Understanding Liberty & Choice: Property Rights in American History
Welcome to the FTE blog supporting the joint FTE/Liberty Fund conference on Property Rights in American History to be held Dec. 4 - 6, 2008, in Denver.
We are delighted that you will be participating in this conference. As you're aware, the conference combines presentations, interactive learning, and Socratic Seminar sessions. This pre-conference blog has several functions: First, it is designed to introduce you to your Socratic seminar discussion group. Then, in a few weeks, we'll ask each of the 3 seminar discussion groups to help us in planning the panel presentations and formulating questions for the panelists - but that's down the road a little way. For now, we just want you to get to know one another.
There will be 3 Socratic Seminar groups in Denver, and you've been assigned to the BLUE group. All members of your Socratic Seminar group have been invited to join this blog. Given the range of experience with online conversation, we'll start simply - by meeting one another.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Impact of trade
Mark Thoma summarizes the ongoing debate over the impact of trade over on Economist's View. His post "Why Large American Gains from Globalisation are Plausible" is an excellent point to enter the discussion.
This post touches on the related issue of inequality - a topic that seems to lie at the heart of a great deal of angst in both academic and popular circles.
I recommend a read of the post over on Thoms'a blog (a portion of which can be found below.)
Thoma makes presents the conventional view of trade as he writes:
You can read Dani Rodrik if you want to know "under what conditions will trade liberalization enhance economic performance?" ... Whatever the theory says, the evidence in this paper and the evidence more generally is pretty clear, globalization has large net benefits.
Much of the discussion in this blog post revolves around the potential impact of trade on the US economy. For example:
The Bradford et al. study argues that removing all remaining barriers to trade would raise U.S. incomes anywhere from $4,000 to $12,000 per household (or 3.4-10.1% of GDP). That is a whole chunk of change!
Why large American gains from globalisation are plausible, by Gary Clyde Hufbauer and Matthew Adler, Vox EU: The Peterson Institute calculates that the US economy was approximately $1 trillion richer in 2003 due to past globalisation – the payoff both from technological innovation and from policy liberalisation – and could gain another $500 billion annually from future policy liberalisation (Bradford, Grieco, and Hufbauer 2005). Past gains amounted to about 9% of GDP in 2003, and potential future gains constitute another 4%.
However, empirical research on the American economy does not support the contention that income distribution has been strongly affected by international trade and investment. The forces of technology, education, and immigration are much stronger (Lawrence 2008). Also see the WSY online: Technology, Not Globalization, Feeds Income Inequality
Critics of globalization often cite increasing income inequality in their opposition, but a new study suggests that technological advances, not globalization, is responsible for an increase in the gap.
Rising Income Inequality: Technology, or Trade and Financial Globalization?
Prepared by Florence Jaumotte, Subir Lall, and Chris Papageorgiou
Estimates using a new and more reliable dataset on inequality and detailed measures of globalization suggest that the observed rise in inequality across both developed and developing countries over the past two decades is largely attributable to the impact of technological change. The contribution of increased globalization to inequality has in general been relatively minor. This reflects two offsetting effects of globalization: while increased trade tends to reduce income inequality, foreign direct investment tends to exacerbate it. Both globalization and technological progress tend to increase the relative demand for skills and education. While incomes have increased across all segments of the population in virtually all countries in the sample, incomes of those who already have higher levels of education and skills have risen disproportionately more.
The implication of these findings is that broader access to education will allow a greater segment of the population to take advantage of the opportunities from globalization and technological change. While these changes have increased incomes across countries and helped reduce poverty, the benefits would be even greater, allowing for a faster reduction in poverty, if the distribution of skills became more equal. This suggests that the returns to investment in education for all countries has risen in the recent era of globalization.
This post touches on the related issue of inequality - a topic that seems to lie at the heart of a great deal of angst in both academic and popular circles.
I recommend a read of the post over on Thoms'a blog (a portion of which can be found below.)
Thoma makes presents the conventional view of trade as he writes:
You can read Dani Rodrik if you want to know "under what conditions will trade liberalization enhance economic performance?" ... Whatever the theory says, the evidence in this paper and the evidence more generally is pretty clear, globalization has large net benefits.
Much of the discussion in this blog post revolves around the potential impact of trade on the US economy. For example:
The Bradford et al. study argues that removing all remaining barriers to trade would raise U.S. incomes anywhere from $4,000 to $12,000 per household (or 3.4-10.1% of GDP). That is a whole chunk of change!
Why large American gains from globalisation are plausible, by Gary Clyde Hufbauer and Matthew Adler, Vox EU: The Peterson Institute calculates that the US economy was approximately $1 trillion richer in 2003 due to past globalisation – the payoff both from technological innovation and from policy liberalisation – and could gain another $500 billion annually from future policy liberalisation (Bradford, Grieco, and Hufbauer 2005). Past gains amounted to about 9% of GDP in 2003, and potential future gains constitute another 4%.
However, empirical research on the American economy does not support the contention that income distribution has been strongly affected by international trade and investment. The forces of technology, education, and immigration are much stronger (Lawrence 2008). Also see the WSY online: Technology, Not Globalization, Feeds Income Inequality
Critics of globalization often cite increasing income inequality in their opposition, but a new study suggests that technological advances, not globalization, is responsible for an increase in the gap.
Rising Income Inequality: Technology, or Trade and Financial Globalization?
Prepared by Florence Jaumotte, Subir Lall, and Chris Papageorgiou
Estimates using a new and more reliable dataset on inequality and detailed measures of globalization suggest that the observed rise in inequality across both developed and developing countries over the past two decades is largely attributable to the impact of technological change. The contribution of increased globalization to inequality has in general been relatively minor. This reflects two offsetting effects of globalization: while increased trade tends to reduce income inequality, foreign direct investment tends to exacerbate it. Both globalization and technological progress tend to increase the relative demand for skills and education. While incomes have increased across all segments of the population in virtually all countries in the sample, incomes of those who already have higher levels of education and skills have risen disproportionately more.
The implication of these findings is that broader access to education will allow a greater segment of the population to take advantage of the opportunities from globalization and technological change. While these changes have increased incomes across countries and helped reduce poverty, the benefits would be even greater, allowing for a faster reduction in poverty, if the distribution of skills became more equal. This suggests that the returns to investment in education for all countries has risen in the recent era of globalization.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Confidence in Free Markets
The LA Times reported that the general attitude toward markets and government intervention may be changing:
"We're at a hinge point," said William A. Galston, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington who helped craft President Clinton's market-friendly agenda during the 1990s. "The strong presumption in favor of markets, which has dominated public policy since the late 1970s, has een thrown very much into question."
The author of the article, goes on to observe:
Now, to a degree not seen in years, politicians and outside experts are looking with favor at more, not less, government involvement in the economy.
This article confirms a trend that I have seen in my interactions with students, fellow faculty and my circle of friends.
Kling, in a review of what he calls a must read book Happiness and Economics: How the Economy and Institutions Affect Human Well-Being points out one possibility for this procedural utility. Kling summarizes this idea in his post and Frey's book is now on my reading list.
"We're at a hinge point," said William A. Galston, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington who helped craft President Clinton's market-friendly agenda during the 1990s. "The strong presumption in favor of markets, which has dominated public policy since the late 1970s, has een thrown very much into question."
The author of the article, goes on to observe:
Now, to a degree not seen in years, politicians and outside experts are looking with favor at more, not less, government involvement in the economy.
This article confirms a trend that I have seen in my interactions with students, fellow faculty and my circle of friends.
Kling, in a review of what he calls a must read book Happiness and Economics: How the Economy and Institutions Affect Human Well-Being points out one possibility for this procedural utility. Kling summarizes this idea in his post and Frey's book is now on my reading list.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Week 1 Discussion ECN 211 Summer
Our first week of study of macroeconomics has generated a thoughtful and spirited discussion that has generated a list of economic questions/challenges facing the US today. At the left you will see a poll based upon the challenges presented by students in ECN 211 Principles of Macroeconomics online at Mesa CC. Please take a moment and vote for the one issue that you feel is the most pressing. Then, take a moment and post a comment/reply to this posting explaining your reasoning.
Comments and questions
Also, after reading the assigned chapters, I think we have all learned that something is only worth as much as a person is willing to pay for it.
This is a clear conclusion from studying human behavior and an
extension of this point, if person A is willing to pay 5 dollars for an item and person B is willing to pay 2 dollars for an item, who should own the item?
Regarding ethanol - This is a great example of our government
trying to solve one problem, and creating a dozen more.
This is an excellent illustration of the tension between principles 5 and 6. A element in societies that tend to develop and grow is the ability to adjust to mistakes or unintended consequences. Principle 5 that observes that decentralized markets tend to be a good way to resolve questions implies that, when mistakes or errors are made, the
decentralized decision makers in the make can adjust or respond quickly.
We all know that, in spite of the contention of principle 6, that governments are much slower to adjust or react. Recall the governmental action to prohibit alcohol production and consumption in the early 20th century in the US. While it became almost immediately obvious that this action was ineffective and in fact created any number of unintended consequences, it was years before the government adjusted
to correct this mistake.
How likely is it that supply and demand is what is driving up the gas prices?
This is a great question and reveals both an understanding of the economic way of thinking and a sense about how society operates. The answer is clear from both an economic perspective as well as an empirical perspective.
The real question is what are the elements that make up demand and supply and what are the variables that change demand and supply.
