This recent study shows that transmission in primary education institutions is extremely low. https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/ea...
Ask HN: How do we build the new remote education system
81–90 of 211 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do we build the new remote education system
#82If remote or partially remote education is to become the default, you have to scrap the teacher-students-classroom model; it hardly works in real life and it's even worse when not happening in a physical space. Moving to a fully asynchronous model is the only way you can maintain any semblance of educational standards. Put content online, have the students access it at their own leisure. Use the saved time to arrange…
>>Put content online, have the students access it at their own leisure. I second this. This will allow school lessons to better resemble learning the workplace.
Is there evidence that the way people "learn in the workplace" is better than the way they learn in college?
Is there evidence that the way people "learn in the workkplace" is always the same?
Re: Ask HN: How do we build the new remote education system
#83I'm a professor at a US university. The honest answer (at least at the university level) -- probably we don't. From what I can tell, there's very little enthusiasm for online education, on the part of either professors or students. Pretty much everyone is eager to get back to normal, and I'm fairly confident that this is exactly what is going to happen. For a dissenting perpsective, read Joshua Kim's columns at Insid…
Anecdata from major UK university: students _hate_ remote teaching and want to go back to lectures ASAP.
When I was at uni a few years ago, I ended up skipping most of my lectures and watching them online instead, worked better for me in that I could watch them at a time that suited me better, watch at 2x speed, go back and rewatch things I didn't understand. Compared to cramming into a lecture theatre with 200 other students in some cases.
That said tutorials and labs being in person were pretty essential, I wouldn't have liked to do that remotely.
Probably a combination that varies for different people is the best.
Re: Ask HN: How do we build the new remote education system
#84As someone who enjoys remote work as a profession, I think this is generally a bad idea long term, at least across the board.
Remote learning should absolutely be a thing for children who learn better in that environment - I likely would have benefited from it back in elementary and junior high schools because there wouldn't be the distraction of being surrounded by bullies and demi-criminals.
However, I think it's delusional to think that Zoom and so forth can be a sufficient replacement for the social aspect of being at a physical school. Parents seem to forget that they aren't a surrogate for the teachers, friends, and boy/girl-friends their children would otherwise be interacting with at school. It's hugely valuable, nearly as much as the education itself. I'm saying this as someone who is a kind of recluse; it would have been bad for me to never be challenged socially while growing up.
My conclusion is that things like Khan Academy are already good enough, and the real question should be how such a system could be adapted to a standardized testing structure(or perhaps the other way around). What would be ideal is if schools can use something like Khan Academy so that there can be seamless transitions between home schooling and physical schooling, as well as making the concept of forgetting one's homework obsolete.
The reason that we as a society are struggling with remote learning right now is because the people in control have no idea what they're doing. They're having to play catch up to the rest of the world, at least in a digital sense. It's not that we don't already have tools ready to go. It's a failure to adapt. We had well over a decade to evolve education to the digital frontier and we were slow to the draw.
Re: Ask HN: How do we build the new remote education system
#85For the technical subjects, I haven't managed find a program more comprehensive as brilliant.org. It covers a great deal of the technical subjects to perhaps most of the undergraduate level of understanding. I then supplement a course like brilliant, with udemy courses, guided project courses and then finally in to unguided personal projects. I can pass my CS exams, work full time, and not have to ever attend a lectu…
Finding a local makerspace might in part allow you to bypass the need to access facilities at Uni for physical construction?
Re: Ask HN: How do we build the new remote education system
#86Without computers. Our school board is using MS Teams, SharePoint, and a custom web application. It’s terrible. Even adults struggle with SharePoint. Let alone an 8 year old kid. Let alone kids with different abilities and challenges. Remote learning is terrible and I doubt it will ever be good enough to replace a classroom for you kids. What could alleviate it is a device like a reMarkable. I gave mine to my daughte…
Our kids aren't in K-12 yet, but we're already seeing how the elementary school relies on tablets and laptops. It's probably going to push one of us to run for school board.
Re: Ask HN: How do we build the new remote education system
#87I'm a professor at a US university. The honest answer (at least at the university level) -- probably we don't. From what I can tell, there's very little enthusiasm for online education, on the part of either professors or students. Pretty much everyone is eager to get back to normal, and I'm fairly confident that this is exactly what is going to happen. For a dissenting perpsective, read Joshua Kim's columns at Insid…
Coming from a different country I don't really know why remote is not the default option. Listening to a professor speaking to himself from a distance of 10 meters is an awful experience compared to a video recording that you can stop/rewind. Heck, you can even take some proper notes that you will actually understand! For labs it's not like you get any help either. You just have to follow some instructions point by p…
> Listening to a professor speaking to himself from a distance of 10 meters is an awful experience compared to a video recording that you can stop/rewind. Heck, you can even take some proper notes that you will actually understand!
Ok. That's a win for remote.
Now my turn: how easy is it to gauge the mood of your entire class, turn to the person next to you and whisper a question or look at their notes? Go for coffee with classmates afterwards to discuss? Pull the lecturer aside or knock on their door later that day if you're stuck? Meet older students and grad students who can help you and inspire you?
People made the same "it's the future" argument for remote education when MOOCs launched. PG argues that uni's will still survive because they are certificate authorities. Both are wrong.
Peer learning is where it's at. And it's being immersed in that environment 24/7 that makes universities such special places. The learning goes beyond your set classes too - it's social, physical, it's relationships, it's hobbies and past-times and networks that will be the foundation of your identity and your life.
What we're talking about is that vs yet another Zoom call.
Re: Ask HN: How do we build the new remote education system
#88Earlier quoted context omitted.
Anecdata from major UK university: students _hate_ remote teaching and want to go back to lectures ASAP.
When I was at uni a few years ago, I ended up skipping most of my lectures and watching them online instead, worked better for me in that I could watch them at a time that suited me better, watch at 2x speed, go back and rewatch things I didn't understand. Compared to cramming into a lecture theatre with 200 other students in some cases. That said tutorials and labs being in person were pretty essential, I wouldn't h…
Perhaps, but for certain in this anecdata (hundreds of students), it is overwhelmingly the case that the students do not have your preference. May not be representative.
Re: Ask HN: How do we build the new remote education system
#89The homeschooling industry existed before COVID-19. I’d start by looking at what they do and pull the parts that you like. Iterate from there.
Local teachers are somewhat overrated because you’re limited to what talent/style is available within a small radius of where you live.
Khan Academy, for instance, was far better than what my public high school offered. Now there’s a wide array of educational resources on YouTube to supplement a curriculum. Even a single video can drive home a point that will be internalized for life. I can’t really say that about my public education.
Lastly, parent-lead homeschooling is better because you don’t have to worry about teachers sharing their political opinions as “facts”. This certainly happened to me and many of my colleagues growing up.
Re: Ask HN: How do we build the new remote education system
#90I think there are two components of school life: socializing and education. While remote socializing is hard to imagine, I don't believe you can beat high quality videos on youtube (like 3blue1brown) to understand most of the concepts. You also have to keep in mind that level of education in most of the countries in the world is quite low.