It may not be the best value, most up to date laptop available (Which Linux laptop is these days?) but this is a significant milestone and a working example of an affordable, truly open and free laptop. It wouldn't take much for security conscious organisations, e.g. businesses, govts., NGOs, journalists, political parties, and activists, to take this from being a tiny minority interest to something more widespread and therefore cost effective (economies of scale).
MOOCs are useful and productive to a small minority of "autodidacts" that could probably learn what they wanted to by searching the web and/or going to libraries and/or buying books anyway. Isn't that true for a lot of/. -ers? Aren't a lot of us self-taught?
Re: “We’re taking a phased approach to head in the direction of completely democratizing education,” said Mr. Agarwal. “It’s not something you do overnight.”
Yes, Mr. Agarwal, it isn't something you do overnight. Why don't you look at the democratised, publicly accountable education systems we already have in place around the world? For all their shortcomings and issues, they provide better cognitive development, instructional scaffolding, and learning outcomes than any MOOC ever has. That's where the bar is set, you're not even coming close, and are unlikely to for the foreseeable future. Education is NOT a self-organising system that you can just set up and leave to run itself. It takes considerable amounts of highly skilled intervention, guidance, and support......perhaps you need to hire some actual teachers instead of leaving learners to fend for themselves?
Dieting is only one particular and narrow application for such a device. What else will Microsoft be doing with all that data on where you are, what you're doing, and how you feel about it? This potentially takes surveillance to a whole new level.
On a lighter note:
- "Hal, open the fridge door."
- "I'm sorry Dana. I'm afraid I can't do that."
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It may not be the best value, most up to date laptop available (Which Linux laptop is these days?) but this is a significant milestone and a working example of an affordable, truly open and free laptop. It wouldn't take much for security conscious organisations, e.g. businesses, govts., NGOs, journalists, political parties, and activists, to take this from being a tiny minority interest to something more widespread and therefore cost effective (economies of scale).
MOOCs are useful and productive to a small minority of "autodidacts" that could probably learn what they wanted to by searching the web and/or going to libraries and/or buying books anyway. Isn't that true for a lot of /. -ers? Aren't a lot of us self-taught?
The idea of MOOCs as a replacement aimed at the majority of learners simply isn't workable. For a more comprehensive view, see: http://neoacademic.com/2013/01/23/if-you-believe-in-moocs-you-are-assuming-too-much/
Re: “We’re taking a phased approach to head in the direction of completely democratizing education,” said Mr. Agarwal. “It’s not something you do overnight.” Yes, Mr. Agarwal, it isn't something you do overnight. Why don't you look at the democratised, publicly accountable education systems we already have in place around the world? For all their shortcomings and issues, they provide better cognitive development, instructional scaffolding, and learning outcomes than any MOOC ever has. That's where the bar is set, you're not even coming close, and are unlikely to for the foreseeable future. Education is NOT a self-organising system that you can just set up and leave to run itself. It takes considerable amounts of highly skilled intervention, guidance, and support... ...perhaps you need to hire some actual teachers instead of leaving learners to fend for themselves?
Dieting is only one particular and narrow application for such a device. What else will Microsoft be doing with all that data on where you are, what you're doing, and how you feel about it? This potentially takes surveillance to a whole new level. On a lighter note: - "Hal, open the fridge door." - "I'm sorry Dana. I'm afraid I can't do that."