By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Why You Should Write Daily
Leo Babauta, Zen Habits, April 26, 2013
Why do I write daily? This: "Writing daily forces you to come up with new ideas regularly, and so that forces you to solve the very important problem of where to get ideas. What’s the answer to that problem? Ideas are everywhere! In the people you talk to, in your life experiments, in things you read online, in new ventures and magazines and films and music and novels. But when you write regularly, your eyes are open to these ideas." Yes, there are some other reasons that involve audiences and persuasion, but for me this is the big one. More...
Students Avoid ‘Difficult’ Online Courses, Study Finds
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Students Avoid ‘Difficult’ Online Courses, Study Finds
Ann Schnoebelen, The Chronicle: Wired Campus Blog, April 26, 2013
The report states, "Many students stay away from online courses in subjects they deem especially difficult or interesting." Again, we have to keep in mind that by studying "students" the reserachers are limiting their domain to people who (a) have already excelled in traditional education, (b) have the means to pay for tuition, and (c) have already done so, and are currently attending college. So of course they would shun the online option in cases where their privileged position will give them that in-person advantage. More...