I think, that the "political stand point of our government" has almost every effect on the economy. Tax the wealthy, tax the poor. Raise the minimum wage, do not raise the minimum wage. Chapter 6 sums up the answer to your question beautifully. It discusses payroll tax, luxury tax, and whether or not to tax the seller or the buyer. It was
a pretty interesting chapter.
Yes, and it is important to keep in mind an observation about the role of government (which is vital) to the economy. The government can assist in decision making with a clear set of guidelines that protect property, insure compliance with contracts, and allows for an independent and transparent judiciary.
If higher gas prices mean we change the way people think about scare resources, then bring it on.
our price has increased due to the increase in the value of the euro. So, if the euro has increased then that means they are paying more for their gas which, in turn, effects the purchase price for Americans also.
My economic question is do you think the tax rebate checks were a true benefit to our society, or were they merely a ploy to distract us from other issues our nation faces?
I hear a lot of different things coming from China. Is it true that since they have been hording as much of the American dollar that they can, that if they want to dump it all back into the American economy at once, it would completely ruin us?
My question may be a controversial one, but I once heard that the only thing that America produces is weapons and that most everything else is bought from other countries, which pretty much leaves our country dependent on other countries. Is this
true?
I understand utilizing trade with others so you can specialize in a field that yields the highest output for yourself but how does a starting economy grow when it is not good enough at its specialty to really benefit itself or make enough money to purchase its other needs? What do you do if you simply don't have the resources or revenue to grow your economy?
On one hand, Federal oversight may stop the band lending practices from happening in the future, thereby adding stability to the housing community. On the other hand, the government has done few things right when they intervene in the private sector. Either way, some type of policy should be in place if Americans are expected to pay for the lenders mistakes and greed.
How likely is it that supply and demand is what is driving up the gas prices?
I personally believe there is a lot of corruption and wrong doings, not just supply & demand, which is driving the cost of fossil fuels.
I think, that the "political stand point of our government" has almost every effect on the economy. Tax the wealthy, tax the poor. Raise the minimum wage, do not raise the minimum wage. Chapter 6 sums up the answer to your question beautifully. It discusses payroll tax, luxury tax, and whether or not to tax the seller or the buyer. It was a pretty interesting chapter.
If you are interested in my comments or responses to student questions raised during the first week of our summer session class, click on the comments link below.
I look forward to the results of this informal poll.
Comments and questions
Also, after reading the assigned chapters, I think we have all learned that something is only worth as much as a person is willing to pay for it.
This is a clear conclusion from studying human behavior and an
extension of this point, if person A is willing to pay 5 dollars for an item and person B is willing to pay 2 dollars for an item, who should own the item?
Regarding ethanol - This is a great example of our government
trying to solve one problem, and creating a dozen more.
This is an excellent illustration of the tension between principles 5 and 6. A element in societies that tend to develop and grow is the ability to adjust to mistakes or unintended consequences. Principle 5 that observes that decentralized markets tend to be a good way to resolve questions implies that, when mistakes or errors are made, the
decentralized decision makers in the make can adjust or respond quickly.
We all know that, in spite of the contention of principle 6, that governments are much slower to adjust or react. Recall the governmental action to prohibit alcohol production and consumption in the early 20th century in the US. While it became almost immediately obvious that this action was ineffective and in fact created any number of unintended consequences, it was years before the government adjusted
to correct this mistake.
How likely is it that supply and demand is what is driving up the gas prices?
This is a great question and reveals both an understanding of the economic way of thinking and a sense about how society operates. The answer is clear from both an economic perspective as well as an empirical perspective.
The real question is what are the elements that make up demand and supply and what are the variables that change demand and supply.
I think, that the "political stand point of our government" has almost every effect on the economy. Tax the wealthy, tax the poor. Raise the minimum wage, do not raise the minimum wage. Chapter 6 sums up the answer to your question beautifully. It discusses payroll tax, luxury tax, and whether or not to tax the seller or the buyer. It was
a pretty interesting chapter.
Yes, and it is important to keep in mind an observation about the role of government (which is vital) to the economy. The government can assist in decision making with a clear set of guidelines that protect property, insure compliance with contracts, and allows for an independent and transparent judiciary.
If higher gas prices mean we change the way people think about scare resources, then bring it on.
our price has increased due to the increase in the value of the euro. So, if the euro has increased then that means they are paying more for their gas which, in turn, effects the purchase price for Americans also.
My economic question is do you think the tax rebate checks were a true benefit to our society, or were they merely a ploy to distract us from other issues our nation faces?
I hear a lot of different things coming from China. Is it true that since they have been hording as much of the American dollar that they can, that if they want to dump it all back into the American economy at once, it would completely ruin us?
My question may be a controversial one, but I once heard that the only thing that America produces is weapons and that most everything else is bought from other countries, which pretty much leaves our country dependent on other countries. Is this
true?
I understand utilizing trade with others so you can specialize in a field that yields the highest output for yourself but how does a starting economy grow when it is not good enough at its specialty to really benefit itself or make enough money to purchase its other needs? What do you do if you simply don't have the resources or revenue to grow your economy?
On one hand, Federal oversight may stop the band lending practices from happening in the future, thereby adding stability to the housing community. On the other hand, the government has done few things right when they intervene in the private sector. Either way, some type of policy should be in place if Americans are expected to pay for the lenders mistakes and greed.
How likely is it that supply and demand is what is driving up the gas prices?
I personally believe there is a lot of corruption and wrong doings, not just supply & demand, which is driving the cost of fossil fuels.
I think, that the "political stand point of our government" has almost every effect on the economy. Tax the wealthy, tax the poor. Raise the minimum wage, do not raise the minimum wage. Chapter 6 sums up the answer to your question beautifully. It discusses payroll tax, luxury tax, and whether or not to tax the seller or the buyer. It was a pretty interesting chapter.
If you are interested in my comments or responses to student questions raised during the first week of our summer session class, click on the comments link below.
I look forward to the results of this informal poll.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Summer reading
Thinking about summer reading these have some interesting perspectives on the question of liberty and responsibility
The Ordeal of Thomas Hutchinson and The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution - Bernard Bailey
The case of Thomas Hutchinson sees to be worth thinking about, it seems that he was as committed to personal liberty as were the Sons of Liberty, yet he was so concerned about the impact of the chaos that might be associated with radical change.
In reading The Glorious Cause by Middlekauff I was struck by the violence with which the Sons of Liberty attacked dissent (both neutral and loyalist) and I have been reflecting on the differences between the American Revolution and the French Revolution.
Hayek contrasts liberalism that evolved in the UK and US with that on the continent, particularly France and I wonder to what extent the differences in this ideology shaped the differences in the respective revolutions.
This posting was prompted by a very provocative retrospective over at the Mises blog - from Rothdard's Egalitarianism As a Revolt Against Nature.
"The true test, then, of the radical spirit, is the button-pushing test: if we could push the button for instantaneous abolition of unjust invasions of liberty, would we do it? "
http://mises.org/story/2993
The Ordeal of Thomas Hutchinson and The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution - Bernard Bailey
The case of Thomas Hutchinson sees to be worth thinking about, it seems that he was as committed to personal liberty as were the Sons of Liberty, yet he was so concerned about the impact of the chaos that might be associated with radical change.
In reading The Glorious Cause by Middlekauff I was struck by the violence with which the Sons of Liberty attacked dissent (both neutral and loyalist) and I have been reflecting on the differences between the American Revolution and the French Revolution.
Hayek contrasts liberalism that evolved in the UK and US with that on the continent, particularly France and I wonder to what extent the differences in this ideology shaped the differences in the respective revolutions.
This posting was prompted by a very provocative retrospective over at the Mises blog - from Rothdard's Egalitarianism As a Revolt Against Nature.
"The true test, then, of the radical spirit, is the button-pushing test: if we could push the button for instantaneous abolition of unjust invasions of liberty, would we do it? "
http://mises.org/story/2993
Monday, June 16, 2008
May 2008 Unemployment
News flash:
As indicated below the current unemployment rate (May 08) was announced this morning.
Unit 2 (next week) we will consider the big 3 macroeconomic problems:
Economic Growth
Inflation
Unemployment
This news release clearly indicates the current conditions for the first and last problem. These 3 macroeconomic problems are closely related as we will see next week.
This latter idea is one you will read about next week in chapter 15 the chapter on unemployment.
The natural rate of unemployment consists of seasonal unemployment, frictional unemployment (voluntary unemployment as workers switch jobs, go back to school or quit because they dislike their job or boss) and structural unemployment (also knows as layoffs due to changes in the way a product is produced, example, less bank tellers today than in 1980 due to ATMs). Well a free economy will always have seasonal unemployment (even command economies cannot control the weather) and a free economy will always have frictional unemployment as people change jobs in search of different working conditions and a free economy will always have structural unemployment (think of buggy whip manufacturers, typewriter manufacturing workers, VHS manufacturing jobs) as businesses are constaintly changing to react to their own internal cost conditions (produce more efficiently and productively) and to respond to changing demand conditions as consumer express their preferences.
Economists estimate that, in the US economy, the natural rate of unemployment is between 4 - 6 per cent. So now, read the unemployment report below which, is admittedly negative, in a historical context with the analysis above.
