Group items tagged

What do you think of the comment someone made "On-line universities have diminished the value of most degrees and by extension the credibility of most forms of education."

Well, I really dislike Wente's anti-labour rant, because if we enjoy good pay, benefits and holidays it's because someone fought for those for us (even if we don't even bother to go to meetings). That aside, I do think the institutionalized education system is going to be facing some stiff competition from more open-ended forms of learning. However, if "diminished value" comes from increased access and a subsequent reduction in elitism, I'm all for it. Just because it can't be controlled doesn't mean it can't be good.

Every time I hear an argument for universities in democracy the critical thinking flag is brought out and waved around. I don't remember critical thinking being taught anywhere in the whole school system I went through. I remember being TOLD what critical sources to study and quote in papers but it wasn't for me to actually have my own strategy--I was a mere student. Of course we all understood the dangers of speaking back to authority (the professor, the university, the government, and all the others barking orders at us. Now students can do an end-run around these guys on the internet and the dispensors of academic wisdom actually DO need to teach critical thinking, which to them is simply knowing a list of "reliable" sources--nothing more. I think education is critical and industrializing and concentrating it has created interests to protect as much as it has created wisdom to distribute (to a select few). Wente represents a power group just as the universities represent a power group. neither has a lock on the truth, only interests to protect. The beauty of the internet is it breaks up the notion that having one coherant, easy to explain philosophy is the object of all education.

"Open: Accessibility [edit] Open educational resources are an internet phenomenon, because currently only the internet can offer the almost zero-cost and universal access that characterizes OER. OER are generally available for public use, without password-protection or registration requirements. Accessibility can also be used in the narrower sense of ensuring that OER are accessible to disabled users. A higher degree of openness concerning accessibility relates to the freedom to study the work and to apply knowledge acquired from it. Underdeveloped or poor infastructure also need to be considered when thinking about open access. [5] Teachers without boarders are attempting to address this issue in developing nations by partnering with centers where internet is publicly available. They encourage Teachers with access to share with those without access [6]"

Gillian's choice for wiki assignment Oh yes, and Schalk's!

"The predominance of fragmented learning divided up into disciplines often makes us unable to connect parts and wholes; it should be replaced by learning that can grasp subjects within their context, their complex, their totality."

Thanks for this Scott. I read recently that it is not the ability to attend to multiple activities when multitasking that is so detrimental to learning it is the lack of ability to concentrate. Read it on a Ed blog. I will see if I can find it

example of a "link back" search on google.

educational wiki

Is there a Wiki just for adult education? I'll take a look myself, but would be interested in finding out if others know of some too. I posted my definition assignment on MojoMojo.

"The bottom line is that how well an employee can focus might now be more important than how knowledgeable he is. "

"Book industry trends: Colleg"

After reading this blog post, critique a library web site near you (you can use University of Manitoba Libraries, or your own institutional library, or somewhere else). Are libraries repositories or referactories? Can you find examples of both (a library that is a repository, and a library that is referactory). Rant on your blog for this week.

Posted my critique here: http://schalkmlouw.blogspot.com/2010/05/library-website-critique.html

read and sign if you agree

for week 2