The aim of liberal education is human excellence…It regards man as an end, not as a means; and it regards the ends of life, and not the means to it. For this reason it is the education of free men. Other types of education or training treat men as means to some other end, or … Continue reading The Aim of Liberal Education is Human Excellence…
"Who doesn't want a beautiful, extraordinary life?" I think this video encapsulates the idea posed by CS Lewis that "something deep within the human heart breaks at the thought of mediocrity." Take inspiration from this video shared by my friends at http://www.created.education. They are exploring ways to empower individuals to achieve this goal by creating … Continue reading A Beautiful Extraordinary Life
Too often in education, I think, we focus on changing the measurable outcomes and actions of the individual. Not to discount the behaviorist paradigm, but actions must come from somewhere. In this video, Pico Lyer challenges our assumptions of what it takes to change a life. Perhaps it is not simply stuffing more information into the brain, but re-thinking our approach entirely.
Selfies and Facebook hotties overwhelmed the imagination of students in the technology class. Those who knew how to use technology had no motivation to learn something new. Perhaps they did not know of the possible avenues. Those who did wish to learn found that technology did not necessarily function well to this end. The fans … Continue reading Observations From a Technology Classroom
Some of you might have read Parker Palmer's "The Courage To Teach" throughout your coursework. I did a review of that book in one of my classes and it raised a question about the difference between telling students the answer and having them discover it. Some teachers believe it is their responsibility to inform students … Continue reading The Abolition of Man – Part 1
This TED talk by Richard Baraniuk outlines an idea of a "knowledge ecosystem" in which users become contributors and producers. Create, Mix, Rip, Burn - basically build upon the ideas of others to make learning bigger, more accessible, culturalized, and personalized. Click here to visit http://openstaxcollege.org where this process began and continues to grow.
Have you ever suddenly had an urge to snack on something from the fridge, then thirty seconds later found yourself staring at the milk wondering what you're doing in front of an open fridge?
In this second scenario, the university will become the center for the development of the individual as a holistic being who not only thinks and feels, but breathes and moves and loves and creates and will never be confined to a cog in the digital machinery of the information age.
Why do we try to differentiate adult education from child education? What if we flipped it around and tried to discover what was different in the child’s experience of learning? Would we simply accept the idea that children are less self-directed, or would we incorporate self-direction into their learning experience so they could become better learners? Would we … Continue reading Andragogy vs Pedagogy
What if learning theories are an overall progression of the learning process from the introduction of an idea to its full integration and development by the learner in a social collaborative, or online environment?
Human-Centered Learning 