Google says "Thanks" to teachers on Earth for all the data

Here it is - Google Classroom. I'll leave it to others to analyze what these means, but comment on just one line in the announcement:

Like the rest of our Google Apps for Education services, Classroom contains no ads, never uses your content or student data for advertising purposes, and is free for schools.

OK,  so Google will not use your content or student data for ADVERTISING PURPOSES. That leaves out a world of other possibilities.

So bring it on Google! It's gonna be fun.

Once more, MOOCs teach us what we knew already

(photo credit: clemsonunivlibrary on flickr.com)

The headline in the Chronicle of Higher Education reads "Passive MOOC Students Don't Retain New Knowledge, Study Finds".  To quote the article:

The researchers suggested that when planning courses for professionals, MOOC providers should develop engaging coursework that requires peer interaction and immediate use of new knowledge.

So, do the following mental experiment - take out the word "MOOC" and the words "for professionals" and change "providers" to "instructors" and you get:

... when planning courses, instructors should develop engaging coursework that requires peer interaction and immediate use of new knowledge.

That's time-tested advice, consistent with what we know about cognitive psychology and learning theory, that's been around for a long time before anyone coined the acronym "MOOC".