I just love brain science:*

People sometimes solve problems with a unique process called insight, accompanied by an “Aha!” experience. It has long been unclear whether different cognitive and neural processes lead to insight versus noninsight solutions, or if solutions differ only in subsequent subjective feeling. [...] Functional magnetic resonance imaging (Experiment 1) revealed increased activity in the right hemisphere anterior superior temporal gyrus for insight relative to noninsight solutions. The same region was active during initial solving efforts. Scalp electroencephalogram recordings (Experiment 2) revealed a sudden burst of high-frequency (gamma-band) neural activity in the same area beginning 0.3 s prior to insight solutions. This right anterior temporal area is associated with making connections across distantly related information during comprehension. Although all problem solving relies on a largely shared cortical network, the sudden flash of insight occurs when solvers engage distinct neural and cognitive processes that allow them to see connections that previously eluded them.

First, I love their way of defining insight. Second, I'm amazed by the way they measure the moment to an accuracy of 0.3 seconds. But the best is how they show that insight is related to finding lateral connection - using a lateral connection problem set!

*: Mark Jung-Beeman, Edward M. Bowden, Jason Haberman, Jennifer L. Frymiare, Stella Arambel-Liu, Richard Greenblatt, Paul J. Reber and John Kounios (2004). Neural activity when people solve verbal problems with insight. PLoS Biology, (2)4:500--510.

Petition for guaranteed public access to publicly-funded research results

http://www.ec-petition.eu/

You may sign this petition to register your support for free and open access to European research and for the recommendations proposed in the EU's 'Study on the Economic and Technical Evolution of the Scientific Publication Markets of Europe'.

Plain and simple. Public funding = public knowledge.

Yishay Mor and Richard Noss and Celia Hoyles and Ken Kahn and Gordon Simpson (2006). Designing to see and share structure in number sequences. the International Journal for Technology in Mathematics Education, (13)2:65-78, 2006.  PDF

Yishay Mor and Niall Winters (in press). Design approaches in technology enhanced learning. Interactive Learning Environments, Taylor & Francis, in press.  PDF

Gerry Stahl has a new(ish) blog on CSCL: http://cscl-community.blogspot.com/
Worth putting on your aggregator.

The Kaleidoscope project Learning patterns for the design and deployment of mathematical games has released its first deliverable: a review of the literature on the design and deployment of games for mathematical learning. This review should prove a valuable resource for researchers interested in the use of games in mathematical learning. It is also relevant for software and curricular designers, interested in deepening their perspectives, and for policy makers considering the potential role of electronic games in the classroom.