Special Blog Post

Special Blog Post:

“A world where grades will be left behind”, sounds too good to be true right? This is not the case, according to Sebastian Thrun, the German research professor at Stanford and Google VP. Thrun’s fascination with robotics and computer science has led to the founding of Udacity, which is an institution that offers free classes for its enrollees. Thrun has developed an approach to teaching that he hopes will be more appealing than primitive chalk board methods. Thrun hopes to stimulate learning by incorporating special effects into the curricula. All of this sounds too good to be true, like a sophisticated leap frog game.  This is no kid’s game; however, these computer classes are targeted at those wishing to excel in advanced fields such as robotics and computer programming. Thrun is striving to create a learning environment where the students can connect with the material and move at a pace that allows them to fully master a certain skill or concept.

Thrun is trying to revolutionize teaching. In other words, he wants to change it, and make it better.  It appears to me he wants to use technology in two major ways.  The first way is to garner student’s interest and keep them interested and challenged. The other way is to reach the masses, via the internet.  He wants everyone to be able to experience Udacity.

I agree that the education system could use a good overhauling in some aspects. Thrun has some good ideas, but I do not think that a work at your own pace program would work for everyone. This is due to the fact that some people, including myself, may lack the self-motivation and self-discipline required for this type of learning. I personally believe Thrun’s approaches to teaching are still mostly on the theoretical end and need more solid evidence of success before I decide to jump on the Udacity bandwagon.