Alright, the word is out. Facebook is officially messing with your grades! Quick! Delete your account!
Okay, I'm joking, but only a little bit. I can imagine all the Facebook addicts going "delete... facebook...? How.. How will I live? Where will I see pictures of my friends? Where else can I type random and useless information about what I'm currently doing!?"
There have been several articles recently on the effects of facebook. Check this one out. On today's daily alerts (something here at SMU), an article published in "The Chronical of Higher Education" seems to be singing a similar tune.
I quote:
Notes to students: surfing in class lowers test scores
A professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder has found that students who used their laptops for non-classroom activities, like updating their Facebook pages fared worse than their peers. In the face of this, some law schools have banned laptops from classrooms and even created laptop-free zones.
The Chronicle of Higher Education, p A14
So maybe the creation of Facebook was just a ploy to lower the grade point averages of schools all around the world! *snigger* Well I'm not a frequent Facebook user, so unfortunately for me, I cannot blame Facebook for my crappy grades. But for the rest of you, at least there's a convenient excuse.
Before you scoff at these articles and dismiss them, take a look at your own Facebooking habits... It might not be that far from the truth after all...
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Need ideas? Check out this initiative for social innovation.
It's been awhile since I've got the chance to post, project presentations, case presentations and mid-term exams catching up with me. RUN! =)
The competition model (for the lack of a better term) is very popular and has been relatively successful. I'm not sure whether such a term has been coined but lately many organisations have been partnering schools and/or organising competitions amongst students. For example, many companies sponsor student-organised competitions for a chance to recruit interns into their company. Some organisations use competitions to generate ideas for new products/services.
Whilst searching for a project for my Social Entrepreneurship course, I chanced upon this competition which is pretty meaningful.
The competition model (for the lack of a better term) is very popular and has been relatively successful. I'm not sure whether such a term has been coined but lately many organisations have been partnering schools and/or organising competitions amongst students. For example, many companies sponsor student-organised competitions for a chance to recruit interns into their company. Some organisations use competitions to generate ideas for new products/services.
Whilst searching for a project for my Social Entrepreneurship course, I chanced upon this competition which is pretty meaningful.
Dell Social Innovation Competition
This competition is organised by the University of Texas in partnership with Dell in search of the next big idea/innovation that could change the world. The purpose behind the competition is very meaningful as we see a decline in effectiveness of the existing donations-based model of allievating social problems.
All the require is that you are studying in a 4-year university and have a good idea that could work. *Disclaimer* the eligibility criteria is more comprehensive than that so please visit their website for the full one *Disclaimer* There are 3 simple parts to the competition and only 10 more days before the deadline for entry submission.
Round 1: Idea submission
Students submit their ideas online and people all over the world can view their submissions and vote.
Round 2: Social Venture Plan & Video
Those who got through the first round will write a plan and prepare a video to pitch their idea to the panel of judges.
Round 3: Final Presentation
Finalists get to go to the University of Texas and present their ideas to the panel of judges.
I think the idea behind this competition is good because even if teams don't make it through, the ability for everyone around the world to view their ideas and get in contact with them serves as a good platform for like-minded people to get together and hopefully put some of these ideas into action.
In SMU, even if you're not interested in taking part in the competition, you can get some inspiration for LTB & other related projects from some of the ideas submitted by the competition participants. Especially good for those interested in social entrepreneurship or community involvement projects.
The call for ideas is definitely good, now all we need are people who are capable enough to execute some of these ideas and maybe then the world will truly be changed.
All the require is that you are studying in a 4-year university and have a good idea that could work. *Disclaimer* the eligibility criteria is more comprehensive than that so please visit their website for the full one *Disclaimer* There are 3 simple parts to the competition and only 10 more days before the deadline for entry submission.
Round 1: Idea submission
Students submit their ideas online and people all over the world can view their submissions and vote.
Round 2: Social Venture Plan & Video
Those who got through the first round will write a plan and prepare a video to pitch their idea to the panel of judges.
Round 3: Final Presentation
Finalists get to go to the University of Texas and present their ideas to the panel of judges.
I think the idea behind this competition is good because even if teams don't make it through, the ability for everyone around the world to view their ideas and get in contact with them serves as a good platform for like-minded people to get together and hopefully put some of these ideas into action.
In SMU, even if you're not interested in taking part in the competition, you can get some inspiration for LTB & other related projects from some of the ideas submitted by the competition participants. Especially good for those interested in social entrepreneurship or community involvement projects.
The call for ideas is definitely good, now all we need are people who are capable enough to execute some of these ideas and maybe then the world will truly be changed.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Bill Gates and Education...
