Shooting Star: edX web site, MITx/HarvardX and WUaS/World University & School

Press Conference: Harvard, MIT Announce edX




I'm very excited about edX - the recently announced MITx-HarvardX collaboration - http://www.edxonline.org/ ("Watch the edX Press Conference" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pYwGpKMXuA) and http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/edx-faq-050212.html. Building on the free, online, now ~ 3000 edX / MIT OCW courses (per MIT's Anant Agarwal), the 42 Yale OYC, other great universities' Open Educational Resources - all here at World University and School - http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/World_University - (+), WUaS facilitates a new, wiki, university conversation, where YOU can teach, learn and create, all from home on your computer. Free (Bachelor, PhD, Law, MD) degrees are planned. Excellence!




Here are some further thoughts about how World University a d School will benefit. Since MIT OCW is Creative Commons' law licensed, and the same as edX at present, WUaS can just proceed with accreditation on MIT OCW as planned.


Hi N,

Yes, WUaS incorporated in 2010, and received 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status as an educational charity in 2011, which is great!

The MIT OCW External Director in January took me out to lunch (when I was attending the Festival of Learning at the Media Lab), and WUaS is now inquiring about web cameras in MIT OCW classrooms for matriculating classes in 2014, - but edX has since come out, which may put live MIT / Harvard professors online anyway (I hope), as an open educational resource. This is particularly great!

WUaS is seeking a wiki that will not only work in all languages (MediaWiki is in around 284 with Wikipedia), but also on obscure browsers on older internet phones (like my Palm operating system on my Treo) for the developing world. Wiki on handhelds (like NYT's articles on my Treo, but as editable, wiki pages) may open accessibility in OLPC countries in more accessible ways than OLPC itself does.

Do you know of most versatile wikis, by any chance, - of wikis that display in most browsers on internet phones? It's Wiki that allows for people-to-people teaching, in addition to the MIT OCW / edX for free degrees, which are WUaS's foci and goals, - and potentially in all 3000-8000 languages and approximately 200 countries.

I hope to post more about ways WUaS will build on MIT OCW / edX in WUaS's blog, - http://worlduniversityandschool.blogspot.com/ - and I'll try to send you the link.

WUaS eventually hopes to hire matriculated UC Berkeley student interns, as well as Stanford, Harvard and MIT ones (undergraduate and graduate), for all languages and countries.

Regards,
Scott






Dear L,

Thanks for sending this first information about edX.  ... exciting ... and great, and for WUaS potentially, too. Interesting to see how they structure their organizations - with clearly stated directors, for example.

I couldn't yet find the edX web site to add to WUaS's courses page.

WUaS will have to explore about the possibilities of accrediting with WASC for free Bachelor, Ph.D., Law and MD, degrees on edX and MIT OCW, together or separately. And no mention is made of the all 3000-8000 languages, so edX could serve as a kind of enhanced MIT OCW, and then be translated, etc., into many languages.

I'm glad M, at Oxford, and friends are continuing to improve Wikipedia software, with WikiData and WikiBase, and we've heard back positively from him a few times, (which is good for WUaS), but until we get monies, we won't be able to hire such folks, or MIT students as WUaS graduate student instructors.

It probably would be helpful for WUaS to be in closer communication with this new MIT / Harvard edX initiative, especially for WUaS degree granting, country accreditation, and all languages and perhaps that can happen over the next few months and years.

Sincerely,
Scott




Dear L,

Here's edX - MITx and HarvardX's - promotional video ...  http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/edx-faq-050212.html ... with video of the MIT and Harvard Deans and Provosts of these programs.

I missed their news' conference at 7am PT - http://web.mit.edu/ .

This will make so many great faculty member resources available.

No mention of the Conference Method (http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Conference_Method_of_Teaching_and_Learning) so far in edX, either.

Sincerely,
Scott






Dear L,

Here's the edX web site - http://www.edxonline.org/ - and it looks like the possibly recorded news' conference is here.

I've added this http://www.edxonline.org/ to the 'Courses' page - http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Courses - at WUaS ...

I think edX's plan to charge for certificates gives WUaS a competitive advantage in WUaS's plan to offer free, online Bachs, Ph.D., Law and MD degrees.

Students will still be living at home with those costs, as well as book costs, etc., at WUaS, even as WUaS remains an open, free, wiki teaching and learning platform for all.

Sincerely,
Scott





Dear L,

WUaS also would like to be a significant job producer/generator, including of university professors, but in all spheres of education (and university is BIG worldwide these days), and in all languages, in a way that MIT and Harvard probably can't because they're building on their existing infrastructure.

But engaging the edX MIT Harvard 'brands' would be invaluable for WUaS. And communicating about with Harvard/MIT over the long term should probably be a priority for WUaS.

(I hope we can make forms of grading helpful in the long term to the students, in the form of offering new opportunities for learning, instead of just to the institution/society).

Sincerely,

Scott






Dear T,


Making wiki edX - the recently announced MITx / HarvardX Open Educational Resources' collaboration, already a rich basis for WUaS accrediting, - will extend these resources remarkably, (not to mention in all languages and countries).

...