I thought this was a joke when I read it on Darren Cannell’s site Teaching and Developing Online. The Minneapolis school system’s online physical education allows kids to choose a physical activity they enjoy, do it for 30 minutes three times a week — on their own time — while keeping an online journal. Apparently, it’s not a joke. Does online PE make sense to you or is it free play for credit? Would you accept it as meeting a prerequisite for admission to your college? I don’t think my drill sargent PE teachers would accept Internet credit for PE, nor would my farmer father.
Trevor mentions that MindManager is looking for one or two student participants in a case study for their Student Solutions Page. If interested, contact <a href="gaelen.oconnell@mindjet.com gaelen.oconnel AT mindjet.com. I know a doctoral student in education (he’s really a computer wonk) who uses this product for his studies and should consider participating.
Crossroads Dispatches offers thoughtful comments about amateurs on the Internet and amateurism in general. I had missed this study he excerpts. The psychologist Andres Ericsson studied relationships between talent, effort and exceptional performance. He concluded that regardless of talent, expert and exceptional performers achieved that status by effort. All have put in about ten years and 10,000 hours of deliberate practice in their development. That means three hours of practice per day. In addition, practice is not defined the same as performing what we already know.
Hmmm. These conclusions seem consistent with Tier 1 and 2 oncampus higher education study programs. That is, prepare three hours for each hour of upper class and master’s level lecture discussion class time to earn a “C” final grade. I wonder whether Ericsson’s conclusions are consistent with results from online and other for-your-convenience professional degree programs? I ask the question respectfully, because I wonder how much of the exceptional results can be accounted for by the person’s studies and how much by the setting in which the person studies. After all, there’s a marked difference between listening to lectures from world class scientists as well as using their research libraries in contrast to everything coming across the Internet. Or is there a measurable difference? That’s a good precipitating question for someone’s dissertation.
Thanks for the reference! The study was looking at exceptional “talent” – basically imploding the talent is born myth – so 10,000 hours and 10 decades went beyond I feel even what would qualify one as a professional and went into the realm of expert or virtuoso status.Evelyn Rodriguezhttp://evelynrodriguez.typepad.com
Yes, was it Einstein that said performance is 10 percent inspiration (talent?) and 90 precent persperation? On the other hand, many of us have encountered those with more talent, better background, etc. accomplishing more with similar study and practice clock time. I still wonder what talent is.
I actually know a friend that does this for his school. They record the time and heart rate and everything and submit it online. I thought there’s no way this would work and you could totally cheat, but apparently the parents validate it somehow. Your right, not many people would accept it.
Thanks, Greg. And best wishes with your new blog.