This idea is so obvious it's probably been proposed and discussed (somewhere)
before. But I haven't seen it yet. And Moodle would be key:
The Idea:
An open source volunteer-based university hosted by one of the growing
number of distributed, cloud-based disk farms (perhaps using donated disk space,
else some grant-based infrastructure funding would be required).
Courses would be developed (using Moodle) by volunteer course creators.
Courses would be "offered" at regularly recurring semester-like
intervals, with limited enrollment per class.
Each such class would be associated with one or more volunteer
"teachers" or "course coaches" who would monitor and moderate
the forums associated with that class instance, plus answer
email questions and pleas for help. Grading would be optional.
Students would take these classes in order to learn (despite a BS
in computer science 15 or so years ago, most of what I know
has come from 'self-taught' sources).
Volunteer course creators and volunteer teachers would post
profiles online, to which students would attach teacher evaluations,
similar to the way potential buyers can read archived customer feedback
about Ebay sellers. Classes would be rated that way too.
Students, in other words, would choose their
own courses and their own teachers. Lurking, counterfit trollers
and predators posing as legitimate teachers would be filtered
out by student assessment feedback.
Enrollment, assignments and discussion would be provided
by Moodle. Background reading material (free electronic
textbooks) would be served by Wiki software
of some kind, or perhaps by a wysiwyg CMS like Joomla or Drupal.
Where would all these volunteers come from?
Somehow I doubt that would be a problem.
The DMOZ project has no shortage of eagerly toiling volunteers,
and the value of that project is questionable at best.
A free, cloud-based university for the third world (and who ever else)
would likely steamroll if it ever reached a viable infrastructure
threshold. The hard part would be getting it up and running, and off the ground.
In reply to Sandy Pittendrigh
Re: Turkey Day Pipe Dreams: The University of the Cloud
by Anthony Borrow -
Sandy - The idea of an open and free university has come up before and I think it is a good one. Also, looking at how various Moodle installations can better share their resources with others is something that has also been discussed and will continue to develop. I have read some that suggest that something like this exists in "Second Life". The MIT OpenCourseware project provides content freely. I am also interested in supporting and encouraging the development of free textbooks through projects like CK12.org and CreativeCommons.org. We have the free LMS software (Moodle) and the content is being worked on (CK12.org, MIT, and others). The next piece is to get qualified professionals to make a humanitarian donation of time to handle administration, teaching, etc. Perhaps there are some grants that could be found to help compensate and encourage professors for their time. I believe such pipe dreams are possible but require a lot of commitment toward coordinating the effort and keeping folks synchronized and working together. I was contacted a couple of months ago regarding the possibility of helping out with a group in India that wanted to offer free university education to former prostitutes and prisoners. I would love to see free education become a reality. Keep the ideas flowing and the dream alive. Peace - Anthony
In reply to Anthony Borrow
Re: Turkey Day Pipe Dreams: The University of the Cloud
by Sandy Pittendrigh -
ck12.org was (interesting) news to me. Thank you for that link.
Does anyone know what client/server technology their flexbooks use?
Is this flash? Adobe Flex? Java applet? Or what.
There are two hard parts to the free textbook puzzle (as I see it):
1) content. talented authors who can write well are hard to come by
2) technology. I (still) haven't seen a web-based book format I like
(flexbooks included). Flexbook seems to be organized as a huge
long single page you have to scroll through, with a separate
table of contents you have to click to, which thereby obliterates
the current screen. PDF suffers similarly (with PDF you can have
page icons at screen left, but they too scroll off the screen,
and who knows what they are).
A successful online textbook format would need always-visible navigation
to all parts of the book (A collapsible, hierarchical link tree, or perhaps
bars of dropdown menus) somehow surrounding the 'current page display'
in addition to next, previous, go to page # and search for page by
keyword. Does that website-as-a-book format exist yet?
I don't think so. I log into Gutenberg.org every now and then,
and always end up disappointed by the various online book formats.
....I'm rambling here. But I do think the online textbook problem
is both unsolved and important.
