The Internet as a Tool of Education

April 29

You are enrolled in (and hopefully not yet tired of!) a class with students across the country and around the globe, where, through a mix of in-person and online learning, we have been able to explore considerable territory around the Internet and how it is controlled. We have availed ourselves of many of the benefits of the web in doing so: all of our class reading has been publicly-accessible web sites, we use Internet applications like Adobe Connect and the HES platform to deliver content and solicit responses, and the syllabus itself is built on open-source coding designed for collaborative engagement.

But we are still in a fairly traditional model of pedagogy - though one that I hope has been effective this semester. As we wind down our studies, consider for a moment the ways in which this technology can be used for far more radical forms of education, and who stands to benefit from such tools.

Joining us will be Justin Reich, Berkman Fellow and the Richard L. Menschel HarvardX Research Fellow, and Ana Enriquez, Berkman Fellow and Head Teaching Fellow of CopyrightX.

Readings

Modern distance education

• Wikipedia, Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

• Justin Reich, Is a MOOC a Textbook or a Course?

• Lee Gomes, Ivy League 2.0 or Just Another Pets.com?

What is new and what is not?

• Radio Berkman, Wikis, Teaching, and the Digital Divide (audio, about 18 mins., listen to all)

Concerns, doubts, and issues

• Open letter to Michael Sandel from the San Jose State University Department of Philosophy

• Harry Lewis, MOOCs and MOODs

Case Studies - HarvardX and CopyrightX

• William Fisher, CopyrightX

• Andrew Dean Ho, HarvardX and MITx: The First Year of Open Online Courses

Class Discussion

Please remember to sign your postings by adding four tildes (~~~~) to the end of your contribution. This will automatically add your username and the date/time of your post, like so: Asellars 15:29, 21 January 2013 (EST)

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In related news, a very interesting read... The Complex: It’s Not Beijing’s Hackers You Should Be Worried About, It’s Moscow’s

"The Russian forces in Ukraine have integrated cyber operations and conventional military tactics in seamless fashion, current and former U.S. officials and experts say." ... "It was textbook operation that combined centuries old combat tactics with cyber-age assaults." ... "U.S. intelligence agencies were largely caught off guard by the Russian invasion. The occupying forces limited their use of radios and cell phones and went mostly undetected by the United States' surveillance networks, current and former officials said, an indication of the Russians' technological savvy." ... "The Russian success is especially stinging for the U.S. because these types of blended attacks -- cyber strikes launched alongside military operations -- are what U.S. military and intelligence officials have for years said will be the hallmarks of America's future way of fighting a war." --Seifip 14:09, 23 April 2014 (EDT)