Tag Archives: education

Harvard And MIT Form edX, Experimenting And Hoping That edX Might Be Transformative And Revolutional For Education

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Posted by on in Anything Goes, Internet
E-learning short courses

E-learning short courses (Photo credit: London College of Fashion short courses)

Unglamorized kind of announcements such as the forming of edX, partnership of Harvard and MIT which strives to form superb online education platform, might push the civilizations around the world one step further.  Through edX, Harvard and MIT will provide free online courses, but these online courses will not be construed to be different than offline courses.  According to Technologyreview.com’s Harvard and MIT Offer Online Education for Free article, students who take courses through edX will get certificates of mastery for their efforts.

In my opinion, technological advancements of today such as the Internet has forced well known educational institutions come to grip with their outdated education models.  If they fail to reform their traditional education models, eventually the technological advancements that are inherently carrying high potential of pushing the world civilizations forward such as the spreading of education through the Internet will gradually overtake the prestige role of passing the knowledge from traditional education institutions that we are so highly praised in the past and now.  To stay relevant and continually promoting their highly regard brands of education, traditional education institutions such as Harvard and MIT probably know that they have to take the early initiative in bringing education to the mass, using the best transformative, technological education-advancements, otherwise they will appear to be outdated, lacked of insight and transformation.

Furthermore, I think the experimentation of edX will eventually allow many more education institutions to perfect their art of spreading the knowledge through the use of transformative, technological education-advancements.  Eventually, education institutions will have an effective online education platform that might be profitable to them in an enormous scale, a scale which they probably have never had witnessed before.  It’s to be naive to think that knowledge should be free, because the truth often tells us that it isn’t so.  Of course, we love the idea of superb knowledge and all types of knowledge should be free, but someone will always place a price tag on just about anything.  So, edX is free for now as an experimentation, but will it be free tomorrow?  Nonetheless, to be fair, I’ve to say education institutions need money to support their existences, therefore it’s understandable that one day their altruistic online education models will forgo the free online courses.

In conclusion, edX and similar transformative education initiatives will push world civilizations forward, and one day, far into the future, people will look back and say that today efforts might have similar effects to what had contributed to the ages of enlightenment.  Noticing how I had used ages of enlightenment in plural form?  Well, I think in the past, there probably had been many ages of enlightenment, but we are now only remembering the most recent one.

Afterthought:  Come to think of spreading the knowledge through the Internet, maybe one day we will see the Internet as a reference point of knowledge, but local communities will form their unique education groups that encourage students of the world to meet up and learn from the materials that made readily available from the Internet (of course through highly reputable online education platforms such as edX).  Perhaps, one day classrooms will not be traditionally concentrated in particular cities, but local communities will be the place to go to share knowledge.  Still, highly praised and organized education institutions’ campuses will still forever be the places to get even more serious in learning.

Source:  http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/27814/?ref=rss

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Which Kind Of Children Books Is Better For Children, Children eBooks Or Not?

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Posted by on in Anything Goes, Gadgets

How effective it’s to give children the first impression of books through electronic devices such as iPad?  It’s the question I’m curious about!  In my opinion, exposing children to children literature early is a very good thing.  I think if children is familiar with books early, they might become literate early.  Perhaps, by becoming literate early they might attune to education better as they grow up.  By the way, contents do matter, so don’t just pick any children book.  I think children should read books that are meaningful — messages within have to be emphasizing on good morals.  Anyhow, exposing children to books at early age is quite important if one takes the same perspective as I have had.  The question is, can electronic devices such as iPad be effective in exposing children to books (i.e., eBooks)?

Perhaps, electronic devices such as iPad might be too distractive, therefore it might not be effective enough in exposing children to books?   The fear is that children might go for pretty graphics, therefore video games on tablet devices might be something they might want to play with instead of learning how to read.  The exception would be video games for children that encourage reading, because such video games might teach children how to read after all.

Anyhow, my opinion is that we should introduce real books to children at early age, and then as they grow up they can explore more books through electronic devices such as iPad (i.e., eBooks).  The idea here is to get rid of distraction, but stimulating enough so the children won’t shy away from reading at early ages.  Perhaps, parents should show high levels of excitement in children books in order for the children to show some enthusiasms in reading children books.  I’m not sure, but colorful children books might not be a bad idea as long the messages within are meaningful.  Boring meaningful messages might not be stimulating enough, therefore children books might need to be somewhat exotic to expand children imagination, in a good way of course (i.e., turning boring but positive messages into exciting messages).