E-page publishing tools I've been working on, primarily for use by
teachers:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/robopages/ simple, useful beta level software
for posting syllabi, and for use as an online programming source code
editor (for classes that teach programming) and automatic page publishing combination.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/frobenius/ more ambitious but alpha level software at best. Frobenius is my unfinished stab at an e-textbook
format that satisfies the navigation requirements outlined above.
I use frobenius a lot. But it does need work (and help too, for that matter)
A Frobenius example or two:
http://bricc.lbhc.edu/tutorials/
http://blueholecabin.com/
Does anyone know what client/server technology their flexbooks use?
Is this flash? Adobe Flex? Java applet? Or what.
There are two hard parts to the free textbook puzzle (as I see it):
1) content. talented authors who can write well are hard to come by
2) technology. I (still) haven't seen a web-based book format I like
(flexbooks included). Flexbook seems to be organized as a huge
long single page you have to scroll through, with a separate
table of contents you have to click to, which thereby obliterates
the current screen. PDF suffers similarly (with PDF you can have
page icons at screen left, but they too scroll off the screen,
and who knows what they are).
A successful online textbook format would need always-visible navigation
to all parts of the book (A collapsible, hierarchical link tree, or perhaps
bars of dropdown menus) somehow surrounding the 'current page display'
in addition to next, previous, go to page # and search for page by
keyword. Does that website-as-a-book format exist yet?
I don't think so. I log into Gutenberg.org every now and then,
and always end up disappointed by the various online book formats.
....I'm rambling here. But I do think the online textbook problem
is both unsolved and important.
E-page publishing tools I've been working on, primarily for use by
teachers:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/robopages/ simple, useful beta level software
for posting syllabi, and for use as an online programming source code
editor (for classes that teach programming) and automatic page publishing combination.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/frobenius/ more ambitious but alpha level software at best. Frobenius is my unfinished stab at an e-textbook
format that satisfies the navigation requirements outlined above.
I use frobenius a lot. But it does need work (and help too, for that matter)
A Frobenius example or two:
http://bricc.lbhc.edu/tutorials/
http://blueholecabin.com/
In reply to Sandy Pittendrigh
Re: Turkey Day Pipe Dreams: The University of the Cloud
by Marc Grober -
I would like to see a discussion of web pub formats but think this might not be the appropriate forum for such technical discussion. I to have been looking at formats that allow web access and have been playing with epub vs PDF as well as transformation of wikibooks to other formats... But where to discuss this???
Dreams may be free but Little else, Anthony, and it would seem that few of us have access to a Society willing to foot the bill for our upkeep. I mean jeepers didn't you hear about the commiefascist president trying to tank the country through some devious plot called health care reform.
Hats off to MIT, OU and others who manage to encourage making content available to end users at no or reduced costs, but that is not "free"..... The folk creating, facilitating, etc have to be fed and clothed.
Should I, being paid $25 per in class college hour only take on additional students with no obligation to help me pay for my kids meda?Whyohwhyo? Why should my family have paid million bucks (that's about what it comes to) for our education and as a result decide to give that away and thereby place my family at risk?
Socialism is a wonderful idea, but stands in stark contrast to our current economic system which socializes risk but not returns. And those voodoo economists have one small point gleaned from the halls of socpsych academe; humans tend to value that which has no associated cost as having no value...
Hats off to MIT, OU and others who manage to encourage making content available to end users at no or reduced costs, but that is not "free"..... The folk creating, facilitating, etc have to be fed and clothed.
Should I, being paid $25 per in class college hour only take on additional students with no obligation to help me pay for my kids meda?Whyohwhyo? Why should my family have paid million bucks (that's about what it comes to) for our education and as a result decide to give that away and thereby place my family at risk?
Socialism is a wonderful idea, but stands in stark contrast to our current economic system which socializes risk but not returns. And those voodoo economists have one small point gleaned from the halls of socpsych academe; humans tend to value that which has no associated cost as having no value...
