online learning

16 Stories

LA, San Diego Won't Reopen Schools in Fall

Teachers and districts agree it's not safe yet

(Newser) - Public schools in San Diego and Los Angeles will not reopen this fall, the two largest districts yet to announce they'll have online classes only. The districts, with a combined 825,000 students, announced their decisions Monday despite the Trump administration pressuring schools to end their coronavirus shutdown and...

Country Stops Using Zoom for Classes After 'Serious Incident'

Hackers showed photos of genitalia to class of teen girls

(Newser) - Singapore has suspended the use of Zoom for online education after hackers hijacked a lesson and showed obscene images to students. In what is known as "Zoombombing," two hackers interrupted a geography lesson a day after Singapore closed schools on Wednesday and moved lessons online as part of...

For Poorer Students, School Shutdowns Illustrate a Problem

Some families don't have internet or computers at home

(Newser) - The pandemic that has launched a massive, unplanned experiment with distance learning has created extraordinary hurdles for schoolchildren left behind by the digital divide, per the AP . School districts and governments are now racing to give the millions of US students without home internet a chance of keeping up. Nationwide,...

Harvard's Message to Students: Don't Return From Spring Break

Ivy League school, Amherst College to transition to online learning

(Newser) - Harvard is moving all graduate and undergraduate classes online amid concerns about COVID-19. In a Tuesday statement , President Lawrence "Larry" Bacow said classes would ideally move online by March 23, when they were due to resume on campus following a spring recess. In an effort to "limit exposure...

Welcome, Class: Samuel L Jackson Will Teach You
Samuel L Jackson 
Is Now a Teacher
Dec 10, 2017 9:07 AM CST

Samuel L Jackson Is Now a Teacher

Veteran actor is giving online learning class

(Newser) - Here's the perfect gift for that struggling, maybe not-so-gifted actor on your shopping list: Acting class, taught by none other than Samuel L Jackson. As Time reports, the Hollywood icon is making a foray into teaching his craft , via online learning portal Masterclass , which makes it not only accessible,...

Al Franken Pushing to Make College Textbooks Free

Minnesota senator co-sponsoring bill that would give access to online resources

(Newser) - Al Franken knows how ridiculous the cost of college textbooks can be, and he want to do something about it. That's why the Minnesota senator and Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin on Thursday introduced the Affordable College Textbook Act, a bill that would give grants to higher-ed institutions so they...

MIT: 'Beloved' Prof Sexually Harassed Student

Online lectures of retired physics prof Walter Lewin removed

(Newser) - A retired MIT physics professor described by the Tech as "a beloved teacher and minor Internet star" might see that star begin to fade. The university is undertaking a "complete separation" from Walter Lewin, per the school's provost, following an internal investigation of a student's sexual...

Online Classes Have No Soul
 Online Classes Have No Soul 
OPINION
Jul 20, 2012 12:14 PM CDT

Online Classes Have No Soul

They lack teacher-student chemistry: English professor

(Newser) - Colleges keep increasing their online education options , but one English professor hopes schools don't get too carried away with the concept. Online classes miss out on a fundamental part of the education process: the "jazz"-like interaction between teacher and student, writes UVa's Mark Edmundson in the...

Online Courses About to Change College Forever

David Brooks: Profs brace for 'tsunami' of Internet learning

(Newser) - Online education isn't just an "experiment" anymore. Harvard and MIT have just set aside $60 million for free online courses, and schools from Stanford to Yale are pursuing online learning. In short, "what happened to the newspaper and magazine business is about to happen to higher education:...

Virtual Stanford Class Goes Viral, 58K Sign Up

That's almost four times the size of the student body

(Newser) - Last year, Stanford's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence class drew 177 students. This year, a free online course on artificial intelligence will boast 58,000—almost four times the size of the prestigious university's entire student body. The course is one of three being offered by Stanford's computer...

Internet Threatens 'Snow Day' Tradition

When blizzards strike, kids can log in from home

(Newser) - Sorry, kids, the days of the snow day may be numbered. The principle so prevalent at the college level of taking a class online is creeping into elementary schools, too, the AP reports. That means that when the snow flies, kids might have to log in from home instead of...

Web Puts 2nd Language at Your Fingertips

Online options, from free to pricey, abound

(Newser) - The days of chanting vocabulary words in a classroom and dozing off in the language lab are fading from memory as language instruction becomes increasingly available on the Internet. Freestanding smartphone apps are one option, and more structured instruction comes at a price—and sometimes no price at all. The...

Oldest Bible Scanned for Web
 Oldest Bible Scanned for Web 
Jul 6, 2009 6:36 AM CDT

Oldest Bible Scanned for Web

(Newser) - The fragile Codex Sinaiticus, the oldest surviving Christian Bible, has been hidden in scholarly collections for decades, but today the British Library has launched a new site to let online surfers peruse the 1600-year-old document. The ancient text was discovered in the 19th century, and researchers suspect it survived due...

Aussie Critics Rip Micky D's McMath Tutoring

Program is sneaky marketing push, charge educators

(Newser) - Nutritionists and educators are having trouble swallowing McDonald's sponsorship of an online math program, the Guardian reports. The tutoring program, available free to schools and students across Australia, features the golden arches logo on its front page. Australia's government commended McDonald's for providing the resource, but critics see it as...

Textbook Revolution? Free and Paperless

Pilot project offers hundreds of undergraduates content at no charge

(Newser) - The hefty cost of university textbooks now averages $900 per student each year, and financial aid can't be counted on to cover the expense. But starting in September, one publisher will be offering its textbooks online—for free, Time reports. "Nobody's satisfied with the status quo," said the...

Boom in Online Schooling Fuels Broad Debate

Freedom appeals to parents; critics worry over regulations, costs

(Newser) - With half a million children taking classes online, debate over virtual schooling is intensifying, the New York Times reports. The proliferation of web-based public schools has sparked concerns about public financing and the appropriateness of the model for young children. In Wisconsin, meanwhile, supporters won a fight last week to...

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