Search results for "education "
Broken university
Thursday, 01 May, 2008 - 17:49
I have a lot of other stuff to write about, and I will get around to it. In the meantime, I just want to note an observation which occurred to me recently. A moment of realisation.
I've been delving into writing code for collective intelligence, and as I worked through some of the intellectual ideas behind the various algorithms and principles, it occurred to me that universities are exactly the sorts of place where collective intelligence does not emerge.
Despite the fact that universities form a hub and focus for people who value intelligence, and sometimes, even creative thinking, actually the entire tertiary education system is set up to discourage collectivity, and incentivise secrecy and competition.
Universities do not exist for the benefit of learners, they exist for the benefit of researchers. Reward systems recognise research and publication, exercises which demand 'originality' and 'novelty' - which discourage people from sharing their ideas - and scarcely notice pedagogy. Researchers talk more about whose ideas are whose rather than what those ideas are.
The minor army of people who are there because they want to help people to learn are invisible, unrecognised, overlooked, ignored, tolerated. How have we managed to have such broken universities?
Blackboard can...
Wednesday, 02 August, 2006 - 20:39
...suck my balls.
Blackboard has just been awarded a patent on educational groupware.
I used Blackboard in the last place I worked, and it sucks balls badly. Nasty interface, clunky functionality, seemingly designed to make otherwise intelligent people despise computers and feel stupid. Employs a 'closed garden' model in which educators have to enrol you onto their courses in order for you to access material. The opposite of open learning. My current employer is also panning to move to it.
Stephen Downes provide a great roundup of critical reactions to the decision.
I'm particularly arsed off about it because I'm currently building some modules to provide 'educational groupware' functionality. My guiding principle throughout development is: whatever Blackboard does, do something else because Blackboard blows. Now, it's also evil.
Here's my favourite slashdot comment on the subject :)
Blackboard can suck my balls.
CEMP newsround
Tuesday, 07 February, 2006 - 19:06
For those of you who don't know, I work at Bournemouth University, where the Media School successfully bid for a Centre of Excellence in Learning and Teaching, which is now up and running as CEMP.
One of the projects produced by CEMP is a new set of community portals, including one devoted to Interactive Media. The forum is open to anyone to post commentds, or even ask for permission to be a contributor.
For some lunatic reason I volunteered to do a weekly round-up of news, which I now realise takes a huge amount of time, but on the hand, it is a good, um, discipline for me...
You can read my contributions here.
Richard Dawkins for president of the world
Monday, 09 January, 2006 - 21:41
I have just finished watching the first episode of Richard Dawkins' new series on Channel 4, The Root of All Evil.
Firstly, the most pressing thing to say is that this is the best and most important piece of programming I have seen on the Television since Adam Curtis' The Power of Nightmares.
Secondly, Dawkins must be congratulated for having the courage of his convictions and pressing his views home in the face of undoubted risk from fundamentalist fascists who may now consider him a target.
Thirdly, why did the editors of this programme feel the need to switch a to 'fly-on-the-wall' documentary style whenever Dawkins' exposition veered towards blasphemy? Channel 4 would have shown real conviction by allowing Dawkins to lay out his arguments in the same way that Robert Winston is allowed to present his, or likewise Schama is able to expound on his subject. By using editing techniques to signify that Dawkins is presenting a 'point-of-view', they defeat the entire object of his argument.
Fourthly, I would like to see the BBC dare to produce programming like this in a prime-time slot.
Finally, why are there only two episodes, and not an entire digital channel?
That aside, hurrah, bravo, make the man a mullah, etc
Web Gallery of Art
Sunday, 06 November, 2005 - 23:10
Discovered this amazing art resource today - the Web Gallery of Art.
Nearly 14,000 reproductions of art from 1100 to 1850, artist biographies, glossary of art terms, and virtual guided tours of the gallery.
I think it's incredible :)
