The Technology and Rigor of Academics

Short and directly to-the-point today. Here are a couple of relatively new and undoubtedly interesting takes on the complexity of contemporary education. The first is a

Give the articles a quick read, review the 2011 Horizon Report, chase down information, maybe even find some tangential information. Let's start a discussion about this, that, or another thing...

6 Top Tech Trends on the Horizon for Higher Education
Chronicle

A Lack Of Rigor Leaves Students 'Adrift' In College
NPR

Be sure to take a look at your colleagues' thoughts regarding the matter on the GEDI Discussion blog

Recommended "Reading"

Whilst perusing the educational bounty of the worldwide web I happened upon this gem of a video. Hopefully by now you are familiar with Sir Ken Robinson and his argument regarding the ways in which the modern education system undermines creativity from his TED talk (if not, please watch it before Wednesday). If you found the TED video encouraging, problematic, or even a bit confusing and are looking for more historical contextualization and paradigmatic analysis of contemporary education from Sir Ken (this time with some lovely animation), take a few moments to watch, read, and contemplate this video from the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).

"Buying" the Book

Great news! If you haven't already made the trek to Tech Bookstore or one of the VT bookstores to purchase Weimer's Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice, you can quickly and easily access a FREE electronic copy through VT Libraries (a HUGE thanks to Carrie Tyler for finding and sharing this information). Depending upon your operating system and existing software, you might need to download a FREE copy of Adobe Digital Editions to maximize your electronic reading pleasure.

Prefer a more tangible reading experience? Don't forget, bookshops are you're friends. Deals in town got you down? Take a quick study break and check out the options at Powell's, Barnes & Noble, Alibris, Amazon, or maybe even Google Books.

Please get a copy (digital or physical) as quickly as possible. This is a great text and we'll be drawing upon it throughout the term. If you're worried about the shipping  timeline, remember, the first two chapters are available as PDFs (Scholar - Resources - Week Two).

Let us know if you have any questions.