Month: May 2012

There are two types of programmers; one who has learned programming in 21 days and then there are those who can program.

A very well written article by Peter Norvig on this phenomenon of “learn all” programming languages in fewer days than you can possibly finish reading the books.

 

Sebastian Thrun and Peter Norvig, professors at Stanford University did an experiment by  offering their Artificial Intelligence class CS221 online for free. They expected few thousands to sign up and that few thousands was close to 160,000.

Thrun prophesies that in about 50 years, the world will have about 10 global online universities offering higher education. They want their university, UDACITY – it’s a play on 2 words – audacious and university, to be one of them.

They recently held an online conference using Google Hangout where they invited Salman Khan of Khan Academy, about whom I have mentioned in one of my earlier blogs. It was an interesting conversation and listening to what I believe is shaping the future of the higher education.

I wonder if someone can bring the same enthusiasm and quality to school education – K12. The challenge is for lower grade levels; education for pre-k and for elementary school children . This opens a new argument all together, what should be taught at that level? How should it be taught? The impact of educating the children through an equally innovative method and style can have a bigger impact than the impact created by mass education through higher education.