Tarek Hoteit Notebook

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Labels: education, science

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 5:17 AM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education, society

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

"The most complete online offering of the literature of the Austrian School and libertarian ideas, including books, journal articles, and other writings, sorted by any method you choose" http://mises.org/literature.aspx

Labels: education, finance

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments

"Brains in middle age, which, with increased life spans, now stretches from the 40s to late 60s, also get more easily distracted. Start boiling water for pasta, go answer the doorbell and — whoosh — all thoughts of boiling water disappear. Indeed, aging brains, even in the middle years, fall into what’s called the default mode, during which the mind wanders off and begin daydreaming.

Given all this, the question arises, can an old brain learn, and then remember what it learns? Put another way, is this a brain that should be in school?

As it happens, yes."

Labels: education, society

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 7:41 PM | Permalink | Comments

Attached is a paper I recently completed for a human development course at
the university. I thought it might be interesting to share.

Even though my college concentration is in finance, I was required to choose
any topic in human development for one course. I chose the topic of
bilingualism (speaking dual languages) because as parents, we kept wondering
why our Arab-American children sometimes lag in the ability to speak Arabic
but can perfectly speak English, while other bilingual children, such as
American-Chinese, can perfectly speak both languages, and while some other
Arab-American children are only monolingual and can only speak either Arabic
or English proficiently.

The paper is relatively long but easy to read, and it is not required to be
read in full. Paper is divided into three segments - Breadth, Depth and
Application components. Pages 6 to 28 (Breadth component) discusses general
language acquisition theories by twentieth century classical theorists such
as Chomsky, Piaget, and Skinner. Note: language can be associated with long
running debates between the theories of intellectualism (human intelligence)
and empiricism (behavioral sciences), which has been ongoing throughout the
past centuries (Hume, Locke, Socrates, etc. ), but this falls beyond the
scope of this paper. Pages 30 to 39 can be skipped because it includes short
summaries of recent journal articles synthesized for this paper. You can
begin reading from page 39 (Depth component) since it focuses on the topic
of bilingualism in general. From page 63 (Application component), the paper
focuses on Arab-Americans in the United States, followed by recommending an
academic guide that can be used in school and at home in order to improve
the ability of our children to speak and appreciate the Arabic language.

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0Bxuacfe6Z-cyYzUwZjBkNTAtOTI5Ni00M2EzLWJjYzktYTExOTdhZjY2Y2Ey&hl=en

Labels: arab, education, personal, united states

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments

“UCSB emeritus professor of sociology Thomas Scheff explores the place that emotion holds in cognition. [8/2009] [Humanities] [Show ID: 16938”

Labels: education, science, society

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 6:14 AM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 8:51 PM | Permalink | Comments

"Daniel Goleman's interview was recorded on December 10, 2007, at the CASEL Forum, an event in New York City that brought together seventy-five global leaders in education and related fields to raise awareness about social and emotional learning (SEL) and introduce important scientific findings related to SEL."

Labels: education, science

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 7:49 PM | Permalink | Comments

"Steven Fraser, a professor of American studies at Columbia University, has taught the cultural history of Wall Street for years, usually bringing his students up to the 1990s. But this fall, with the financial crisis providing an irresistible new coda to the course, he extended the timeline to include the drama, intrigue and pain of the past two years."

read complete article : Economic Crisis Is on Curriculum at Columbia and Elsewhere - NYTimes.com

Labels: education, finance, united states

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 6:12 PM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 2:54 PM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education, science

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 2:49 PM | Permalink | Comments

"Children who blog, text or use social networking websites are more confident about their writing skills, according to the National Literacy Trust.

A survey of 3,001 children aged nine to 16 found that 24% had their own blog and 82% sent text messages at least once a month.

In addition 73% used instant messaging services to chat online with friends.

However, 77% still put real pen to paper to write notes in class or do their school homework.

Of the children who neither blogged nor used social network sites, 47% rated their writing as "good" or "very good", while 61% of the bloggers and 56% of the social networkers said the same.

"Our research suggests a strong correlation between kids using technology and wider patterns of reading and writing," Jonathan Douglas, director of the National Literacy Trust, told BBC News."

Labels: education, technology

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 2:33 PM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education, science

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 12:06 AM | Permalink | Comments

"With New Jersey high schools already facing a new mandate to teach students financial literacy, at least six school districts will be able to participate in a pilot program that establishes a class on the topic for seniors.

The state Department of Education in June added economics and financial literacy instruction to the state's high school graduation requirements."

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments

thanks rlanzara

"by Cynthia Yildirim
Now possible to get a free education online. Various universities and websites are setup for this very thing. Prestigious colleges such as Yale, M.I.T and Berkeley offer very impressive courses on almost every subject.

Education Sources
Yale Free Courses
http://oyc.yale.edu/
Berkeley Free Courses
http://www.openculture.com/2007/03/25_uc_berkeley_.html
M.I.T Free Courses
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm
Open Learning Initiative-Free Courses
http://tinyurl.com/dxqu28
Fathom
http://www.fathom.com/"

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 1:12 AM | Permalink | Comments

" Neuroeducation: Learning, Arts, and the Brain, the culmination of a summit sponsored by The Johns Hopkins University School of Education’s Neuro-Education Initiative, focuses on the convergence of neuroscientific research and teaching and learning, with an emphasis on the arts.”

download paper here

Table of Contents

• » NEUROEDUCATION: LEARNING, ARTS, AND THE BRAIN

• The Circuits of Neuroeducation
• Executive Summary
• Summary of Neuroscience Research
• Keynote: Why the Arts Matter
• Edited Excerpts from the Educators' Panel
• The Roundtable Discussions
• Implications for Policy and Practice
• Summit Agenda
• About the Authors and Presenters
• Resources

read complete article : The Dana Foundation - Neuroeducation: Learning, Arts, and the Brain: Findings and Challenges for Educators and Researchers from the 2009 Johns Hopkins University Summit

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments

"U.S. academic institutions awarded 48,802 research doctorate degrees in 2008, the sixth consecutive annual increase in U.S. doctoral awards and the highest number ever reported by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Survey of Earned Doctorates.

