Monday, March 8, 2010

Nicholas Burbules post: What is information?

Please read and review in advance of the Professional Development day: WATCH IT

TECHNOLOGY FOR DEMOCRACY                                              
May 8th, 9:00am - 1:00pm
Dumas Technology Academy

For more information regarding "online education" (and for some comments by Dr. Burbules) please go to the "College, Inc." at PBS

8 comments:

  1. The Frontline video Technology for Democracy really left me thinking that nothing is scared and any industry in this day in age can be bought,even education as apparent as the for-profit universities and colleges spreading like wildfire. It is astonshing how our nation once leading developed countries as having students enrolled in two-year colleges, is now 10th. My opinion is that these for-profit are misleading students and selling them pie in the sky when they know they can not possibly deliever to everyone it enrools. I believe it is the American culture of fast everything even education. I am not saying that online classes are not valuable because I am enrolled in one currently. But I can not see an individual student completing a whole degree on line there is a human connetion and component that needs to be complete in certain programs especially education. There is the clinical and hands on component that is crucial. The whole thinking is yes with the changing of our economic exsistance individuals need training and higher education. i think that these for-profit schools are commiting fraud and really only care about the bottomline which is the business of making money and profit for their investors. Even education is not exempt from being in the business of making money. To me it is tragic and quite distrubing. It almost feels like everything can be bought and sold and nothing is scared in our America.

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  2. thanks Maribel,
    I've always wondered about the role that technology would play in the proliferation of for-profit universities. I'm now wondering to what degree more traditional universities will feel obliged to "compete" with their for-profit fascimiles. Thanks for starting this post, hopefully others will weigh in.

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  3. I took most of my Associates Degree online. But, I took them from my Community College in River Grove and the College has been there since I was a little kid (probably even before). I took math online - which you would probably think huh???? how??? I had to watch videos online and then show up to the college to turn in my homework and take the test in the test room. I also took history, science, and English classes online.

    A girl I worked with was taking classes online from one of these for-profit universities. I couldn't understand how she was taking speech class online. How in the world do you deliver a speech online???? When she went to transfer her classes from the online college to a University - the University wouldn't accept most of the classes. She decided to just finish where she was to get the degree - right there you would know something was wrong.

    I do realize many classes can be taken online at the college/university level. But there are other classes that you need to be in a class or out in the field getting the experience you need. I would never want to have a nurse who took all their classes online.

    Like Maribel I also feel like these students are being short changed and literally buying a false degree. I don't understand how students can fall for these "universities". First - the price is out rageous. Second - if they did some research they would see that many of those same classes they can take online at community colleges for way cheaper. I got a free Associates Degree - I had to pay up front and then when I used the Hope Tax Credit on my taxes - I got the money back. There are many ways to get a degree without having to pay horrendous amounts of money. These universities are out for the money only.

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  4. I was definitely upset by the video. I felt like they were targeting minorities. You’re not given financial aid because you are better off. If you were you would only have the opportunity to pull a federal loan instead. I don't blame those people with degrees and no apprenticeship experience. Besides, who would want a "doctor" per say to be an online trainee? Everyone has to deal with their field hands-on. I also, was weary when the guy running this online bureaucracy didn't even go to college. He laughed when he said, "Only in America..." Yes, only in America can students pass elementary school, high school, or college and not have retained a bit of information relevant to their job. I really didn't like when Michael Clifford was making the deal with Patton University not because of their reputable college courses but for their accreditation. What has this world come to? I'm thinking over all those times I was upset with working with lawyers, bankers, teachers, and etc and said man they don't know how to do their job. Did these professionals take online courses with no field experience? I can't believe how much of these colleges are run on government grants. Wow!

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  5. As a student who is enrolled in an online class, I feel that a degree should not be obtained with only online courses. There is a need for that hands on experience you can only get when you are physically in a classroom. You are able to learn more from other students who may have a different perspective than you, as well as experiences. I know that it is a lot more convenient to just take classes online and maybe that is why it is so successful. People are so busy with their lives that taking online courses seems to be the only way especially when these colleges offers them. I was not surprised how Michael Clifford is able to make all these deals and be so successful with no college degree himself. Here in America you offer an easier way to anything and we jump at it and lets face it online degrees sounds more appealing than having to attend college the old fashioned way.

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  6. thanks all for the provocative comments

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  7. I agree with everything that has been stated above. America is a nation of immediate gratification and getting everything out of life with as little effort as possible. I think these schools are creating false dreams. I think it is also interesting since our current class is an online class. I could not imagine getting an entire degree of any kind, without having a person or people around me to work with, train with, and generally have a human connection. I was just having this conversation with a co-worker of mine the other day. She is debating whether or not she wants to begin work towards a Doctorate. She has toyed with the idea of an online school because of the idea of convenience. There are several people on the staff that turn their noses up at another one of my co-workers who has worked for hers completely online. It seems to still carry a negative connotation and lack of legitimacy. This, I believe is shown as true from reading some of the examples read from comments above. There is a huge issue in America in regards to education. It seems to be seeping into all corners of it. Technology is just another example of how our country is trying to be bigger and better instead of working on fixing whatever is broken at the bottom first.

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  8. thanks Cristina,
    the issue of legitimacy is certainly important as it relates to education. How can technology support education rather than make it more convenient (but less substantive) is to me a big question, especially with the flourishing of online universities, and online courses and programs at traditional universities.

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