ECONOMIC REPORT
Jobless rate soars to 5.5% in May
Biggest rise in unemployment in 33 years; payrolls fall 49,000
By Rex Nutting, MarketWatch
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/jobless-rate-soars-55-may/story.aspx?guid={6B9B2E20-06E8-4FC0-AD5A-3029D5057F89}&siteid=yahoomy
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. unemployment rate jumped by half a percentage point in May -- to 5.5%, the highest since October 2004 -- on the biggest increase in seasonally adjusted unemployment in 33 years, government data showed Friday.
Nonfarm payrolls fell by 49,000 last month, the Labor Department reported, marking the fifth consecutive decrease and in line with expectations of economists. See Economic Calendar.
The economy thus has lost 324,000 jobs this year, according to the government's survey of some 400,000 work sites. Job losses in March and April were revised lower by 15,000.
Unemployment rose by 861,000 in May to a total of 8.5 million, according to a separate survey of about 60,000 households. It was the biggest one-month increase in unemployment since January 1975. Read the full government report.
The 0.5-percentage-point increase in the jobless rate was a shock, as economists expected a much smaller gain to 5.1%. It was the biggest percentage-point gain in unemployment since 1986.
If you have a job, you might consider the topic of frictional unemployment and whether you want to quit.
Greg
As indicated below the current unemployment rate (May 08) was announced this morning.
Unit 2 (next week) we will consider the big 3 macroeconomic problems:
Economic Growth
Inflation
Unemployment
This news release clearly indicates the current conditions for the first and last problem. These 3 macroeconomic problems are closely related as we will see next week.
This latter idea is one you will read about next week in chapter 15 the chapter on unemployment.
The natural rate of unemployment consists of seasonal unemployment, frictional unemployment (voluntary unemployment as workers switch jobs, go back to school or quit because they dislike their job or boss) and structural unemployment (also knows as layoffs due to changes in the way a product is produced, example, less bank tellers today than in 1980 due to ATMs). Well a free economy will always have seasonal unemployment (even command economies cannot control the weather) and a free economy will always have frictional unemployment as people change jobs in search of different working conditions and a free economy will always have structural unemployment (think of buggy whip manufacturers, typewriter manufacturing workers, VHS manufacturing jobs) as businesses are constaintly changing to react to their own internal cost conditions (produce more efficiently and productively) and to respond to changing demand conditions as consumer express their preferences.
Economists estimate that, in the US economy, the natural rate of unemployment is between 4 - 6 per cent. So now, read the unemployment report below which, is admittedly negative, in a historical context with the analysis above.
ECONOMIC REPORT
Jobless rate soars to 5.5% in May
Biggest rise in unemployment in 33 years; payrolls fall 49,000
By Rex Nutting, MarketWatch
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/jobless-rate-soars-55-may/story.aspx?guid={6B9B2E20-06E8-4FC0-AD5A-3029D5057F89}&siteid=yahoomy
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. unemployment rate jumped by half a percentage point in May -- to 5.5%, the highest since October 2004 -- on the biggest increase in seasonally adjusted unemployment in 33 years, government data showed Friday.
Nonfarm payrolls fell by 49,000 last month, the Labor Department reported, marking the fifth consecutive decrease and in line with expectations of economists. See Economic Calendar.
The economy thus has lost 324,000 jobs this year, according to the government's survey of some 400,000 work sites. Job losses in March and April were revised lower by 15,000.
Unemployment rose by 861,000 in May to a total of 8.5 million, according to a separate survey of about 60,000 households. It was the biggest one-month increase in unemployment since January 1975. Read the full government report.
The 0.5-percentage-point increase in the jobless rate was a shock, as economists expected a much smaller gain to 5.1%. It was the biggest percentage-point gain in unemployment since 1986.
If you have a job, you might consider the topic of frictional unemployment and whether you want to quit.
Greg
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Role of prices
More on the role of prices:
What Are Just Prices?
Daily Article by Jeffrey A. Tucker
http://www.mises.org/story/2976
We all have strange and contradictory wishes concerning what prices should be. We are outraged at what is happening to the price of gas and food. We don't think they should go up. In real terms, we want them to fall, and they have fallen in the last decade and a half. That's a good thing, right? That's how the world should work.
But housing? Now, that's a different matter. When the prices fall, people freak out. It's like the end of the world. How is it possible that my own home would fall in price?! That's not the way the world should work. Everyone knows that house prices are suppose to go up up up, all the time, without fail, until the end of time.
Same with stocks. We want to open the webpage that lists our portfolios and see the prices higher and higher all the time. When they fall, we flip out and demand justice.
But let's stop and think about how peculiar this is. What kind of theory of the world insists that houses and stocks always go up in price, whereas gas and grain prices always go down? That doesn't really make sense. A price is not set by natural law, nor are price movements intended to follow a preset pattern like the movements of stars. Prices are nothing but exchange ratios — points of agreement between buyer and seller. They reflect many factors, none of them fixed parts of the universe.
Excellent analysis of the role of prices!
Greg
What Are Just Prices?
Daily Article by Jeffrey A. Tucker
http://www.mises.org/story/2976
We all have strange and contradictory wishes concerning what prices should be. We are outraged at what is happening to the price of gas and food. We don't think they should go up. In real terms, we want them to fall, and they have fallen in the last decade and a half. That's a good thing, right? That's how the world should work.
But housing? Now, that's a different matter. When the prices fall, people freak out. It's like the end of the world. How is it possible that my own home would fall in price?! That's not the way the world should work. Everyone knows that house prices are suppose to go up up up, all the time, without fail, until the end of time.
Same with stocks. We want to open the webpage that lists our portfolios and see the prices higher and higher all the time. When they fall, we flip out and demand justice.
But let's stop and think about how peculiar this is. What kind of theory of the world insists that houses and stocks always go up in price, whereas gas and grain prices always go down? That doesn't really make sense. A price is not set by natural law, nor are price movements intended to follow a preset pattern like the movements of stars. Prices are nothing but exchange ratios — points of agreement between buyer and seller. They reflect many factors, none of them fixed parts of the universe.
Excellent analysis of the role of prices!
Greg
Monday, June 2, 2008
Economics in One Lesson
From Henry Hazlitt’s “Economics in One Lesson”:
“… The bad economist sees only what immediately strikes the eye; the good economist also looks beyond. The bad economist sees only the direct consequences of a proposed course; the good economist looks also at the longer and indirect consequences. The bad economist sees only what the effect of a given policy has been or will be on one particular group; the good economist inquires also what the effect of the policy will be on all groups…”
http://mises.org/story/3000
Comment: “Good economist” has almost become an oxymoron.
Antony Mueller
“… The bad economist sees only what immediately strikes the eye; the good economist also looks beyond. The bad economist sees only the direct consequences of a proposed course; the good economist looks also at the longer and indirect consequences. The bad economist sees only what the effect of a given policy has been or will be on one particular group; the good economist inquires also what the effect of the policy will be on all groups…”
http://mises.org/story/3000
Comment: “Good economist” has almost become an oxymoron.
Antony Mueller
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Foundations of a Free Society
June 12 - 15, 2008 the Liberty Fund colloquium entitled "The Foundations of A Free Society" will be held in Indianapolis. Steve Pejovich, conference director, has selected a number of readings designed to generate discussion.
Milton Friedman - Free to Choose
B Roggy - Can Capitalism Survive?
Adam Smith - The Wealth of Nations
D. North and B. Weingast - The Constitution and Commitment
F. Hayek - Liberalism
P. Manet - Intellectual History
S. Pejovich - Transaction Costs
G. Libecap - Contracting for Property Rights
R. McChesney - Government as Definer of Property Rights
S. Huntington - Clash of Civilizations
S. Pejovich - The Role of Culture
Other Pejovich readings
Capitalism and the Rule of Law
Understanding the Transactions Costs of Transition
Property Rights and Economic Theory
Milton Friedman - Free to Choose
B Roggy - Can Capitalism Survive?
Adam Smith - The Wealth of Nations
D. North and B. Weingast - The Constitution and Commitment
F. Hayek - Liberalism
P. Manet - Intellectual History
S. Pejovich - Transaction Costs
G. Libecap - Contracting for Property Rights
R. McChesney - Government as Definer of Property Rights
S. Huntington - Clash of Civilizations
S. Pejovich - The Role of Culture
Other Pejovich readings
Capitalism and the Rule of Law
Understanding the Transactions Costs of Transition
Property Rights and Economic Theory
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
2008 Teaching and Learning with Technology Conference
Avatars: Pros and Cons as an instructional technology.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Hayek's 109 birthday
From Cafe Hayek:
F.A. Hayek was born on this day in 1899. To mark this occasion, I offer a brief passage from page 104 of Hayek's 1973 book Law, Legislation, and Liberty, Vol. 1: Rules and Order:
Maintaining the overall flow of results in a complex system of production requires great elasticity of the actions of the elements of the system, and it will only be through unforeseeable changes in the particulars that a high degree of predictability of the overall results can be achieved.
F.A. Hayek was born on this day in 1899. To mark this occasion, I offer a brief passage from page 104 of Hayek's 1973 book Law, Legislation, and Liberty, Vol. 1: Rules and Order:
Maintaining the overall flow of results in a complex system of production requires great elasticity of the actions of the elements of the system, and it will only be through unforeseeable changes in the particulars that a high degree of predictability of the overall results can be achieved.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Agricultural Subsidies
The impact of agricultural subsidies on welfare, both domestically and internationally, was a key topic discussed May 2-4, 2008 at The Understanding Liberty and Choice: Free Trade, Globalization, and Economic Development. This joint FTE and Liberty Fund colloquium discussed the neo classical view of trade as well as contemporary views of trade. Two of the texts - In Defense of Globalization and The Travels of a T Shirt in the Global Economy included analysis of the impact of subsidy in the agricultural sector.