In reply to Marc Grober
Re: Turkey Day Pipe Dreams: The University of the Cloud
by Gus S. Calabrese -
Sandy
I love your idea and it exists already in some forms. Wikipedia is an example. A really cool trick for those who complain about not making enough money would be to have experts who would be paid to answer questions. I think there was google answers but I think that is gone. I have daily desires to consult an expert for 2 or 3 dollars an answer. Expert systems ? Maybe something like Wolfram Alpha will catch on.....
Collective efforts that are not enforced via the end of a gun ( government / dictators ) are NOT socialism. At least when one talks about contrversial subjects it would be nice to abstain from strawmen , ad hominems , incorrect definitions and other forms of misleading rhetoric.
Anyway , I think that there is definitely a contested vector to human evolution that influenced by those like Sandy ( 10% ) who see beyond their immediate comfort zone and want to be transcendent , the muddling cow herd who are following the end of the cow in front of them ( 80% ) and the truly evil ( 10% ) pathological control freaks who never saw an "enforced" law, regulation , tax , loophole, special interest that they did not love.
Sadly it appears that the control freaks are currently in ascendancy ..... Obama , Pelosi , Bush , Cheney , ............... What a drag they put on human evolution.
Gus S. Calabrese
Denver , CO
I love your idea and it exists already in some forms. Wikipedia is an example. A really cool trick for those who complain about not making enough money would be to have experts who would be paid to answer questions. I think there was google answers but I think that is gone. I have daily desires to consult an expert for 2 or 3 dollars an answer. Expert systems ? Maybe something like Wolfram Alpha will catch on.....
Collective efforts that are not enforced via the end of a gun ( government / dictators ) are NOT socialism. At least when one talks about contrversial subjects it would be nice to abstain from strawmen , ad hominems , incorrect definitions and other forms of misleading rhetoric.
Anyway , I think that there is definitely a contested vector to human evolution that influenced by those like Sandy ( 10% ) who see beyond their immediate comfort zone and want to be transcendent , the muddling cow herd who are following the end of the cow in front of them ( 80% ) and the truly evil ( 10% ) pathological control freaks who never saw an "enforced" law, regulation , tax , loophole, special interest that they did not love.
Sadly it appears that the control freaks are currently in ascendancy ..... Obama , Pelosi , Bush , Cheney , ............... What a drag they put on human evolution.
Gus S. Calabrese
Denver , CO
In reply to Gus S. Calabrese
Re: Turkey Day Pipe Dreams: The University of the Cloud
by Marc Grober -
Gee Gus,
Socialism only exists at the wrong end of a gun? Have you started believing the Coors ads? Another ignint 'mercan throwing his weight about by calling others names (heaven forbid you actually address anothers arguments)?
How much are you getting paid, Gus, to perform work that doesn't benefit your employer? If you read Gus you have noticed that educational institutions are making claims against teachers selling curriculum by moonlight....
Grow up Gus... socialism is an answer, not the problem....
Socialism only exists at the wrong end of a gun? Have you started believing the Coors ads? Another ignint 'mercan throwing his weight about by calling others names (heaven forbid you actually address anothers arguments)?
How much are you getting paid, Gus, to perform work that doesn't benefit your employer? If you read Gus you have noticed that educational institutions are making claims against teachers selling curriculum by moonlight....
Grow up Gus... socialism is an answer, not the problem....
In reply to Marc Grober
Re: Turkey Day Pipe Dreams: The University of the Cloud
by Gus S. Calabrese -
Ha ha ha I work for myself and some of that effort is directed toward real estate. The rest is directed toward open source ( FLOSS ) projects.
I don't watch TV so I don't get the Coors reference. I have never seen an instance of socialism that was not enforced with guns ( including American socialism ) . Can you point one out ? This would be educational for me. ( By the way , is there a "right" end of a gun ? I would be happy to never have a gun directed at me. )
I was born in America. I live in America. I pay taxes because of the guns the government threatens me with. I do not consider myself a 'mercan' or American. 95% of America's realpolitik turns my stomach. The cow herd thinks they are being patriotic when they worship the mad dogs that control the helm of America. War, death , stealing , torture .... is okay with the herd if the POTUS approves of it.
