tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8101611.post110135815047338871..comments2023-10-31T05:44:19.969-07:00Comments on Chickens Don't Have Armpits: $100Marion Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888929474349403689noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8101611.post-1101748584119232972004-11-29T09:16:00.000-08:002004-11-29T09:16:00.000-08:00Ahhh… Now that is an interesting train of thought...Ahhh… Now that is an interesting train of thought. Do we ‘withhold’ education through degrees and grades? I’ve know a few very bright people that never went to school and who have a difficult time getting promoted at their work because they don’t have ‘the degree’. <br /><br />Maybe we need to be looking at alternative methods of demonstrating competence. Maybe I don’t have the time, money, or ability to attend MIT and go through the program, but if I can demonstrate that I am as competent, or more so, than their graduates, shouldn’t there be some way to demonstrate that to future potential employers?Marion Jensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07888929474349403689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8101611.post-1101726810036519752004-11-29T03:13:00.000-08:002004-11-29T03:13:00.000-08:00Hi Marion,
adding to your definition and example...Hi Marion, <br /><br />adding to your definition and examples, I suppose time-shares, insurance, also fall in the same category? They are known as pyramid schemes, because the people at the bottom does all the work, and the very few at the tapered top gets the bulk of the credit. It’s the way society has always been… <br /><br />To address your question on ‘formal education’, I think the tenet lies on what determines something as formal education. My simple mind considers grades as the currency/main determinant of 'formal education'. If you (e.g. Dave) have a hold over your minions (inst 7150 bloggers), you pretty much can determine when, what and where your minions post. If a renegade student decides to post as and when he likes (e.g. the crazy bastard posts after the semester is over...), and cannot be bothered with grading - so long as he felt he learnt something - then is formal education still formal education for this individual? As Informal and flexible as inst7150 has been, it’s still a formal education setting to me. <br /><br />I completely agree when you said 'It can be argued that if everybody had a degree from MIT, that degree would not mean as much.' I liken it to SYNDROME saying 'when everyone else has super powers, then there is nothing super about it anymore...' (The incredibles, 2004). <br /><br />I don't think that the 'first world' countries are intentionally withholding education. But I do think that circumstances determine how much more educational opportunities one has. I played my cards right and gave myself a second attempt at higher education. But if my opportunities were not there to begin with, then I could not even plan to do my postgrad.<br /><br />The MIT Open Courseware project is indeed laudable, but much of the content is boring (sorry Dave). Unless we can make it more fun, or at least enough incentive for people to really go out and help each other, the participation rate in MITOCW is only a shadow of a simple but popular anime/ movie fan site.<br /><br />Rgds,<br />BHCHIA Howie (Xie Aowei) 谢 傲 威https://www.blogger.com/profile/04013870497358014960noreply@blogger.com