Cross-Currents of Online Learning

Shmoop University, Inc. Confidential

Ellen SiminoffPresident & CEO, Shmoop

Oct. 9, 2010

My Window Seat to the Media & Technology Revolution

The World Was Changing

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The Newly Liberated Masses Were Hungry…

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I Fell in Love with Business and Media(Dad Forgave Me... Eventually.)

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Media Was About to Change Drastically. But Nobody Really Knew “How”

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LATimes.comDec 21, 1996

I Joined Yahoo! in 1995

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Now, I’m Taking Part in the Nascent Digital Education Revolution

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The Internet Revolution, Your Students & the Columbian Exchange

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How do we guide students through the Internet Revolution? Help them

find the corn and horses… and avoid the smallpox

Avoid the Smallpox of the Internet Revolution

Unreliable Sources

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Polarization of Discourse

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Taking things at Face Value Rather than Digging Deeper

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Disappearance of Privacy

• 69% of teens freely divulged their physical location

• 28% percent chatted with strangers.

• Of those who chatted with strangers– 43% shared their first name– 24% shared their e-mail address– 18% posted photos of themselves– 12% posted their cell phone number

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Internet ADD

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Of Course, We’ve Heard this Kind of Technophobia Before

“In the “Phaedrus,” Socrates lamented the invention of books, which “create forgetfulness” in the soul. Instead

of remembering for themselves, Socrates warned, new readers were blindly trusting in “external written

characters.” The library was ruining the mind.”

– NY Times review panning Nicholas Carr’s book

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Internet ADD & Your Students

Smallpox• Shorter attention span• May have trouble going

deep on a specific topic

• Image: a kid with multiple computers, tv, etc. open

• Cite the study/book so teachers can look it up

Corn, Horses• Parallel processing• Take in enormous amounts

of data• Drawing connections • You really can go deeper• Think non-linearly• Cost-savings: textbooks

don’t have to be a monopoly

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Learning Needs are Shifting

20th Century

• Access to Information

21st Century

• Finding good information• Drawing connections

between disparate data, disciplines, and content

Today’s students need help learning how to filter out the noise

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Help Students Find the Corn & Horses of the Internet

Revolution

The Internet Breeds Cross-Current Thinking

Connecting Primary & Secondary Sources

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Non-Linear Exploration, Connections & Discovery

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“Shmoop” (v., Yiddish slang):

To give a nudge in the right direction

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Shmoop 1920s BOTW

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• Economic analysis of the Great Crash

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• Image Analysis: Gibson Girls versus the Flappers

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Mobile Devices: The New Frontier

Corn. Horses. You Know the Drill.

Mobile

Smallpox– Communication even more

truncated– Cheating– Distraction

Corn, Horses– Always accessible– Geo-based– Access to a huge amount of

content– Vastly more computing

power in your pocket than 5 years ago

– Easy sharing– Competition / Games

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We Love Your Brain on Shmocial Studies

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Trivia Time

For a Shirt!

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Which of the following did not exist in Europe before 1492 -- tomatoes, potatoes, corn, strawberries, or chocolate?Which of the following did not exist in Europe before 1492 -- tomatoes, potatoes, corn, strawberries, or chocolate?

In 1515, how many European cities had populations larger than the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan?In 1515, how many European cities had populations larger than the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan?

On the eve of the American Revolution, rum accounted for what percentage of New England's exports?On the eve of the American Revolution, rum accounted for what percentage of New England's exports?

Who was the oldest delegate at the Constitutional Convention?Who was the oldest delegate at the Constitutional Convention?

More Shirtage

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Who was the last US President to have no college education?Who was the last US President to have no college education?

What did the "S" in Harry S Truman stand for?What did the "S" in Harry S Truman stand for?

In 1850, what percentage of California's population was male?In 1850, what percentage of California's population was male?

What was Ernest Hemingway's favorite store for buying clothes and hunting gear?What was Ernest Hemingway's favorite store for buying clothes and hunting gear?

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Ellen Siminoff – ellen@shmoop.com

We’ll Stick Around for a Bit (Look for Brady in the Shmoop Shirt)

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