I posted the following suggestion as a comment to this WSJ article http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323836504578553933214167460.html?KEYWORDS=arne#articleTabs%3Darticle A significant part of the teacher competency problem is no fault of the teachers. It starts with the training they get in college. Many high school teachers are especially penalized by inadequate preparation in their subject. This is no fault of […]
Opinion Piece in NY Times on Higher Ed
June 17, 2013 by
Here is the link to it. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/schooling-ourselves-in-an-unequal-america/?comments#comments I commented as follows: The point about college completion rates between generations is greatly magnified by two factors. In that same time period, (1) amount of time studying has decreased by 35%, though grades have gone up, with only 20% now studying as much as students did 30 […]
Not a Bad Life For Students With Time on Their Hands
June 14, 2013 by
See the interesting “student housing” article in the NYTimes, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/15/us/in-luxury-student-housing-gym-tan-and-study.html?pagewanted=1&ref=us#postcomment My Comment: Hey, the kids have got to do something with their time. The amount of outside study that we professors require for even good grades has more than halved over the years. (See the great book “Academically Adrift” for the details.) Not giving the […]
Good Op/Ed in WSJ about Online Courses and Education
June 3, 2013 by
In my view, an important part of the article is the discussion of resistance to MOOC’s. Also, the author speaks from experience, not from studies. We need both, but we are short on op/ed’s from experience. It is by Andy Kessler. You can find him in Wikipedia. Here is the link, followed by my comment, […]
“They Just Don’t Get It” part 2
May 31, 2013 by
Now The Atlantic doesn’t get it. Here is their post for today, followed by my reply which I think contains some interesting facts I only recently discovered. http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/05/should-you-go-to-college-the-i-atlantic-i-faq/276392/#comments “Should who go to college where? That is the appropriate question; not, should you go to the generic college because a generic (and suspect) average says the generic […]
Worried they “just don’t get it”
May 31, 2013 by
Before I post a link to the most recent instant of this, an explanation is justified. Here is my worry. Too many newspapers, radio shows, tv commentators talk about a college “degree”. When someone points out that not all degrees represent an education, I worry that the authors, etc… think, “Everyone knows that not all […]
Two sides to the “online course coin”
May 30, 2013 by
There is an article in today’s Wall Street Journal titled “Web Courses Woo Professors: Online Firm Opens Way for More Educators to Create Their Own Internet Classes” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324682204578513541557842934.html?mod=WSJ__MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsThird#articleTabs%3Dcomments I commented about my worries after reading these two paragraphs that I think show both sides of the coin. First, the good side, “I think that what […]
NY Times article on Visas and hi-tech
May 20, 2013 by
Here is the link http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/technology/tech-industry-pushes-to-amend-immigration-bill.html?ref=business#comments I don’t feel I am knowledgeable enough to know whether Silicon Valley companies want more visas to hire cheaper labor; or, whether they really can’t find enough qualified Americans. I do know, as do readers of this blog, that one can’t determine how many people are qualified for jobs based […]
My take on today’s front page article in NY Times “Chinese Creating New Auto Niche Within Detroit”
May 13, 2013 by
Here is the link to the article http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/13/business/global/chinese-automakers-quietly-build-a-detroit-presence.html?ref=todayspaper The article starts, “Chinese-owned companies are investing in American businesses and new vehicle technology and ….hiring experienced engineers and designers in an effort to soak up the talent and expertise of domestic automakers and their suppliers.” I worry that, for reasons I give in the following comment, […]
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