Preview

Gallagher's Essay 'The Year Of The Moocs'

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
566 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Gallagher's Essay 'The Year Of The Moocs'
Out of the three college students, Mendoza, Gregory and Gallagher I think Moocs are right for Gallagher specifically. I chose Gallagher because of what he wrote about in his essay, and I related what he wrote to The Year of the Moocs. I think Moocs are right for Gallagher because his essay stood out, Gallagher wrote a fantasy essay which is very risky and something no one else to do. Gallagher is different, like Moocs. College is a serious thing and Gallagher decided to have fun with it and make a fantasy about himself, this is what makes him risky. I don’t think anyone else would’ve had the gut to do what Gallagher did. I think Moocs are different just like him. For example in The Year of the Moocs, Pappano stated, “Students control how fast they watch lectures.”( Pappano 31) I’m almost positive you can’t slow down the pace of a teacher that is lecturing in a regular college or even make it …show more content…

The way Gallagher wrote his essay, it just shows he has a lot of confidence, he shows how he feels that he can do anything. Moocs will fit him because he will be in class with students that will grade his paper that will be people you don’t know, maybe people all the way across the globe. Gallagher demonstrates confidence in his essay on page #17 when he states, “Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single- handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants.”( Gallagher 17)He is saying this as if he can do it like nothing. Again, Moocs are right for him because needs to be confident about what he’s grading and the test he’s grading which are online. I know this because in The Year of the Mooc Pappano explains, “Coursera uses peer grading: submit an assignment and five people grade it: in turn, you grade it; in turn, you grade five assignments.”( Pappano 32)You need to have a lot of confidence to grade five papers at a time. Which Gallagher definitely

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    A Case Against College

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the case against college Linda Lee makes a valid argument that its not necessary to acquire a college degree to have a successful career. However< it can also be argued that you need a college degree in order to have a successful career. Both arguments can be true based on different factors such as socio-economic, career goals and desire.…

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “Composition in the University”, Sharon Crowley discusses the position of composition in the university. Despite of the “institutional importance of the composition”, studies about the composition is undervalued and invisible within the academy (2). In the history of composition, teachers and scholars failed in speaking for composition. She writes that the purpose of the composition course is “to shape student to behave, think, write, and speak as students”: composition class aimed at inculcating the discursive behavior in students “to qualify them to join the community” (9). However, the university failed to construct the desired student subjectivity. Because the educational and departmental systems in the university are based on the notion…

    • 238 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Andrew Delbanco, the author of the article “College at Risk”, supports the idea of “lateral learning”, where the “students have something to learn not only from their teachers but also from” (223) other students. He claims that education should be about more than the pursuit of marketable skills. “But for many more students, college means the anxious pursuit of marketable skills in overcrowded, under-resourced institutions, where little attention is paid.” (225-226). The author also supports the idea of smaller class sizes, which costs more money, so that more attention can be paid to the students. I understand why he believes in smaller college classes, but since I come from a low middle class, I don’t agree with him. Although smaller classes…

    • 299 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    By Murray focusing on the assumption that the target group is 18 year olds fresh out of high school, Murray overlooks an important and ever growing group of students, which are the non-traditional students. Many of these students have not been in school in years, maybe only had a few years of high school, or like me had no high school at all and received a G.E.D. instead. Therefore, these students are missing valuable skills that are an asset for a college student such as writing and studying skills. As a non-traditional student and after reading Charles Murrays’ article and analyzing his thoughts and opinions on these young students, I can’t help but wonder what his thoughts and opinions are of us. Do we even fit within his narrow sights? Do we have a right to be here? These are a few of the questions that I would like for Murray to address, but since he doesn’t even consider that there are other age groups enrolled in college then we will have to wait until he realizes his…

    • 1289 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Charles Murray wants to prove that too many people are going to college without having the proper core knowledge that should have been given to…

