By Inge Ignatia de Waard. Informal learning has been an important self-constructing force throughout the ages. At present it gains interest with the increase of online learning options (eg. MOOCs in all forms and formats), and it also becomes more visible through the concept of learner-centered learning, personal learning environment... So I picked up a mail from years ago, and revisited it with some of which I learned now. For I wonder how much of informal learning is actually new, in the face of technology I mean.
Informal learning - a (very) quick serendipitous tour: Leonardo da Vinci is a great example of a human that was instructed as a painter, but through his ideal location (a city filled with artists and knowledge) and the need for travel (sometimes voluntary, sometimes political need), the exchange with other artists (peers) from other regions and the fact that he was able to talk with people from different trades molded him into a genius (cfr. a personal learning network, but possibly with less sustainable connections through travel realities). Da Vinci became interested in different fields which he than explored pushed by his own curiosity and sometimes political circumstances. Looking at his interests, it is clear the man absorbed whatever he found of interest. Chances are he would be a prolific Internet surfer and producer
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. An deutschen Unis fließen Milliarden. Doch woher, wohin und warum – das erfahren die Studenten kaum. Dagegen regt sich Widerstand. Die Kameras entdeckte er an seinem ersten Uni-Tag. Marvin Pollock stand am Eingang des Seminargebäudes, über der Tür hing eine schwarze Kugel, die Kugel filmte ihn. Drinnen, vor dem Fahrstuhl, hing eine weitere Kugel, eine Überwachungskamera. Mehr...
. Viel Aufwand, viel Marketing und wenig Nutzen. Das Deutschlandstipendium muss neu aufgestellt werden.
Kellnern muss sie jetzt nicht mehr. Jana Felde, Studentin an der Universität Bremen, bekommt seit einem Jahr ein Deutschlandstipendium. 300 Euro im Monat. "Ich bin sehr glücklich darüber", sagt die 22-Jährige, die Summe sei für sie eine große Entlastung. Mehr...
By fwire. Russia is seeking to promote its education and culture in India and strengthen people-to-people ties ahead of President Vladimir Putin's expected visit here later this year.
India and Russia will sign an agreement on the mutual recognition of higher education diplomas, which would help increase the flow of Indian students to Russia, Fyodor Rozovsky, director of the Russian Centre of Science and Culture (RCSC) here, told IANS. Russia's largest cultural representation abroad is in India, with five RCSCs in New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and Trivandrum.
Developing and emerging countries should more closely link up education and technology policies to produce the technical skills needed to boost their economies and “close the income gap with advanced countries”, according to a report by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development).
The report, Perspectives on Global Development 2014 launched this month in Paris, France, highlights a mismatch between the skills that the economies of developing and emerging countries need and training being offered to people. More...
By Katie Duncan. China’s Ministry of Education has released new guidelines for primary and secondary school overseas study tours after Chinese parents have voiced concerns that the safety of students is being overlooked. The trips have also gained a reputation of providing too much sightseeing and not enough studying the ministry has said. More...
By Ishaan Tharoor. This week in Washington, dozens of African heads of state are converging for a landmark series of meetings with U.S. officials and businesses. The event has been billed as the clearest sign yet of the Obama administration's desire to reassert American interests in the continent, which have taken a back seat to the United States' long-standing foreign policy headaches in the Middle East and west Asia. More...
By Ron Bethke. As social media platforms continue to grow in popularity, it is becoming increasingly important for colleges and universities to maintain a respectably steady online presence, as this enables institutions to easily spread information and carve out a consistent presence in the public discourse, allowing for marketing campaigns and attracting new students in the process. More...
By Jonathan Haber. It’s not easy to select a college major, especially when the choices include subjects outside the core curriculum of primary and secondary schooling. More...
By Owen Phillips. If students are responsive to text-message reminders, then those messages could be tailored to exert the same kind of “run with the herd” effect. Every year, more than a million students don’t complete the FAFSA — the main federal student-loan application. More...