I am not a fan of intellectual property rights.... especially when IP is used by big thugs ( such as universities ) to prevent individuals from making a living. Once again this government and big business colluding to beating up on individuals.
I will "grow up" when you show me a system of socialism ( larger than 20 people ) that works better than anarcho-capitalism . Yes ... socialism is an answer .... for those on the top of the socialistic control hierarchy pile-on.
I don't watch TV so I don't get the Coors reference. I have never seen an instance of socialism that was not enforced with guns ( including American socialism ) . Can you point one out ? This would be educational for me. ( By the way , is there a "right" end of a gun ? I would be happy to never have a gun directed at me. )
I was born in America. I live in America. I pay taxes because of the guns the government threatens me with. I do not consider myself a 'mercan' or American. 95% of America's realpolitik turns my stomach. The cow herd thinks they are being patriotic when they worship the mad dogs that control the helm of America. War, death , stealing , torture .... is okay with the herd if the POTUS approves of it.
I am not a fan of intellectual property rights.... especially when IP is used by big thugs ( such as universities ) to prevent individuals from making a living. Once again this government and big business colluding to beating up on individuals.
I will "grow up" when you show me a system of socialism ( larger than 20 people ) that works better than anarcho-capitalism . Yes ... socialism is an answer .... for those on the top of the socialistic control hierarchy pile-on.
In reply to Gus S. Calabrese
Re: Turkey Day Pipe Dreams: The University of the Cloud
by Marc Grober -
Most of Europe, Gus, and libraries are and have been socialist endeavors in the US, so from when do you get your information without the " taint" of socialism. Not even Ronno, the Great Confuser would condone your narcissism. For that matter I think even Ms Rand would find your naïveté disturbing. If you gave something to sell in competition with the big bad universities step up....
In reply to Gus S. Calabrese
Re: Turkey Day Pipe Dreams: The University of the Cloud
by Sandy Pittendrigh -
RE> "show me a system of socialism ( larger than 20 people ) that works better than anarcho-capitalism"
This is getting a little too weird off-topic and embarrassing for me (the thread originator...even though I'm usually a late '60s anything goes type guy). Can we please keep this discussion within the boundaries of education and technology.
Usenet is perhaps a better place for discussing (censored) political ideology.
This is getting a little too weird off-topic and embarrassing for me (the thread originator...even though I'm usually a late '60s anything goes type guy). Can we please keep this discussion within the boundaries of education and technology.
Usenet is perhaps a better place for discussing (censored) political ideology.
In reply to Sandy Pittendrigh
Re: Turkey Day Pipe Dreams: The University of the Cloud
by Marc Grober -
Well, I thought that there was a bit of latitude in the lounge, but you are undoubtedly correct .... but I would like to discuss the viability of pdf and epub for online instruction in one of the "substantive" fora ;=}
In reply to Sandy Pittendrigh
Re: Turkey Day Pipe Dreams: The University of the Cloud
by Gus S. Calabrese -
Sandy
I can't see why you would feel embarrassed about other people's comments. You are not responsible for what other people say regarding a topic you originate. So do a little 60s chilling. I am done with the turkey dream topic.
Best
Gus the narcissist ( hey , I am all I've got )
I can't see why you would feel embarrassed about other people's comments. You are not responsible for what other people say regarding a topic you originate. So do a little 60s chilling. I am done with the turkey dream topic.
Best
Gus the narcissist ( hey , I am all I've got )
Marc - What can I say, I have always been a bit quixotic
. Peace - Anthony
Which we all appreciate (even me, but don't tell anyone...)
I've spent much of my life trying to walk through walls, just like to make sure no one gets surprised by the bruises - lol.
Happy tday, and may your future be brighter than that of the poor Indigenous souls who welcomed the pilgrims to these shores ;)
I've spent much of my life trying to walk through walls, just like to make sure no one gets surprised by the bruises - lol.
Happy tday, and may your future be brighter than that of the poor Indigenous souls who welcomed the pilgrims to these shores ;)