In the end, I do not know the effectiveness of exposing children eBooks to children at the early age, because I’ve yet learned or read of a study which tackles this subject.  I do know though, the time before eBooks, children had always been exposed to regular children books (i.e., not children eBooks).  The question I’ve been curious of is which children book form is better in term of enticing children to read early, children eBooks or children regular books (i.e., made from papers)?  My intuition tells me that children should be exposed to regular children books first before they old enough to read eBooks.  What do you think?

You Might Not Think So, But I Think Math Really Does Exist!

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Posted by on in Anything Goes
Math

Image via Wikipedia

Forbes’ article “Does Math Really Exist?” tries to discredit that math isn’t universal, but it’s more of like a tool which humans might have created for our own conveniences.  I think otherwise.  Although I’m not a mathematician and my math skill isn’t great at all, but I think math is a universal language.  Sure, the aliens might not use the same symbols to represent math, but I’m sure they might understand the same concept.  For an example, for a spaceship to behave and be bound to gravity of this universe, black holes to behave the way they do, and other stuffs within this universe down to the smallest scale such as quantum state, I’m pretty sure even the aliens might still need math to figure these things out just like we do.  Of course, these aliens might not exist or might not exist within this universe, and so math might not really exist within their universe and their physics might be totally different.  Now, if these aliens exist within this universe and they don’t do math, I think they don’t stand a chance in finding us first.  Perhaps, in this context, we might find them first!

I’m sure you think the talking of aliens is rather crazy, but I just want to say that if the aliens exist, I’m sure they too might want to think up their own concept of math.  Nonetheless, no matter how strange the aliens’ math might be, the mysterious universal truth of math might force the aliens to come to term of 1+1 is still equating to 2.  I think in this way, each on one’s own math (i.e., applying cosmetic effects to math) likes to think math is just an innovation, a tool or so.  Nonetheless, when a being thinks evermore prudent, such being might see that math isn’t just a tool since underneath of it all there is that mysterious universal truth of math.  Furthermore, underneath of it all something else must be presented in order for math to appear genuine.  For an example, math can be applied to music, physics, and so much more, but in each context math has or had to be used to explain something underneath of it all.  Perhaps, the aliens might never know what music would be like, but they might use their math to explain and enhance their own hobbies.  That is, the hobbies that require the universal truth of math.

To argue further, I think math has always been a universal language.  How?  If we try to simplify this further, we can see that even humans with different cultures yet have come to agree on math and not of writing systems or spoken languages.  If one says 1+1 = 2 in our own writing system and language, and yet somewhere in this world our human brethren who have their own unique writing system and spoken language can still understand 2 is 2 and no more or less.  If math doesn’t exist, why do we even want to differentiate it from writing systems and spoken languages?

Sure, it’s an irony that we humans try to use different writing systems and spoken languages to represent the same things, and yet we cannot do so with math?  (I mean this in the very basic sense.  For an example, 1+1 = 2, always.  And not how we should use different math theories to arrive at the same solution.)  I’m sure philosophically, we humans like to arrogantly think that we create math, but I’m sure math’s mysterious universal truth (i.e., math itself) had existed since forever.  In my opinion, math probably came into existence since the very first atom was formed right after the big bang.  After all, there must had been a very first atom which came into the existence within this universe, or else we would never be able to understand how we got the idea of what came after that first atom, right?  In the end, I like to think humans as explorers who had discovered the island of math, and the existence of this island had forever been there since the dawn of time.

Real islands, earth, sun, moon, other planets and stars might be destroyed in time, but as long there is that notion of intelligence math with its universal truth (i.e., its very existence) will go on until…

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Pay Up, Learn How To Code, And Get A Job?

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Posted by on in Software, Web Services

Treehouse is a new educational web service which promises to help guide whoever interests in developing the skill set in web design, web development and iOS development.  Besides promising in training whoever to become a developer in the specific technological areas, Treehouse devises a unique strategy for whoever wants to get hire in their industry.  Treehouse’s strategy is to allow whoever in their programs to take quizes/tests to unlock badges.  The unlocked badges would be presented on a Treehouse participant’s profile.  According to the available unlocked badges, employers would be able to theoretically have a better chance of knowing who might be a good candidate for them to set up an interview with.  Treehouse charges the participants with either $25 or $49 per month.  The $49 per month plan would include additional materials such as more tutorial videos.

