Monday, August 18, 2014

Personal Notes On Education & Platforms (3)



Learning By Doing
  • The Maker movement is gaining momentum as new platforms are being added to the DIY ("Do it yourself") movement.
    • First, it was Open Source Software making it easy to build softwares.
    • Now, everyone at Silicon Valley is realizing that "Hardware is the new Software" [2] with Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Drones and 3D Printers becoming the new playground for DIY enthusiasts and hobbyists and the "Shenzhen Movement" paralleling the Maker Movement [1]. 
    • Biotech is giving itself to the new breed of Bio-Hackers.
  • It's getting ever cheaper to "learn by doing". Even developing countries can incorporate "learning by doing" in their Education System. Education should incorporate "Learning by Doing".
  • If you show a kid Robots and Mobile Apps and if you can make him / her "believe" that he / she can build these Robots and Apps himself, then he'll go for it. Even someone in his thirties and forties would get excited! 
    • [Close your eyes and imagine building a Robot or Drone by yourself. It's easy. All you have got to do is spend some time learn a few "Models". Excited?]
  • That's the power of "Maker Movement" and "Learning by Doing".
  • Currently, students work on "word problems" in Physics, Chemistry and other disciplines. Next, students are going to work on "image problems" from Physics on "Computers". 
    • When a kid works on a numerical problem concerning Transformers, he will see the Transformer in action on a Computer. He will plug in numbers and the program would simulate how the Transformer works with those values of coils and Voltage and Current. 
    • This would be close to "Learning by Doing". Testing would also move to computers instead of the current "pen and paper testing".     



Presentation of Study Materials
  • Teachers should think from the perspective of the student. How does my student think? How much does she know? Why can't she understand the concept? 
  • Lessons - lectures as exciting as storytelling.
  • "Learning by Doing" [Explained above].
  • Gamification of Education => Education gets as exciting as Games. Feedbacks, Points, Badges, Levels, Leaderboards.


Social - Economic Factors


  • Problem: Rising tuition costs. One of the solutions: Digital Education.


Process


  • Reading, Reflection, Discussion.



Notes


  • Study history of Education in US and World.
    • History shaped education as we see it today. 
      • The requirement of a Bachelor's Degree before embarking on a Professional Degree (MD, JD, etc.) started from culture at Harvard in the 1860s.




References

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