The total number of doctorates increased 1.4 percent over 2007's total of 48,112, which was the smallest annual increase during the last six years. NSF's Science Resources Statistics division compiled the survey results."

Labels: education, united states

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments

"Parent alert: the Walt Disney Company is now offering refunds for all those “Baby Einstein” videos that did not make children into geniuses.

They may have been a great electronic baby sitter, but the unusual refunds appear to be a tacit admission that they did not increase infant intellect.

“We see it as an acknowledgment by the leading baby video company that baby videos are not educational, and we hope other baby media companies will follow suit by offering refunds,” said Susan Linn, director of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which has been pushing the issue for years."

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 7:23 AM | Permalink | Comments

“Agency's First-Ever Web Site Devoted Exclusively to Investor Education

Washington, D.C., Oct. 22, 2009 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today launched its first-ever Web site devoted exclusively to investor education, providing investors with in-depth information and "top tips" on how to invest wisely, plan for the future, and avoid being scammed.

By visiting www.investor.gov, investors can access information in a user-friendly format that is specifically tailored to their needs. The site includes sections specifically for those just getting started investing, for those saving for a child's education, and for those planning for retirement. It also has a detailed "Seniors Care Package" section for senior citizens and caretakers."

Labels: education, finance, united states

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 12:25 AM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: art, education, media, science

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 9:09 AM | Permalink | Comments

cited major points:

* "American teachers spend on average 1,080 hours teaching each year. Across the O.E.C.D., the average is 794 hours on primary education, 709 hours on lower secondary education, and 653 hours on upper secondary education general programs."

* "The average public primary-school teacher who has worked 15 years and has received the minimum amount of training, for example, earns $43,633, compared to the O.E.C.D. average of $39,007."

* ""Comparing each country’s teacher salaries to the wealth of that country makes United States educational salaries appear lower. In the United States, a teacher with 15 years of experience makes a salary that is 96 percent of the country’s gross domestic product per capita. Across the O.E.C.D., a teacher of equivalent experience makes 117 percent of G.D.P. per capita."

note: OECS is Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development with 29 member Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United States.

read full article at Teacher Pay Around the World - Economix Blog - NYTimes.com

Labels: education, united states, world

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 8:59 AM | Permalink | Comments

"Pupils are no better at maths now than they were 30 years ago - despite a rise in exam grades, a study suggests.

Researchers asked 3,000 11 to 14-year- olds in England to sit maths exams taken by pupils in 1976, and compared their scores with the earlier results.

Analysis suggested there was little difference between the two generations.

But among pupils from the previous generation taking O-level maths, less than a quarter gained a C or above, compared to 55% in GCSEs last year. "

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 7:49 AM | Permalink | Comments

"A recent report by an Israeli non-governmental organization says 5,000 Palestinian children in East Jerusalem will not be able to attend classes this year because there are not enough classrooms…The widening gap in education between the Arab East and the predominantly Jewish West Jerusalem is all too obvious." - Al Jazeera English - Middle East - Education gap divides Jerusalem

Labels: arab, education, middle east

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 12:58 PM | Permalink | Comments

49th Edition: A Review of Trends and Activity in the Investment Company Industry by ICI .PDF download: 2009_factbook.pdf (application/pdf Object)

table of contents:

Section 1: Overview of U.S.-Registered Investment Companies

Investment Company Assets in 2008

Americans' Continued Reliance on Investment Companies Continues

Role of Investment Companies in Financial Markets

Number of Investment Companies and Types of Intermediaries

Investment Company Employment

Section 2: Recent Mutual Fund Trends

U.S. Mutual Fund Assets

Developments in Mutual Fund Flows

Demand for Long-Term Mutual Funds

Demand for Money Market Mutual Funds

Section 3: Exchange-Traded Funds

What Is an ETF?

Creation of an ETF

ETFs and Mutual Funds

How ETFs Trade

Demand for ETFs

Section 4: Closed-End Funds

Assets in Closed-End Funds

Number of Closed-End Funds

Closed-End Fund Preferred Shares

Closed-End Fund Auction Market Preferred Stock

Characteristics of Closed-End Fund Investors

Section 5: Mutual Fund Fees and Expenses

Trends in Mutual Fund Fees and Expenses

Shareholder Demand for Lower-Cost Funds

Factors Influencing Mutual Fund Fees and Expenses

Rule 12b-1 Fees

Section 6: Characteristics of Mutual Fund Owners

Individual and Household Ownership

Where Individuals Purchase and Own Mutual Funds

Shareholders’ Use of the Internet

Institutional Ownership

Section 7: The Role of Mutual Funds in Retirement and Education Savings

The U.S. Retirement Market

Individual Retirement Accounts

Defined Contribution Plans

Distributions from Defined Contribution Plans and IRAs

Mutual Funds’ Role in Households’ Retirement Savings

Mutual Funds’ Role in Households’ Education Savings

Data Tables

Section 1: U.S. Mutual Fund Totals

Section 2: Closed-End Funds, Exchange-Traded Funds, and Unit Investment Trusts

Section 3: U.S. Long-Term Mutual Funds

Section 4: U.S. Money Market Mutual Funds

Section 5: Additional Categories of U.S. Mutual Funds

Section 6: Institutional Investors in the U.S. Mutual Fund Industry

Section 7: Worldwide Mutual Fund Totals

Appendix A: How mutual Funds and investment companies Operate

The Origins of Pooled Investing

The Different Types of U.S. Investment Companies

The Organization of a Mutual Fund

Fund Entities and Service Providers

Fund Pricing: Net Asset Value and the Pricing Process

Tax Features of Funds

Appendix B: ICI Statistical Releases and Research Publications

ICI Statistical Releases

ICI Research

Appendix C: Significant Events in Fund History

Labels: education, finance

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 9:39 PM | Permalink | Comments

