Subject: Re: [linux-audio-user] (OT)
From: Eric Dantan Rzewnicki (rzewnickie_AT_rfa.org)
Date: Thu Nov 11 2004 - 00:33:09 EET
On Wed, Nov 10, 2004 at 01:33:56PM -0500, Ivica Ico Bukvic wrote:
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: linux-audio-user-bounces_AT_music.columbia.edu [mailto:linux-audio-
> > user-bounces_AT_music.columbia.edu] On Behalf Of RTaylor
> > Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 5:51 AM
> > To: A list for linux audio users
> > Subject: Re: [linux-audio-user] (OT)
> > Michael T Nelson <m_nels_AT_gmx.net> wrote:
> > > In retrospect, I'd have been better off finding a degree in Computer
> > > Science with Music Technology. But they don't do that at York, which is:
> > I've always thought that Gnu {I suppose any organization with a
> > sufficiently large following and a decent reputation...} should do
> > something like this... all it would really require is a chartered tour of
> > several existent web pages, some test with which to judge yourself over
> > the course of a term and some sort of certification when the candidate
> > feels that they know enough to be qualified.
> > Teaching could be done by intelligent, interactive websites from a
> > knowledge base with a few simplish functions... administering tests,
> > meteing out the next parts of the lesson plan... maybe a bit of very
> > specific advice once in a while...
> > I can't think of a more comfortable way to go to school... you could
> > schedule stuff however you wanted, etc, etc...
> While I agree that a volume of knowledge regarding GNU/audio stuff is
> already available online, for a newcomer it is too fragmented and
> incoherent. Furthermore, even if a single unifying resource existed such as
> the one you suggested, due to ongoing development in this field, it would
> require a significant amount of work to keep it up-to-date (and imho
> keeping-up a well-composed prose that could be used for studying something
> that is constantly changing requires a lot more work than verbally
> explaining them).
> Finally, not everyone is prone to learning just by reading and they require
> additional stimuli via lectures, assignments, and hands-on work.
> Hence, I believe that relying only on the Web content for the general
> educational purposes would not carry very far. Sure, it would work for the
> minority (esp. those who have mathematical/programming mind and are capable
> of learning programming in a particular toolkit just by looking-up API's)
> but for the broader population it would end-up being nothing more than a
> reference.
> As far as Website content being able to offer you the pace of learning that
> fits your needs, this in practice never works as it is in human nature to
> postpone that which is the least urgent. This would inadvertently lead to
> non-systematic learning and therefore mixed results. School programs impose
> assignments onto students for reasons other than grading, most importantly
> to stimulate student to work hard in order to master the given material.
Ico,
Can you say a bit about the new courses you are going to be teaching?
Are you aware of anything similar being offered at any other
institutions?
Not being geographically limited is one of the greatest benefits of
information available for study on the web. Traditional classroom
coursework can only reach those who can get to the classroom. Freedom of
scheduling is also a benefit of online learning. I ran out of debt
eligibility before I finished my undergraduate degree. I had to get a
job and start working and finish the degree on the side working at it
part time. Now I need to continue working. I can't afford to go to
school full time anymore. But, I still want to continue learning. I
really wish I could give up my job and dedicate all of my time for two
or three more years to learning, but I just can't see how to make it
feasible. I agree that external pressure and deadlines are helpful in
the learning process. My difficulty is not so much postponing the least
urgent or not working hard enough, but rather defining boundaries
between topics ... setting specific goals and sticking to them with out
loosing focus by exploring tangetial subjects.
Anyway, I'm sort of rambling on here. I just know that you are in the
academic world and that amongst other things you are a teacher so I
guess I wonder if you might be able to offer some guidance on how to
continue learning.
Thanks in advance for any insight you might be able to offer.
-Eric Rz.
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