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"#lrnchat is an online chat over the social messaging service Twitter. #lrnchat is on Thursdays at 8:30-10pm ET/5:30-7pm PT. Participants are people interested in the topic of learning from one another and who want to discuss how to help other people learn in formal, informal, social and mobile ways. This summer we aim to renew our commitment to steer clear of topics that are more "training department" oriented (including topics around LMS and instructional design) and focus this time on rather on how people learn, what they learn, and what we're learning."

"The process of Big Bang Disruption begins as a series of low-level, often unrelated experiments with different combinations of component technologies. This relative calm may give incumbents the false sense that nothing is happening, or in any event that whatever might be happening is not doing so quickly enough to warrant a competitive response. Yet when the right combination of technologies is assembled and paired with the right business model, takeoff is immediate. Customers from a wide range of segments, including mass market consumers, adopt the disruptor as quickly as its producers can supply it. Market penetration is often nearly instantaneous."

"Publishers should encourage adoption of gold open access by reducing individual universities' subscription charges as they pay more in article fees."

Not surprisingly, nearly half of the dropouts said they left because of fears about privacy and ethical concerns about how their personal data would be used. Many did not want their private information sold to advertisers or were worried about unauthorized disclosures to people they didn't know. (Prior studies have found that older people tend to pay more attention to privacy issues than younger users, a trend that was supported by this data.)

"Dystopian literature is specifically a hyperbolic view of a familiar society-one that exaggerates social ills in order to make a point about society's flaws. It's also the opposite of utopian literature, creating a world in which the supposed "ideal society" is actually the worst idea possible, ultimately leading humankind to ruin."

"Faculty and students at UC Davis, meanwhile, are developing what they call "hyperlibraries" of faculty writings, homework questions, research and other content available online that are then vetted, and, like a Wikipedia page, constantly expanded and adapted to meet specific needs. The goal is to produce e-textbooks in the chemistry, biology, statistics, math, physics and geology fields - dubbed ChemiWiki, BioWiki, MathWiki, etc. - that eventually will supplant traditional texts, which can cost up to $300 per copy, said UC Davis chemistry professor Delmar Larsen. A pilot study of the ChemWiki last spring found that students in a general chemistry class who used the online materials would have spent about $125,000 had they bought new textbooks, Larsen said."

"Perhaps the best known of many so-called unconference models, Edcamps arose out of the idea that teachers, just like their students, need "voice and choice" to help them learn. Anyone who shows up to these free events can suggest or lead a session, and participants are invited to "vote with their feet" about which to attend."

Students will confront real issues and assess real scenarios using current information from executives of real companies with real job opportunities. Education should reward creativity while being fun, relevant, practical, interactive, and up-to-date.