Friday, October 05, 2007

At Least You Don't Have to Bring an Apple

I'm sure many of you remember a number of years back when MIT announced Open Course Ware. It was MIT's effort to get their education to the masses. I thought it showed a great belief in the value of education outside of what the degree can earn you in an economic sense, which is how I feel most Ivy League schools are run.

I also think that one of the best uses for new internet technologies aside from entertainment is education. Education is one of the purest forms of information, which is basically what the internet is. Video, audio, text, and interactive Flash applications open up near-limitless possibilities for those who think that the value of education is spreading it outside the walls of academia. MIT isn't alone.

U-Cal Berkley has recently begun putting videos of its lectures on YouTube and offering them as Podcasts. It's not as robust as MIT's offerings yet, but give them time. They currently have 8 courses available online, compared with MIT's 1700+. They're also having the site do double-duty as open education and, smartly, as advertising for the campus. I hope more schools follow this lead.

University of California Berkely YouTube campus (Via YouTube)