Faculty members and Online Education… and an academic roundup

Conflicted: Faculty and Online Education, 2012
Professors fear the growth (and question the outcomes) of online education more than academic technology administrators do, but many see promise in the medium — especially if they have taught an online course.

*********

Pick of Recent Books that Most Probably Influence the Academic Thought

from Ideas on Europe by Jaanika Erne

I was recently asked which book would I recommend to be translated into the Estonian language. The Bible and Qur?an having already been translated, I recommended (and what else to do if your freedom of movement is constrained) the following books. To the list you could also add the books that have helped you to better understand the World.

In Memoriam | Roger Garaudy (1913-2012)

from Mavi Boncuk by M.A.M

Controversial French philosopher Roger Garaudy has died at the age of 98. An ex-member of the communist party, he converted to Islam in the 1980s. His 1996 book The Founding Myths of Israeli Politics denied that the killing of Jews by the Nazis constituted genocide. He was given a suspended jail sentence for Holocaust denial in 1998.

Science fiction legend Ray Bradbury dead at 91: grandson

from Hurriyet Daily News
Ray Bradbury, the science fiction legend who penned “Fahrenheit 451″…

Nebula Award winners announced

from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow
Congratulations to the winners of the 2011 Nebula Awards, especially to Jo Walton, who won for her magnificent novel, Among Others (see my review, here). Also congrats to Delia Sherman for her best YA book prize for The Freedom Maze (my review).

Spain: The Arts Also Blossom in the Global Spring

from Global Voices Online by Marianna Breytman
This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.
From May 12 (12M) to May 15 (15M) [es], Spain has experienced a social movement in the streets to protest the control of the banks and demand a system that is more democratic, participatory, and fair.  With the expansion of demonstrations and general discontent, the 15M movement achieved its goal of growing and remaining in the street.  Citizen collectives continue to act through popular assemblies, commissions, and work groups that allow for debate on topics that affect the people and carry out acts of cooperation.  Many countries have been inspired by the ?indignant? Spaniards, and protests continued to demonstrate their global character on October 15 of last year, with demonstrations in over 900 cities and 82 countries.  On May 12, 2012, demonstrations were organized once again throughout all of Spain and on a global level.

Orhan Pamuk wins Danish cultural prize

from Hurriyet Daily News
Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk yesterday won the 2012 Sonning Prize, Denmark?s highest cultural award that honors contributions to European culture.

Silos of Casino Capitalism

from Savage Minds: Notes and Queries in Anthropology ? A Group Blog by Adam Fish
Something called a ?silo? kept cropping up in my field research with media reform broadcasters throughout 2012. At the National Conference of Media Reform in 2011 I attended a panel, ?Getting Out of the Silo: Editing Video as a Community.? The organizer told me she was ?looking to create an intersectional narrative of collaboration? with the panelists. ?We are all living in our little silos,? said the general manager of a small television news network explaining how a possible partner rejected his overture for collaboration. Its ?the silophication of the company,? said a vice president of a television news network of the process by which internet, television, and marketing divisions were not well-integrated while taking different approaches to the same product.