This analysis was extended on the Becker-Posner Blog. On May 4, Posner wrote:
There is no justification for the Farm Bill in terms of social welfare. The agriculture industry does not exhibit the symptoms, such as large fixed costs, that make unregulated competition problematic in some industries, such as the airline industry, about which Becker and I blogged recently. It is true that crops are vulnerable to disease, drought, floods, and other natural disasters, but the global insurance industry insures against such disasters, and in addition large agricultural enterprises can reduce the risk of such disasters by diversifying crops and by owning farm land in different parts of the nation and the world. If a farm enterprise grows soybeans in different regions, a soybean blight in one region, by reducing the supply of soybeans, will increase the price of soybeans, so the enterprise will be hedged, at least partially, against the risk of disaster. Supply fluctuations due to natural disaster create instability in farm prices, but farmers can hedge against such instability by purchasing future or forward contracts. There is no "market failure" problem that would justify regulating the farm industry. All the subsidies should be repealed.
http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/archives/2008/05/the_outlandish.html
Becker responded:
Posner presents evidence on the sizable subsidies received by American farmers from the federal government of the United States. However, the US is not unique, for every rich country including France, Germany, Great Britain, and Japan, heavily subsidizes their farmers, no matter how small the agricultural sectors. In fact, some of these other countries subsidize farmers more generously than even the United States. On the surface, this universal tendency for rich countries to subsidize farming, no matter how different are the details of their political systems, is a paradox. For since only a small fraction of the populations of these countries work in agriculture, farmers cannot contribute much to any majority voting coalition.
http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/archives/2008/05/farm_subsidies.html
This analysis was extended on the Becker-Posner Blog. On May 4, Posner wrote:
There is no justification for the Farm Bill in terms of social welfare. The agriculture industry does not exhibit the symptoms, such as large fixed costs, that make unregulated competition problematic in some industries, such as the airline industry, about which Becker and I blogged recently. It is true that crops are vulnerable to disease, drought, floods, and other natural disasters, but the global insurance industry insures against such disasters, and in addition large agricultural enterprises can reduce the risk of such disasters by diversifying crops and by owning farm land in different parts of the nation and the world. If a farm enterprise grows soybeans in different regions, a soybean blight in one region, by reducing the supply of soybeans, will increase the price of soybeans, so the enterprise will be hedged, at least partially, against the risk of disaster. Supply fluctuations due to natural disaster create instability in farm prices, but farmers can hedge against such instability by purchasing future or forward contracts. There is no "market failure" problem that would justify regulating the farm industry. All the subsidies should be repealed.
http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/archives/2008/05/the_outlandish.html
Becker responded:
Posner presents evidence on the sizable subsidies received by American farmers from the federal government of the United States. However, the US is not unique, for every rich country including France, Germany, Great Britain, and Japan, heavily subsidizes their farmers, no matter how small the agricultural sectors. In fact, some of these other countries subsidize farmers more generously than even the United States. On the surface, this universal tendency for rich countries to subsidize farming, no matter how different are the details of their political systems, is a paradox. For since only a small fraction of the populations of these countries work in agriculture, farmers cannot contribute much to any majority voting coalition.
http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/archives/2008/05/farm_subsidies.html
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Free Trade, Globalization, and Economic Development
The series of joint FTE and Liberty Fund colloquium continues in May with:
Understanding Liberty and Choice: Free Trade, Globalization, and Economic Development.
As with the previous colloquium, the unique characteristics of the FTE and Liberty Fund approaches will be integrated. The keynote speaker, Pietra Rivoli will bring her expertise to our discussion which is centered around a number of readings including her acclaimed book - The Travels of a T Shirt in the Global Economy.
Looking forward to our discussions in May. Please feel free to post questions, comments or resources here that are relevant to our meeting.
Click here for a look at the full conference schedule as well as our readings.
Understanding Liberty and Choice: Free Trade, Globalization, and Economic Development.
As with the previous colloquium, the unique characteristics of the FTE and Liberty Fund approaches will be integrated. The keynote speaker, Pietra Rivoli will bring her expertise to our discussion which is centered around a number of readings including her acclaimed book - The Travels of a T Shirt in the Global Economy.
Looking forward to our discussions in May. Please feel free to post questions, comments or resources here that are relevant to our meeting.
Click here for a look at the full conference schedule as well as our readings.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
CULTURE, VALUES, AND ETHICS IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY
As part of my continuing professional development this summer I will be completing 3 online graduate classes - one of which is BU 650 CULTURE, VALUES, AND ETHICS IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY. My first assignment in this class is a summary of Social Responsibility in a Global Economy.
The following sources will be consulted:
Why Would Corporations Behave in Socially Responsible Ways? An Institutional Theory of Corporate Social Responsibility
John L. Campbell
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~socy/pdfs/Why%20Would%20Corporations%20Behave%20Badly.pdf
Beyond corporate social responsibility:
minnows, mammoths and markets
Deborah Doane*
New Economics Foundation, 3 Jonathan Street, London SE11 5NH, UK
Available online 30 July 2004
Futures
Volume 37, Issues 2-3,Pages 215-229
http://www.corporation2020.org/documents/Resources/Doane_CSR.pdf
Publication: The Journal of Corporate Citizenship
Publication Date: 22-MAR-02
Delivery: Immediate Online Access
Author: Ruggie, John Gerard
http://www.greenleaf-publishing.com/content/pdfs/jcc05rugg.pdf
Article Excerpt
Under the leadership of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the United Nations has played an active role in promoting corporate social responsibility as one means to respond to the challenges of globalisation. The Global Compact has been Annan's major initiative in this domain. It has explicitly adopted a learning approach to inducing corporate change, as opposed to a regulatory approach; and it comprises a network form of organisation, as opposed to the traditional hierarchic/bureaucratic form. These distinctive (and, for the UN, unusual) features lead the Compact's critics to seriously underestimate its potential, while its supporters may hold excessive expectations of what it can deliver. Because organisational issues of this sort will continue to confront the search for viable global governance mechanisms for many years ahead, this paper spells out both the advantages but also the inherent limitations of the `learning networks' approach.
**********
UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN, THE UNITED Nations has played an active role in promoting corporate social responsibility as one means to respond to the challenges of globalisation. `You do not need to wait for governments to pass new laws,' Mr Annan has said to business groups. `You can and should act now, in your own self-interest. The sustainability of globalisation is at stake.'
The Global Compact has been Annan's major initiative in this domain. It has attracted considerable acclaim in the world's press. In the United States, it was praised editorially by the venerable Washington Post while the Christian Science Monitor lauded it as Annan's `most creative reinvention' yet of the United Nations. At the same time, the Global Compact has generated suspicion and in some instances sharp criticism in parts of the NGO (non-governmental organisation) community and from various anti-globalisation activists. Part of the difference is explained by differing attitudes towards globalisation. Thus, what the mainstream press views as an innovative practical response to some of its challenges, critics decry as `bluewash': providing an opportunity for the private sector to drape itself in the UN flag without really mending its ways. (1)
But even more fundamental issues are at stake. The Global Compact has explicitly adopted a learning approach to inducing corporate change, as opposed to a regulatory approach; and it comprises a network form of organisation, as opposed to the traditional hierarchic/bureaucratic form. These distinctive (and, for the UN, unusual) features lead the Compact's critics to seriously underestimate its potential, while its supporters may hold excessive expectations of what it can deliver.
Because organisational issues of this sort will continue to confront the search for viable global governance mechanisms for many years ahead, it is worth examining the Global Compact more closely as a case of things to come, spelling out both its advantages and its inherent limitations.
Below, I describe the Compact's organisational forms and the rationale behind them. But, first, I briefly place the current debates in their broader historical context.
Tina redux?
The globalisation mantra in corporate circles, at least until very recently, was the so-called `Tina' hypothesis: `There Is No Alternative'. But there is: Tina may prevail in the long run, but the road from here to there can be unacceptably rough.
History doesn't repeat itself; only historians do. But there is still great merit in the dictum that those who refuse to learn from the past may be condemned to repeat its errors. That is certainly true of globalisation and its consequences. Let us begin with some basic facts.
The speed and costs of global communications are plummeting to a fraction of what they were a decade earlier. The Internet? No, the laying of the transatlantic cables in 1866, which reduced the time it took to communicate between London and New York by 99.9%, from a week to a matter of minutes.
The ease of global transport is increasing by orders of magnitude. The latest Boeing or Airbus? No, the opening of the first Alpine tunnels, the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal in the late 19th/early 20th centuries.
Foreign trade accounts for a third or more of national product. Japan in the 1980s? No, Britain a century earlier. Emerging economies booming and global markets integrating, thanks to massive flows of foreign investment? Been there, done that, too, as European capital built railroads in the US, Canada, Australia and Argentina more than a century ago, and as raw materials, beef and agricultural products were shipped back to feed the industrial machines, and the stomachs, of Europe.
The era from 1850 to 1910 was the first `golden age' of globalisation. Travellers required no passports or visas and capital flowed freely. Even more impressive, 60 million people left Europe between 1850 and 1914 to seek new economic opportunities and political...
NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.
