<SuperTaz>
there is a massive amount of college-level education available
<SuperTaz>
and earlier level, too, actually
<SuperTaz>
but I think the education technology isn't there, yet, really
<SuperTaz>
it's not far, but it's not quite there
<lopex>
yeah, and of massive scale
<lopex>
SuperTaz: wrt reliability or quality ?
<SuperTaz>
I think it's possible, with a combination of broadband, video, and structured guidance, to create an education environment that doesn't require physical presence, nor even time zone parity (though that helps), and can still provide a better education and the required socialization and interaction
<SuperTaz>
you still need physical activity for a healthy body, but you can certainly foster healthy minds with the current level of technology, it just isn't being done at any scale
<SuperTaz>
there are quality recorded classes, information for anyone with critical thinking skills and the ability to analyze content for validity and supporting documentation
<SuperTaz>
all out there on the internet, for free
<lopex>
yeah
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<SuperTaz>
it already exists...with some effort, as long as you understand english (and perhaps even if you don't...not sure about that so much), you can be an autodidact and develop the same skills as a teenager entering a university today and paying the equivalent of what it costs to feed a family for a decade or two in a developing nation
<lopex>
SuperTaz: ultimately you always pay the price of where you are born
<SuperTaz>
in fact, if you're an autodidact, you will likely have a stronger skillset
<SuperTaz>
I know that my skills allowed me to advance beyond even some of my contemporaries with doctorates
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<SuperTaz>
I know plenty of people with masters degrees and doctorates that haven't been able to do anything significant in industry, mainly because of a lack of being able to point to things and say, "I did that"
<SuperTaz>
beyond academia, at least
<lopex>
agreed
<SuperTaz>
so even an expensive education isn't a guarantee that you will make a difference...you just have to be motivated to find a way to make a difference and to acquire the skills to make the difference you want to, through any means necessary
<SuperTaz>
some of our most famous scientists and visionaries wouldn't have gotten past a modern HR department
<SuperTaz>
Google would never have hired Einstein
<lopex>
yeah Enstein was too disorganized
<SuperTaz>
Einstein was an autodidact
<SuperTaz>
he had no degrees
<SuperTaz>
too many people trust a piece of paper you can buy over organic intelligence and knowledge
<SuperTaz>
until we change that, you will always have things like brain drain and a struggle to reach parity for many countries
<lopex>
economy will always demand exactly that
<SuperTaz>
when we start looking at education as the organic advancement of human knowledge, we will start on the road to parity across humankind
<SuperTaz>
not really
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<SuperTaz>
I can tell you many stories that involve no degrees and extreme economic success
<lopex>
oh sure
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<SuperTaz>
if natural autodidacts can do it, then where would the world be if we trained everyone to be autodidacts?
<SuperTaz>
all the best expensive schools train their students to be autodidacts
<SuperTaz>
and the ones that actually concentrate on learning to be an autodidact mostly do very well
<lopex>
afaik "autodictas" will go well all by themselves
<SuperTaz>
the ones who just do what they're supposed to and don't ever figure out the point is to learn how to learn and how to teach yourself are the ones who fail most often
<SuperTaz>
and, at least in the US, that number is growing, right along with the costs of tuition
<SuperTaz>
some will, some won't...you still need to have inspiration and a desire to do something
<SuperTaz>
but almost anyone can learn to be an autodidact
<SuperTaz>
all you need is a handful of language, research, and critical thinking skills, all of which can be taught
<SuperTaz>
and then you simply have to apply them
<SuperTaz>
from there, you can start even with no knowledge of math, science, or humanities, and build a knowledgebase
<lopex>
isnt autodidact just a scientific skill folk on the other hand ?
<SuperTaz>
no..autodidacts are those that teach themselves...self-taught people
<SuperTaz>
history is full of them, and many passed along their knowledge, which then became a basis for further generations
<Antiarc>
autodidactism is easier than it's ever been in human history, too.
<Antiarc>
All you need is an internet connection and the will to learn.