It took awhile but finally I managed to catch Bill Gates in action at TED.
He first talks about malaria, pulling an awesome stunt on the crowd. I'm sure he freaked out quite afew of the guests in the front row.
His second point is on education and he brought up several interesting points which I will talk about below.
Before that, watch the video from TED.com!
On education, Bill Gates gives a couple of interesting statistics.
1. 30% of students in America don't finish high school.
2. You have less than 25% chance to get a 4-year degree if you come from a low-income family and
3. You have a higher probability of going to jail than graduating the 4-year degree course.
The irony of this is that you can only raise your income through education. This of course puts many people into a poverty cycle, something that isn't particularly easy to get out of.
I made a comment on the video which I will post here as well.
Comment on TED.com
I agree with Bill Gates that teachers play an extremely important role, in a child's education. Great teachers make for great learning but finding these teachers is the problem.
Firstly, I agree with his claim that getting further education in the form of a masters degree has little effect on the quality of teaching. I am from Asia and although we share a similar reward structure for teachers in my country, the best teachers aren't necessarily the most qualified ones. Being dynamic and having the ability to engage students is pretty much what a great teacher does. Interestingly, the best teachers are those who practice what they preach. I've never seen a teacher who is enthusiastic and engaging in class not live their lives in the same way and vice versa. In my opinion, getting these people into the teaching profession is probably not difficult but keeping them there is. In my country, teachers are faced with extreme amounts of stress, which I will address in my next point. However, despite this, their remuneration packages are at best average relative to many other professions. After awhile, the job takes a toil on them and many are unable to keep their energy levels and choose to leave. So I feel that the way to get good teachers is to gain support from the government to make teaching as a career more financially rewarding, to retain the best teachers. Then naturally this will bring us to the debate on how exactly should we measure performance.
My second point, is on the suggestion that Bill gave to use video to help teachers share best practices and ideas for improvement. I just feel that this will put immense pressure on teachers, knowing that they are constantly monitored, and really put some of them off. This and his idea on sharing teaching videos with students as assignments to review the coursework assumes 2 things - all students are eager to learn and all teachers are eager to teach better. Both of which are highly questionable.
In conclusion, we need great teachers but these teachers are found and not made. Once we find these people, we better give everything we can to keep them happy and in the system because they will burn out eventually so let's try to delay this as much as possible.
You can't teach a teacher to teach. What do you think?
He first talks about malaria, pulling an awesome stunt on the crowd. I'm sure he freaked out quite afew of the guests in the front row.
His second point is on education and he brought up several interesting points which I will talk about below.
Before that, watch the video from TED.com!
On education, Bill Gates gives a couple of interesting statistics.
1. 30% of students in America don't finish high school.
2. You have less than 25% chance to get a 4-year degree if you come from a low-income family and
3. You have a higher probability of going to jail than graduating the 4-year degree course.
The irony of this is that you can only raise your income through education. This of course puts many people into a poverty cycle, something that isn't particularly easy to get out of.
I made a comment on the video which I will post here as well.
Comment on TED.com
I agree with Bill Gates that teachers play an extremely important role, in a child's education. Great teachers make for great learning but finding these teachers is the problem.
Firstly, I agree with his claim that getting further education in the form of a masters degree has little effect on the quality of teaching. I am from Asia and although we share a similar reward structure for teachers in my country, the best teachers aren't necessarily the most qualified ones. Being dynamic and having the ability to engage students is pretty much what a great teacher does. Interestingly, the best teachers are those who practice what they preach. I've never seen a teacher who is enthusiastic and engaging in class not live their lives in the same way and vice versa. In my opinion, getting these people into the teaching profession is probably not difficult but keeping them there is. In my country, teachers are faced with extreme amounts of stress, which I will address in my next point. However, despite this, their remuneration packages are at best average relative to many other professions. After awhile, the job takes a toil on them and many are unable to keep their energy levels and choose to leave. So I feel that the way to get good teachers is to gain support from the government to make teaching as a career more financially rewarding, to retain the best teachers. Then naturally this will bring us to the debate on how exactly should we measure performance.
My second point, is on the suggestion that Bill gave to use video to help teachers share best practices and ideas for improvement. I just feel that this will put immense pressure on teachers, knowing that they are constantly monitored, and really put some of them off. This and his idea on sharing teaching videos with students as assignments to review the coursework assumes 2 things - all students are eager to learn and all teachers are eager to teach better. Both of which are highly questionable.
In conclusion, we need great teachers but these teachers are found and not made. Once we find these people, we better give everything we can to keep them happy and in the system because they will burn out eventually so let's try to delay this as much as possible.
You can't teach a teacher to teach. What do you think?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Posts
