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Tue, 01 May 2012 16:01:44 -0400

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Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:17:34 -0400

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Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:21:36 -0400

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Thu, 29 Mar 2012 01:41:33 -0400

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Wed, 28 Mar 2012 01:32:16 -0400

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Sat, 24 Mar 2012 14:23:34 -0400

How are we gonna motivate learners?

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:54:53 -0400

How are we gonna motivate learners?

Now that we’ve dabbled in the topic of teachers, it may also be useful to direct some attention...

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 18:31:48 -0400

Now that we’ve dabbled in the topic of teachers, it may also be useful to direct some attention towards curricula. Here are the questions we think should be asked in evaluating the quality of what is being taught at American primary schools, colleges, and universities.

Are students in our education system acquiring valuable, relevant, actionable skills?

For too many people, especially those in higher education, instruction yields very little in the way of a useful skill set that can be applied towards a real job. Employers often quip that their entry-level employees are woefully incompetent at actually doing things – a result of four years of learning abstractions rather than skills.

Are they receiving complete, factual information about the world?

Studies expose major gaps in what US students are taught. Geography is one of the most glaring examples: despite constant news coverage since 2003, a 2006 survey revealed that 63% of Americans aged 18-24 could not locate Iraq on a map of the world. Even worse, a more recent study showed that 50% of young Americans couldn’t even identify the state of New York on a map of the US!

Are they being challenged to think critically and develop ideas?

Although American schools are better at encouraging critical thinking and creativity than some of their counterparts around the world, the overall picture remains bleak. Too often, merely following directions is encouraged while reasonable questioning is discouraged. Getting good grades on multiple choice tests is rewarded, while learning profoundly and thoroughly is not. Following a formula is lauded, but explaining a formula, or questioning one, is ignored.

Are they being taught how to effectively use technology and be players in the modern economy?

Even today, most curricula in US schools do not include incorporating or learning about technology that is vital to becoming a productive player in the global economy. Aside from those specialized in technological fields, most American students’ computer knowledge is a result of personal initiative rather than a systematic approach in education.

Visit us on Sunday for an analysis of what factors may be responsible for America’s curricular woes.

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Fri, 16 Mar 2012 15:23:00 -0400

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Tue, 13 Mar 2012 22:30:00 -0400

Critical Thinking Animations

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:38:06 -0400

Critical Thinking Animations

Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone…

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:00:33 -0500

Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone…

Today is International Women’s Day. First created by the Socialist Party of America in 1909,...

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 01:43:11 -0500

Today is International Women’s Day.

First created by the Socialist Party of America in 1909, this holiday’s political baggage means it doesn’t get much recognition in the West.

Ironically, in Eastern Europe and Russia, March 8 doesn’t carry any political overtones: it’s merely a day to show respect and appreciation for the women in one’s life, as well as women in general.

In this vein, Rukuku would like to take this March 8th to reflect upon the extraordinary progress that girls and women have made in education, and to recognize that there’s more work to be done.

Cheers,
The Rukuku Team

Following New York’s recent release of teacher rankings, the chatter in the education community has...

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:51:05 -0500

Following New York’s recent release of teacher rankings, the chatter in the education community has once again focused upon an old question: is it wise to evaluate teachers based on student performance on standardized tests?

[caption id=”attachment_196” align=”alignleft” width=”580” caption=”For us, the answer seems quite obvious. No!”][/caption]

Simplistic political demagoguery aside, teacher accountability is actually a complex issue. Children in different areas and of different backgrounds are subject to different circumstances, capabilities, and opportunities. Mandating one-size-fits-all standards to an endlessly diverse body of students and educators is great at making politicians seem tough, but very bad at improving the quality of education.

The entrenched standardized evaluation system also creates the phenomenon of “teaching to the test” - that is, educators focusing all their efforts on ensuring that students are able to answer formulaic test questions rather than learn in a meaningful and permanent way. The incentives created by standardized testing are all wrong: teaching students how to fill in circles with a number 2 pencil is rewarded (a la Monday’s comic), while showing them how to think critically, be creative, and learn with real depth is discouraged. This is, by the way, to say nothing of the rampant teacher cheating that the system invites.

Sadly, the stories of the machine’s latest victims – New York City’s teachers and students – seem unlikely to meaningfully diminish the bureaucrats’ heavy-handed influence on education.

The fact that local school boards and the DOE continue to defend rigid educator evaluation based on standardized testing shows that today’s educational bureaucracies are totally out of touch with reality (at best).