The following sources will be consulted:
| The Academy of Management Review (AMR) | ||
| Issue: | Volume 32, Number 3 / 2007 | |
| Pages: | 946 - 967 | |
John L. Campbell
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~socy/pdfs/Why%20Would%20Corporations%20Behave%20Badly.pdf
Beyond corporate social responsibility:
minnows, mammoths and markets
Deborah Doane*
New Economics Foundation, 3 Jonathan Street, London SE11 5NH, UK
Available online 30 July 2004
Futures
Volume 37, Issues 2-3,Pages 215-229
http://www.corporation2020.org/documents/Resources/Doane_CSR.pdf
Publication: The Journal of Corporate Citizenship
Publication Date: 22-MAR-02
Delivery: Immediate Online Access
Author: Ruggie, John Gerard
http://www.greenleaf-publishing.com/content/pdfs/jcc05rugg.pdf
Article Excerpt
Under the leadership of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the United Nations has played an active role in promoting corporate social responsibility as one means to respond to the challenges of globalisation. The Global Compact has been Annan's major initiative in this domain. It has explicitly adopted a learning approach to inducing corporate change, as opposed to a regulatory approach; and it comprises a network form of organisation, as opposed to the traditional hierarchic/bureaucratic form. These distinctive (and, for the UN, unusual) features lead the Compact's critics to seriously underestimate its potential, while its supporters may hold excessive expectations of what it can deliver. Because organisational issues of this sort will continue to confront the search for viable global governance mechanisms for many years ahead, this paper spells out both the advantages but also the inherent limitations of the `learning networks' approach.
**********
UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN, THE UNITED Nations has played an active role in promoting corporate social responsibility as one means to respond to the challenges of globalisation. `You do not need to wait for governments to pass new laws,' Mr Annan has said to business groups. `You can and should act now, in your own self-interest. The sustainability of globalisation is at stake.'
The Global Compact has been Annan's major initiative in this domain. It has attracted considerable acclaim in the world's press. In the United States, it was praised editorially by the venerable Washington Post while the Christian Science Monitor lauded it as Annan's `most creative reinvention' yet of the United Nations. At the same time, the Global Compact has generated suspicion and in some instances sharp criticism in parts of the NGO (non-governmental organisation) community and from various anti-globalisation activists. Part of the difference is explained by differing attitudes towards globalisation. Thus, what the mainstream press views as an innovative practical response to some of its challenges, critics decry as `bluewash': providing an opportunity for the private sector to drape itself in the UN flag without really mending its ways. (1)
But even more fundamental issues are at stake. The Global Compact has explicitly adopted a learning approach to inducing corporate change, as opposed to a regulatory approach; and it comprises a network form of organisation, as opposed to the traditional hierarchic/bureaucratic form. These distinctive (and, for the UN, unusual) features lead the Compact's critics to seriously underestimate its potential, while its supporters may hold excessive expectations of what it can deliver.
Because organisational issues of this sort will continue to confront the search for viable global governance mechanisms for many years ahead, it is worth examining the Global Compact more closely as a case of things to come, spelling out both its advantages and its inherent limitations.
Below, I describe the Compact's organisational forms and the rationale behind them. But, first, I briefly place the current debates in their broader historical context.
Tina redux?
The globalisation mantra in corporate circles, at least until very recently, was the so-called `Tina' hypothesis: `There Is No Alternative'. But there is: Tina may prevail in the long run, but the road from here to there can be unacceptably rough.
History doesn't repeat itself; only historians do. But there is still great merit in the dictum that those who refuse to learn from the past may be condemned to repeat its errors. That is certainly true of globalisation and its consequences. Let us begin with some basic facts.
The speed and costs of global communications are plummeting to a fraction of what they were a decade earlier. The Internet? No, the laying of the transatlantic cables in 1866, which reduced the time it took to communicate between London and New York by 99.9%, from a week to a matter of minutes.
The ease of global transport is increasing by orders of magnitude. The latest Boeing or Airbus? No, the opening of the first Alpine tunnels, the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal in the late 19th/early 20th centuries.
Foreign trade accounts for a third or more of national product. Japan in the 1980s? No, Britain a century earlier. Emerging economies booming and global markets integrating, thanks to massive flows of foreign investment? Been there, done that, too, as European capital built railroads in the US, Canada, Australia and Argentina more than a century ago, and as raw materials, beef and agricultural products were shipped back to feed the industrial machines, and the stomachs, of Europe.
The era from 1850 to 1910 was the first `golden age' of globalisation. Travellers required no passports or visas and capital flowed freely. Even more impressive, 60 million people left Europe between 1850 and 1914 to seek new economic opportunities and political...
NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.
Monday, April 28, 2008
International Economics and Trade
As part of my continuing professional development this summer I will be completing 3 online graduate classes - one of which is BU 631 International Economics and Trade. My first assignment in this class is a summary of Ricardo's Comparative Advantage.
David Ricardo in the preface to On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation to writes:
"The real price of every thing," says Adam Smith, "what every thing really costs to the man who wants to acquire it, is the toil and trouble of acquiring it. What every thing is really worth to the man who has acquired it, and who wants to dispose of it, or exchange it for something else, is the toil and trouble which it can save to himself, and which it can impose upon other people." (http://www.econlib.org/library/Ricardo/ricP.html)
Ricardo goes on to develop one of the more profound contributions to social thought in his explication of value and the basis of exchange or the “toil and trouble which he can save to himself,” which is the famous comparative advantage. In chapter 7, Ricardo asserts the advantages of free trade in both the international and domestic arenas and them provides his numerical example, frequently included in introductory textbooks.
Analysis of comparative advantage over at 26econ
Other Resources
Three Nobel Winners on the US economy
CNBC had three Nobel winners on Friday morn -- Joseph Stiglitz, Robert Engle and Edmund Phelps -- discussing Housing, Credit, and the state of the US economy. It was terrific television, and showed how good the medium can be when it sets its mind on it.
Source:
Where's the Economy Going? Nobel Winners Weigh In
CNBC.com 25 Apr 2008
http://www.cnbc.com/id/24313079/site/14081545
Source:
Where's the Economy Going? Nobel Winners Weigh In
CNBC.com 25 Apr 2008
http://www.cnbc.com/id/24313079/site/14081545
Larry Summers agrees with Jagdish Bhagwati
In the vein of Jagdish Bhagwati's book - In Defense of Globalization, Larry Summers writes today in the Financial Times:
America needs to make a new case for trade
By Lawrence Summers
While the financial crisis dominates current discussion on the US economy, questions regarding America’s future approach to globalisation are looming increasingly large.
Since the end of the second world war, American economic policy has supported an integrated global economy, stimulating development in poor countries, particularly in Asia, at unprecedented rates. Yet America’s commitment to internationalist economic policy is ever more in doubt. Even before the significant increases in unemployment likely in the months ahead, the indicators are all disturbing. Presidential candidates attack the North American Free Trade Agreement. The Colombian free trade agreement languishes. There are increasing attacks on foreign investment in the US, not to mention growing support for restrictive immigration policies.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0c185e3a-1478-11dd-a741-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1
America needs to make a new case for trade
By Lawrence Summers
While the financial crisis dominates current discussion on the US economy, questions regarding America’s future approach to globalisation are looming increasingly large.
Since the end of the second world war, American economic policy has supported an integrated global economy, stimulating development in poor countries, particularly in Asia, at unprecedented rates. Yet America’s commitment to internationalist economic policy is ever more in doubt. Even before the significant increases in unemployment likely in the months ahead, the indicators are all disturbing. Presidential candidates attack the North American Free Trade Agreement. The Colombian free trade agreement languishes. There are increasing attacks on foreign investment in the US, not to mention growing support for restrictive immigration policies.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0c185e3a-1478-11dd-a741-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Freer Trade Could Fill the World’s Rice Bowl
In today's NY Times:
The damage that trade restrictions cause is probably most evident in the case of rice. Although rice is the major foodstuff for about half of the world, it is highly protected and regulated. Only about 5 to 7 percent of the world’s rice production is traded across borders; that’s unusually low for an agricultural commodity.
RISING food prices mean hunger for millions and also political unrest, as has already been seen in Haiti, Egypt and Ivory Coast. Yes, more expensive energy and bad weather are partly at fault, but the real question is why adjustment hasn’t been easier. A big problem is that the world doesn’t have enough trade in foodstuffs.
The damage that trade restrictions cause is probably most evident in the case of rice. Although rice is the major foodstuff for about half of the world, it is highly protected and regulated. Only about 5 to 7 percent of the world’s rice production is traded across borders; that’s unusually low for an agricultural commodity.
Trade and the impact of change
In preparation for the joint FTE/Liberty Fund conference - Free Trade, Globalization, and Economic Development I have been rereading Dr. Rivoli's The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy 
in which she cites her colleague:
"Does the world really need another book about globalization?" Jagdish Bhagwati asks in the introduction to his recent book on the topic.
The answer, in my view, is yes and in addition to Rivoli's book, we are reading Bhagwati's In Defense of Globalization.
Rivoli writes in the preface to her book:
Later writers -- perhaps most artfully Peter Dougherty -- have argued instead that "Economics is part of a larger civilizing project," in which markets depend for their very survival on various forms of the backlash. My T-shirt's story comes down on Dougherty's side: Neither the market nor the backlash alone presents much hope for the poor the world over who farm cotton or stitch T-shirts together, but in the unintentional conspiracy between the two sides there is promise.
