OLDaily

35 years ago, Isaac Asimov was asked by the Star to predict the world of 2019. Here is what he wrote
Isaac Asimov, Toronto Star, 2018/12/31

35 years ago, I had already read dozens of Asimov's science fiction works and was a fan. I may well have read this article. 35 years later it still rings true, with one caveat: the time scale is too brief by about half, a common failing of predictions. The world changes more slowly than we realize. His comments on education are telling:

"Schools will undoubtedly still exist, but a good schoolteacher can do no better than to inspire curiosity which an interested student can then satisfy at home at the console of his computer outlet. There will be an opportunity finally for every youngster, and indeed, every person, to learn what he or she wants to learn. in his or her own time, at his or her own speed, in his or her own way. Education will become fun because it will bubble up from within and not be forced in from without."

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Why I Wish I Hadn’t Gone to College
Keri Savoca, The Ascent, Medium, 2018/12/31

Joanne Jacobs links to this post by Keri Savoca. The gist is that university didn't prepare her for a career, and left her in debt, so she should have done something else instead. But her alternatives (start a business, build a recording studio) are unrealistic. The advice in the article is poor advice - poor enough that I authored a response pointing out why her argument is wrong, and how she could have improved the likelihood of success after college with a little planning.

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A Single Cell Hints at a Solution to the Biggest Problem in Computer Science
Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, 2018/12/31

This post is a bit technical but it's pretty interesting. In essence, scientists use slime mold to solve a hard mathematical problem. What's special is that the problem is NP-Hard - that is, it gets exponentially harder the more possibilities you add - but the slime mold solves it in about the same amount of time each time. It's hard for computers but not for slime mold. Why? Well, that's the mystery.

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Join Coursera’s New Community
Laura Portalupi, Coursera Blog, 2018/12/31

Coursera has launched a new 'Community' service for people to use alongside their online courses. Announced in this post two weeks ago, the community has attracted almost 2,000 members (that doesn't sound like a lot but I actually think it's pretty good). It runs on an Insided platform, which is a very basic community website (there are topics and groups and badges, a personal profile, and that's about it).

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Instructor Experience s Designing MOOCs in Higher Education: Pedagogical, Resource, and Logistical Considerations and Challenges
Meina Zhu, Curtis J. Bonk, Annisa R. Sari, Online Learning Journal, 2018/12/31

The authors surveyed 143 MOOC instructors and interviewed 2 of them. They identify a range of design and development issues, categorized as pedagogical  considerations, resource considerations, logistical  considerations and a similar set of challenges. The concerns seem mostly based on the fact that MOOCs aren't like regular courses. Students complain about the lack of personal contact from instructors. There's a fair point there - when you're half way through a programming MOOC and the software doesn't work, you need someone to talk to. But either you hire a lot more assistants or you create ways for students to help each other.

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