    • 1084 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein and was published in 1818. The main character, Victor Frankenstein, he is the protagonist and also writes the main portion of the novel. He discovers the secret of life and creates an intelligent monster feeling increasingly guilty and ashamed. Victor realizes how helpless he is from preventing the monster from ruining his life and other people’s lives as well. The story takes place in Geneva in the 1800’s. Where most of it takes is in the frankenstein’s house in the town of Switzerland.There are a few different characters like Victor Frankenstein, the monster, Robert Walton, and Elizabeth Lavenza. Victor’s father is very sympathetic toward his son. There are three themes that is involved with the book is family,revenge,…

    • 287 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When you see the word “college”, what comes to mind? For most of you, you probably immediately think of partying, drinking, and meeting new people. Those who choose to go to college will have the opportunity to experience the social life, but what you choose to study can control your future. In “How to Get a Real Education at College” by Scott Adams and “What Do You Do with a B.A. in History” by Ken Saxon, they agree that college is worth going to but they have different outlooks on what to do with that college education. Scott Adams believes in the concept of “B students”, which are just average students, and thinks they should study entrepreneurship because he has personal experience in this major. He is against the idea of “B students” studying liberal arts and finds this major to be useless for them in the real world. Ken Saxon has completely opposite views. Saxon believes that a liberal arts education is very valuable because with this education, you can do anything you want. He also argues that the skills you learn in these classes will help you become a better person and will prepare you for whatever you decide to do. Although both Adams and Saxon relate to their audiences and form strong ethos through their personal examples, Adams fails to be as convincing as Saxon because Saxon uses more objective evidence, is open-minded, and uses a more inspiring tone which establishes strong pathos.…

    • 1395 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    While it is true that some college students would rather specialize in certain criteria that only relates to their career path, I believe that college should educate and enlighten students in various ways to make for well-rounded intellectuals. Menand’s second theory is a democratic perspective, which gives students the opportunity to be exposed to numerous topics, which will broaden one’s knowledge. Attaining basic information will stifle student’s developmental and personal growth. College provides students with a broader experience compared to vocational or trade schools. Even though taking a Humanities class may seem like a complete waste of time, I can prove that it has its advantages. Taking these classes will provide a greater understanding of society and how we fit in it. It will also teach students how to think critically, and allows one to explore opportunities before settling in a field that may not be suitable. Expanding the mind and learning…

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Whether college matters to people or not, the purpose of college is to prepare students of their career and in all areas of life. Liz Addison is known for her essay published on “New York Times” in two thousand and seven called, “Two Years Are Better Than Four”, which it became a runner up for an essay contest. “Two Years Are Better Than Four” is a response to Rick Perlstein’s essay “What’s the Matter with College?”. Perlstein’s argument in “What’s the Matter with College?” is that college don’t matter and that it ends in America, but Addison opposed the statements elaborating on how college isn’t going anywhere and that it matters for the future. Addison is a writer who graduated in community college of Southern Maine and Piedmont Virginia…

    • 213 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When it comes to the topic of attending college, most of us will readily agree that obtaining a higher education is important. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of paying for it. Whereas some are convinced that tuition is too high, others maintain that it is important no matter the cost. Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus address just such an issue in their essay “Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission”. Hacker and Dreifus discuss the issue of college tuition fees versus the quality of teaching they offer, but also point out that “colleges are taking on too many roles and doing none of them well” (180). They offer solutions and several proposals on how to improve the college experience. The main point they make, however is that colleges “have lost track of their basic mission to challenge the minds of young people” (180). At first glance, college students might say that attending to their dream college is their high priority. But on closer inspection, are students receiving a fair value for their investment? What are they gaining from higher education? “Graduating with six figures’ worth of debt is becoming increasingly common”, Hacker and Dreifus say. If Hacker and Dreifus are right that higher education industry is in need of a reform, as I think they are, then we need to reassess the popular assumption that attending to your dream college should be your priority no matter the cost of tuition.…

