EdTech Startups to Watch

Post by jacoblyles » Fri, Jan 18, 2013, 10:48 PM UTC

rz2k wrote: post #10

jacoblyles wrote: post #3

A lot of people don't realize this, but Coursera is a young startup that just had its first birthday. If you have ideas for how we can make things better, I would love to hear them. And if you are a hacker, come join us and implement your ideas for millions of students!

I doubt my idea is one that has not been discussed in depth, but I am really disappointed that students must use their name or be anonymous, and cannot create a persona. For instance, I have a unique name, and I'm also generally private enough not to have ever subscribed to Facebook. I don't really care about anything I've have posted being traced back to me, but I do care about the reverse. I don't want some low-lev…

Thanks for the feedback. Naming policies are a very difficult issue that I know have been debated at the company. I'm just an engineer, but I will forward on your comments.

Post by simongiles » Sun, Jan 20, 2013, 3:59 AM UTC

codingblues wrote: post #5

jacoblyles wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My thought is that a Ferrari is better than a Toyota. But a Toyota is about 90% as good as a Ferrari and it serves 1000x more people. And in some ways (safety, gas mileage) a Toyota does outperform a Ferrari.

loved your analogy... but you see I use Toyota all the time... just that if I have a choice between a Toyota and a Ferrari, I'll go with Ferrari if I have the resources. Anyways I love Coursera, I am taking a lot of classes there. Remember a lot of quality of a course depends on how well the teacher conveys it whether its a lecture hall or an online course.

From my experience with edX, online courses are the Ferrari in your analogy.

1. It is easier to concentrate on a video of a lecture. My friends aren't sitting next to me, the recorded audio projects the information clearly, and noisy neighbours are no longer an issue. The recorded video means everyone can "sit close" to the lecturer, and the ability to pause, rewind and rewatch lectures means I'm more likely swallow it in it's entirety.

2. The ability to participate from any location and at any time means I'm never late and never hungover.

3. Getting your questions answered via email means it can be read multiple times verbatim. Plus the professor is likely to give you a more in-depth response when he can answer in his own time.

4. My couch, lounge chair, and bath are more comfortable than the lecture hall chairs I've sat on in the past.

I feel it's more appropriate to liken online courses to the electric car. They are a more efficient use of resources, and we'll need them if humans are going to overcome the (frighteningly) vast array of current and future problems.

To all those involved, great job!

Re: EdTech Startups to Watch

Re: EdTech Startups to Watch