Hi Nick,

A model for Good Academia is distance learning.  As universities disappear
in the next decades (they're all elite now considering the cost of higher
education everywhere), we will see the birth of a new democracy based on
the opportunity for all to be educated.  This is the most exciting movement
toward economic justice in the U.S. since the 19th Amendment to the
Constitution.  Good Academia is web-enabled academia for everyone!  Yea!

I'm under contract in Canada to develop on-line curriculum in applied
Complexity, using a "hybrid model" that includes just the type of
reflective dialogue you're talking about.  And because Stephen has been a
big influence on me, I'm incorporating a lot of visualization, which I
suspect enhances learning as well, eh?

Merle

On Sun, Jan 20, 2013 at 4:29 PM, Prof David West <[email protected]>wrote:

> **
> re: marcus'  comments about programming - see Peter Naur's "Programming as
> Theory Building" paper of long ago.
>
> davew
>
>
>
> On Sun, Jan 20, 2013, at 11:49 AM, Marcus G. Daniels wrote:
>
> Nick wrote:
>
>  "And I *Just Plain Believe* in collaborative essays as a tool in the
> development of thought. "
>
>  I think a little recognized outcome of open source software development
> is the development of thought, and perhaps for some of the same reasons as
> a collaborative essay.
>
>  Creating and maintaining a useful program often involves an understanding
> of a large network of artifacts.
>  The understanding needs to be precise enough to make correct small
> changes, and general enough to be able to approach re-design and
> re-implementation of those artifacts that aren't adequate.   It requires
> being literate, because the artifacts will have designed and built over
> time by a team.    Some artifacts will come from third parties.
>
>  Open source software development is different than closed proprietary
> development in that the people that are participating are not trained or
> motivated to do a particular job.  Two people may see completely different
> uses, or infer completely different purposes for an abstraction.   Some
> programmers see things in terms of use and abuse of abstractions, depending
> on the author's intent.  As a functional programming enthusiast, I prefer
> to think about the discovery of abstractions rather than the design of
> them.  Useful combinator libraries seem to arise through an iterative
> process of construction and deconstruction, not one-time design.
>
>  Unlike collaborative essays, computers are unforgiving but patient.   If
> two authors can't reconcile interfaces, dependencies, etc. the program or
> framework just won't work.  It won't be a `interesting but flawed'
> argument.
>
>  Marcus
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-- 
Merle Lefkoff, Ph.D.
President, Center for Emergent Diplomacy
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
[email protected]
mobile:  (303) 859-5609
skype:  merlelefkoff
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