"The latest ACT scores are another poke in the ribs to those who worry that American students are falling behind in math and science. But Public Agenda's research makes us wonder whether those who need to be nudged the most -- parents -- will feel a thing.
The ACT report notes slight improvements overall but found a "lack of college readiness is again most evident in the areas of science and math." Only 28 percent of the students who took the ACT are ready for college biology and 42 percent are ready for college algebra. By contrast, more than two-thirds are ready for college-level English composition." read complete article

Labels: education, science, society, united states

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 8:08 AM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 8:04 AM | Permalink | Comments

ASSOCIATIONS AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

• AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION
• AMERICAN EVALUATION ASSOCIATION
• NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING
• NATIONAL COUNCIL ON MEASUREMENT IN EDUCATION
• NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF MATHEMATICS
• NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS
• NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
• OFFICE OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND IMPROVEMENT
• UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

RESEARCH METHODS

• BILL TROCHIM'S CENTER FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH METHODS
• RESEARCH METHODS TUTORIALS
• VIRTUAL LIBRARY- STATISTICS

TESTS AND MEASUREMENT

• ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION ON THE INTERNET
• BUROS INSTITUTE
• EDUCATIONAL TESTING SERVICE
• GLOSSARY OF MEASUREMENT TERMS
• FINDING INFORMATION ABOUT PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS
• PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT NETWORK
• CODE OF FAIR TESTING IN EDUCATION

STATISTICAL GUIDES - TEXTBOOKS ONLINE

• HYPERSTATS ONLINE TEXTBOOK
• MULTIVARIATE STATS ONLINE
• STATISTICS ONLINE

CALCULATORS ONLINE

• POWER CALCULATOR ONLINE
• WEB PAGES THAT PERFORM STATISTICAL CALCULATIONS!
• WEB RESOURCES ON POWER ANALYSIS

HUMAN SUBJECTS RESEARCH

• CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS ON HUMAN SUBJECTS (45CFR46)
• THE BELMONT REPORT-ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND GUIDELINES FOR THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS
• FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY'S HUMAN SUBJECTS POLICY
• PROTECTING HUMAN SUBJECTS

JOURNALS: A SELECT LIST

• APPLIED MEASUREMENT IN EDUCATION--(AVAILABLE AT FSU 1991-  )
• EDUCATIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT-- (FSU FULL TEXT)
• JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL STATISTICS (AVAILABLE AT FSU 1994- )
• JOURNAL OF STATISTICS EDUCATION
• PSYCHOLOGICAL METHODS--(AVAILABLE AT FSU 1996- )
• UNDERSTANDING STATISTICS

LAGNIAPPE

• SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN EDUCATION --AN OPEN ONLINE BOOK

from http://library.uncfsu.edu/reference/quantitative_research_websites.htm

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 8:57 PM | Permalink | Comments

"Tickets? Check. Bags? Packed. Early morning ride to the airport? No problem. Ample amount of time to make it to the gate? You bet. Norma Urban-Palomarez, who recently helped her son moved to Colorado for college, thought she was prepared for her return trip. But she was not prepared for Donna. Read Norma's new blog post at neighborsgo.com."

Labels: education, society

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 8:14 AM | Permalink | Comments

"I keep saying that the sexy job in the next 10 years will be statisticians," said Hal Varian, chief economist at Google. "And I’m not kidding."

The rising stature of statisticians, who can earn $125,000 at top companies in their first year after getting a doctorate, is a byproduct of the recent explosion of digital data. In field after field, computing and the Web are creating new realms of data to explore — sensor signals, surveillance tapes, social network chatter, public records and more. And the digital data surge only promises to accelerate, rising fivefold by 2012, according to a projection by IDC, a research firm."

Labels: education, world

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments

"BBB is warning consumers to be wary of four online diploma mills in particular:

Belford High School and Belford University
The BBB serving Houston has received 117 complaints from students in more than 40 states who paid for high school diplomas and advanced degrees from BelfordHighschool.com and BelfordUniversity.org.

…

Most people learned that their Belford diplomas and degrees were worthless from college admissions offices or military recruiters and several received the bad news during a job interview.

Jefferson High School Online and Vencer High School Online
BBB has received complaints from consumers in Texas, Ohio, and South Carolina who say they passed Jefferson High School Online’s test and paid more than $200 to receive a high school diploma. When the students tried to enroll in college using the diploma they were told that it was not valid.

…

Jefferson High School Online is owned by MMDS Ltd., based out of St. Kitts, a small country in the eastern Caribbean. MMDS Ltd. also operates a Web site called Vencer High School Online. Aside from using a different name, the site is an exact replica of Jefferson High School, and offers the same services. "

Labels: education, united states

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 1:47 PM | Permalink | Comments

“Eric Kandel probes into the mind to demonstrate how it is much more complex than just a series of processes carried out by the brain. Howard Hughes Medical Institute 2008 This lecture is boring at times but it's substantive and helps fill an area which is lacking on YouTube (neuroscience/brain)”

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Labels: education, science, technology

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 9:37 PM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education, finance

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education, finance

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments

"There is a need for integrated support for annotation and sharing within the primary tool used for interacting with the World Wide Web, which today is a web browser. Based on prior work and user studies in our research lab, we1 propose design recommendations for a global shared annotation system, for the domain of scholarly research. We describe a system built using these design recommendations (NeoNote), and provide an example video demonstrating the suggested features. Finally, we discuss the major challenges that remain for implementing a global annotation system for sharing scholarly knowledge."

Labels: education, technology

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 7:27 PM | Permalink | Comments

"The best dropout prevention is a focus on the future. The School Archive Project does that with a 10-year time-capsule and class-reunion plan designed to provide a physical connection to each student's future. The goal is to help students understand their own natural ability to make the differences they want in their lives and communities, and the world as a whole, through their planning and work."

thanks to Bill Betzen for referring this site as his reply to the blog article Dallas ISD, 44.4% graduation rate. Why?.

