Notes for Week #9: From Criticisms to Visions

Announcements

• Where are all the mid-term evaluations?
• Andy's talk on Thursday
• Brief project updates
• More ideas for educational software evaluation (from Schank and Cleary)

What I've learned so far from the evaluations

• Allow student presenters/facilitators to actually present & facilitate.
• Collaboration can be a heaven or a hell.
• I should lead more and lead less.
• Let's see more examples of educational software.

In Search of the Virtual Class: Education in an Information Society by John Tiffin and Lalita Rajasingham

• Using visions of the future to help bring together theory and practice.
• The factory model of schooling and the historical context of the book.
• Schepps' notes and questions for discussion.
• How would you justify the continuation of "classrooms" given the societal transformations described by Tiffin and Rajasignham (or other views of "post-industrial" society)?
• Is "education as communication" an example of Scheffler's information metaphor?

For Thursday: Come prepared for Andy's talk.

For Tuesday (the 7th): Read Engines for Education, by Schank and Cleary, chapters 10 and 11.