My T-shirt's life suggests, however, that the importance of markets might be overstated by both globalizers and critics. While my T-shirt's life story is certainly influenced by competitive economic markets, the key events in the T-shirt's life are less about competitive markets than they are about politics, history, and creative maneuvers to avoid markets. Even those who laud the effects of highly competitive markets are loathe to experience them personally, so the winners at various stages of my T-shirt's life are adept not so much at competing in markets but at avoiding them. The effects of these avoidance maneuvers can have more damaging effects on the poor and powerless than market competition itself. In short, my T-shirt's story has turned out to be less about markets than I would have predicted, and more about the historical and political webs of intrigue in which the markets are embedded. In peeling the onion of my T-shirt's life -- especially as it relates to current debates -- I kept being led back to history and politics.
in which she cites her colleague:"Does the world really need another book about globalization?" Jagdish Bhagwati asks in the introduction to his recent book on the topic.
The answer, in my view, is yes and in addition to Rivoli's book, we are reading Bhagwati's In Defense of Globalization.
Rivoli writes in the preface to her book:
Later writers -- perhaps most artfully Peter Dougherty -- have argued instead that "Economics is part of a larger civilizing project," in which markets depend for their very survival on various forms of the backlash. My T-shirt's story comes down on Dougherty's side: Neither the market nor the backlash alone presents much hope for the poor the world over who farm cotton or stitch T-shirts together, but in the unintentional conspiracy between the two sides there is promise.
My T-shirt's life suggests, however, that the importance of markets might be overstated by both globalizers and critics. While my T-shirt's life story is certainly influenced by competitive economic markets, the key events in the T-shirt's life are less about competitive markets than they are about politics, history, and creative maneuvers to avoid markets. Even those who laud the effects of highly competitive markets are loathe to experience them personally, so the winners at various stages of my T-shirt's life are adept not so much at competing in markets but at avoiding them. The effects of these avoidance maneuvers can have more damaging effects on the poor and powerless than market competition itself. In short, my T-shirt's story has turned out to be less about markets than I would have predicted, and more about the historical and political webs of intrigue in which the markets are embedded. In peeling the onion of my T-shirt's life -- especially as it relates to current debates -- I kept being led back to history and politics.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
US economy - recession?
The profession and the media continues to debate the direction of the US economy. The following link presents the views of 3 Nobel winners and their divergent views.
CNBC - Where's the Economy Going? Nobel Winners Weigh In
CNBC - Where's the Economy Going? Nobel Winners Weigh In
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
FTE Trustee Meeting
On Friday April 11, 2008 I attended the FTE Trustee meeting as an invited guest to overview online learning and the FTE online courses. Relevant to that discussion are the following:
New Answers for E Learning - US News and World Report
Number of Students Taking Online Classes Grows - USA Today
Sloan Report - Online Nation: Five Years of Growth in Online Learning
Course Management Systems
Blog example
EDSUO blog
EDSUO wiki
New Answers for E Learning - US News and World Report
Number of Students Taking Online Classes Grows - USA Today
Sloan Report - Online Nation: Five Years of Growth in Online Learning
Course Management Systems
Blog example
EDSUO blog
EDSUO wiki
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Economics of development
From Dani Rodrik's blog a reference to 4 excellent essays -
What should the World Bank know and think about governance?
You can read the four short essays on this question produced by Daron Acemoglu, Frank Fukuyama, Doug North, and myself here. There is much convergence of views in these essays, but also some disagreements. Daron and I disagree in particular on two issues: whether industrial policy makes sense or not (me: yes, Daron: no) and whether institutional reform should adopt a best-practice approach or not (me: no, Daron: yes). I take Doug North's views on the latter question to be much closer to mine than to Daron's--or at least they appeared to be so in the discussion following the presentations.
What should the World Bank know and think about governance?
You can read the four short essays on this question produced by Daron Acemoglu, Frank Fukuyama, Doug North, and myself here. There is much convergence of views in these essays, but also some disagreements. Daron and I disagree in particular on two issues: whether industrial policy makes sense or not (me: yes, Daron: no) and whether institutional reform should adopt a best-practice approach or not (me: no, Daron: yes). I take Doug North's views on the latter question to be much closer to mine than to Daron's--or at least they appeared to be so in the discussion following the presentations.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Capitalism, Morality, and Liberty
I will attend the Liberty Fund colloquium in Denver on “Capitalism, Morality, and Liberty” on April 3-6, 2008.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Liberty Fund - March 17-19
I will be in Indianapolis as an FTE representative for the Liberty Fund “Co-Sponsored Alliance Meeting”, March 17-19, 2008.
This meeting will consist of two Socratic sessions on the morning of the 18th followed by 4 breakout sessions relating to the logistics of Liberty Fund conference.
Socratic Session One
Why Liberty? A Collection of Liberty Fund Essays
On Liberty - JS Mill
The Use of Knowledge in Society - FA Hayek
Capitalism and Freedom
Socratic Session Two
Why Liberty? A Collection of Liberty Fund Essays
A Place of Learning - M Oakeshott
Breakout session one
Discussion Leading
Database Management
Breakout session two
Program design and best practices
Conference guidelines and administration
Breakout session three
Liberty Fund Conference Program
Proposal Development
Breakout session four
Readings and copyrights
Conference evaluation and feedback
This meeting will consist of two Socratic sessions on the morning of the 18th followed by 4 breakout sessions relating to the logistics of Liberty Fund conference.
Socratic Session One
Why Liberty? A Collection of Liberty Fund Essays
On Liberty - JS Mill
The Use of Knowledge in Society - FA Hayek
Capitalism and Freedom
Socratic Session Two
Why Liberty? A Collection of Liberty Fund Essays
A Place of Learning - M Oakeshott
Breakout session one
Discussion Leading
Database Management
Breakout session two
Program design and best practices
Conference guidelines and administration
Breakout session three
Liberty Fund Conference Program
Proposal Development
Breakout session four
Readings and copyrights
Conference evaluation and feedback
Monday, March 10, 2008
Economics of Disasters
On March 6 the FTE was in Tempe for:
The Economics of Disasters workshop. Registration and a continental breakfast began at 8:00am for all our participants. The general program began promptly at 8:30am with an introduction to disasters by Kathy Ratte.
Kathy provided an excellent overview of lesson one in the five lesson curriculum sequence that makes up the FTE Economics of Disasters. During the course of the workshop, participants had the opportunity to engage with the following activities:
Are Disasters Good for the Economy?
Price Gouging Activity
Nobody Knows Everything - Game Slides (Adobe PDF/Powerpoint)
Her presentation was followed by an in depth application of economic reasoning to the topic of disasters by Dr. Daniel Benjamin.
Dan presented the economic impact of disasters and extended the discussion through an analysis of the role of the government in the mitigation of the results of disaster.
The Arizona Council on Economic Education’s goals are to assist teachers in improving their students’ economic and financial literacy and decision making skills, by providing them with content, methodologies and practical tools.
The Economics of Disasters workshop. Registration and a continental breakfast began at 8:00am for all our participants. The general program began promptly at 8:30am with an introduction to disasters by Kathy Ratte.
Kathy provided an excellent overview of lesson one in the five lesson curriculum sequence that makes up the FTE Economics of Disasters. During the course of the workshop, participants had the opportunity to engage with the following activities:
Are Disasters Good for the Economy?
Price Gouging Activity
Nobody Knows Everything - Game Slides (Adobe PDF/Powerpoint)
Her presentation was followed by an in depth application of economic reasoning to the topic of disasters by Dr. Daniel Benjamin.
Dan presented the economic impact of disasters and extended the discussion through an analysis of the role of the government in the mitigation of the results of disaster.
The Arizona Council on Economic Education’s goals are to assist teachers in improving their students’ economic and financial literacy and decision making skills, by providing them with content, methodologies and practical tools.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Your view of the economy in 2008
This is a follow up to a post from last month.
Just how badly is the United States really doing? Take a minute and vote on the survey to your right,then read on.
My colleague James D. Hamilton writes in the March 2, 2008 San Diego Union writes:
Sixty-one percent of Americans believe that the U.S. economy is already experiencing a recession, reported a recent AP/Ipsos poll. People who study the economy for a living are also concerned, but they are not quite as pessimistic. In a survey of economic forecasters by the National Association for Business Economics, 55 percent of the respondents declared that we're not in a recession and are not going to have one this year.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080302/news_lz1e2hamilton.html
Just how badly is the United States really doing? Take a minute and vote on the survey to your right,then read on.
My colleague James D. Hamilton writes in the March 2, 2008 San Diego Union writes:
Sixty-one percent of Americans believe that the U.S. economy is already experiencing a recession, reported a recent AP/Ipsos poll. People who study the economy for a living are also concerned, but they are not quite as pessimistic. In a survey of economic forecasters by the National Association for Business Economics, 55 percent of the respondents declared that we're not in a recession and are not going to have one this year.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080302/news_lz1e2hamilton.html
Sunday, March 2, 2008
What U.S. Consumers Know About Economic Conditions
This post is prompted by a discussion about critical thinking and online facilitation in the UofW graduate online course Collaborating Communities. That discussion revolves around the role that facilitator feedback might play in facilitating critical thinking.
As I thought about this discussion, I reflected on the role that knowledge and a simple recall of that knowledge played in critical thinking. That is, can humans construct critical thinking in the absence of knowledge?
