Educational Youtube

The conventional way to learn new materials is either enroll into a course or read a book. However these are no more the only options that we have nowadays.

Actually the previous two methods have certainly their advantages such as getting some sort of certification after the completion of the course and this gives you credibility that you really know what you claim to know. As for reading a book it is still a handy and convenient way since you can take it with you while travelling in the train, plane or even on the beach. Note that even with these features books are being challenged by technology with the advent of IPad.

However, there are disadvantages related to those methods. Course involves displacement to a certain location on a certain date at a certain hour. For working people this is not always easy to do and even when done they might not be in shape to fully assimilate the explanation especially after having a bad day. On the other hand, books also require some energy to read and assimilate. In addition, if the content needs to be practiced there will be switching from reading to practicing and vice-versa.

Luckily, this seems to be changed by Youtube! Until recently I used Youtube to watch some funny movies. But the other day I had the idea to search for a technology related subject and I was surprised to see tens of videos to that topic.
When running few of them I realized how efficient this method is. The explanations are directly backed by a demonstration, so the viewer won’t lose focus switching from book to computer. When, in doubt or you miss something you can repeat the clip as much as you need. You can pause to have some rest and resume later. In short you have all the advantages that you don’t have when you take a real life course. Plus it is totally FREE.

This reminds me of the open-source model, where people spend considerable amount of time and efforts to build software only to give it away for free. Same thing seems to happen in here; people are doing a series of learning videos and put them on YouTube for free. Surely they expect to get something in return by becoming well known in the domain they are talking about, but nevertheless the public is profiting from this model to get free learning and educational stuff.

Could we see in the future students logging to their Youtube class?! Nobody knows for sure, but one thing is certain; technology is reaching every aspect of the human life.

Source: http://ziadsalloum.blogspot.com/2010/08/educational-youtube.html

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The Next Future Leaders of the World

By Sean Scarpiello

Why do countries educate their citizens? In fact, it would probably be easier to not educate an entire population. The reasons so many governments spend hundreds of millions dollars each year is to not only to advance the human race’s technology and living circumstances, but also to lead future generations. We educate our children so they can uphold the same US government that is viewed as the leader of the world. Ever since the end of World War II the United Sates has been regarded as one of the world’s superpowers. But how long can the US sustain such a title? Over recent years, it seems as if the US hasn’t exactly dropped its status, but rather stayed the same and allowed foreign countries to advance. New power house, such as India, China and South Korea have slowly emerged. But what is the quickest advancing country, South Korea, doing right which the US seems to be doing wrong? The article “USA could learn from South Korean schools” (link below) offers many statistics and insight on what exactly the US is getting wrong.

South Korea’s government runs their schools in a much more efficient manner when compared to the US. When distributing money for schools, South Korea evenly and equally spreads out their money. In the meantime, the US government gives more money to the schools with higher graduation rates. This only makes it difficult for cities with low graduation rates to improve education. Plus, it drags the rest of the country’s educational and world status with it.

The American Dream may possibly be this country’s down fall in the education field. In South Korea, parents will do anything to get their children to colleges and universities. Parents will even spend as much as 1/3 of their yearly income on their children’s education. In the US, parents will go out and buy the latest big screen TV or stereo system, regardless of the fact little Max is flunking his math class. For the US to remain a major superpower in the world, it is going to take much more than government action. Americans are going to have to do their part as well. If we use our resources efficiently, we could maximize the amount of class instruction for each dollar that is spent. This could even be a simple as having the upperclassmen of elementary, middle, and high schools tutoring the students below them. Each hour can be counted as volunteer work which looks great on any resume.

The last aspect of South Korean’s education system was their (on time) graduation rate of 93%. Too many American students just drop out, whereas South Koreans rarely drop out, if at all. The fix for this could be making the option of dropping out illegal. We could also rise age of being able to drop out of school. At age 18, students are just going through the motions until they can be on their own. So by making the age 20 or 21, students will most likely choose to just to do the work and get through so they are not in high school during their twenties. For the US to maintain its role as a leading power in this world, it has to change.

Main Article: http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2008-11-18-korea-education-usa_N.htm

Source: http://straube.blogspot.com/2010/08/next-future-leaders-of-world.html

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The Evolution of Education

Education as a historical artifact is one tale that dates back a thousands years from now. Each generation, from the beginning of human evolution and writing, has made sure cultural and social values, traditions, morality, religion and skills, are passed on for primary human survival. Enculturation and the learning of social values and behaviors followed through with the act of socialization were the primary methods of learning at the earlier stages of education. Such accounts of edification stand as human history in itself. Where in pre-literate societies education was achieved orally and through observation and imitation, has now evolved through writing into a formal schooling of the recorded past. The passing ages have stamped education as an ‘integral must’ for any development of a human being or a civilization.

