Group items tagged

MOOCs are losing momentum as word spreads that they are not wonderful, but a popular topic still can get a big initial enrollment.

Are MOOCs really losing momentum? It seems as if there is still a lot of hype in the media about it, and campuses are continuing to add classes based on the MOOC concept. Even here at HGSE, there is talk of MOOC type classes.

Ok, add this to the graphics company I posted earlier... and I can really see losing yourself in virtual reality.

not clear this will lose votes for her, given how many adults are into fantasy gaming. Shows how bizarre the political process has become

Thanks for sharing Prof. I know of many educators who have actually started playing WoW just so they could understand their students' world a little better. I wonder how many principals would have supported them openly though.

As soon as I catch up...I fall behind

Interesting follow up to a previous post about open-source learning management systems (LMSs), the most popular of which is Moodle. Hawaii's Virtual Learning Network has decided to scrap Moodle and go with Blackboard, a commercial LMS. Moodle's really losing its lustre...

"We tend to look for ways to increase student learning time but rarely carve out time for teacher learning."

Michigan State senate approved Cyber Schools. Experts question this legislation. A new report by education professors from the University of Colorado finds that there's no reliable evidence showing such institutions are as good brick-and-mortar schools. Some are just not comfortable with all the unknowns in the cyber school equation. Sounds familiar?

There is a lot murkiness in the conversation. There may be no evidence but so much goes on in brick and mortar schools that has no evidence behind it anyway, I'm less and less convinced by that particular rhetorical approach. I think there is no more to lose by the effort than we already lose in undocumented ways. As with any endeavor, planning and execution will be the determinants of success. I'm beginning to resent the attempts in the media to summarize these complex issues because I think they have a significant impact on public opinion but they horrible at conveying complexity.

I get really nervous about these "shifts" when they become sensationalized. Despite our insistence that students are not created equal, we keep searching for the one-size-fits-all solution to education, and in this era that solution is bolstered by anything containing the word DIGITAL. How much socioemotional development will students lose if this trend increases over time? How do we provide for human relationships, mentors, even confrontation and conflict resolution when we are all hiding behind computer screens? It has to be about more than convenience.

An argument that Good Software design is bad for learning

This article makes a pretty bold statement about what's real and what's not; do you agree?

Very similar to the idea of teaching computer programming via storytelling/animation (Scratch)

I just watched this video and it's actually billed INCORRECTLY on that Ted.com description! The guy is *not* saying to teach math through teaching computer programming at'all!! He is simply advocating to use the power of the computer to teach math - i.e. using programs such as Mathematica. His slide says "Computer-based math: critical reform" -- so, he is saying that students should use the computer for the computing (which is for sure true) and teachers should teach with the students using this computing power asap (which I agree with) ... but he is *not* actually saying to teach computer programming ... p.s. This video is sweeping through the math teacher twitter streams and blogs right now (yes, there is such a community out there!) But, in my opinion, his idea is no big leap ...

Absolutely agree... the idea presented here is no big leap at all, especially to us who are following these advances pretty closely. I saw the parallels with scratch in terms of engaging the learner.

The darker side of Facebook...