Thank you for a very interesting video!

This information somehow reminded me of the short story by Ray Bradbury, The Veldt. So, you may guess my position regarding your questions.

I think technology is a wonderful tool in education, medicine and art, but not a fix-it-all kit of answers to every mystery in the universe as sometimes it is portrayed. Programs like the one presented are interesting intellectual endeavors but the actual benefit of such an attempt is still questionable. It would be hard to determine what influences who, the brain influences the machine or the machine predisposes the mind?

On the other hand, if this attempt is really positive, it is sad to think that such technology would only be meant for a privileged few. As I would think it would be very expensive.

I think you will find this interesting. It would be a version of brains working together for the common good.

http://freerice.com/#/english-vocabulary/1547

And, this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Q-p8BdQPuoc

Richard,

Thank you for sharing this wonderful video! I am quite a fan of Julian Treasure and his teachings on sound and communication.

As he implied in his talk, music, in particular, helps set the mood for any activity and when the background music is not congruent with the activity, music becomes 'noise' to the thinking brain. When making decisions concerning educational designs, we should be particularly aware of this aspect of music. When music is appropriate, it becomes one more piece of information and can add to the learning process. Unfortunately, when music is just added for the sake of adding one more element, it becomes a distraction, even preventing learning from happening, in which case, it would be better to just opt for silence.

Julian in his talks also states that most people never listen and, when they do, their listening comprehension is only 25% (of what is said). Given the fact that we, as a species, are good at pattern recognition, it means that we don't necessarily have to listen to survive in this modern world.

Another important factor influencing our listening capabilities is gender. As Treasure explains, females are expansive listeners enjoying the journey of the conversation while males are reductive listeners who merely engage in communication to find the solution quickly, the final objective being more important than the process through which it was reached.

Treasure explains this in another TED talks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKayQthlwts

Thank you again, Richard for sharing this with us!

Thank you, Richard, for your kind words! I believe that both videos go hand in hand and complement each other and I thank you again for having shared yours with us!

MOOCs may not be a game changer in the US but I believe it is one of the most powerful tools international students can have access to and take advantage of. Knowledge without borders! It also means that many companies may have access to a pool of highly qualified job seekers from all over the world. I think this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Martha,
I have had the opposite experience. The content in most of the classes is very engaging! Teachers are very invested in those courses if nothing else because they get to teach topics they believe in and they have researched thoroughly. Like in standard universities, you may run into classes that are less well organized, but such a class would be the exception not the rule. A possible con to MOOCs is that they require a lot of self motivation and discipline on the part of the student. In that sense, they are not for everybody just like online classes of any kind are not appropriate for every student. It all depends on your goals and reasons for taking the class, the same applies to f2f classes, by the way.

I have to admit that I have philosophical issues with the concept of education as a business. If a business, it is one of a kind and only very collaterally related to any financial transaction. Many teachers teach because they love doing so, just think about the pay most of them get. The most outstanding teachers I know, have been those who have an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a relentless drive to share it.

I completely agree. I always find something truly interesting and exciting offered in the different MOOCs. I just wish the day had 48 hours.
Another very interesting aspect of the classes is how varied the students and the cultures they come from are. You get to interact with people from countries all over the planet and that is an experience that many colleges cannot offer to the extent "an online classroom" can.

I cannot praise Sir Ken's contribution to the field of education enough! His work on the British school system is wonderful. This is his blog address:
http://sirkenrobinson.com/