Straying from the universal historical background of education, the article highlights the evolution of such an artifact. The origins of our kind are believed to have evolved from the ‘hunter-gather’ type. It is safe to say that the human race were once nomadic, whether that is the case now is a debatable matter. The bands or tribes of the nomadic period had traditions, beliefs, values, and practices they passed on to the younger orally and informally through parents, extended families and kins. At later stages of their lives, they received instructions of a more structured and formal nature, imparted by people of their civilization or clan. These traditional forms of knowledge were and still are expressed through stories, legends and folktales. The advent of ‘writing’ came out primarily with carving then with paper and we all know the rest, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Phoenician writing system, Greek and Latin alphabets, Aramaic script, so on and so forth. With writing knowledge became universal, world wide and spread faster with each passing day. Now we have systems like SSC, HSC, O and A levels, IB, and the Madrasah leading Bangladesh forward with education, and the lights for further development.

The ‘pre to post’ genres of education that merge in from the beginning to the end of a civilization has left countries of today fighting to stand a chance at gaining an above average literacy rate. Bangladesh comes into the frame with a 54% adult literacy rate. The Bangladeshi educational board of the intermediate and secondary education was set up on 7^th of May in 1921 with the recommendation of Sadler Commission. Its purpose, as posted, was ‘according to the ordinance of the board, The East Pakistan Intermediate and Secondary Education Ordinance, 1961 (East Pakistan Ordinance No. XXXIII of 1961) and its amendments No. XVI of 1962 an No. XVII of 1977, it is responsible for the organization, regulation, supervision, control and development of the Intermediate and Secondary level public examinations and educational institutions’. The British stand as the primary contributors to the Bangladesh curriculum board of education that now follow the O and A level standards.

In Bangladesh education, as we see it now, has more or less turned the commercial corner as per levels of standards. The schools we tend to look up to are that of the missionaries or catholic schools that have aged about 50 years and above. Schools such as St. Gregory’s High School, built in the 1880’s, St. Joseph High School, Holy Cross School, both built in the 1950’s, and Greenherald, the oldest private English school of the nation built by the Catholic Archdiocese, are ones that were developed under the Christians and have now urbanized a highly disciplined Bengali-Christian literate name.

Saint Joseph seems to top the lot with the quality of education and the success records of the students in their public examinations, discipline, practice of leadership, sports and co-curricular activities. Where discipline is the key to education remains the higher literate of the lot.

Education has branched out to develop many categories and sections, but the trunk seems to uproot itself with every turn towards capitalism. In a letter written by Abraham Lincoln to the Principal of the school where his son was studying, he mentions that the qualities that he expected his son to acquire at school were of truthfulness, justice, optimism, love of fair play, awe for the sublime and beautiful in nature, self confidence, faith in one's own ideas or the courage of conviction and the paradoxical qualities of gentleness and firmness. Lincoln’s list for true edification may parallel our efforts at tedious learning. As a writer, I find it hard to parallel the word tedious and education. The shades I seem to wear sees curiosity as the only means to education. If a child isn’t curious he will not ask questions, if he doesn’t ask questions he will not know, if he lacks knowledge he will not be captivated in the true essence of knowledge. Madhu Wal, vice principal of DPS STS School explains this at its best, “The aim of education is to cultivate a spirit of free enquiry and independent thinking. Our sole ambition is not that our products should attain 90% marks in their Boards, but that they should be cultured, educated, disciplined, self-reliant, confident and worthy citizens of a new and modern world, well- equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. A well- balanced curriculum comprises not only the academic subjects which form the syllabi, and where the students should have an amazingly vast range to choose from, but it should also include manifold activities like debating, elocutions dramatics, hobbies camps treks, and of course games and sports whose educational value is undisputable. As such, to students, the gates of learning should be opened, not by the joyless rote learning of facts and cramming, but by an appeal to their sense organs, through the opportunity of seeing, touching, feeling, finding, and discovering. A school is not the place ‘in which the future warrior in life's battle is to be entirely occupied in manufacturing the amour with which he shall be armed, but in learning the use of the arms’.”

The idea of education thus remains the instinct of curiosity and of learning that should and are being guided by the term schooling or formal guidance providing the discipline needed to become a literate citizen. And is where education and the evolution of it becomes a process that needs integral attention and relentless effort. 

Source: http://mahmudsumi.blogspot.com/2010/08/evolution-of-education.html

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Attention Span, what's that??!!

Technology has surely made our lives much easier. I surely cannot think of my life without washing machine, vacuum cleaner, DVD player, Mp3 player, Television and of course computers. While we are using washing machines, vacuum cleaners for cleaning purposes, appliances like Television, MP3 players, DVD players and of course computers are used for recreation, for studying, for news, music, etc.

Today, we have so many sources to keep us occupied that sometimes I really can’t choose one among them to entertain me for say 2-3 hours continuously. I will be distracted by these multiple “options” very often. Most of the time, I stick to television and try and spend only few minutes in front of computer for news, blogging, to write to my friends and family and only "limited" time into community networks.

