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Welcome to day 3 on Survival and this MOOC is all about Survival.... I hope that Dr. Butler doesn't mind the liberty I took with this week's topic...

I love this about MOOCs. My son is interested in music, but most definitely not interested in school. He's got his eye on a MOOC about Beethoven and another about music theory. This is, I believe, the way of the world, or at least a hallmark of our current generation. They only want to learn about what they want to learn about. Will foundational learning go away? with some vigilance, no. But will students of the future get to better direct and specialize their learning, yes! And, in my opinion, that's fantastic!

I am glad that you hit on that point, that the coming generation(s) may not be a strict towards following a learning regiment. I have noticed at least with my children that they learn what they want to learn and will dig further it catches their attention. I was personally taking a MOOC on Comic Books and Graphic Novels from Coursera! Who would have thought you would find a course on that? I do not believe any institution will ever have the flexibility of MOOC, the problem may be that a MOOC may never have the resilience of a University. I know we have talked about "Badges" as opposed to Paper Degrees and I think MOOCs will help make that a reality.

In my humble opinion, regardless of what we are taught at school and are supposed to learn, we only learn what we are actually interested in or have some emotional connection with. In a way, MOOCs just emphasize this tendency.

I love it! It seems that infused within the course are bits and pieces of different subjects which might lead people to other learning topics. MOOC's are something I want to look into, but have not yet taken the 3 or 4 hour a week I don't have to explore. Who knows what I will be exploring this summer.

MOOCs are great in that you will always find one on something that catches your interest. Most of them are not as clinical as the university courses we take, but offer enough complexity to keep you interested. I hope you do find a course that not only helps you out but perhaps allows you to bring something new to the classroom.

I think MOOCs are great when enrolled in something that interest you. I once took a MOOC course and did not meet my expectations. Also, it could've been that it was my MOOC course and was not accustom to these sort of courses. I really look forward to enrolling in another MOOC course in the near future.

Thanks for prompting the importance of problem solving and suggestions for helping students to create a meaningful learning experience. I absolutely agree with Alan November that involving the community is one of the best ways to help students learn to value different ways of thinking, furthermore to appreciate the differences in each other. Creative-thinking and critical-thinking skills are essential components of problem solving. Students are natural problem solvers, through interaction with one another and participating in decision making offer countless opportunities for students to grow in their problem-solving abilities. Thanks for sharing this valuable information.

Excellent video! It's true on how everything has a purpose; listening to that really stunned me. Nothing was created in vain; everything has a purpose. You only have to find out how to use it correctly.

Adam asks "Do we educate our students this way? Do you educate your students this way? How can this help our students become better PROBLEM SOLVERS?" I am not a teacher but speaking for my children, I can say that they are being educated in many of the ways November describes. Particularly in OWNING their learning. I love to hear my son talk about what he learned not only from his teacher but, more often than not, what he learned from his peers. He is in a Montessori classroom and it really is a joy to watch the children choose what they are going to work on together and then see how they help each other. They stay in the same room for three years so in the first year, the younger children learn a lot from the older kids. But then, they build their confidence and are soon teaching each other plus, as they get older, they pass their knowledge to the ones below them.

Link to annotations: https://diigo.com/01bzzm

So this is what you meant, Jeff? "Rocky the Octopus predicts Super Bowl 46 winner" http://youtu.be/XCxFiWLUtfo

LOL Exactly!! :-)

Very interesting! Could it be that because the octopus is something that is not easy to study in nature because they are smart enough to evade? Makes you wonder if this is why we never see "Bigfoot" or "Nessy." No really, how could we not believe that there are animals or other beings out "there" that are more intelligent or at the least intelligent in different ways? I bet if you talked to anybody who worked in a lab with animals you would hear stories of behavior that would not be typical of that particular animal. Why? Because the animal is not in its natural environment. No matter how big or small a brain is, it will adapt to the situation it finds itself in. This happens everyday when stray animals of all types are abandoned in areas that are not their natural habitats such as "domestic" snakes in Florida in the 80's and 90's. Now, what does Florida have? A BIG snake problem, because although I would think the snake would not have much of a brain they learn to survive in areas that get colder than they are accustomed too by surviving.