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 7:16 AM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments

from http://www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/display.asp?CID=&LANG=EN&SF1=DI&ST1=5KZBW039PC6H

The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) surveys collected data on students’ performances in reading, mathematics and science, as well as contextual information on students’ background, home characteristics and school factors which could influence performance. This publication includes detailed information on how to analyse the PISA data, enabling researchers to both reproduce the initial results and to undertake further analyses. In addition to the inclusion of the necessary techniques, the manual also includes a detailed account of the PISA 2006 database and worked examples providing full syntax in SPSS®.

http://browse.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/pdfs/browseit/9809031E.PDF

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments

Economic Policy Institute writes:

"A recent report by the Center for Education Reform, a charter school advocacy group, finds that of the 5,235 charter schools opened since 1992, 657 have closed down. Of these 657 schools, only 91—or 14% (see chart)—were closed for “academic reasons,” defined as schools “whose sponsors found them unable to meet the academic goals and performance targets set by the state or written in their charter.”¹ Moreover, the number of charters actually closed for academic reasons is likely to be even lower: close investigations reveal that some charters supposedly closed for academic reasons were in reality closed because of finances, mismanagement, or other organizational problems.”

Labels: education, united states

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 7:15 PM | Permalink | Comments

"The Research Methods Knowledge Base is a comprehensive web-based textbook that addresses all of the topics in a typical introductory undergraduate or graduate course in social research methods. It covers the entire research process including: formulating research questions; sampling (probability and nonprobability); measurement (surveys, scaling, qualitative, unobtrusive); research design (experimental and quasi-experimental); data analysis; and, writing the research paper. It also addresses the major theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of research including: the idea of validity in research; reliability of measures; and ethics. The Knowledge Base was designed to be different from the many typical commercially-available research methods texts. It uses an informal, conversational style to engage both the newcomer and the more experienced student of research. It is a fully hyperlinked text that can be integrated easily into an existing course structure or used as a sourcebook for the experienced researcher who simply wants to browse."

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 3:23 PM | Permalink | Comments

Medieval manuscripts give linguists clues about more recent changes

Some of the oldest words in English have been identified, scientists say.

Reading University researchers claim "I", "we", "two" and "three" are among the most ancient, dating back tens of thousands of years.

Their computer model analyses the rate of change of words in English and the languages that share a common heritage.

The team says it can predict which words are likely to become extinct - citing "squeeze", "guts", "stick" and "bad" as probable first casualties. "

Labels: art, education, world

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 6:23 AM | Permalink | Comments

"The Federal Reserve Board on Monday launched a new section of its website expanding the information provided about the policy tools the Federal Reserve has employed to address the financial crisis and simplifying access to that information."

..

The new section of the Board's website can be accessed at: http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst.htm

In addition, as part of ongoing enhancements to the Board's website, a new tool has been added to allow for advanced searches of recent and historical Federal Open Market Committee material. 

Labels: education, finance, united states

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 9:51 PM | Permalink | Comments

"Lots of blogging lately about the 21st Century skills movement.  Now, E.D. Hirsch, Diane Ravitch, Dan Willingham and Ken Kay, the President of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills will have at it at a panel discussion in Washington, DC on Tuesday, Feb. 24, titled “What is the Proper Role of Skills in the Curriculum? A critique of the idea of 21st century skills.”  Details on the program, which is hosted by Common Core and moderated by its co-chair, Antonia Cortese are here.  If you’d like to attend send an email to info@commoncore.org."

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 12:28 AM | Permalink | Comments

"ScienceDaily (Feb. 20, 2009) — If you offer something of value to people for free while someone else charges a hefty sum of money for the same type of product, one would logically assume that most people would choose the free option. According to new research in the February 20 edition of the journal Science, if the product in question is access to scholarly papers and research, that logic might just be wrong. These findings provide new insight into the nature of scholarly discourse and the future of the open source publication movement."

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 12:21 AM | Permalink | Comments

"ScienceDaily (Feb. 20, 2009) — We engage in numerous discussions throughout the day, about a variety of topics, from work assignments to the Super Bowl to what we are having for dinner that evening. We effortlessly move from conversation to conversation, probably not thinking twice about our brain's ability to understand everything that is being said to us. How does the brain turn seemingly random sounds and letters into sentences with clear meaning?"

….

But how does the language brain act so fast? Recent findings suggest that, as we read or have a conversation, our brains are continuously trying to predict upcoming information. Van Berkum suggests that this anticipation is a combination of a detailed analysis about what has been said before with taking 'quick-and-dirty' shortcuts to figure out what, most likely, the next bit of information will be

…..

Journal reference:

1. Van Berkum et al. Understanding Sentences in Context: What Brain Waves Can Tell Us. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2008; 17 (6): 376 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8721.2008.00609.x

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments

" According to a new analysis of data about the U.S. foreign-born population from the 2007 American Community Survey (ACS), a higher percentage of people born in India have a bachelors degree or higher (74 percent) than people born in any other foreign country. Egypt and Nigeria had rates above 60 percent.  …     Meanwhile, among the nation’s foreign-born, Somalis and Kenyans living in the United States are the most likely to be newcomers, and Somalis are among the youngest and poorest   …

     The new data reveal the diversity among the 38.1 million foreign-born living in the United States in 2007, not only by where they were born, but also by where they live now.

       Other findings available for foreign-born populations of 65,000 or more in areas with a total population of 500,000 or more include the following : click here to route to the Census Report

Labels: education, united states, world

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 1:42 PM | Permalink | Comments

"Children who communicate using a wide variety of gestures at the age of 14 months have a much larger vocabulary at age four-and-a-half, and fare much better in school, a study said……study found that socioeconomic status differences are clearly evident in the initial stages of language learning.

