March 13, 2012
Khan Academy - not good pedagogy and not #edreform
David Andrade,
Education Technology Guy, March 13, 2012.
David Andrade critiques Khan Academy (which is these days getting the best publicity money can buy). "Videos, whether shown in class or watched at home should show and explore something that the student can not see in class. Virtual field trips, animations that explain a concept, etc. are effective videos. Videos of lectures are not effective and should not be thought of as effective education reform. Khan Academy is not education reform and it is nothing special or new. It is actually bad pedagogy. Learning needs to be interactive and student centered. Video lectures are neither."
Why we need blue-sky research
James Turk,
Ottawa Citizen, March 13, 2012.
Not that anyone would be surprised to see me link to this: "Basic scientific research often challenges accepted thinking, leading to fundamental paradigm shifts and unexpected innovations of great importance. From the discovery of X-rays and nylon to superconductivity, medical imaging, computers and GPSs, it is clear that true scientific progress is driven by basic research without specific outcomes or applications in mind."
TED-Ed Launches
Various Authors,
Daily Riff, March 13, 2012.
The latest effort to brand (something like) open education. "TED-Ed's mission is to capture and amplify the voices of great educators around the world. We do this by pairing extraordinary educators with talented animators to produce a new library of curiosity-igniting videos. You can nominate a teacher, nominate an animator or suggest a lesson."
Culture of Openness Panel
Alan Levine,
CogDogBlog, March 13, 2012.
Audio and some commentary from a SXSW session on openness. "The open digital world is characterized by its allowance of free widespread and effortless sharing. Sharing can make our lives richer and more meaningful; as individuals, educators and members of society. Yet only a small portion of the general population, to include the educational community specifically, actively shares in the digital realm. While some lack the time or inclination, others remain unconvinced of the benefits and several are still concerned about negative consequences."
[Link] [Comment][Tags: Learning Communities, Online Learning, Audio]
Interview with Caroline J. Smith, George Washington University: Innovators in Education Series
Susan Smith Nash,
E-Learning Queen, March 12, 2012.
From Susan Smith Nash: "A new collection of essays, Feminine Cyberspaces (Cambridge UP, 2012) addresses innovations in technology and how they can be used to expand access to education. In addition, the collection brings together new views / approaches to feminist theory in light of technological innovation."
EdgeX Backchannel
David Kelly,
Weblog, March 12, 2012.
Links to resources from the EdgeX Conference in Delhi, including a video recording of my own talk.
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