For years, it has been plainly obvious that standardized tests are a dreadfully inadequate way of measuring how much students have actually learned. It should follow, then, that using them to measure teacher performance is downright stupid.

Why on earth are we still doing this?

With standardized tests in the spotlight again, I’ve found myself reminiscing about my own...

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 23:35:32 -0500

With standardized tests in the spotlight again, I’ve found myself reminiscing about my own high school days (they weren’t that long ago).

I actually had a blast in high school, mainly because I didn’t take it too seriously (to be honest, I wasn’t the most regular attendee either).

But from the perspective of learning, I think this is a pretty apt reflection of what it was like:

[caption id=”” align=”alignnone” width=”504” caption=”…me!”][/caption]

Sadly, it seems that things have only gotten worse since then.

If you’ve been following our latest series here at the Rukuku blog (or even if you just happen to be...

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 16:31:04 -0500

If you’ve been following our latest series here at the Rukuku blog (or even if you just happen to be a living, breathing person), you probably know that the cost of education is too high. But think about this:

What if educators and students didn’t have to worry about meeting at a location and wasting time getting there?

What if teachers and learners didn’t have to worry about acquiring the necessary teaching and learning materials?

What if the amount of students that an educator can meaningfully interact with wasn’t limited by the physical constraints of a classroom?

What if we currently have the potential to dramatically lower the cost of learning while greatly improving its quality?

If these questions sound hypothetical to you, they shouldn’t. To learn more, please sign up for a chance at our exclusive, invitation-only launch. It’s coming on April Fools’ Day, but it’s no joke.

So, you want to go to college. I don’t blame you: college is basically four years of fun (with a...

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:41:01 -0500

So, you want to go to college. I don’t blame you: college is basically four years of fun (with a side of class for about three hours a day), and when you’re done, you get a big, lavishly framed, magical piece of paper that helps you make money. It’s like there are no downsides!

Well, actually, there is one. The average cost of a college education in the United States is currently about $140,000 for a private institution and $56,000 for a public one. This is quite a hefty price tag for a four year party and a piece of paper - and that’s before you pile on a generous smattering of extra tens of thousands for room, board, and books. Given that the median American household earns just under $45,000 per year, these numbers are very perplexing.

When I talk to people who attended college 40 or 50 years ago, I notice a common theme: many were able to pay for it themselves with part-time side jobs, like working at a restaurant or delivering newspapers. In 2012, the income from such employment would barely be enough to buy books for the semester, let alone cover tuition. The vast majority of today’s students are unable to pay for any kind of college education without sinking into the abyssal chasm of student loan debt.

What changed? Somehow, I doubt that part-time waiters in the old days got the 2012 equivalent of $30,000 a year. The culprit must be tuition.

Why is education so expensive, and how can technology help bring that cost down? This week we’ll be discussing this topic in depth and attempting to find some answers. Stay tuned, Rukuku readers!

"futuramb: Social Media and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs | Visual.ly"

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:36:58 -0500

“futuramb: Social Media and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs | Visual.ly”

- Emergent Futures Tumblelog

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Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:29:41 -0500

As of 2008, over four million US students in postsecondary education – that’s 20.4% - were taking...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 07:14:37 -0500

As of 2008, over four million US students in postsecondary education – that’s 20.4% - were taking online distance learning classes. Are today’s distance-learning platforms adequately addressing the needs of online learners?

In this post I’d like to focus on the 800-pound gorilla of the market: that is, of course, Blackboard.

Very recently, I took an online course on Blackboard. I found the interface to be wonderfully interactive and conducive to learning. As soon as I logged on, I was smitten by its user-friendliness, humbled by the profound student-professor rapport it establishes, and downright awestruck at its productive learning process.

Wait a second. No I wasn’t.

The real experience was actually pretty dull.

The interface on Blackboard looks a bit like it was designed by someone constantly referencing their “Intro to C++” textbook. Actually, that explains a lot: the interactivity level of the site closely resembles a textbook as well. The way a course is organized on Blackboard lacks any direction or purpose. With tabs on top, tabs on the right, boxes here and there, and a pervasively gloomy brown-ness throughout (you’ll find more cheer in a Franz Kafka novel), the user experience is far from easy. Not to be outdone, the actual performance of the program is fantastically… mediocre.

Maybe this is harsh. After all, there’s nothing wrong with Blackboard. The problem is that there’s nothing right with it either. It doesn’t engage, it doesn’t excite, and it doesn’t inspire. It’s as interesting and sophisticated as, well, a blackboard.

Shouldn’t a learning platform make me want to learn something?