The ocean is by far the most unexplored area on earth. It covers about seventy percent of the earth's surface that is vital to our planets survival. It regulates the earth's temperature and supports living organisms like the octopus. I read an article a few years ago that 90 percent of the ocean still to this day remains unexplored. I cannot believe with the advancement of technology 90 percent of the ocean is still unexplored. If you think about it the ocean is a big museum that can provide us with many answers to most of our questions.

Yes, Jackie, it is really amazing how animals are able to adapt. Humans so often think we can control these things but it's not so simple. Jaime, it does make you wonder what else is under there that we don't even have any idea about. Could be very exciting...or scary! (Pacific Rim, anyone?)

I is fascinating how animals can adapted to their environments. The oceans are filled with animals that act like and hunt like land animals. They have to find their niche to live or perish. Darwin's studies on this have always amazed me. Maybe we can find an animal in the ocean as smart as us.

I like what the article is saying about getting kids feet wet with technology. What I really like is that they gave examples on what to do with kids at different ages. Many times you read articles or hear advice from sources on what is good or bad for kids but they don't give any real advice on what you should do with kids. I like the fact that they are giving parents some choices on what to try with their kids. The internet and App store are big places and it can be hard for parents to find material that is suitable for kids. You can't just turn kids loose with the Ipad and not expect bad things to happen, even if it is just by accident. I would love to see more articles like this that have choice of technology or apps that parents have used with their kids.

Thank you, Martha, for sharing such an interesting article! I liked the last phrase about monitoring and took the liberty to add a sticky note. I agree with Adam. The article provided actual advice broken up into ages and even suggested devices and software appropriate for each age. It's an excellent guide to navigate the ever growing world of technological offers that flood the market.

Adam, I also found this article very useful because I'm often searching for what is adequate in technology for my daughter to use. She currently has her own Kindle w/parental controls but I have noticed that sometimes she gets bored of the activities or programs that she uses suitable for her age. I think at times she needs more of a challenge in the programs that she currently uses.

This is a quick article on the new program developed by the VHS program

Hi Juan, Not sure I qualify as an expert, but I am researching online high schools for this class and I work for an online high school, so I'll jump in. I had not heard of VHS, but the article says they are a nonprofit arm of K12, inc, which has received a LOT of press--most of it bad. It seems that some schools that are using K12 product are better run than others. The wikipedia article on K12 is interesting, and references a lot of the press: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K12_%28company%29 VHS is an interesting one indeed. I can't quite figure out how they are going to work it. It looks like they are partnering with schools so that students can get a degree from a school in their district even though all of their classes are taken from VHS. So rather than get a VHS degree, the degree will actually say Austin High or whatever their local school is. They are doing this only for "partner" schools, which are schools that they have already been supplying with online course material piecemeal. So, that must mean that they are meeting the state-required standards of each partner school. Thanks for the tip. I think I will call them and see if they are willing to be interviewed.

I call you the expert since this is your specialty and I wouldn't have know that this is a competing organization otherwise. I like the idea of a hybrid solution where some classes are physical and others are online, make for an easier transition.

I think this is a great alternative for students who don't fit well into the public setting, but at $450 a course per semester? WOW! I think I would save my money to pay for college.

Jackie, think about all the costs they don't have to spend--wardrobe, gas to and from school, school supplies (fewer), etc. For many, the benefits far outweigh the costs. It can definitely be a good solution for many if the school is a good one and the student has other options for social interaction. Juan, you might be interested to learn about the USC hybrid school. They came recommended to me by the folks at ISTE, who are essentially the standards-setters for online ed. I ended up not interviewing them because they are not really an online high school, but more of a blended option. What appeals to me about that program is that it really is targeting underserved populations: http://uschybridhigh.org/ From their website somewhere: USC Hybrid High School is a college preparatory public charter high school in Downtown LA currently serving 9th and 10th grades. We combine a traditional "no excuses" model with a blended learning model that embeds technology across the curriculum and school day. Our goal is to develop self motivated and disciplined learners who are prepared to graduate from top four year universities and who will go on to use their college degrees to effect Positive Multigenerational Change. Its student population mirrors the population of the USC neighborhood, with 64% Latino/a, 28% African American, 4% White and 4% Asian students. About 82% of the students qualify for free or reduced price lunch. Spanish is the primary language in 40% of the homes.