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 8:08 AM | Permalink | Comments

Webinars

Balancing the budget in an economy like this one is going to take some ingenuity and fresh thinking. But in sitting down to talk about tough problems like this one, we've found that a little experience – and a few tips from our public engagement experts – can be extremely valuable.

Students Face Up to the Nation's Finances is offering that help online – for faculty members using any part of our curriculum, and for students and civic leaders interested in leading discussions on the federal budget and national debt, the ways they are shaping our future, and choices we face in fighting the tide of red ink.

Webinars conducted by Chris Haller and Gwen Wright, both from Public Agenda's Public Engagement team, are available free of charge to registered academic and civic users of the FacingUp.org website. We urge you to register now for the webinar that best suits your needs."

Labels: education, finance

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments

This tip from LifeHacker:

http://lifehacker.com/5083065/get-around-academic-paper-restrictions

enables you to get around restrictions and see academic papers online.   Useful. "

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 5:50 PM | Permalink | Comments

"Learning their community language outside the home enhances minority ethnic children's development, according to research led from the University of Birmingham. The research, which was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, found that attending language classes at complementary schools has a positive impact on students."

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 8:49 PM | Permalink | Comments

"Robert Shiller, who has organized a behavioral finance workshop with Richard Thaler since 1991, lectures on the subject in his Financial Markets class. Runs about an hour."

Financial Markets (ECON 252)
Behavioral Finance is a relatively recent revolution in finance that applies insights from all of the social sciences to finance. New decision-making models incorporate psychology and sociology, among other disciplines, to explain economic and financial phenomenon, such as erratic stock price variations. Psychological patterns such as overconfidence and perceived kinks in the value function seem to impact financial decision-making, but are not included in classical theories such as the Expected Utility Theory. Kahneman and Tversky's Prospect Theory addresses such issues and sheds light on irrational deviations from traditional decision-making models.
Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses

Labels: education, finance

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 5:39 AM | Permalink | Comments

Welcome to the Darwin Day Celebration website

“Darwin Day is a global celebration of science and reason held on or around Feb. 12, the birthday anniversary of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin. This year marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth.

On this website you can find all sorts of information about Charles Darwin and the Darwin Day Celebration. If you are hosting a Darwin Day event, you can post information about it on our events listing. You can also locate Darwin Day programs near you by searching our events section.

We have also provided resources for hosting Darwin Day events, including promotional support and a list of potential Darwin Day presenters.”

http://www.darwinday.org

Labels: education, science

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 9:48 AM | Permalink | Comments

The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts presented cleanly (without advertising or excessive layout) for educational use."

THE INTERNET HISTORY SOURCEBOOKS

• Internet Ancient History Sourcebook

  A "classroom usable" sourcebook of copy-permitted material for Ancient history and civilization courses.

• Internet Medieval Sourcebook

  This is an online source book of copy-permitted, although not necessarily copyright-free, source material for Medieval Studies. It is the largest online resource of medieval and Byzantine textual sources. 

• Internet Modern History Sourcebook

  Now with almost as many online texts as the Medieval Sourcebook, this also constitutes a "classroom usable" sourcebook of copy-permitted material for Modern European history and Modern Civilization courses. North American and Latin American documents are located within its structure.

SUBSIDIARY SOURCEBOOKS

The following consist of thematically based subsets of texts, with some additional documents and links, of the three main Sourcebooks listed above.

• Internet African History Sourcebook

• Internet East Asian History Sourcebook

• Internet Global History Sourcebook

• Internet Indian History Sourcebook

• Internet Islamic History Sourcebook

• Internet Jewish History Sourcebook

• Internet History of Science Sourcebook

• Internet Women's History Sourcebook

• People With a History: An Online Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans* History

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments

"The Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History is the first true encyclopedic reference on world history. It is designed to meet the needs of students, teachers, and scholars who seek to explore -- and understand -- the panorama of our shared history of humans. Anyone who loves history -- including those who are making history today -- will find this work an endless source of fascinating, thought-provoking coverage of events, people, patterns, and processes.
The encyclopedia takes a dynamic world history perspective, showing connections and interactions and change over time and place. Major articles by leading scholars, including Martin Marty and Immanuel Wallerstein, examine essential themes and patterns such as Art, Disease, Government, Religion, Science, and War and Peace. Branching out from these overviews are hundreds of articles on processes, movements, places, events, and people. Students and teachers at the high school and college levels, as well as scholars and professionals, will turn to this definitive work for a connected, holistic, view of world history -- the story of humans and their place in the universe."

Labels: education, world

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments

“Although American teachers spend more working hours in classrooms than do instructors in some of the top-performing European and Asian countries,” says an Education Week story on a new professional development study, “U.S. students routinely post below-average scores on international exams.” 

Why is this a “paradox” as EdWeek observes?  If you spent more hours on the job than top-performing European and Asian workers, would you expect to be wealthier than they are?  Time on task only makes a difference if you’re using it wisely.  Doing more of what doesn’t work won’t change the outcome."

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 12:13 AM | Permalink | Comments

{Sorry for the mistake in the date of the conference. It should be 4-6 May 2009.Please find attached the corrected announcement. }

Dear Colleagues

The attached is an announcement about a competition among students and awarding the 10 best short films on university.  I need your help in disseminating this announcement to your students as well as to all relevant addresses (e.g. students’ organizations).

Thanks a lot.

Adnan ElAmine

Adnan El Amine,

Coordinator,

Arab Regional Conference on Higher Education (ARCHE + 10)"

 

click here for the document

Labels: arab, education, middle east

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 5:48 AM | Permalink | Comments

"In recent years, voters, educators and policymakers in a number of states have become involved in the debate over how public school students should learn about life's origins. The debate has taken place at various levels of state government, from legislatures to local school boards. In some states and localities, evolution opponents argue for academic freedom in an effort to grant teachers and students the right to question evolutionary theory. Supporters of teaching evolution counter that such efforts could replace science with religiously based notions in the classroom. What follows is a sampling of recent action in 14 states in which the teaching of evolution has stirred controversy."

click here for the list of actions per each state

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 8:29 PM | Permalink | Comments

"ScienceDaily (Feb. 2, 2009) — While a higher level of education may help lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease, new research shows that once educated people start to become forgetful, a higher level of education does not appear to protect against how fast they will lose their memory. The research is published in the February 3, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology."

