Never been much for commenting, but absorbed a lot from the knowledge you dropped back then.
104 karma · joined May 14, 2007
This is called Active Learning and there are decades of work that have gone into demonstrating it's effectiveness. Also see: Constructivism. Although the majority of k-12 education still emphasizes passive learning, constructivist approaches to learning are being taught around the world and in the U.S. (Papert's work is a good resource for those who are curious)
> 3. Schooling mostly fails at giving you this deep understanding.
I think calling 'schools' (so many, not sure what type this person attended) a failure is a bit harsh. The type of freedom in learning that the author is arguing for is HARD at scale. It requires smaller classes, more engagement from teachers, and an entire re-evaluation of how academic achievement is measured. We humans are still evolving...we'll get there. A good start would be to pay teachers more. A better start would be to prepare parents to support active learning in the home.
> 4. Video games will become a core component of education.
They already are: https://clalliance.org/
The general sentiment of this article is fair, but if you are going to make a statement about education you should reference educators rather than bloggers and biographers.
Edit: One more thought about the PG tweet...
"you'll surprisingly often have to teach yourself. I had to teach myself Lisp, how to write essays, and how to start a startup. I had examples to work from, but no teachers or classes."
First, I would argue that school provides us with the ability to teach ourselves. Paul taught himself Lisp, but did he learn how to program at all in school? Probably. He had to teach himself how to write essays, but surely school taught him how to write? Also, there are plenty of schools that offer writing classes...usually electives. Startups, well...that's silly...that's why we have MBA programs. Actually, I am not sure what PG's point is with this tweet. Is it a critique of the educational system in the U.S. or a reflection on missed opportunities from his youth?
Digital textual encoding is only universally accessible if the context it is situated within is also textually encoded. The lack of context (i.e., poor accessibility compliance) across digital mediums is the single largest inhibitor for the visually impaired community. Once digital information is prepared for print, the source of output is simply a matter of changing peripherals (printer, braille embosser, braille display, text-to-speech).
The authors may not have intended to directly address the needs of disability, but I do not think that their use of "universality" is misplaced. We should applaud any effort that encourages society to think beyond the constraints of the graphical interface.
1) Many of my 20 something peers are struggling financially, 20-30k a year is difficult to live on in CA. I made good money in my 20s and enjoyed life, having less now does not bother me. 2) I don't have children. My peers with children face a much different set of challenges than I do. I suppose it comes down to the support structure in your life, but I am not sure I could do this with school age kids. 3) I cannot stress enough the importance of a top tier school and a strong advisor.
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/118984/how-can-you-progra...
I think it is more a fear of managing expectations than a fear of missing out. When instant communication is the norm, choosing not to instantly communicate being perceived as neglect, for example. While in reality, you simply need to block the distractions for a few hours to get work done.
Herbert Simon talked about this when we were still sending men to the moon [1].
This should be the charge of HCI practitioners, but the needs of consumers have largely been ignored. AI might provide some relief (my phone is getting better at learning when not to disrupt me...but it has a long way to go), but mostly I think it is up to us to close, ignore or turn away. What I fear the most is that by choosing to do so leaves us appearing lazy and/or disengaged in important professional and personal situations.
Some of my favorites:
Conscientious Objections
Freedom and Culture
Visual Thinking
Notes on a Synthesis of Form
The Character of Physical Law
and anything Tufte
Here is the old post, with some good discussion:
The relationships exist in academia too, but the students have to want to them. As a PhD student with actual industry experience I make sure I have room for at least 3-4 undergrads during any given quarter. We love research in my lab, but we also respect mentorship.
I think the only successful response to "shutting down illegal foreign websites stealing american content" is to point to industry experts and other various authorities that claim SOPA goes beyond that goal. Hayes attempted to do this at one point, but was quickly contradicted by Cotton. At that point Alexis needed to reaffirm that Hayes was correct and hammer home the idea that the legislation is far from clear.
I like the idea of finding the problems to solve, but I don't think this has to mean we leave our true passions behind. Life is short, pursue your passion. When you hit a wall use the knowledge and experience you have gained to solve problems within the field you are passionate about.
Vacation, chiropractor, surgeons, acupuncture, massage, micro-breaks...but no exercise? A light dumbbell routine and a few walks or runs per week can work wonders on RSI and any other aches and pains we encounter while at the computer.
There is a certain "common knowledge" among computer workers that RSI is the result of poor ergonomics. This fails to explain why some people can work for long periods of time under conditions of atrocious ergonomics, but not experience the same pain that I did.
In my experience, an increase in RSI and back pain correlate directly with my level of physical activity outside of the work environment. A combination of fitness and ergonomics have absolutely made the difference.