Off late, I do not spend too much time into facebook and other community networks. This is because I get distracted by many updates it shows on the “home page” :). So I realised that the best thing to do is to avoid logging into it. But this was not the situation 2 years ago. I used to sit in front of these community networks for not necessarily quality time, but to check what others wrote on it, the photos they published, videos etc., and this was not giving me any entertainment or any happiness at all. Then
I started blogging, so that I can spend time in front of computer doing something worthwhile.
Take even blogging, one of my reader once said, “I like your blog, its very interesting, but I don’t usually read long blogs” - Talk about level of patience in life and also talk about attention span. To some people, everything should be as fast as it can be and as brief as possible.

Off late, I see many parents not only sit in front of computers doing many things at a time, but also allow their children to do the same. For example Farm ville on facebook.

My questions are:

• How appropriate is it to do so many things at a time for one’s own good and one’s own attention span? (We do not and should not live only for our kids isn’t it?? )

• I feel children should cultivate attention span in order to develop good concentration levels to study well and also to attain knowledge. If parents are surfing many exiting things one after another, what kind of examples are we becoming to our children?

• I see children into facebook not only on computers, but some have it on their mobile phones during school, college hours. What kind of attention span are they developing?

• What about reading habit which increases attention span? Children, apart from studying what’s in the school syllabus, I think should also start reading lots of literature including literature in their own mother tongue. This will keep them involved with their own language and reading literature in one’s own language would also help to retain it in the longer term. (Is it big deal to read only English literature all the time? ) What is happening to the reading culture? Children learn it all from their parents, only if their parents have made it as a habit.

I think it is indeed a very challenging job for parents to make sure that their children are cultivating attention span given the “boons” of technologies in today's competitve and stressful world. But I wonder if these thoughts are obvious to parents across globe!

Source: http://bhavana-pen.blogspot.com/2010/08/attention-span-what-is-that.html

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Sports History in America: Teaching Ideas

Today I received an email confirming what I had long known. I will in fact be the Teaching Assistant for my advisor and his course History of Sports in America. My advisor told me that he was hoping that I'd be assigned to him, but did not lobby for my service. It turns out he did not have to.
This appointment is very exciting to me. I have been working for the past month or so on writing test questions, outlines, and developing a curriculum handbook to accompany the second edition of his textbook. My project is meant to be a right-out-of-the-box simple guide that will allow any one with limited experience to purchase his text and have a course ready to go with almost zero effort. So as you can imagine, I am already quite prepared and excited to help teach the course and perhaps even implements my ideas this fall. Not to mention I took his course last fall and helped proctor the tests for the undergraduates.
After hearing the good news, we corresponded via email tonight and plan to meet to discuss my role and what we'll do tomorrow afternoon. He told me to come prepared with some suggestions. At present we have an enrolment of 58 students, but there is strong possibility that more may add (we are allowed a maximum of 100). There are also two graduate students (although I doubt I have to do anything for them). Last year we had a big issue with attendance and many students received poor grades which indicates a lack of reading. Below are some of my ideas and thoughts on how to change and possibly improve the course.

• Implement weekly quizzes that I would grade and write since (I've already written a ton of questions for this handbook).


• Develop media/picture slide-shows to accompany the lectures (my advisor is old school and simply lectures for an hour from his mind, with no A/V, no notes, etc).


• Take attendance via a sign in sheet or something.


• Provide research assistance via office hours and email to students.


• Create discussion questions where we can have "break out" discussions of some sort.


• Implement a "Media Review" assignment where students review either a book, film, or website -- according to a format I create -- so I can create a comprehensive "Sports History Source Book" website down the road. (This is definitely my pet project that I will do someday).


• Develop a class website on Blackboard with resources and they syllabi, discussion questions, and assignment info sheets (again to embrace the technology trend).

So there are most of my ideas which come from my experience writing curriculum, in education classes as an undergrad, and from just taking a lot of classes over my last 6 years in college! Feel free to add ideas or thoughts on what you would do.

Source: http://admcgregor.blogspot.com/2010/08/sports-history-in-america-teaching.html

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The $320,000 teacher

Do you believe that kindergarten is some of the most important schooling your child will receive? Many experts do, including Nobel Laureate James Heckman. You can read more about what Heckman says in a blog entry on the early learning challenge fund. David Leonhardt, in a recent NY Times article entitled The Case for $320,000 Kindergarten Teachers makes the case that teachers, particularly good ones, should be handsomely paid.

I believe that a good teacher makes a difference in the lives of our children. Good toys do, too! Remember, you are your child's first and most important teacher. Now as we are at the midway point of the summer vacation, won't you consider helping your preschooler become better prepared for going back to school with toys that encourage letter recognition and pre-math skills like "bigger", "taller", "heavier?" Look at Discovery Toys Measure Up cups, Measure Up Pots and Spoons, Measure Up Balance, ABSeas, Sounds Like Learning.

Source: http://billiediscoverytoys.blogspot.com/2010/07/320000-teacher.html

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