment: “Fantasies” (album)– Metric

By Ashlar | April 23, 2010

Happened upon Metric through their pop single, “Help I’m Alive”; moved on. However, my son heard it, liked it, wanted to hear it again.

Being raised in the pre-digital music era– yes, I remember and used vinyl, and have an extensive audio tape collection– I still have a predilection for albums as a whole. Also, I am frugal. So, instead of just buying the single for my son’s playlist, I sampled the rest of the album and was pleasantly surprised.

Reminiscent of Berlin, Missing Persons and even Suzanne Vega, I was hooked.

I’m a sucker for powerful, sweet female vocals backed by power chords.

Current Mood: nerdy

"Gold Guns Girls"- Metric [4:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Topics: musica, podcast | No Comments »