[MD] 42

[John Carl]

Arlo,


On Mon, Jan 13, 2014 at 8:43 AM, ARLO JAMES BENSINGER JR <ajb102 at psu.edu>wrote:

> [John]
> I really like those animated talk things.  They seem to capture our
> attention in a broad way.
>
> [Arlo]
> They are very well done, for sure. Here's another one I see come up now
> and again: EPIC 2020 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gU3FjxY2uQ)
>
> Its a recast of an older video (EPIC 2014,
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUHBPuHS-7s), which was primarily about
> the shifting information 'mediascape', using the same 'future voice' to
> describe educational changes that occur between now and 2020. However, if
> you watch them both back-to-back, you'll see that the original one (2014)
> wasn't presenting a utopic future per se, but asked critical questions
> about where these changes took (take) us, and what unintentional
> consequences may be.



J:  Yes I was getting tired and in a hurry but I should have said for Point
3: The average child now experiences fast-paced stimuli on an almost
constant basis like never before.

That's a big issue for the future.


A:

The education one (2020) is nearly entirely utopic, condemning the present
> state of education and presenting an future-perfect scenario where online,
> open, automated (AI), degree-less, tuition-less, 'education' functions so
> well that only 'misguided' and 'misinformed' people do not turn to
> intelligent online programs for all their informational, educational needs.
>
>
J:  I believe more than half the school's function is to socialize humans.
It's already being lost to a virtual world, what happens when you eliminate
all contact with the outside world?  Shivers.



> "Phædrus remembered a line from Thoreau: "You never gain something but
> that you lose something."" (ZMM)
>
> [John]
> And I think that's a good thing because you always value the teaching most
> that you seek out rather than have shoved down your throat whether you're
> in a receptive mood or not.
>
> [Arlo]
> If I'm understanding, this is mostly a comment on public/compulsory (K-12)
> education? Post-secondary education, whether technical, academic,
> vocational or otherwise is voluntary, so the act of self-registering is a
> form of seeking out 'information/learning'. Is this, then, a call for
> eliminating compulsory education all together? Or is it more a call for
> reform to the way curricula are adhered to (the factory model of ken
> robinson's video)?
>

J:  I'm mostly focused on the k-12 area, yes.  And it's not the compulsory
I despise, it's the compulsory along very narrow lines.  I'm for
decentralizing the education system through vouchers, remeber?  :)



>
> [John]
> Also I realize that this style isn't appropriate for every subject but it
> seems to me that for the art of programming - and the culture of
> programmers- it's uniquely appropriate.
>
> [Arlo]
> How do you mean? I see this simplified to something like "programmers
> should not be forced to learn things (about programming?) they don't
> value"? Would you say that one of the goals for the instructor is to
> demonstrate 'why' something is valuable that not all students may initially
> understand? Or is this, too, some form of educational-violence?
>
>
J:  For one thing, I think these kids are often the smarter ones.  And the
smarter kids do better at a go-at-your-own pace.  I think many times they
are held back and bored by the system which HAS to be one-size-fits-all and
cater to the lower common denominator.  I'm saying the same pack instinct
that puts nerds together and outcast from most other people at every
school, is a good argument for creating a school tailored to the tastes and
needs of nerds.




> [John]
> Again, programming is different.  If you're good at it you can get a good
> job.  It doesn't matter if you have a degree or are self taught.
>
> [Arlo]
> How would a prospective employer know you're good at it?


J:  That's an easy one.  Have one good coder do the interview and ask some
questions.  And usually a programmer is hired on the basis of the work he's
already done.  His code IS his resume.


> Believe me, I do not think 'degrees' in and of themselves prove a person
> can do anything (one of the more recent 'techno' reforms is digital
> badging, an idea built off of older competency-based models of education),
> but if we eliminate degrees/grades, how do you suggest our skill(s) be
> packaged so that an employer can see what we can do? Portfolios try to
> address this, do you think these are better? What about certifications? I
> see computer jobs all the time that advertised for people with so-and-so
> certification. Would that go out with degrees?
>

As I said, I don't think all degrees are useless.  I just think there are
some people who don't need all that and could use a place of learning
without the academic distractions of record keeping and grades.  But I went
and took college courses without paying attention to what grades I got or
whether I got a degree.  I made good money in construction (once upon a
time... sob ) and didn't need an education for professional reasons but
personal ones.

John