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments

"(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers, including John Johnson, professor of psychology at Penn State DuBois, have discovered that literature may inspire readers to be ethical members of society. "As an evolutionary psychologist," said Johnson, "I am especially interested in the impact of literature on the emotions of the reader, and in what function these emotions serve.""

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 9:20 AM | Permalink | Comments

"(PhysOrg.com) -- A study of college freshmen in the United States and in China found that Chinese students know more science facts than their American counterparts -- but both groups are nearly identical when it comes to their ability to do scientific reasoning."

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments

"(PhysOrg.com) -- The teaching of languages could be revolutionised following ground-breaking research by Victoria University, New Zealand, PhD graduate Paul Sulzberger. Dr Sulzberger has found that the best way to learn a language is through frequent exposure to its sound patterns--even if you haven't a clue what it all means."

…

"However crazy it might sound, just listening to the language, even though you don't understand it, is critical. A lot of language teachers may not accept that," he says.

"Our ability to learn new words is directly related to how often we have been exposed to the particular combinations of the sounds which make up the words. If you want to learn Spanish, for example, frequently listening to a Spanish language radio station on the internet will dramatically boost your ability to pick up the language and learn new words."

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 7:33 AM | Permalink | Comments

"A child protection database containing the contact details for all under 18-year-olds in England will be accessible to 390,000 staff, say ministers.

The ContactPoint database is intended to improve information sharing between professionals working with children. "

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 8:33 AM | Permalink | Comments

"There's lots of evidence that most TV isn't beneficial to toddlers, and it may even be harmful. But can't kids learn from TV too? Isn't that supposed to be what shows like Teletubbies, Barney, and Sesame street are all about? For older children, three and above, it does seem to be true that some learning can occur, but for two-year-olds and younger, the evidence tells a different story.

Few studies have shown any evidence that two-year-olds can learn from TV anywhere near as well as they learn from real-world experiences. While they clearly can distinguish between nonsense programming and real shows, they don't do much at all with the information presented in the shows. One study found they can't imitate actions shown on TV as well as live actions, and another showed they don't learn labels for objects from TV shows."

Labels: education, society

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments

Steven D. Levitt writes:

“The one question I ask most often about the internet is the following: why do people make such great stuff and then give it away for free?

The website Poptropica is a perfect example. Poptropica is a virtual online world in which children take part in adventures that require creativity, persistence, logic, and coordination to solve. If you have kids aged 6 to 12, it is definitely worth taking a look.

Not only is it fun for kids, but it is fun for adults too (at least this adult), and it is a great learning tool."

Labels: education, technology

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 11:27 PM | Permalink | Comments

"The death of the video game arcade has not, alas, been greatly exaggerated. For gamers older than 30, memories of plugging endless quarters into Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat and After Burner cabinets are just that: memories. In most of the world, arcades with stand-up cabinets and pinball machines have been replaced by high-powered home consoles.

…..

That's the topic of a new book by Brian Ashcraft, who now resides in Osaka writing about video games and technology for gaming blog Kotaku, Wired magazine and other outlets.

The Dallas native has penned perhaps the first coffee table book for gamers: "Arcade Mania: The Turbo-Charged World of Japan's Game Centers."

Labels: education, media, technology

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments

Students Covering Bigger Share of Costs of College - NYTimes.com : "College students are covering more of what it costs to educate them, even as most colleges are spending less on students, according to a new study."

The study, based on data that colleges and universities report to the federal government, also found that the share of higher education budgets that goes to instruction has declined, while the portion spent on administrative costs has increased.

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments

Web site design affects how children process information : "Tacoma, WA - January 14, 2009 -A new study in the journal Psychology & Marketing investigates the influence of website design on children's information processing. Results show that the type of interface used can significantly affect how children process and retain information; age strongly affected this relationship."

The study found that the type of navigational aid used (map or just a content list), along with the presence or absence of learning cues, significantly affected search accuracy and information recall among younger children (ages 7 - 9).

Younger children (ages 7 - 9) preferred a map because they tend to process information holistically. Older children (ages 10 - 13) were better able to use a content list, because they are more equipped to select information and ignore irrelevant material.

Additionally, to reinforce younger children's learning of Web information, learning cues were provided to emphasize specific information to be remembered. These learning cues aided younger children's recall of information, while older children were able to process this information without these cues.

Labels: education, society

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments

"Education video on learning the basics of our very important money system and inflation, and how the 2 are connected with subjects such as money supply and goods and services." by TruthFN

Labels: education, finance

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments

World’s First Word Resource Created to Enhance Spelling of Arabic Speaking Students :: MENAFN - Middle East North Africa . Financial Network

Labels: arab, education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 6:53 AM | Permalink | Comments

TOP BEDTIME STORIES OF 2008

1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (1969)
2. Mr Men, Roger Hargreaves (1971)
3. The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson (1999)
4. Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne (1926)
5. Aliens Love Underpants, Claire Freedman & Ben Cort (2007)
6. Thomas and Friends from The Railway Series, Rev.W.Awdry (1945)
7. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame (1908)
8. What a Noisy Pinky Ponk!, Andrew Davenport (2008)
9. Charlie and Lola, Lauren Child (2001)
10. Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Robert Southey (1837

TOP 10 FAIRY TALES WE NO LONGER READ

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
2. Hansel and Gretel
3. Cinderella
4. Little Red Riding Hood
5. The Gingerbread Man
6. Jack and the Beanstalk
7. Sleeping Beauty
8. Beauty and the Beast
9. Goldilocks and the Three Bears
10. The Emperor’s New Clothes

Labels: education, society

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 9:28 AM | Permalink | Comments

Indirect County and State Estimates of the Percentage of Adults at the Lowest Literacy Level for 1992 and 2003

The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) assessed the English literacy skills of a nationally representative sample of 18,500 U.S. adults (age 16 and older) residing in private households. NAAL is the first national assessment of adult literacy since the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS). The NAAL and NALS produced direct estimates of Prose, Document, and Quantitative literacy, each reported on a 0 to 500 scale and on four performance levels: Below Basic, Basic, Intermediate, and Proficient based on this scale. This report, describes the statistical methodology used to produce the model-dependent—indirect—estimates of the percentages of adults at the lowest literacy level for individual states and counties for 1992 and 2003. The county and state indirect estimates themselves are provided at the NAAL website http://nces.ed.gov/NAAL (the state indirect estimates are also provided in appendices to this report). The measure chosen for the indirect estimation is the percentage of adults lacking Basic prose literacy skills (BPLS). The literacy of adults who lack BPLS ranges from being unable to read and understand any written information in English to being able to locate easily identifiable information in short, commonplace prose text, but nothing more advanced. It should be noted that adults who were not able to take the assessment because they were not able to communicate in English or Spanish (i.e. language barrier cases) are included in the indirect estimates and classified as lacking BPLS because they can be considered to be at the lowest level of English literacy.

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 8:57 AM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education, finance

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 5:30 AM | Permalink | Comments

“It took a guy with a college degree to screw this up and a guy with a high school degree to fix it.”

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 1:41 PM | Permalink | Comments

Distance Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions: 2006-07

The 2006-07 study on distance education collected information on the prevalence, types, delivery, policies, and acquisition or development of distance education courses and programs. Findings indicate that during the 2006-07 academic year, two-thirds (66 percent) of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting postsecondary institutions reported offering online, hybrid/blended online, or other distance education courses for any level or audience. Sixty-five percent of the institutions reported college-level credit-granting distance education courses, and 23 percent of the institutions reported noncredit distance education courses. Sixty-one percent of 2-year and 4-year institutions reported offering online courses, 35 percent reported hybrid/blended courses, and 26 percent reported other types of college-level credit-granting distance education courses. Together, distance education courses accounted for an estimated 12.2 million enrollments (or registrations). Asynchronous (not simultaneous or real-time) Internet-based technologies were cited as the most widely used technology for the instructional delivery of distance education courses; they were used to a large extent in 75 percent and to a moderate extent in 17 percent of the institutions that offered college-level credit-granting distance education courses. The most common factors cited as affecting distance education decisions to a major extent were meeting student demand for flexible schedules, providing access to college for students who would otherwise not have access, making more courses available, and seeking to increase student enrollment.

download report here

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments

The original study was published online in 2003 at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. The 2005 rankings were published online at Central Connecticut State University and are accessible here. The 2006 rankings are here. And the 2007 rankings are here. Dr. John W. Miller, president of Central Connecticut State University, is the author of this study. Research for this edition of AMLC was conducted in collaboration with the Center for Public Policy and Social Research at CCSU."

Labels: education, united states

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 3:10 PM | Permalink | Comments

Numbers of doctorates awarded in 2007 rose in both the science and engineering (S&E) and non-S&E field-of-study categories. S&E doctorates totaled 31,801 (66.1% of all doctorates) in 2007, an increase of 6.5% over 2006 and 16.6% since 1998. All science fields except chemistry and psychology reached record numbers of awards in 2007, with the highest number being awarded in the biological sciences (7,173, or 14.9% of all doctorates). In chemistry, awards decreased by 1.5% in 2007 but have increased overall by 5.1% since 1998. The number of psychology awards increased 1.1% over 2006 but have declined 10.3% since 1998, from 3,673 to 3,294. Awards in engineering increased 7.8% in 2007 and rose 30.8% over the last decade, from 5,921 in 1998 to 7,745 in 2007. Every engineering field but mechanical engineering reported record numbers of awards in 2007. Electrical engineering was the fastest growing engineering field during the decade 1998–2007, with the number of doctorates awarded in that field increasing 51.0%.

The number of awards in non-S&E fields reached 16,278 in 2007 and grew at a slower pace than did those in S&E fields: 3.4% in the last year and 6.0% since 1998. Within non-S&E fields, awards in education reversed their downward trend, growing from 6,120 in 2006 to 6,429 in 2007, but were 3.2% below their 2003 peak (6,643). Doctoral awards in the humanities declined by 4.6% in the last year and have declined by 4.4% since 1998. Awards in health (2,134 in 2007) showed substantial growth: a 12.0% increase in 2007 and a 42.4% increase over the last decade. Similarly, doctorates in professional fields (2,825 in 2007) increased 8.9% over 2006 and have increased 29.8% since 1998.

Labels: education, united states

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments

"The United States has amassed nearly $10 trillion in federal debt and about $50 trillion in unfunded liabilities — all at a time when our nation faces a deepening financial and economic crisis. With health-care costs rapidly rising and 78 million baby boomers about to retire, straining our Social Security and Medicare systems, our country faces severe long-term fiscal challenges, which could lead to steep tax hikes, major cutbacks in federal spending, higher interest rates, inflation and a declining economy — not to mention an unsustainable path for our children and grandchildren. "

Labels: education, finance, united states

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 8:35 PM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education, finance, politics, science, society, technology

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education

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Labels: education, science, technology

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 7:26 AM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education, united states

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Labels: education, middle east

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments

• At Grade 4, five countries (Singapore, Hong Kong
  SAR, Chinese Taipei, Japan, and the Flemish portion of
  Belgium) performed significantly better than the United
  States. However, the United States (at 39%
  proficiency) performed better than the international average
  (27% proficiency) of all 24 countries

• At Grade 8, eight countries (Singapore, Hong Kong
  SAR, Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Belgium
  (Flemish), Netherlands, and Hungary) performed
  significantly better than the United States.
  However, the United States (at 31% proficiency) performed
  better than the international average (21% proficiency) of
  all 44 countries.

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments

1. Accounting

2. Electrical engineering

3. Mechanical engineering

4. Business administration/management

5. Economics/finance

6. Computer science

7. Computer engineering

8. Marketing/marketing management

9. Chemical engineering

10. Information sciences and systems

but students favor the following majors:

1. Business Administration

2. Psychology

3. Nursing

4. Biology/Biological Science

5. Education

6. English Language and Literature

7. Economics

8. Communications Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric

9. Political Science and Government

10. Computer and Information Sciences

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek at 10:07 PM | Permalink | Comments

[Nielsen] found that people took in hundreds of pages "in a pattern that's very different from what you learned in school." It looks like a capital letter F. At the top, users read all the way across, but as they proceed their descent quickens and horizontal sight contracts, with a slowdown around the middle of the page. Near the bottom, eyes move almost vertically, the lower-right corner of the page largely ignored. It happens quickly, too. "F for fast," Nielsen wrote in a column. "That's how users read your precious content."

"Teens have a short attention span and want to be stimulated. That's also why they leave sites that are difficult to figure out." For them, the Web isn't a place for reading and study and knowledge. It spells the opposite. "Teenagers don't like to read a lot on the Web. They get enough of that at school."

Once again, this is not so much about the content students prefer — Facebook, YouTube, etc. — or whether they use the Web for homework or not. It is about the reading styles they employ. They race across the surface, dicing language and ideas into bullets and graphics, seeking what they already want and shunning the rest. They convert history, philosophy, literature, civics, and fine art into information, material to retrieve and pass along.

"I continue to believe in the linear, author-driven narrative for educational purposes. I just don't believe the Web is optimal for delivering this experience. Instead, let's praise old narrative forms like books and sitting around a flickering campfire — or its modern-day counterpart, the PowerPoint projector," [Nielsen] says. "We should accept that the Web is too fast-paced for big-picture learning. No problem; we have other media, and each has its strengths. At the same time, the Web is perfect for narrow, just-in-time learning of information nuggets — so long as the learner already has the conceptual framework in place to make sense of the facts."

Labels: education

Posted by Tarek at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments

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Posted by Tarek at 8:41 AM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: arab, education

Posted by Tarek at 7:14 PM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education

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Labels: education, middle east

Posted by Tarek at 6:21 AM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education, united states

Posted by Tarek at 6:42 AM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: education, united states

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 6:33 AM | Permalink | Comments

If I had a platoon of Ph.D students, my suggestions for research would be based on what I see as the following shortcomings in mainstream economics.

1. Too much emphasis on characterizing equilibrium conditions in mathematical terms. Not enough emphasis on the processes of economic and institutional change.

2. Too little role for entrepreneurs. In Austrian economics, entrepreneurs can be arbitrageurs/equilibrators (Kirzner) or creative destroyers (Schumpeter).

3. Too much knowledge attributed to economic agents. Mainstream economics misses the role of markets as a learning mechanism; instead, it posits economic agents who have little or nothing to learn.

4. An assumption that when incentives are poorly aligned (aka "market failure"), government involvement is necessary and sufficient to address the problem. As a result, mainstream economics does not allow for institutional entrepreneurs--entrepreneurs who develop new solutions to incentive problems.

With that as background, let me suggest some research avenues.

1. Institutional change. Douglass North has focused on this. But there is a lot more to be said about the conditions that give rise to institutional change, the actors who bring it about, and so on. The work of Vernon Smith and others on institutional design is also relevant, but I am more interested in how the market goes about creating new institutions than in how an economist would advise someone to design an institution.

2. Long-term growth. Yes, plenty of people look at this issue. But as Robert Lucas famously said, once one sees the magnitudes involved it is hard to think about anything else. And it's fair to say that de Soto, North, William Lewis, William Easterly and others have only begun to develop theories and evidence on this issue.

3. Employment fluctuations. We have much more interesting data now, with statistics on gross flows in the labor market, which are much larger than the net changes in employment and unemployment. This data ought to be exploited by researchers who think in terms of disequilibrium, market learning, and creative destruction.

4. Innovation, especially financial innovation. Again, there is a lot of room for useful work to be done in a framework that does not start by assuming away the main problems--local knowledge and the need for trial-and-error learning. Local knowledge, in my view, is the key to understanding financial markets--and why "transparency" is a false goal. Even outside the financial sector, the innovation process is poorly understood. Amar Bhide and William Baumol have made useful contributions, but there is much more useful work to be done.

Labels: education, finance

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

They were in parcels each containing small packets of manuscript wrapped in tissue paper on which the subjects had been noted in Darwin's hand. They were presumably just as Darwin left them, and accordingly this arrangement was preserved when they were bound, the volumes now representing as closely as possible Charles Darwin's papers in the order in which he left them. Beside the original papers there were copies of a large number of letters to Darwin, collections of press-cuttings, etc.

Labels: education, media, world

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 9:31 AM | Permalink | Comments

"It's an epidemic, but we don't treat it like an epidemic..People simply aren't aware of how big the problem is. It's worse than people think. The numbers are understated – well understated. The question is, why have they been understating the numbers for so long when the truth is so obvious?"

Labels: education, united states

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 5:04 AM | Permalink | Comments

MENA countries on average dedicated 5% of GDP and 20% of government expenditures to education—more than other developing countries at similar levels of per capita income.

MENA countries have reached almost full primary education enrollment and increased enrollment in secondary schools almost threefold between 1970 and 2003 and fivefold at the higher education level.

Gender-parity for basic education is virtually complete. Although the region started from relatively low levels of gender parity, indexes for secondary and higher education aren't significantly different from Latin America and East Asia.

Illiteracy rates have been halved in the past 20 years and the absolute difference between male and female adult literacy rates has declined rapidly.

Labels: education, middle east

Posted by Tarek Hoteit at 6:50 AM | Permalink | Comments