August 2011
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Did OER teach millions of people the wrong physics?
Probably too provocative a title. But it’s a question worth asking, because it’s a question to which we don’t have an answer. Professor Walter Lewin’s classes (above) have been viewed by millions of people on cable TV and downloaded by millions via OCW. In them, Walter demonstrates the best of breed in demonstration-based physics. If Continue reading
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Spamonyms
I wrote a long defense of nyms just now, and I realized about halfway through it that I had completely skipped over the problem of spamonyms. So let me say one thing in defense of a real names policy — if Google could couple it with a real effort to cut down on spamonyms (those Continue reading
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Why Self-Reported Evaluations Are Evil
Well, not quite. But this from Mazur is pretty depressing (though thoroughly expected if you read the literature on this sort of thing): These are two concepts from physics, and as you can see the students who say they were confused on a concept score significantly higher than the students that say they are not Continue reading
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The great body of physical science, a great deal of the essential fact of financial science, and endless social and political problems are only accessible and only thinkable to those who have had a sound training in mathematical analysis, and the time may not be very remote when it will be understood that for complete initiation as an efficient citizen of one of the new great complex worldwide States that are now developing, it is as necessary to be able to compute, to think in averages and maxima and minima, as it is now to be able to read and write.
The great body of physical science, a great deal of the essential fact of financial science, and endless social and political problems are only accessible and only thinkable to those who have had a sound training in mathematical analysis, and the time may not be very remote when it will be understood that for complete Continue reading
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Quantitative Literacy Hits the New York Times Op-Ed Page
Quantitative Literacy Hits the New York Times Op-Ed Page Today: In math, what we need is “quantitative literacy,” the ability to make quantitative connections whenever life requires (as when we are confronted with conflicting medical test results but need to decide whether to undergo a further procedure) and “mathematical modeling,” the ability to move practically Continue reading
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This is part of what drives me crazy about debates around charter schools and “choice” in the United States. Every prosperous family in the Washington, DC metro area is exercising public school choice when they decide where to live.
This is part of what drives me crazy about debates around charter schools and “choice” in the United States. Every prosperous family in the Washington, DC metro area is exercising public school choice when they decide where to live.Matthew Yglesias Continue reading
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We Need A Taxonomy Of MOOCs
We Need A Taxonomy Of MOOCs People often complain that taxonomies are pedantic. But taxonomies force one to contemplate and respect significant differences in phenomena — and the process of making taxonomies is the process of understanding one’s aims and one’s value system. So taxonomies are hardly trivial. In any case I like terms that Continue reading
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On The Innovative University
I read a ton of books on the history of higher education, how change happens in higher education, and how technology will change education, etc. Stuff going back to Boyer’s 1987 book College, Lion Gardiner’s 1994 work on redesigning higher education, to the more recent explosion of books on re-engineering what we do (I’m sure Continue reading
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Xeni Jardin stops her Google public posts
Xeni Jardin stops her Google public posts Not exactly breaking news, but she was one of the few people using people using G+ the way I hoped people would grow to use it, as a sort of cross between twitter and blogging. And she’s quit doing it because of some unnamed unpleasantness. It’s bad for Continue reading
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Bill the Cat Unveils the EdCamp Keene Hashtag
I know you’ve all been waiting with bated breath for the hashtag to be announced. Well, here you go! It’s #eck11. Yeah, it sounds like someone coughing up a furball… …but it’s short, and we want you all to have the characters you need. Tune in! Continue reading
Hapgood 