Re: [xmca] The business of education

[Robert Lake <boblake@georgiasouthern.edu>]

Thank-you Carol,
Hear, Hear!
Do go on!
Robert

On Wed, Jul 31, 2013 at 7:34 AM, Carol Macdonald <carolmacdon@gmail.com>wrote:

> Huw
> Is the machine able to discern what the students are feeling about their
> grade - teachers do this and help set realistic goals to motivate her
> class. Sh may also be aware of personal problems that are interfering with
> work.
>
> The most important role of the teacher is to communicate attitudes, values,
> and beliefs by embodying them. The Me-Me generation is already handicapped
> by the loss of authentic social contacts.  Then we let them be taught by
> machines -- what happens to relationships as they grow up?
>
> This is terribly important, but equally, the theory of knowledge as being
> linearly constructed - this is the sanitized more modern version of
> programmed instruction.  Good teachers may be moving in a particular
> direction, but they construct knowledge *across *domains. In troubled
> schools with demoralized staff using machines might be seen as a helpful
> adjunct (they might motivate students for a while), but values and beliefs
> are once put on one side.
>
> Sorry to go on about this.
> Carol
>
> On 30 July 2013 19:46, Huw Lloyd <huw.softdesigns@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > " One definite perk for instuctors: the software does most of the grading
> > for them."
> >
> > Looks like the machine has been there a long time, Carol.
> >
> > Huw
> >
> > On 30 July 2013 17:37, Carol Macdonald <carolmacdon@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > We already have young people who only know how to talk to people over
> > their
> > > social media and not those next to them. Now we don't have the teachers
> > > mediating ethics and values in their relationships with their learners.
> > > Perhaps the new generation will only be able to mediate their
> > relationships
> > > of every kind through machines - are those relationships with people
> > going
> > > to survive this assault.
> > >
> > > (The epistemology of learning as linear is a huge problem, but its
> > effects
> > > on relationships that are more dangerous.)
> > >
> > > Carol
> > >
> > > On 30 July 2013 15:26, Wagner Luiz Schmit <wagner.schmit@gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > > Hello,
> > > >
> > > > This just came out:
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-big-data-taking-teachers-out-lecturing-business
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Wagner
> > > >
> > > > On Wed, May 22, 2013 at 10:30 AM, mike cole <lchcmike@gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> > > > > And lots of people marvel at the progress, Helena.
> > > > > bait and switch.... and pay taxes like Apple!
> > > > > :-)
> > > > > mike
> > > > >
> > > > > On Tue, May 21, 2013 at 10:23 AM, Helena Worthen <
> > > > helenaworthen@gmail.com>wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > >> Hello -- the letter from Meister is really worth reading. It
> > explains
> > > > why
> > > > >> MOOCs need the CSU system (and other public higher education
> > > > connections)
> > > > >> more than CSU needs MOOCs.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Although short-term, the linkup with Coursera to offer MOOCs in
> > > various
> > > > >> disciplines appears to solve the immediate problem of how to
> expand
> > > > access
> > > > >> to already crowded, booked-up, high-tuition face to face
> classrooms,
> > > it
> > > > >> solves a different problem for Coursera and other big MOOC
> > companies.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> That problem is, long-term ‹ and this is an important problem,
> since
> > > > >> Coursera, like the other MOOC companies, is a private company,
> like
> > > > >> Facebook, LinkedIn, Yahoo,  Amazon, etc. -- how to make money.
> Right
> > > now
> > > > >> MOOCs are free, or at least some are free. How can they figure out
> > how
> > > > >> much to charge? How much are they "worth" --?
> > > > >>
> > > > >> The  simplest way to figure that out would be to hook up with a
> > state
> > > > >> university and say, "Our class is worth three credits at San Jose
> > > State,
> > > > >> and tuition at San Jose State for three credits is $2,400, so our
> > > class
> > > > >> should cost $2,400."  But it can get much, much  more fine-grained
> > > than
> > > > >> that, since all kinds of personal information gets collected when
> > > > someone
> > > > >> enrolls in a class.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Bottom line- without the hookup to established institutions, all
> the
> > > > MOOCs
> > > > >> offer is celebrity teachers doing what are essentially TV shows or
> > > > >> audiotape classes (you may have noticed that the price on Great
> > > > >> Teacher-type audio tapes have crashed from $299 to less than $100
> > > > >> recently). So no matter how celebrated a professor is, it's the
> > hookup
> > > > to
> > > > >> an institution that makes it possible to establish market value.
> And
> > > > make
> > > > >> huge money in the long run.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Which is basically gutting the public education system and
> > > transferring
> > > > >> its authority to  exchange credits for tuition to a private
> company.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Another argument for free public higher education -- the only way
> > that
> > > > >> public education can compete against a for-profit system.
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Helena
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
> > > > >> On 5/11/13 1:30 PM, "mike cole" <lchcmike@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > >>
> > > > >> >The following letter from the UC faculty association president
> > seems
> > > > worth
> > > > >> >distributing. Fraught futures.
> > > > >> >mike
> > > > >> >
> > > > >> >
> > > > >> >
> > > > >> >CUCFA President Meister's Open Letter to Coursera Founder Daphne
> > > Koller
> > > > >> > http://cucfa.org/news/2013_may10.php
> > > > >> >
> > > > >> >......
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
> > > > >> >http://cucfa.org/news/2013_may10.ph<
> > > > http://cucfa.org/news/2013_may10.php>
> > > > >> >__________________________________________
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
> > > > > __________________________________________
> > > > > _____
> > > > > xmca mailing list
> > > > > xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> > > > > http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Carol A  Macdonald Ph D (Edin)
> > > Developmental psycholinguist
> > > Academic, Researcher,  and Editor  *EditLab.net*
> > > Honorary Research Fellow: Department of Linguistics, Unisa
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
> --
> Carol A  Macdonald Ph D (Edin)
> Developmental psycholinguist
> Academic, Researcher,  and Editor  *EditLab.net*
> Honorary Research Fellow: Department of Linguistics, Unisa
>
>


-- 
*Robert Lake  Ed.D.
*Associate Professor
Social Foundations of Education
Dept. of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading
Georgia Southern University
P. O. Box 8144
Phone: (912) 478-0355
Fax: (912) 478-5382
Statesboro, GA  30460

 *Democracy must be born anew in every generation, and education is its
midwife.*
*-*John Dewey.