I can see the demographic they have chosen to target as being most in need. I've grown up in neighborhoods like this and you don't always get the best teachers. It is tough trying to excel in a public school where most of your colleagues are in and our of Juvenile hall. Hybrid works simple because those who choose to learn, but are in less than a safe environment.

I'm very interested in what you are saying here, Juan. Are you saying that hybrid works because those who choose to learn can do a chunk of their learning from a safer environment than the school? Please expand!

I would think so, in areas like SC LA, the Wards in Houston and New Orleans are some of the more impoverished areas in their respective states. Usually these environments are a little hostile and not really safe for students who want to learn much less got to school physically. I grew up in a gang ridden area and I saw many of my friends take to the streets rather than education, sadly most are gone or locked up today. I would imagine the same holds true for areas like Afghanistan where these groups prefer that their followers not be educated, take for instance the Pakistani girl shot for wanting to go to school. My idea is if these people had the opportunity to take classes in either a hybrid or fully online model they could proceed with their education in the safety of their homes. That being said for some people "home" might not be the safest place or best place to get an education. I guess it really depends on the situation. If a person wants to educated themselves they will find a way to do it. Slaves of the 1800s were taught in secret and they in turn taught others, and the history books do state that it was death for a slave to learn to read. An online education just makes it easier to do, because you lack the physical constriction. We all knew someone who was home schooled and we all thought it was the coolest thing to not have to come to school. That was just an off-shoot of correspondence school. Online education is just a natural evolution and if we are lucky be the norm. Schools are no longer the safest place to be and I think some day online may be the best alternative. Jen, hope these ramblings are of some benefit...

Thanks so much for sharing, Juan. Very interesting, indeed! I've seen many ways that online can be useful, but I hadn't really thought this one through. You make me want to revisit that interview even though it isn't a typical online school so that I can learn more. THANK YOU!

I believe the parents of the students in these types of virtual schools would probably play a much greater role than parents would like to be involved. If not, who would keep the students on task? This also may exclude those parents that could not get involved because of limited resources. Additionally, what if both parents have a full time job this would make it difficult to balance work and the student's education at the same time. Most experts would probably agree that in order to be successful in these types of courses parents would need to be actively involved.

Actually, Jaime, what I'm finding is that the students who are successful are the ones who are capable of self-motivating. Sometimes parents are involved and sometimes they aren't. Time management and getting enough social time are the two biggest issues for online students. Schools are coming up with all sorts of solutions, such as teachers who spend a lot of time poking and prodding students or calendar systems that send reminders and give students tools to keep themselves on pace for the former and clubs, summer camps, graduation/homecoming type ceremonies kids can attend in person for the social. Some schools also work out partnerships with regional schools to allow students to participate in local school music, dance, theatre, or sports. Many of the students are what we call "professional students," who are very driven to do something else--like compete in the Olympics--but don't want to miss out on their education, so they find the time to do what they need to do for school when they aren't training or competing. It's a world that is designed to meet special needs, but yes--either the student needs to be self-motivated, or he/she needs a strong parent or teacher to keep him/her on task.

Hi Juan, I've got an interview set up with the Director of Academic Affairs of VHS for Tuesday morning. Thanks again for the tip. That's a real interesting setup they've got going on there! Jen

Sounds like an interesting idea but I would ditto to what Jackie had said. I can totally see it work for GTs or child celebrities. Can you think of a newly immigrant child who needs to build on his/her English language skills or need to learn how to socialize in their new environment while trying to learn from an fully online program? I don't think it's for everyone. However, It's nice to know that there is an option for the few who can need it and/or can pay for it.

Jen, please keep us in the loop with how your interview goes, would be interested to hear.