Posted on by Sean Connor

For those of you who took a little break for the last week, here is a modest (yet engaging) news round up to end 2012. Also, we want to wish a very happy and healthy New Year to all! We’re looking forward to an eventful and exciting 2013 here at Saylor.org!

And now, on to the next one…

NYE Image
After this article, Jay-Z’s book Decoded is on the reading list for 2013. As J describes his early life and overcoming the obstacles he faced before reaching his eventual fame, writer Nathaniel Whittemore sees inspiration for redefining how we approach the education revolution. Or more accurately, he insists that it’s inspiration and belief, not necessarily new technology, that’s missing in the conversation.
credit – OER Daily

Jump Off the Coursera Bandwagon (Chronicle)
Of interest in this article: “We want to align with universities that share our passion for customization to create a social movement. Working together, we can develop a platform that leverages all our strengths while using the best of the online environment to educate students. Partner institutions can share courses across that platform, allowing our students to take classes that are customized around their individual needs and goals.”  Well said.

What it Takes to be a Teacherprenuer (EdSurge)
This article notes that teachers are “-preneuring” every day in the classroom, but with the mix of the right characteristics (and perhaps the zeal to raise some seed money) teachers are emerging entrepreneurs and innovators on the scene at companies like Imagine K12, Learnboost and LessonCast. (Shameless plug and shout-out to the Saylor.org teachers and profs – building online OER courses is no small feat. Thanks for all you do!)

Size Isn’t Everything: For academe’s future, think mash-ups not MOOC’s
On the one hand, there this: “Far too many of the MOOC’s championed in the article use talking heads and multiple-choice quizzes in fairly standard subject areas in conventional disciplines taught by famous teachers at elite universities. There is little that prepares students for learning in the fuzzy, merged world that Negroponte sees as necessary for thriving in the 21st century.” But our stuff is also mash-uppable, so…?

Here are a few more offerings before we sign off for the remainder of 2012 (yes, all 12 hours of it). Let the countdown begin. Happy New Year!!

Placement Tests Still Rule (Inside HigherEd)

Promise and Pitfalls in Online Education (Inside HigherEd)

For Whom Is College Being Reinvented?  (Chronicle)

National Groups Call for Big Changes in Remedial Education (Chronicle)

photo credit: @superamit via photopin CC BY NC 2.0