<SuperTaz>
if you know the basic scientific method, you can add in experimentation (again, something you can learn, with just the ability to read, research, and analyze)
<SuperTaz>
Antiarc: exactly
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<SuperTaz>
I did it the old-fashioned way, and used the adolescent internet (the days of gopher, wais, and early web) to augment books
<SuperTaz>
and I simply never stopped
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<SuperTaz>
I made opportunities for myself to have experiences and to learn hands-on skills as I went along
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<SuperTaz>
anyone can do that today, as long as they have a few basic tools...we should make those tools universal, though
<SuperTaz>
bbiab...need to take care of the dog
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<Antiarc>
The basic thesis is that the school system is more or less intentionally built to produce mediocrity. The guy that wrote it is a former New York state "teacher of the year".
<SuperTaz>
shame there isn't a kindle edition
<Antiarc>
There's a legal free PDF version of it somewhere
<SuperTaz>
it's true, though...it's a well-known fact
<Antiarc>
I converted it into a kindle book
<Antiarc>
He documents the *ehll* out of it.
<SuperTaz>
ahhh...I'd like to get my hands on it
<SuperTaz>
I'll look for it later
<SuperTaz>
or...can you send me the kindle conversion you did?
<Antiarc>
They have a Kindle download there in the sidebar
<SuperTaz>
perfec
<SuperTaz>
t
<SuperTaz>
I'll send it to my kindle later
<SuperTaz>
I've heard of this particular book
<Antiarc>
It's the kind of stuff that makes me feel like a fringe lunatic for reading and agreeing with, but he has the credentials and lays out some really good arguments.
<SuperTaz>
I'm thinking of starting a NGO
<SuperTaz>
specifically to conquer this issue
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<SuperTaz>
OLPC was a good idea, but didn't solve a whole lot
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<SuperTaz>
I think the real solution is a device to teach children to learn at an early age
<SuperTaz>
and then giving them connectivity to continue to learn
<Antiarc>
I don't think it can be a device. Kids are natural learners. You have to intentionally shield them from people and processes which choke their curiosity and desire to learn.
<SuperTaz>
even if the schools fail them, they can be empowered to succeed
<Antiarc>
(I'm speaking as a parent of 3, one of whom is school age; this is something I have a heavy personal investment in)
<SuperTaz>
sure, but a connected device that gives them the basic skills they need to take their natural learning and learn to structure it, could be invaluable
<SuperTaz>
especially in places where education is hard to come by
<Antiarc>
Certainly. But it's a tool, not the core solution, IMO :)
<Antiarc>
Yeah, I'm talking more about the US at the moment
<SuperTaz>
I agree with that
<Antiarc>
(since that is what I am familiar with!)
<Antiarc>
My goal is to keep my kids' curiosity alive long enough for them to develop the ability to teach themselves. If I can get them that far, then they should be decently immunized.
<SuperTaz>
but if you scroll way up, before you joined in, I was describing what an evolution of education could (and IMHO, should) be
<Antiarc>
Ah, I kinda just caught up with the current page of chatter :)
<SuperTaz>
I figured ;)
<SuperTaz>
I was talking about looking at education differently
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<SuperTaz>
specifically as the advancement of organic human knowledge
<SuperTaz>
i.e. an extension of natural learning and curiousity
<SuperTaz>
with some guidance
<SuperTaz>
the US overly structures education and rewards schools for having good test results, instead of helping schools with poor test results
<SuperTaz>
if your test scores are low, you get even less
<SuperTaz>
and can be closed down
<SuperTaz>
that's the opposite of what any idiot can tell you makes sense
<SuperTaz>
of course, Dubya was an idiot, and not just any idiot, but the idiot-in-chief, and so he managed to make a system that was largely broken one that is now completely broken
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<SuperTaz>
with a handful of exceptions, public education terrifies me
<SuperTaz>
because there's little education left in public education...teachers teach to tests instead of students
<SuperTaz>
and that is going to lead to further disaster and more "Tea Party" idiots, etc. (my apologies to any intelligent humans brainwashed into believing the legitimacy of "Tea Party" politics)
<SuperTaz>
ok...dog really needs to go out now...and then to eat...bbiab
<SuperTaz>
and we're back...
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<JRubyGithub>
[jruby] nirvdrum pushed 2 new commits to master: http://git.io/vJ8t0
<JRubyGithub>
jruby/master eb4d388 Kevin Menard: [Truffle] Fixed receiver & argument order for Regexp match....
<JRubyGithub>
jruby/master bfe8816 Kevin Menard: [Truffle] Handle more Regexp#=~ cases.
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