Some of us are learning junkies. I would count myself firmly in that category - I get so bored and restless if my neurons are not getting their proper workout. So I've heard about the MIT open-source courses, but until today I had never actually checked them out.
Basically, you can choose from a HUGE list of courses, their syllabi, reading materials, and in some cases, assignments, exams and solutions. And in many courses you can download all the things you need onsite. For free. That's right, no student loan, so 8:30am deadline, no excuses. It's all there for the taking, topics from Music and Theatre Arts to Theoretical Physics, Urban Studies and Special Projects.
Wouldn't it be incredible for Carleton County and New Brunswick to have groups of people working together on these courses? To have our leaders and teachers and citizens educated MIT-style while enriching life here with their knowledge and capacities?
Oftentimes, I think there is no 'payoff' for getting formally educated around here. You certainly won't find an experimental laboratory to pay your salary, nor is a master's degree particularly lucrative for most self-employed people. As someone counting the months until my student loan is history, I can say that debt is a tremendous deterrant to getting an education. However, being self-educated is of tremendous value in allowing a person to understand the world in which they live, and being able to shape it in a responsible and inspiring way for future generations.
I look back on the history of Woodstock and Carleton County and I see the things that our citizens accomplished: F.P. Sharp and his (successful) experiments in adapting apples to the short Eastern growing season, Tappan Adney and the preservation of the birchbark canoe, the people who built the beautiful and enduring Victorian houses.
What kind of culture will we pass on? A culture of learning, now at our finger tips for free; an insistence that feeding one's curiosity is a worthwhile pursuit? A legacy of quality work and craftsmanship, of practical innovations ? I hope so, because I think we deserve to live in a place which asks for, and values, the contributions of people who live here.
It's tempting to play the victim and pretend we're second class citizens, when actually, the problems are ours and so are the solutions. So get busy learning. We need you to educate yourself, we need to enrich each other, whether with MIT courses or by any means available.
P.S. Watch this link to the wonderful Sir Ken Robinson's commentary on the pitfalls of our industrial education system. Thanks Gill!
1 comment:
Ok the secret is out. I've started several of the MIT courses over the years as a way of self educating myself but have gotten busy with other things and neglected to finish many of them. I first came across that site in '07 after a referral from CNN.com The site does have quality stuff and I think self education needs to be combined with regular formal education for a well-balanced individual.
Speaking as someone who has been in academia for far too long I can testify that not all PhD's or MDs or any degree are created equal. Having a piece of paper means you've met the basic requirements but where do you fall on the spectrum of acceptable to excellent? That falls into your lap as a professional and continuing your education past the basic needs. I agree with you that finances are a major hurdle to most formalized education, but it has potential to be one of the best investments a person can ever make with regards to changes in lifetime earning potential.
I think from a professional stand point people need to be educated, as I find myself doing it daily explaining to people why they need certain procedures. Oddly when people understand why they need something they're more likely to go for it and usually it's the better option for them.
If you're looking for other sources of info check out http://www.4shared.com/ it has several e-books on just about everything as free downloads. I think you'll run into the same problem as me where there's too much interesting material and not enough time :(
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