Richard Curtin
'The natural inquisitiveness of people was noted long ago when Aristotle began his book Metaphysics
Curtin's paper goes on to attempt to reconcile the Aristotlean view of the nature of humanity with actual behavior.
For those of us with experience in education the nature of human desire for knowledge is always floating about our design and delivery of our content and often springs to the front of our consciousness during assessment.
Curtin writes about the ideal that people desire knowledge that:Unfortunately, that is not the case. Nearly every profession has been disappointed with the amount
I look forward to any comments you might have about this topic and the question that Curtin ends the introduction of his paper with:
How can the often widespread lack of knowledge be reconciled with Aristotle’s view that people
Reading Russia
On the topic of reading, the following sources (short and long) are informative of Russia today and very reflective of what we are studying:
The Economist - Smoke and mirrors
The BBC - The Putin Project
The New York Times - Now Comes the Tough Part
Two books that I am currently reading may well be of interest for your summer reading list. These are for the generalist, if you are a history teacher I suspect that none of this will be new, although the presentation is provocative.
The first is Niall Ferguson's - The War of the World
Part 1 of the book deals with Stalin's USSR and extends and explains in depth the extent of the cultural, economic and legal impact of the command system on Russian society. Much of these deals with the period of WW II, although Ferguson does an excellent job of providing an historical context.
As you know, Ferguson is controversial and the reviews of this book were mixed, I suspect based upon ideological considerations. Part of a negative review from The New Yorker:
Ferguson's eight-hundred-page reevaluation of the Second World War presents itself as a grand theory about ethnic conflict, the end of empire, and the postwar triumph of the East. The exact contours of the theory, however, remain unclear. Ferguson argues that the central story of the twentieth century is "the descent of the West," but he never really clarifies what "the West" means - Russia sometimes qualifies, sometimes not, depending upon what point Ferguson is trying to make. Ferguson is a skilled storyteller, and he offers many striking reflections on the bloodiest years of the past century, including a compelling analysis of appeasement.
Jan Winik's - The Great Upheaval: America and the Birth of the Modern World, 1788-1800 takes an interesting and in the end very enlightening view of this critical period. Winik organizes his book with alternating chapters on The United States, France and Russia. The result is a set of connections that the general reader may never have made and a perspective that the historian may find useful.
The Economist - Smoke and mirrors
The BBC - The Putin Project
The New York Times - Now Comes the Tough Part
Two books that I am currently reading may well be of interest for your summer reading list. These are for the generalist, if you are a history teacher I suspect that none of this will be new, although the presentation is provocative.
The first is Niall Ferguson's - The War of the World
Part 1 of the book deals with Stalin's USSR and extends and explains in depth the extent of the cultural, economic and legal impact of the command system on Russian society. Much of these deals with the period of WW II, although Ferguson does an excellent job of providing an historical context.
As you know, Ferguson is controversial and the reviews of this book were mixed, I suspect based upon ideological considerations. Part of a negative review from The New Yorker:
Ferguson's eight-hundred-page reevaluation of the Second World War presents itself as a grand theory about ethnic conflict, the end of empire, and the postwar triumph of the East. The exact contours of the theory, however, remain unclear. Ferguson argues that the central story of the twentieth century is "the descent of the West," but he never really clarifies what "the West" means - Russia sometimes qualifies, sometimes not, depending upon what point Ferguson is trying to make. Ferguson is a skilled storyteller, and he offers many striking reflections on the bloodiest years of the past century, including a compelling analysis of appeasement.
Jan Winik's - The Great Upheaval: America and the Birth of the Modern World, 1788-1800 takes an interesting and in the end very enlightening view of this critical period. Winik organizes his book with alternating chapters on The United States, France and Russia. The result is a set of connections that the general reader may never have made and a perspective that the historian may find useful.
Millennials
As we have referenced the millennials, I thought you might find this article from the local Az paper of interest.
A review of the book:
Winograd and Hais combine "generation theory" with their own long experience in politics, survey data, and detailed observations about the unique values and expectations that Millenials bring to
I wonder how compatible these millenial values are with the values of education that are inculcated in our institutions of teaching and learning.
The 'millennials' A NEW POLITICAL GENERATION
Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais
Feb. 10, 2008 12:00 AM
Winograd and Hais are co-authors of "Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics,"
The authors write:
Reared by indulgent parents and driven by deeply held values as adults, members of idealist generations embroil the nation in heated debates on divisive social issues as they try to enact their own personal morality and causes through the political process.
A review of the book:
Winograd and Hais combine "generation theory" with their own long experience in politics, survey data, and detailed observations about the unique values and expectations that Millenials bring to
I wonder how compatible these millenial values are with the values of education that are inculcated in our institutions of teaching and learning.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Your view of the economy in 2008
While this blog is primarily oriented toward a discussion of e learning, I am very interested in the intersection of learning theory, economics and my instruction of economics.
To that end, I am endeavoring to have a wide community of viewers so I have invited colleagues from a number of my learning communities to this blog to complete the one question poll to the left and to leave a comment at this site.
The poll question was prompted by my desire to see if James James Surowiecki's thesis in The Wisdom of Crowds can be easily tested. We will know the answer to these poll question within the next 15 months, so this seemed a reasonable way for me to test his argument.
Moreover, I am seriously giving consideration to the use of blog and wiki as delivery tools for the classes I teach online and to supplement my face to face instruction. Given the research available dealing with alternative assessment and the role of authenticity and constructivism in learning, I want to see how colleagues I have come to respect interact in this environment.
Thanks in advance for your vote on the poll and any comments you care to leave.
Your reply might include:
1. Your explanation/rationale for your vote on the direction of the US economy in 2008.
2. The consequence - social, cultural, political if your prediction is correct?
3. Your view of instructional technologies such as this and their efficacy in the classroom - either cyber or face to face.
4. Any other relevant issue or question you might wish to raise.
Greg
To that end, I am endeavoring to have a wide community of viewers so I have invited colleagues from a number of my learning communities to this blog to complete the one question poll to the left and to leave a comment at this site.
The poll question was prompted by my desire to see if James James Surowiecki's thesis in The Wisdom of Crowds can be easily tested. We will know the answer to these poll question within the next 15 months, so this seemed a reasonable way for me to test his argument.
Moreover, I am seriously giving consideration to the use of blog and wiki as delivery tools for the classes I teach online and to supplement my face to face instruction. Given the research available dealing with alternative assessment and the role of authenticity and constructivism in learning, I want to see how colleagues I have come to respect interact in this environment.
Thanks in advance for your vote on the poll and any comments you care to leave.
Your reply might include:
1. Your explanation/rationale for your vote on the direction of the US economy in 2008.
2. The consequence - social, cultural, political if your prediction is correct?
3. Your view of instructional technologies such as this and their efficacy in the classroom - either cyber or face to face.
4. Any other relevant issue or question you might wish to raise.
Greg
2007 - AEA papers
Teaching Economics - Economics Network
Technology impact on a principles course
IR - Clarke, O Rourke, Taylor
Trade and IR - O Rourke, Taylor
Development and colonialism in new world
PR and Trade
Trade and Development
Proficiency based assessment
Livingeconomics - online micro
Econ and YouTube
Mandate HS Econ
Technology impact on a principles course
IR - Clarke, O Rourke, Taylor
Trade and IR - O Rourke, Taylor
Development and colonialism in new world
PR and Trade
Trade and Development
Proficiency based assessment
Livingeconomics - online micro
Econ and YouTube
Mandate HS Econ
Laissez-Fairst Presidents
• Grover Cleveland (1885-1889 and 1893-1897)
• Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)
• Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)
• Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
• Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)
• Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
Click here for the full post at Austrian Economists.
• Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)
• Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)
• Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
• Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)
• Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
Click here for the full post at Austrian Economists.
Economics courses - iTunes, youTube, podcasting
The evolution of delivery of academic course work is accelerating. I spent some time trying to become current with delivery in economics and, I know I have just scratched the surface.
Admitting that I am behind this important curve and that not only are other parts of my instructional community ahead of the curve but many students are with those colleagues way ahead of my experience with successful tools of online community.
I readily see my colleagues in economics providing instruction using
iTunes and related platforms
Video a la youTube
Podcasting and other evolving platforms
Now keep in mind that this is in very early stages and evolving. So skim below if you are "new" to this type of media in economics (or any other discipline) instruction.
Ok, who is doing this? Brad deLong at UofC Berkeley, the George Mason economists (no surprise there) but colleagues teaching in environments similar to mine. So if you are intrigued and, like me a bit scaried, read on.
Brad de Long - a well known name to economists and economic educators, Brad is, oh well no shrinking violet. But all indications are he is a committed and innovative teacher.
Video Click on recent posts to see how Brad has evolved this area. You need to select video from the ugly blue banner page.
Podcasts and Webcasts of UC Berkeley current and archived courses
UC Berkeley has become the first university to formally offer
videos of full course lectures via YouTube.
Two hundred clips, representing eight full classes, have been uploaded so far.
The school has equipped twenty classrooms to record lectures and plans to capture about fifty classes each semester, or about three percent of the course catalog. For more details, read:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/04/BUJ0SJ9JS.DTL
Alas, you can't earn a Cal degree merely by watching YouTube clips - no credits are offered in conjunction with the postings. However, those interested in expanding their intellectual horizons can explore the Cal courses here:
http://www.youtube.com/ucberkeley
An "older" Washington Post story:
Internet Access Is Only Prerequisite For More and More College Classes
Berkeley's on YouTube. American University's hoping to get on iTunes. George Mason professors have created an online research tool, a virtual filing cabinet for scholars. And with a few clicks on Yale's Web site, anyone can watch one of the school's most popular philosophy professors sitting cross-legged on his desk, talking about death.
