Tagged: education
dear Armenians, please apply
Harvard, MIT to offer free online classes
May 03, 2012
by CBNews.com
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University enter a joint partnership called edX, to provide free classes online.
(Credit: CBS/Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) (CBS News)
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University are teaming up to bring education to anyone who has an Internet connection.
The prestigeous universities will launch a $60 million initiative called edX that will offer course material from Harvard and MIT. Courses will consist of “video lesson segments, embedded quizzes, immediate feedback, student-ranked questions and answers, online laboratories and student-paced learning.”
Harvard and MIT may benefit from offering free classes by way of insight into the impact of education on people who wouldn’t otherwise have access to prestigious universities.
Harvard president Drew Faust told MIT news, “edX gives Harvard and MIT an unprecedented opportunity to dramatically extend our collective reach by conducting groundbreaking research into effective education and by extending online access to quality higher education.”
Students who demonstrate mastery of the courses will be eligible for certificates of completion. However, the credentials won’t be issued under the Harvard or MIT name.
The technology behind the partnership is also noteworthy. Because edX is an open-source online platform, programmers can continuously help improve the software and other universities can make the platform available for their students.
Classes start in the fall of 2012.
bitter soap
Soap operas blocked Armenian TV’s prime time and they seem to find their audience.
Armenian soap operas are sad and funny at the same time. They are mostly about sad love, crime, human stinginess, guilt, death, hidden relations, poverty, lost relatives and always about big money and small oligarchs. While you may sympathize with the hero, you will find some of his/her words wrongly pronounces or irrelevant and it will make you burst with laughter. An episode can sometimes make your day. Neither artists nor the scriptwriters know what they talk or write about. A proper research of a phenomenon or a situation is never conducted. No time, no money, no knowledge, no human or other resources.
My small inquest revealed that the audience watching Armenian soap operas is quite big. Don’t be surprised, it’s 5 people out of 10. Every second citizen!
So, if every second person in Armenia watches soap operas – then soap operas are the greatest and most inventive tool to educate and promote something. I’m not talking about advertisement, I talk about ideological influence. I don’t talk about consumer approach, I talk about citizen and voter approach. In plain English, I don’t talk about showing juice or brandy in an episode, but promoting idea, news, thought, certain public institution and even specific official.
It’s a dream for politicians and parties. If the main hero, a very positive and loved person, a person in fact loved by every second Armenian praises something or promotes something in an episode – its sure a bingo. Those main positive heroes are more influential than any political person or movement in the country, just because every second Armenian knows them and naively listens to them, watches them everyday. Not to use them is stupidity.
I don’t mean to make Armenian soap operas political, all I mean is they will not become dirtier if they involve in politics too.
And not only politics. If the main hero never lies, doesn’t smoke, plants trees, cares about kids and seniors, reads books everyday, crosses streets only when its allowed, drives safely etc. – its the best way of educating the nation. And maybe today it’s the only way to educate. Think about it.
armenia is different
Armenia is different,
Maybe I experience a wishful thinking moment, but I think Armenia is different now.
Yet, 80% of population thinks about food, entertainment and show off. This part of Armenia considers Dubai the best city in the world and gives little importance to freedoms and rights.
However, the remaining 20%, mainly younger generation is super competitive, progressive, has Western education, speaks English, those who are 35 and older sometimes English and Russian, possesses computer skills, worked or is working in international organizations or corporations.
In other words younger Armenians today do not need capacity development lectures from foreigners, diaspora or anyone else. In fact, having all the skills, decent education, practice, experience and local tips and tools, they can give lectures to anyone who visits Armenia for business.
During last 20 years of independence many local Armenians have been applying for scholarships and being not the dumbest among applicants, most usually got them. In addition, education has always been considered one of those goals every parent would try to reach for kid. Some parents collect money many years or apply for credits to send the kid to study abroad.
Some Armenian students stood in US or Europe after education was over, part of them returned home. Another part returned home after years of work abroad.
And this mass of mainly young, progressive, well educated and experienced English speaking boys and girls is what makes me think Armenia is different today.
This is an appeal and suggestion to our diaspora, as diaspora is the only treasure Armenia has. Please do not give food and lectures to Armenia. Food and lectures is not the first thing Armenia needs today. It’s not 1991 anymore.
Instead, please pay for Armenians’ education abroad and ensure their coming back.
Thank you.
