Harry Chen Thinks Aloud

The U.S. Census Bureau recently released the 2005 US census data. The median household income — the point at which half of residents earn more and half earn less — in the US rose sightly faster than inflation in 2005. However, more people are without health insurance — 16% of the US population. Nationwide, one in every 10 people over 25 years old have completed either a master’s or doctorate degree.

The news about more people not able to get adequate health care really bothers me. Health care is one of the most fundamental needs of a human being in a modern society. It kills me to think that it’s a fact that Paris Hilton’s dog gets more health care than some kids living in a poor neighborhood. Who’s fault this is? If people can’t receive health care because they are financially poor, the Government is the one to blame.

I’m quite surprised to see 1 out of 10 people in this country have completed an advanced degree. Not sure what are companies’ expectation these days when hiring new employees. Do they all expect candidates to have at least a master’s degree?
News Source: Independent Record

US Census Bureau Reports:

• Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2005 [PDF]
• Income, Earnings, and Poverty Data From the 2005 American Community Survey [PDF]
• Current Industrial Reports, Advance Report for Fourth Quarter 2005, Manufacturers’ Utilization of Plant Capacity: 2005 [PDF]

It’s clear that AOL is trying to boost its business by aggressively expand its web search and advertising market. Instead of fighting head-to-head with Google and Yahoo! in general web search, AOL attempts to break into the market with a niche application that neither companies have yet considered — educational search.

AOL’s new weapon is StudyBuddy.com. According to the BusinessWeek Online:

StudyBuddy.com relies on technology from search engine Blinkx to retrieve query text and multimedia results from a database of 350,000 online journals, encyclopedias, and other sites that have been vetted for accuracy and age-appropriateness for children. StudyBuddy’s creators see it as a virtual library that brings the best of the Web’s educational and homework resources under one roof.

An AOL executive argues that this idea will work.

“Before there was WebMD, there were hundreds of health sites on the Internet and no one destination to go to for information. Prior to StudyBuddy, there was no one space either. StudyBuddy is to be an aggregation of all the educational sites,” says June Herold, vice-president and general manager for AOL Consumer and Education Services.

Read the rest of this entry »

I used to think science is more important than arts — because it’s more likely for a person to make a better living for studying science than arts. As I grow older, I come to appreciate arts and understand its value. I now believe arts is as important as science in moving forward the positive development of humanity.

Sir Ken Robinson gave a great talk on why it is important to encourage creativity (e.g., arts) in children education. He pointed out that the current education is set up to produce workers for an industrial society. In the current system, while students are encouraged think and learn, but often they are not encouraged to be creative.

Read the rest of this entry »

We all know iPod is for music and entertainment. Few years ago, no one would ever guess that iPod could also be used for education. There is a growing number of “iTunes U” in the US. These universities explore the use podcasts and iPods to encourage students to learn.

Here are some real uses of iPods and podcasts:

• A history professor asks students to download 39 films to their video-capable iPods so she doesn’t have to spend class time screening the movies.
• A psychology professor has found a new-age answer to office hours: a podcast of the week’s most asked questions.
• Foreign language students use iPods to immerse themselves in coursework.
• University administrators want to use podcasts to recruit high schoolers to the 3,000-student campus.

Source: Rural college push iPod use for lectures, CNN, March 20, 2006

Technology evolution is a strange thing. Sometimes it’s extremely difficult to predict how a new technology will use when it gets into the hands of general population. The use of iPod is a good example.

Apple is pushing iTunes and Podcasts to a new level. ABC News reports that Apple Computer Inc. has introduced “iTunes U,” a nationwide expansion of a service that makes course lectures and other educational materials accessible via Apple’s iTunes software.

Apple’s service offers universities a customized version of the iTunes software, allowing schools to post podcasts, audio books or video content on their iTunes-affiliated Web sites. The iTunes-based material will be accessible on Windows-based or Macintosh computers and transferable to portable devices, including Apple’s iPods.

Stanford University, which joined the pilot program last fall, gives the public free access not only to some lectures but also audio broadcasts of sporting events through its iTunes-affiliated site.

Schools and universities have historically been major contributors to Apple’s computer sales. With iTunes U, Apple “is leveraging the ubiquity that we’ve established on campuses with iPods and iTunes,” said Chris Bell, Apple’s director of product marketing for iTunes.

If we consider that online universities didn’t really work out for many higher education institutions, it’s possible that iTunes U may just be another hype. However, if you consider the following, Apple may just have a shot pushing iTunes and Podcasts to a next new level:

Our students are digital natives.

Source: Apple Offers College Lectures Via Podcasts, ABC2 News, January 30th, 2006.