Special Blog Assignment

In With The New

Out With The Old

In the article, A World Where Grades Will Be Left Behind, Sebastian Thrun talks about a revolutionized education system. In this new system "learning is free, no one is late for class, failure is not an option, and lessons look like Angry Birds". Where do I sign up? Who wouldn't want a class like that?  Sebastian Thrun, a very successful 45 year old, taught an online class about artificial-intelligence. This experience affected him in such a way that he felt he could no longer teach in a traditional classroom. The result would be the creation of, Udacity, an education company. Thrun created Udacity because he felt the current education system needed a complete make-over. This is not the first attempt at changing the traditional education system. Thrun's friend, Sal Kahn, created the "flipped classroom". In this system students use computers at home to obtain prior knowledge about the upcoming lesson. When the students return to school the next day, they already have some knowledge about the lesson and the teacher spends less time explaining the information and more time on the application process. Thrun emphasises that he has no desire to completely do away with the schools themselves. He just wants to change the ways the students learn.

I personally do not believe that I will see a education system "where grades will be left behind". At least not one where the vast majority of students attend. This theory might work in a system like the one Thrun created. However, I also believe that too much emphasis is placed on grades today.  I don't really understand how practical a school system like Udacity would be for the majority of people. I understand that there are some professions where this type of education system that promotes creativity could be beneficial. However, as Thrun stated there isn't a class or education system where "one-size-fits-all". Where this education style might be beneficial to some professions, I don't believe that it can be applied to all. Where this style of teaching could be beneficial to some students, it isn't for all students. I agree that the education system that exists in most schools today needs a make-over. I like and understand the flipped classroom. I think that it would be much more practical for the majority of the schools.