    • 976 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    College education, in general, is a very controversial topic amongst society mainly in America. The articles “The Purpose of Higher Education” by Richard Kahlenberg of The Chronicle of Higher Education and “America’s Most Overrated Product: The Bachelor’s Degree” by Marty Nemko also of The Chronicle of Higher Education both address these issues associated with college education. Colleges have become a business, often times seeing students as revenue instead of students wishing to learn (Nemko 2). College are building towering, very elaborate buildings, and creating a website that shows everything the college has to offer but leaves one important aspect out: it’s rate at getting college graduates jobs, how much a student learns, and really spends at that institution. College isn’t connecting with its students’ who attend as it once did. Very large lecture classes are a main contributor to the separation of professor and student. This is causing roughly 44.6 percent of students’ nationwide to become dissatisfied with the quality of education they are receiving (Nemko 2). Also, approximately 43.5 percent of students’ nationwide are frequently reporting that they found themselves being bored in class in surveys from the Higher Education Research Institute at the Univ. of California at Los Angeles (Nemko 2). Nemko adds, “A 2006 study supported by Pew Charitable Trusts found that 50 percent of college seniors scored below “proficient” levels on a test that required them to do such basic tasks as understanding the arguments of newspaper editorials or compare credit-card offers” (2). Despite the inabilities for colleges to produce well rounded, qualified individuals, they are constantly being given more taxpayers dollars and allowed to raise tuitions (Nemko 2). According to Nemko, “College should be held at least as accountable as tire companies are” meaning that…

    • 1513 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    Edmundson believes their objective changed from higher education to entertainment. The colleges turned their focus into making consumers happy. Edmundson describes a happy consumer as, “one with multiple options, one who can have what he wants. And since a course is something the students and their parents have bought and paid for, why can’t they do with it pretty much as they please?” (pg. 44) Edmundson believes the problem with this way of thinking is that students will miss out on something that could change their whole way of thinking. College students don’t want to be challenged they just want to make it through the class. A financial officer at the college broke it down to Edmundson saying that “colleges don’t have admissions offices anymore, they have marketing departments.” (pg. 44) According to Edmundson, to stay in business this change was going to happen. It was inevitable. This turning point is when universities and individual departments started competing for students. Colleges had to become lax in grading and major requirements. The author has noticed changes in the layout of his university over the past couple of years stating, “the place is looking more and more like a retirement spread for the young.” (pg. 43) Edmundson believes these changes are related to universities conforming to the buyer’s market. He states,…

    • 1347 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    What other people don’t tell them is that college is to help build people that can better the community and the world. McCreery writes about how college’s true purpose is to build people that have the education that allows them to survive in the world and be able to think things you that others didn’t not just to make you a big paycheck. The way College does this is by providing students with classes that can help them grow as a human and be the best they can be. A great example of this is when I took a liberal arts class this class helped me learn how I learn and how other people learn so wat I learned is that i learn the best when I write things down but it also thought me that people learn differently some people learn better by seeing things or hearing what they need to learn and other learns by touching and feeling things to remember it and learn…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In today’s world it is an unspoken requirement that anybody who wishes to succeed must have a college degree. This means physically going to a college classroom or attending school online. Because of the sink or swim economy, it is not always possible to give up a job, or leave your family behind to go to a four year university full time. For those people, online schooling is the best option to obtain higher education. Online schooling is simple in some ways, in other ways it is more difficult, but overall it is incredibly beneficial.…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    We are at a time where technology is widespread; it has become a part of our everyday life leading to advantages and disadvantages and technology currently has become the most important topic to discuss and everyone has developed their own unique opinion. In Nicholas Carr’s article published in 2008, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, he argues that as technology progresses people’s mentality changes. Carr is effective in his argument by sharing his fears and personal experiences to influence the audience utilizing pathos and ethos. Not only does he include his own experience, but he also includes other people’s point of views. He goes on to support his claim of how technology…

    • 900 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays