Google Announces Project 10^100 Winners 133
Kilrah_il writes with news that Google has selected winners for Project 10^100, a contest to find the best ideas to change the world. Among the winners is the Khan Academy, which we've discussed previously. Google is "providing $2 million to support the creation of more courses and to enable the Khan Academy to translate their core library into the world’s most widely spoken languages." The other winning projects are: FIRST, an organization fostering math and science education through team competition; Public.Resource.Org, a government transparency effort focused on online access to public documents; Shweeb, a silly-looking method of human-powered urban transit; and the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, a center aimed at promoting graduate-level math and science education in Africa.
Re:Interesting Ideas (Score:3, Interesting)
You should read their faq,
Honestly, after looking at that project, I have to ask, "Why the hell wouldn't I just walk to my destination? Or ride my bike?"
On firm, flat ground, a 70kg man requires about 100 watts to walk at 5km/h. The power required to move a Shweeb along a rail at 20km/h is only 33 watts. We rest our case!
33W is nothing, you could do 33W in a business suit for 20 minutes and not break a sweat. This efficiency also ties into the passing problem, since the top speed is limited to 25km/h for safety reasons and 25km/h can easily be reached with considerably less effort than walking the main lines should always be moving at top speed. There are apparently bumpers on the front and back of each bubble that make hitting even a stationary bubble at that speed safe and comfortable, at which point people behind can push a slower rider along at the max speed with little increase in effort (since two bubbles pushed up against one another are very aerodynamically efficient).
All in all, I'd say that the system is remarkably more practical than it appears at first glance. My initial reaction was the same as everyone else's, but looking at their faq it's seems they've thought through the issues quite well. Don't know if you'll ever see one constructed in your home town, but I could definitely see scenic routes being quite popular in some areas.
Re:Interesting Ideas (Score:3, Interesting)
Honestly, after looking at that project, I have to ask, "Why the hell wouldn't I just walk to my destination? Or ride my bike?"
Because you can't get sustained 70kps with bicycles without shortening the average lifespan.
So....to clarify, they talk about the problems of transportation including not having enough leg room or space, and their solution is for you to lock yourself in a bubble....hmmmmm.
Yes- you can stretch your legs in the pod, which you can't in all trains/buses. "Bubble" is misleading- it's not spherical. It's more of a rounded coffin, but far roomier and not claustrophobic. As for locking, yes, it's probably a good idea when suspended in the air moving at that speed, to ensure that you don't fall out.
There's obviously room for adaptation to mass-market, which might just benefit from, say, I don't know- a little investment?
Too Much Hype for the Khan Academy! (Score:2, Interesting)
I applaud Khan's effort and I'm sure the videos do help some people but I draw the line at it deserving a two million dollar grant for growth. What are these videos other than direct instruction (i.e. the traditional lecture)? We have a lot of evidence that direct instruction is a very inefficient way to learn something. Furthermore, access to videos only helps those who have the required internet connection and are intrinsically motivated to seek out the knowledge (the typical Slashdot user might fit that model but I assure the rest of the world does not).
Shouldn't there be some some scientific testing of the effectiveness of the Khan Academy before giving it $2million to expand. The summary even calls the videos courses! Courses have an implied pedagogical trajectory that helps learner gain some level of mastery on the subject being taught. These videos barely qualify.
Re:Just curious... (Score:5, Interesting)
I just keep hearing how "evil" Google is becoming... but they do stuff like this when nobody else seems to. These types of projects are the kinds of things an idealistic socialist government would do... yet here's a capitalist organisation doing them.
Not Enough Hype for the Khan Academy! (Score:5, Interesting)
As a person who graduated from a major state college with a minor in math about 3 years ago, I really wish I had even one math teacher in my entire schooling experience who was even half as good of a teacher as Salmon Khan. I've gone over his Calculus videos, because I felt my Calculus skills were lacking, as I'd originally been taught by a lady who could just barely speak English. In my opinion, these videos represent a better educational experience than about 95% of the school that I've attended. I've had a few better classes in person, but most "teachers" are barely qualified, in my personal experience.
Something to understand about Khan's videos, they can be helpful to anyone who can speak English. There are numerous reports of it being a useful tool for students in Africa. Many students have used it to pass the California Algebra I standards test. I suppose there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that it's effective, nobody's done a major study yet.
About a month ago, Slashdot posted an article [slashdot.org] about a 578 million dollar high school being built. Now you're demonizing Google for giving 1/289th that amount to an institution that will likely reach 50+ times the audience, who are probably more in need of a better education anyway? I don't think that makes any sense at all.
In the business world, two million dollars is chump change. Angel investors throw a lot more money than that at an idea without scientific evidence of it working. This seems like an excellent opportunity to throw a little money at an interesting education opportunity, and see how it pays off.
Re:Not Enough Hype for the Khan Academy! (Score:3, Interesting)
This seems like an excellent opportunity to throw a little money at an interesting education opportunity, and see how it pays off.
Where is anyone talking about see how this 'pays off'? How do you tell if it 'pays off'? Anecdotal evidence is just that and not the substitute for a scientific evaluation. How about we spend some of the money to explore that?
Now you're demonizing Google for giving 1/289th that amount to an institution that will likely reach 50+ times the audience, who are probably more in need of a better education anyway?
Don't you think that something that has the potential to reach a much wider audience should be carefully tested before released into the wild?