Poet Ponders the Digital

Online education is an accommodation to life's realities. For years I denied that online education was in many ways inferior to physical campuses. But, now that I'm working at a research university, my views are evolving. There simply are things that online education cannot do. Denying the differences, the strengths and weaknesses of various "locations" of education, can lead us to become promoters of either online or physical campuses. We should instead admit the space in which an institution exists matters. I once argued that online degrees awarded by leading universities could improve a regional economy. Now, I admit that the most a handful of degrees can do is improve the lives of a fraction of residents. A quick tangent: most online degrees aren't from leading universities. I've taught in an online program at a regional university and online was not equivalent to the on-campus degree. I don't blame the instructors who did all they could to ma...

English: Apple IIe computer (enhanced version) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Visalia Direct: Virtual Valley October 7, 2013 Deadline November 2013 Issue Apple Tech is Evolutionary, Not Revolutionary Technology revolutions are not as sudden as people believe. Not even Apple has released successful revolutionary products every year or two. “The Myth of Steve Jobs’ Constant Breakthroughs” by Harry McCracken, appeared on Time Magazine ’s Techland site in September, 2013 (http://techland.time.com/). McCraken examines the myth of “revolution” that has lingered after the death of Jobs. You have to feel sorry for chief executive Tim Cook and lead designer Jonathan (“Jony”) Ive, as they try to live up to mythology. Apple, as a company, has a mixed history of innovation. My wife and I are an Apple household. We own an iMac , Mac mini, a collection of MacBook Pro models, iPhones , iPods , and an iPad. Apple dares to deliver products that its designers and engineers want, not what cust...