In my opinion, nowadays it’s very easy to learn how to become a web designer, web developer, and iOS developer without having to pay a single dollar.  How?  iTunes U is the answer!  Computer users don’t have to use Mac to have access to iTunes U, because they can install iTunes on Windows machines.  After installing iTunes on Windows machines, users can open up iTunes and navigate to iTunes U to download videos that teach users how to write programs in different computer languages, developing iOS applications, designing websites, and a lot more.  iTunes U isn’t for just these specific areas of study, because iTunes U allows users to learn just about any available open course of different universities.  Don’t be fooled by having to navigate to iTunes Store before one could check up on iTunes U, because iTunes U is indeed free!  It’s free to download educational videos so one could watch it at any time.

With knowing that one might not have to pay to learn how to become a developer for the information industry, it might be hard for some people to imagine about paying for programs that provide by educational web services such as Treehouse.  Nonetheless, Treehouse looks attractive to some people, because they think Treehouse might be able to allow them to find jobs that they’re specialized in (e.g., web designing, web development, iOS development).  I surmise that some folks who already have the experiences in these technological areas might just join Treehouse to unlock badges so certain employers might come around and interview them.  This will do if one believes Treehouse will be able to attract enough attentions from various employers of big companies and so on.

I’m not sure Treehouse will definitely be a solution for whoever wants to get a job as web designer or web developer or iOS developer.  The ultimate decision will have to rest upon the shoulders of the employers from various companies in regarding to hire specific Treehouse participants.  Perhaps, Treehouse participants might get the exposures they need for getting interviews, but they still have to score the interviews before the employers hire them.  As I mentioned earlier, Treehouse isn’t providing unique learning materials, because one can just download the similar educational materials within iTunes U.  If iTunes U isn’t carrying certain educational materials, there might be other places and sources for one to acquire such educational materials.

Source:  http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/07/web-design-and-development-community-treehouse-wants-to-teach-you-how-to-code-get-you-a-job/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+
Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29

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Learn Open Courses On iPad 2

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Posted by on in Anything Goes, Apple, Gadgets, Open Source

You know that you can find amazing amount of educational courses from prestige universities (e.g., Yale, Stanford, and so much more) on your iPad 2, right? Even better, you don’t have to pay a single dollar for such educational courses. It is obvious that you have to pay tons of money for the same educational courses if you want to earn a degree from these prestige educational institutions. So, if you’re an iPad 2 user, how do you find these educational courses?

These educational courses can be found inside iTunes U. iTunes U isn’t an app, but it locates inside iTunes app on your iPad 2. Inside iTunes U, pick the tab which labeled as Universities & Colleges. A long, scrollable rectangular box will pop into view and allow you to choose a university or college among large number of them; you’ll find the names of these educational institutions list in alphabetical order. Choose a university that you’ve great admiration for, and then pick an educational course on the next screen to download.

Each educational course probably has many episodes (i.e., videos). To complete a whole course, you probably have to get use to the idea of downloading a lot of episodes onto your iPad 2. To retrieve an episode so you can begin your lesson, you have to switch out of iTunes and into iPod app. Inside iPod app, go to iTunes U, and you should be able to watch the educational episodes you’d downloaded earlier. Enjoy!

Korea Uses Robots As Teachers, Replacing Many Foreign English Teachers

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Posted by on in Anything Goes, Hardware
Picture of a 914 PC-BOT

Image via Wikipedia

In Korea, students are learning English from robots.  The article here suggests that Korea is going to replace more foreign English teachers with robots.  20,000 to 30,000 foreign English teachers may lose jobs.  In a good way, robots have no bias toward a single student.  In a bad way, these robots aren’t yet perfect as in measuring up to a real human teacher.  It’s unclear how robots are responding to students’ concerns beyond a curriculum.  Human teachers know how to use subtle means and methods to advance a student since each student learns differently, how robots are going to do that?  Obviously though, robots are going to have more knowledge than any single teacher since its memory could hold a lot more data, unlike fickle memory of a human.

Korea is going where few countries have yet ventured in education by using robots in replacing human teachers.  If the program goes well, nobody knows how far Korea will go along with the robots as teachers.  Teachers in Korea may lose jobs in great number if robots are better at teaching.  Maybe in the future, the whole school will be under supervision of one human principal and the rest of the teachers are robots.  Addressing the bully students still have to be a responsibility of a respectable human such as a human principal, because I still cannot imagine how a robot will be able to address such a scenario for the students.  What do you think about robots as teachers?  Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20026714-1.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

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