The Khan Academy

I remember looking at this Khan Academy some time ago, but just went out and looked at it again. It's a HUGE series of very short tutorials on topics ranging from basic algebra to physics to astronomy to history. . .with some practical information about the current credit crisis, currency, and economics. I discovered that you can actually assign work to your students and then follow what they complete on this site. If you haven't looked at it lately, check it out! I might go back and try to re-learn algebra!

This is particularly interesting in light of the OER project. Sal Kahn has created 1000+ free videos, and he notes that he hopes to add 200+ a year and eventually have "the history of the world" out there!

Check it out at The Kahn Academy.

New job

So tomorrow I start a new job at Colorado Mountain College in their online program.  The last time I started a new job it was because Bob Norden was dying.  What a life change that was.  And how much I still owe him.


Lisa

What is a college?

McGraw-Hill to Provide English Instruction and Test Prep Through Cellphones in India  

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/mcgraw-hill-to-teach-english-and-test-prep-through-cellphones-in-india/29343?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

January 30, 2011, 10:15 am

By Josh Keller

McGraw-Hill is building a mobile-phone platform to teach English and college test preparation to people in India, which the publisher hopes will help it tap into rapidly expanding cellphone use in emerging markets.

.....

So is this the actual "threat" to traditional colleges and universities?  That the content providers, known as publishers, will take over all aspects of education?  I do think traditional colleges and universities have done a good job of devaluing the role of the professor in teaching by hiring so many adjuncts and/or graduate assistants.

Lisa

Approval to Operate in All States?

Russ Poulin came to eLCC to talk about new requirements from Washington that will require schools to obtain state approval from every state in which they operate.  Russ has gathered together quite a lot of information and posted it on the WCET blog here:  http://wcetblog.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/629/.

Because schools don't know where their students are from until they enroll in the college and because the approval processes take time schools are effectively given two options.  They can either obtain approval in all 50 states or they can stop offering classes to students from specific states.  States with small populations will likely see the options of their citizens decrease because the small number of potential students will make it less viable for schools to obtain and maintain approval.  States with challenging of expensive approval processes (such as Massachusetts) will also probably see decreases in the number of colleges and universities offering courses to their citizens.  

I'm having trouble seeing any advantages for students (after all these are all accredited programs already) or schools, but am seeing lots of disadvantages.

Lisa

ePublishing Innovatons

Short and less expensive pamphlets are common in traditional publishing, but this is the first I have seen in ePublishing:  http://www.amazon.com/Great-Stagnation-Low-Hanging-Eventually-ebook/dp/B004H0M8QS, plus the title is "The Great Stagnation: How America Ate All The Low-Hanging Fruit of Modern History, Got Sick, and Will (Eventually) Feel Better"  which is funny and it's by Tyler Cowen, so will probably be interesting. (Marginal Revolution, http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/)

Lisa

ScribblerToo

Try playing with this:

http://www.zefrank.com/scribbler/scribblertoo/

Lisa

Have you ever. . .

. . .implemented something in a course that you thought would be fun and exciting, only to find that students don't appreciate the concept or the work that went into it? An article titled, "Here We Are Now, Entertain Us," in today's "Faculty Focus" has an interesting perspective. I was especially intrigued by the comment about students not wanting us (as educators) to use Facebook because they view that as "their own thing."