Georgetown to Offer MOOCs!!!!!

I saw this on the local news tonight. What I find most interesting is that Georgetown plans to offer MOOCs in the humanities, social sciences, and law fields, while most of the MOOCs I have seen and heard about tend to involve the math and science fields.

Article: Georgetown to offer MOOCs

University of Phoenix’ plot to corner the cheap education market

"The University of Phoenix played a key role in defeating legislation that would have allowed community colleges in Arizona to offer low-priced bachelor’s degree programs, interviews and state records show.

The for-profit college, which is one of the state’s biggest employers, provided research and political muscle for a multi-year lobbying campaign against 'community college baccalaureate degrees' – out of concern that those programs would undercut its business model."

It is maddening that an industry with such strong potential to serve working-class students is more focused on eliminating the competition than improving their own contribution to higher education. I would love to see for-profits disprove their terrible reputation.

University of Phoenix’ plot to corner the cheap education market

Debt Crisis Solved?

Apparently, under current law, the U.S. Treasury can make as many platinum coins as it wants and assign them any value... Crazy, right? Apparently, it's actually being considered, at least on some level

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/could-the-platinum-coin-option-solve-the-us-debt-crisis/2012/12/06/d6dc7956-3fe5-11e2-ae43-cf491b837f7b_story.html?hpid=z2

Al Gore still at it on global warming

http://www.politico.com/story/2012/12/al-gore-obama-must-get-moving-84728.html

According to him, law school is worth it, insider's point of view:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/29/opinion/law-school-is-worth-the-money.html?_r=0

The Future of Food Production?

I don't put a ton of faith in preditctions of the future, but I believe in data and statistics, so found this article very interesting. I didn't know phosphorus was so essential in the farming process, and that it's a resource we seem to need to keep up our food supply with population growth. My conclusion, though, is that if past doomsayers have taught us anything, it's that you really can't predict the future.

http://www.businessinsider.com/peak-phosphorus-and-food-production-2012-12

#HowToKeepARelationshipWithMe Tweets & Locations

Interesting and pretty darn funny

http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2012/11/28/166112177/i-know-where-you-tweeted-last-summer

Saying No to College

Hey DC Crew,

As we all prepare to study for our finals, wrap up our Independent Projects and practice in front of the mirrors to shape up our oral presentations -- I have found this helpful -- maybe we should all throw down the books and call it quits.  I'm kidding of course, but I came across this rather intriguing article on a popular trend toward "Saying No to College."  The argument goes that the successful million and billionaires, Jobs and Zuckerberg, of silicon valley have reached status without a degree that college has lost its value -- so it feasible of course that we all do the same.

Notable Quotes:

“College puts a lot of constraints, a lot of limitations around what you can and can’t do,” Mr. Hagen said. “Some people, they want to stretch their arms, get out and create more, do more.”

“People are being conned into thinking that this credential is the one thing you need to do better in life,” he said on “60 Minutes” last spring, adding, “they typically are worse off, because they have amassed all this debt.”

“I think kids with a five-year head start on equally ambitious peers will be ahead in both education and income,” said Mr. Altucher, who regrets graduating from Cornell. “They could go to a library, read a book a day, take courses online. There are thousands of ways.”

This New York Times article is worth the read and it even makes reference to MOOCs.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/fashion/saying-no-to-college.html?_r=1&

Calvert

Common Core Sparks War Over Words

Read the below article this morning and though it was interesting and kind of sad, especially because I'm a big fan of reading fiction.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/common-core-state-standards-in-english-spark-war-over-words/2012/12/02/4a9701b0-38e1-11e2-8a97-363b0f9a0ab3_story.html?hpid=z3

Yarmuth on Colbert!

Saw this and thought it was pretty funny! Thought you all might enjoy!

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/83995/march-08-2007/exclusive---better-know-a-district---kentucky-s-3rd---john-yarmuth-pt--2

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/the-colbert-report/videos/3816913/title/colbert-report-tip-wag-john-yarmuths-holiday-card 

Higher Ed in the Economist

In this week's issue of The Economist, there's an article about higher education. Most of it is very repetitive after all that we've learned this semester, but there are some numbers that stick out: in 1962, 1 cent of every dollar spent in America went to higher education, and today this has tripled. We spend more on higher education than any other country, but yet America has only the 15th largest proportion of college educated young adults. It's always interesting to think about where the money is going, and how we could be more efficient.

http://economist.com/news/united-states/21567373-american-universities-represent-declining-value-money-their-students-not-what-it

Interesting idea on sexual assualt awareness

Below is a campaign to raise sexual assualt awareness in cities and is being widely used in Canada. It seems that it is pretty effect. If Hamilton started a similar campaign to try and reduce the violence, would do think would be the potential reaction from perspective students and parents? We should absolutely use it for drinking and destructive behavior

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/12/01/edmonton-sexual-assault-awareness-campaign-dont-be-that-guy_n_2224228.html?utm_hp_ref=college&ir=College

Something to keep in mind as we approach the end...

612 may or may not be getting #1 in the near future...but actually....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/30/final-exam-stress-10-ways_n_2212729.html?utm_hp_ref=college&ir=College