>OpenCourseware might have been investigating a pay-wall ...
So that would've made it 'courseware'. Even though the material is worth a modest fee, I am glad to find out that it will remain free. Not for my own pockets well being, but for others who don't have even those few bucks to spare.
Increasing Popularity of MIT OpenCourseWare
31–40 of 43 posts
Re: Increasing Popularity of MIT OpenCourseWare
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is one of the only things that really annoys me about these courses, is that they are often only available via iTunes U. I don't have, nor do I want, iTunes. I shouldn't have to fire up a VM to access "open" content. I deal with it but it bugs the crap out of me.
Actually, I believe all OCW courses are available via YouTube, or for download at http://ocw.mit.edu as MP4. Stanford's SEE course are available via YouTube, download, and bittorent. I like watching them on my iPad off the grid. So having them in iTune-U is nice.
Cool. There are other Uni's that do not provide other options however.
Re: Increasing Popularity of MIT OpenCourseWare
#33About a year ago there was a rash of pessimistic opinion articles on how technology has done little to nothing to further education in the U.S., and that attempts to modernize schools have mostly failed.
But a couple of months ago I came home from work early and my kids, 3 and 5, who are home-schooling, were both sitting in front of computers learning the alphabet and arithmetic, respectively, and having a blast. My wife was monitoring them and preparing the 5 year old's language lesson from a curriculum she found online.
The thought struck me that technology may have done very little for traditional education, but it just may have completely revolutionized education for my kids. I'm excited that they'll be able to explore any interest they have in a depth that was unavailable to me as a child for lack of resources.
Re: Increasing Popularity of MIT OpenCourseWare
#34I like Gilbert Strang's math courses, and Robert Gallager's Digital communications. On the other coast, I like Stephen Boyd's Linear Dynamical Systems and Convext Optimization courses quite well. I wish Stanford would do more like these.
Yes, the Robert Gallager lectures on Digital Communications I. So nice to see lectures from one of the key people that made the field what it is today.
Re: Increasing Popularity of MIT OpenCourseWare
#35About a year ago there was a rash of pessimistic opinion articles on how technology has done little to nothing to further education in the U.S., and that attempts to modernize schools have mostly failed. But a couple of months ago I came home from work early and my kids, 3 and 5, who are home-schooling, were both sitting in front of computers learning the alphabet and arithmetic, respectively, and having a blast. My…
Agreed. We're Americans living in Argentina (http://homeschoolargentina.com though not frequently updated); we're homeschooling three kids, and one of the programs we use (among many) is EPGY, a program through Stanford University for kids as young as six. It brings together kids from all over the world for incredibly hands-on teaching from world-class professors.
The resources that our kids have access to such as this make an education that wasn't even possible a decade ago almost trivial.
Re: Increasing Popularity of MIT OpenCourseWare
#36I'd never heard of it, but I've just signed up for one via iTunes U. These look awesome. It will be interesting to see where the world of education goes in the next decade. Personally I'm looking for resources for younger children (5-15) for my own children
This is one of the only things that really annoys me about these courses, is that they are often only available via iTunes U. I don't have, nor do I want, iTunes. I shouldn't have to fire up a VM to access "open" content. I deal with it but it bugs the crap out of me.
You can also find them here: http://nixty.com/courses/directory?category=0&school=1&#...
Re: Increasing Popularity of MIT OpenCourseWare
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
can u tell us what exactly you're trying to do ... thx
Sorry for the teaser! The site will be a one stop shop for online learning from high school to college, to working professionals. I've set up a live video platform to connect experts in specific subject areas to interested students with an integrated payment system for teachers that want to charge for their time. We also plan to roll out a few exciting features for college students. We'd like to connect students stud…
I'm working on exactly that! Got a large part already working. Want to talk? My email is in my profile.
Re: Increasing Popularity of MIT OpenCourseWare
#38The downside of OCW is that, as good as it is, I often find it frustrating because of what's missing from the content for a course.
For instance, I don't find ppt slides very useful by themselves, without the additional context that would be provided by the lecturer.
If you attended the lecture, the points in the slides could help you remember the details. But if you never heard the details, it's often not clear what you're supposed to make of the points in the slides.
For instance, a slide listing sort algorithms for large datasets might mention bubble sort. If you know about bubble sort already, you might assume (probably correctly) that it's there as a joke or as the "definitely wrong choice". If you don't know anything about bubble sort, you might assume it's given as a perfectly valid algorithm like the others listed.
Since it's free, my grumbling is limited. But it does frustrate me at times.
Re: Increasing Popularity of MIT OpenCourseWare
#39The downside of OCW is that, as good as it is, I often find it frustrating because of what's missing from the content for a course. For instance, I don't find ppt slides very useful by themselves, without the additional context that would be provided by the lecturer. If you attended the lecture, the points in the slides could help you remember the details. But if you never heard the details, it's often not clear what…
Aren't a lot of the OCW Lectures available as well? Doesn't that resolve the issue.
Re: Increasing Popularity of MIT OpenCourseWare
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
Presumably at places like MIT the credential value of a degree is still worth a lot, particularly for those looking for careers in credential-reliant sectors such as academia, but one wonders for how long second- and third-tier institutions with low or no credential value can continue when excellent and free programs like this are so widely available.
I asked this of a friend who went to SVA in New York for graphic design. He said that the real benefit of an excellent, yet expensive, college, is in learning from real people and having the course tailored to the current situation. He said the students, while talented, weren't any different from those at another college. Sure, you can learn how to design by yourself, and many of the greats have, but it's much more e…
I agree completely. I'm a CS student at MIT and I've used OCW here and there to supplement courses or to fill in when I've missed a lecture, etc. It definitely helps and it's nice to have all those resources. I think it's a great service. But honestly, I think the value of my education comes from being around tons of people who are really brilliant (and make me feel dumb heheh). Seeing a problem set online and working on it by yourself is way different than working with a group of people and seeing how they think and gaining new perspectives. Also, of course, going to college is far more than just the in-class education. There are research opportunities, competitions, etc... and the social aspects obviously. I also have the option of going to office hours, talking to TAs/professors, etc. Interaction is what's lacking in OCW but maybe that's something that will happen in the future.