What’s the “problem” with MOOCs? « EdTechDev In case the quotes didn’t clue you in, this post doesn’t argue against massive open online courses (MOOCs) such as the ones offered by Udacity, Coursera, and edX. I think they are very worthy ventures and will serve to progress our system of higher education. I do however agree with some criticisms of these courses, and that there is room for much more progress. Criticisms of MOOCs Khan Academy The organization is unclear and it lacks sufficient learner support.The videos aren’t informed by research and theory on how people learn, and this may diminish the effectiveness of his videos. Especially disturbing is that none of the major MOOC providers have hired anyone trained in instructional design, the learning sciences, educational technology, course design, or other educational specialties to help with the design of their courses. Are MOOCs a Horseless Carriage? In the book How People Learn (which can be read free online), John Bransford shared the story of Fish is Fish. MOOC or MMORPG?
The Need for an Evidence-based Approach to Demonstrating Value When I read the Editor’s View column in the current issue of IWR (Information World Review, Nov/Dec 2011) the words seemed familiar. The column began “Evaluating the shortlist for the IWR Information Professional of the Year Award, one of the judges noted that at a time when the library profession was suffering from the economic turmoil there was a need for an evidence-based approach to demonstrating the value for libraries“. Checking my email it seems that these were the words I used when I voted for Ian Anstice as this year’s IWR Information Professional of the Year. As described in the announcement about the award published in IWR “The judges – all previous winners- gave Anstice, a branch manager of a public library in Cheshire, the honour for his work in documenting the changes taking place across the public library sector as a whole“. But what does “evidence-gathering” entail? Librarians are worriers, and one thing we like to worry a lot about is the future of libraries. Really?
The essay film – ‘a form that thinks’ Toby Lichtig Timothy Corrigan THE ESSAY FILM From Montaigne, after Marker 237pp. Oxford University Press. £60 (paperback, £17.99).978 0 19 978169 0 Errol Morris TABLOID Various cinemas Werner Herzog INTO THE ABYSS London Film Festival Alex Gibney and Alison Ellwood MAGIC TRIP London Film Festival Morgan Spurlock POM WONDERFUL PRESENTS: THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD Various cinemas Published: 30 November 2011 “ Essay films are arguably the most innovative and popular forms of filmmaking since the 1990s”, Timothy Corrigan claims in his diligent new study, The Essay Film. For Corrigan, the essayistic film “describes the many-layered activities of a personal point of view as a public experience”. The best of these by a long distance is Errol Morris’s Tabloid, an exuberant and entertaining tale of sex, religion and sensationalist storytelling. Much of the success of Tabloid comes from its studies in character. Equally frustrating, though for very different reasons, is the new film by Alex Gibney.
Everything You Know About Education Is Wrong - Jordan Weissmann - Business A groundbreaking study of New York schools by a MacArthur "genius" challenges the typical understanding of what makes a good school Shutterstock / Sandra Cunnigham Think of the ingredients that make for a good school. Small classes. Well-educated teachers. Turns out, your recipe would be horribly wrong, at least according to a new working paper out of Harvard. The study comes courtesy of economist Roland Fryer, an academic heavyweight who was handed a MacArthur Foundation "genius award" earlier this year for his research into the driving forces behind student achievement. His findings could add some new fire to the debate about what makes a good school. In fact, schools that poured in more resources actually got worse results. What did make a difference? If small classes, credentialed teachers, and plush budgets aren't adding up to successful students, then what is? The findings all get summed up in a group of handy tables. There's an obvious caveat to all this.
Intro to Inquiry Learning | YouthLearn A (Somewhat) New Approach to Educating and Inspiring Kids Inquiry-based learning is not a new technique—in fact, it goes back to education philosopher John Dewey—but it does stand in contrast to the more structured, curriculum-centered framework of today's schools. Asking questions is at the heart of inquiry-based learning. The goal is not to ask just any questions, of course, but ones that kids honestly care about. Your role is to guide the kids in finding the answers themselves and encourage them to ask new questions along the way. Inquiry-based learning is a style particularly well-suited for out-of-school programs because they have a freer hand to complement, enhance, and expand on the work children are doing in their K-12 classes. This article explains some of the key principles of inquiry-based learning. Key Principles of Inquiry-Based Learning How is inquiry-based learning different from traditional approaches? In contrast, inquiry-based learning projects are driven by students.
8 Books For a Higher Existence Books are magical inventions. By carrying meaning, they gives us glimpses of experience and knowledge from a different world. Phonetic language, being cut-off from time and place, the Now, helps both to encapsulate the ego more, but also to offer guidance to make it poriferous, letting Eros free. Without books we would lose this guidance. And in these times of dire ecological and cultural crisis, we need new ways to respond to the ecosystem that we simultaneous are and are imbedded in. If you’re done reading this list and want to level up more – check out part two! Thus Spoke Zarathustra – Friedrich Nietzsche Thus Spoke Zarathustra is Nietzsche’s most prophetic book in which he offers his teachings through the words of Zarathustra, based on the Persian prophet Zoroaster, who, after spending ten years on a mountain in meditation only accompanied by his Eagle and Serpent, comes down to offer his wisdom to the world. Becoming Animal – David Abram The Story of B – Daniel Quinn
Students Reflect on Their Own Learning We are always talking about the ideal education should be a learner-centered setting. Learners can be in charge of their learning with options to different paths and paces. Learners will participate in the designing of their learning processes. So the first thing of all is that they have their voices heard. More and more teachers have their students reflect on their own learning experience. Jenny Luca (her blog Lucacept – Intercepting the Web ) is a Teacher-Librarian from Melbourne, she is passionate about exploring the potential of new technologies in educational settings. Positive digital footprints Communicating with digital tools (set up categories, add widgets, use the HTML editor to embed code) Transparency for parents and family New ways of thinking about Web tools (two-way conversation is eye opening) Effective digital citizenship (how to conduct yourself in digital spaces in the context of the curriculum) Their world view is changing as a result of posting in public spaces
Call for Papers full name / name of organization: Southern Connecticut State University contact email: textincontext.southernct@gmail.com Text in Context is a graduate student journal published electronically by graduate students in the English Department at Southern Connecticut State University. We seek submissions exploring the text itself and its function(s) and implications both internally and externally—literary analysis, poetry studies, critical theory, popular reception of a particular work, close readings, historical relevance, etc. Pop Culture in Context Volume 2, Issue 1 (Fall 2014/Winter 2015) will also feature a section of papers devoted to popular culture and its contexts. • Is popular culture primarily subversive or conservative? “The Text and Time: Past, Present, Future”: Selected Papers Once again, our Fall/Winter issue will feature selected papers from Southern Connecticut State University’s Annual Graduate Conference. Book Reviews Submission Guidelines Requirements Editorial Board
Why Innovation Can't Fix America's Classrooms - Marc Tucker - National Forget charter schools and grade-by-grade testing. It's time to look at the best-performing countries and pragmatically adapt their solutions. Reuters Most Atlantic readers know that, although the U.S. spends more per student on K-12 education than any other nation except Luxembourg, students in a growing number of nations outperform our own. But think about this: Among the consistent top performers are not only developed nations (Japan, Finland, Canada), but developing countries and mega-cities such as South Korea, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Even if we find a way to educate our future work force to the same standards as this latter group -- and we are a very long way from that now -- wages in the United States will continue to decline unless we outperform those countries enough to justify our higher wages. You would think that, being far behind our competitors, we would be looking hard at how they are managing to outperform us. The apostles of exceptionalism say we need more innovation.