Education Resources

This post is a list of resources for friends interested in learning more about education in general and in the US. It's of particular interest to me and friends because we are parents with young children in school. I put this resource together to share information.

I want to mention that a lot of these talks, while filled with good data and information, also have opinion in them. Listen/watch carefully, a lot of these guys are expert researchers and they choose their words carefully. They will tell you when they are speaking their opinion. It's all well and good to agree with somebody because we like to hear it, however it's another thing to act on what we like rather than what actually works. Nothing is perfect and all of these guys have tested and continue to test and work towards a better tomorrow. I don't take offense when people challenge my personal beliefs and neither should you. I post this information because I think it's important to take action. Don't let your emotions get in the way of learning and doing what's right for our children, neighbors, and society.

Alright, so here are some videos that I've watched over the past couple years. I'll write a very brief description for each link.

(Note: It's difficult to start out with everything I've ever watched so here's some stuff to get started. I will update occasionally when I have time to "mine" the content again.)

List of Ted Talks:

- Sugata Mitra: Build a School in the Cloud (22mins) I liked Mitra's video so much that I found he had 2 other videos on TED. I also went online finding whatever I could.
http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_build_a_school_in_the_cloud.html

- Ken Robinson: Changing education paradigms, Short RSA (11 mins) Great video only part of an hour talk. But it's illustrated so easier to watch and the content is pretty good. http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms.html

- Sugata Mitra: The child-driven education (17mins)
http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html

- Andreas Schleicher: Use data to build better schools (19 mins)
http://www.ted.com/talks/andreas_schleicher_use_data_to_build_better_schools.html

- Hans Rosling: Let my dataset change your mindset (19 mins) Only a little about education, mostly about how the world is actually a lot different than many people think. I like Rosling, this video is older but I've searched out and watched the rest of his videos. You should too.
http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_at_state.html

Documentary Movie:
- Waiting for Superman: Please watch this! I saw it on Netflix, hopefully it's still there. It helped me to understand the dilemma with supporting our beloved teachers and why there were so many local laws trying to be passed to alter the government relationships with teachers.

Beginners BJJ Equipment List

Update 11/21/13: Click here to find my updated blog and blog post on BJJ Gear.
What equipment do I need to buy for bjj?

Have you ever asked yourself this question? As someone brand new to BJJ I thought I'd share my findings.

Here's my list of stuff that I want to start out:
1. BJJ Gi - Needed. If you don't already have one provided from your class or you want a new one there are a lot of great BJJ Gi's out there. I bought a Vulkan BJJ Gi.
2. Ear Guard - I am doing BJJ recreationally. While I respect people with cauliflower ear it's not for me. I have to be presentable at work and my wife and kids won't be happy if I get it. For others with similar concerns I recommend ear guards.
3. Mouth Guards - This is similar to the reason for getting ear guards. I once got my lip cut open playing basketball and it cost me $900 for the emergency room costs even with insurance. I don't want that to happen again.
4. Cup/Groin Protector - I'm enjoying BJJ as a sport and as personal defense. However, call me what you may, I don't think it's necessary to risk get kicked in the nuts while I'm learning. I've already done it to others and have had it happen to myself in only 2 classes. It's time to get a cup. I went with the Shock Doctor Ultra Carbon Flex Cup.
5. Compression - Consider it "Rash Guard 2.0" believe me after seeing it on serious pro athletes in other sports and MMA fighters this stuff really works. I work in the sporting goods industry and used it in my triathlon training, it works. If you can afford it go out and get it. I recommend a long sleeve top and long tights or 3/4 tights.

I added links to everything so you can just click on the link to buy.

Guides:
MyBJJ.com Guides - a great resource for people wondering more about BJJ. There are a lot of equipment guides.
BJJ Gi- Buying Guide for BJJ Gi's at BJJSports.com
Kids Jiu Jitsu Gis - I was thinking about getting my kids into BJJ as well. Here's a link to a large selection of Kids BJJ gis.

TYR Torque

The most comprehensive information out on the TYR Torque Speedsuit at this time are at the links below. I've scoured the web for articles and stores to find the most information. Luckily it happens to be from OneTri.com. We got our hands on the swimskins before launch and added as much information as we could on the TYR Torque speedsuits. We created multiple videos and took a lot of photo's. I'm happy to say at this moment OneTri.com has shared more information on the Torque than any other source online.

TYR Torque Pro

TYR Torque Discussion on BeginnerTriathlete forum

Note: If you didn't already know i work at OneTri.com and am proud that we were the first and most thorough site launching the TYR Torque speedsuit.

Triathlon Gear Videos

The Tri Gear Product Videos page is one of the features I've been excited about on the OneTri.com website in good while. As of this writing there are already 341 products have video's in just a couple months. The goal is to get every product reviewed.

One of the neat aspects of the video's is that they are done by triathletes of all levels. Triathletes who are in the video's range from beginners to long time vetrans. They've also done everything from Sprint distance to Ironman. You can even find out more about the people in the video's on the athlete profile page.

We hope you enjoy the videos. Were just getting started so keep on the look out for ever improving quality and content.

Triathlon Gear Guides and Comparison Charts

There are new tri gear comparison charts and updated guides at OneTri.com. The comparison charts and guides on this page are helpful for people who are trying to figure out which products to purchase. As triathlon grows so does the offering of products provided by the numerous triathlon specific manufacturers. Each day it gets more complicated to figure out the necessary gear so it's very helpful to have these tools.

Triathlon Gear Guides and Charts Page
This link takes you to a page with the following:

- Tri product Video's: takes you to a consolidated page of new product video's added to OneTri.com
- Triathlon Check List: takes you to a page with check lists catered to different tri distances (ie. Sprint, Olympic, 70.3, Full Ironman distance)
- Triathlon Wetsuit FAQ: frequently asked questions regarding triathlon wetsuits
- Triathlon Wetsuit Buying Guide: One Tri's own guide developed and refined over the years. It is updated on a yearly basis.
- Men's Tri Gear Comparison Charts: Currently available are tri short, tri suit, and tri wetsuit. These charts are nice because they are like a lot of review sites in that they lay comparisons of products next to each other.
- Women's Tri Gear Comparison Charts: Currently available are tri shorts, tri suits, and triathlon wetsuits. These are the most popular triathlon products but more comparison charts are in the works for other categories.