Less than a week into Yale's video launch of seven introductory courses, philosophy professor Shelly Kagan had gotten enthusiastic, inquisitive e-mail messages from people who had watched his classes. (Yale University)
A list of colleges and universities at various stages of the process.
Admitting that I am behind this important curve and that not only are other parts of my instructional community ahead of the curve but many students are with those colleagues way ahead of my experience with successful tools of online community.
I readily see my colleagues in economics providing instruction using
iTunes and related platforms
Video a la youTube
Podcasting and other evolving platforms
Now keep in mind that this is in very early stages and evolving. So skim below if you are "new" to this type of media in economics (or any other discipline) instruction.
Ok, who is doing this? Brad deLong at UofC Berkeley, the George Mason economists (no surprise there) but colleagues teaching in environments similar to mine. So if you are intrigued and, like me a bit scaried, read on.
Brad de Long - a well known name to economists and economic educators, Brad is, oh well no shrinking violet. But all indications are he is a committed and innovative teacher.
Video Click on recent posts to see how Brad has evolved this area. You need to select video from the ugly blue banner page.
Podcasts and Webcasts of UC Berkeley current and archived courses
UC Berkeley has become the first university to formally offer
videos of full course lectures via YouTube.
Two hundred clips, representing eight full classes, have been uploaded so far.
The school has equipped twenty classrooms to record lectures and plans to capture about fifty classes each semester, or about three percent of the course catalog. For more details, read:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/04/BUJ0SJ9JS.DTL
Alas, you can't earn a Cal degree merely by watching YouTube clips - no credits are offered in conjunction with the postings. However, those interested in expanding their intellectual horizons can explore the Cal courses here:
http://www.youtube.com/ucberkeley
An "older" Washington Post story:
Internet Access Is Only Prerequisite For More and More College Classes
Berkeley's on YouTube. American University's hoping to get on iTunes. George Mason professors have created an online research tool, a virtual filing cabinet for scholars. And with a few clicks on Yale's Web site, anyone can watch one of the school's most popular philosophy professors sitting cross-legged on his desk, talking about death.
Less than a week into Yale's video launch of seven introductory courses, philosophy professor Shelly Kagan had gotten enthusiastic, inquisitive e-mail messages from people who had watched his classes. (Yale University)
A list of colleges and universities at various stages of the process.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Wiki comment and feedback
In EDUC 761 our class is reviewing various - Emerging Communication Tools and How They Might Influence Online Education in the Future. I have shared my experience with wiki and I have invited my colleagues to review the survey data on the left, leave a survey comment and post a comment as a reply.
Our reading and discussion in EDUC 762 has touched on peer to peer collaboration (our midterm is a good example of this), authentic and alternative assessment and recently, the challenges posed by 4 storms of E Learning that were predicted in 2004 and may already be here.
That said, after completing the survey to your left, if you would elaborate with a comment. You may reply to one prompt below or leave a comment based upon your own experience with wiki.
1. Of the benefits you identified in the survey, which is the most significant and why so you see this benefit as so important?
2. Are wiki now a part of your world as an instructor. If so, how do you use them. If not, are wiki evident in your various learning communities.
3. Share an example of peer to peer collaboration that you have used in the classroom (either face to face or online). Could a wiki have been used to support this collaboration?
4. Do you see wiki as an example of authenticity in activity or assessment? Why or why not.
I know you are all busy so thanks to those of you who take time to post a comment.
Greg@Az
Our reading and discussion in EDUC 762 has touched on peer to peer collaboration (our midterm is a good example of this), authentic and alternative assessment and recently, the challenges posed by 4 storms of E Learning that were predicted in 2004 and may already be here.
That said, after completing the survey to your left, if you would elaborate with a comment. You may reply to one prompt below or leave a comment based upon your own experience with wiki.
1. Of the benefits you identified in the survey, which is the most significant and why so you see this benefit as so important?
2. Are wiki now a part of your world as an instructor. If so, how do you use them. If not, are wiki evident in your various learning communities.
3. Share an example of peer to peer collaboration that you have used in the classroom (either face to face or online). Could a wiki have been used to support this collaboration?
4. Do you see wiki as an example of authenticity in activity or assessment? Why or why not.
I know you are all busy so thanks to those of you who take time to post a comment.
Greg@Az
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Students in Economic History of the US
Great work in completion of our introductory unit in ECN 160.
As you see to your right, I have a list of the economic events you identified as a class as the most significant in sU history.
Economic historians who look at US history tend to agree that two events are of major importance in the applying economic analysis to an understanding of US history.
I would like for you to do two things, cast your vote for the two events that you find important, and in a short reply to this post explain why you selected these two events.
As you see to your right, I have a list of the economic events you identified as a class as the most significant in sU history.
Economic historians who look at US history tend to agree that two events are of major importance in the applying economic analysis to an understanding of US history.
I would like for you to do two things, cast your vote for the two events that you find important, and in a short reply to this post explain why you selected these two events.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Old habits harder to revise than new habits to acquire
I continue my journey through the world of E Learning and in my quest to improve as an online teacher I look to the model of master teachers. I have been very, very fortunate to work with some of these special colleagues in face to face communities and I have, over the past year, had the opportunity to work with and learn from some really amazing mentors. These online facilitators exemplify kindness, tolerance, genuine curiosity and authenticity.
So, having said that, I am coming face to face with . . . change. If I indeed want to improve my performance (and I do) this will require change. The adjustments are many and involve the areas of content, instructional design, delivery, assessment, moderation . . . well the list goes on and on.
Over in one of my UofW online classes we have been exploring the use of a variety of tools to facilitate online learning. The moderators in this class are guiding the participants (teachers, trainers, or those who want to be one or the other) into a manner of online discourse.
Now I know I am learning when I am uncomfortable, a tad confused, frustrated and at time plain angry. The analogy is golf. I play to a 44 handicap. Every few years I get frustrated and take a few lessons. My already pathetic game, gets worse. This illustrates a principle we all know, that unlearning a habit is much more difficult than learning a new habit.
So, back to the online tool over in my class and learning a new way to employ the tool. I am setting aside for the moment the question of whether I think that this is a change that is recommended - for either me or my students. After all, like the golf pro, I am paying pretty good money and time to learn an alternative.
So when we acquire a habit, we become automatic in practicing that habit. That is, no thinking is involved or conscious effort for an old school teacher to lecture, Tiger Woods to drive the green, Greg Pratt to make pancakes.
But a new habit requires a self conscious effort, until the habit is internalizes.
And, to unlearn a habit and replace is with a new habit . . . oy vey.
So, the following is an comment expressing the difficulty I was experiencing:
I am struggling with the correct protocol for online discussion
The reply from the instructor reinforced the notion that the challenge to acquire a new habit and unlearn an old habit is work but worth it.
So, having said that, I am coming face to face with . . . change. If I indeed want to improve my performance (and I do) this will require change. The adjustments are many and involve the areas of content, instructional design, delivery, assessment, moderation . . . well the list goes on and on.
Over in one of my UofW online classes we have been exploring the use of a variety of tools to facilitate online learning. The moderators in this class are guiding the participants (teachers, trainers, or those who want to be one or the other) into a manner of online discourse.
Now I know I am learning when I am uncomfortable, a tad confused, frustrated and at time plain angry. The analogy is golf. I play to a 44 handicap. Every few years I get frustrated and take a few lessons. My already pathetic game, gets worse. This illustrates a principle we all know, that unlearning a habit is much more difficult than learning a new habit.
So, back to the online tool over in my class and learning a new way to employ the tool. I am setting aside for the moment the question of whether I think that this is a change that is recommended - for either me or my students. After all, like the golf pro, I am paying pretty good money and time to learn an alternative.
So when we acquire a habit, we become automatic in practicing that habit. That is, no thinking is involved or conscious effort for an old school teacher to lecture, Tiger Woods to drive the green, Greg Pratt to make pancakes.
But a new habit requires a self conscious effort, until the habit is internalizes.
And, to unlearn a habit and replace is with a new habit . . . oy vey.
So, the following is an comment expressing the difficulty I was experiencing:
I am struggling with the correct protocol for online discussion
The reply from the instructor reinforced the notion that the challenge to acquire a new habit and unlearn an old habit is work but worth it.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Ethics, Economics and Freedom: The Morality of Markets
Saturday Feb. 9, 2008 - 7th annual ASET conference - Ethics, Economics and Freedom: The Morality of Markets
The conference as an amazing experience. This 7th annual conference of the Arizona Society for Economics Teachers was attended by over 100 Arizona educators and 50 students of economics. Co sponsored by the Arizona Council on Economic Education the morning was packed with three powerful presentations.
Up first was Dwight Lee who kicked off the day's discussion with an historical overview of freedom, markets and Milton Friedman. Lee's eloquent (and humorous) description of the struggle between Keynes and Friedman was reminiscent of Yergin and Stanislaw's The Commanding Heights as Lee showcased Friedman's intellectual journey.
Lee described the seminal work of Friedman, his work analyzing the role of money, the Phillips curve and the controversy over the role of the government. He concluded his well thought overview of economics and freedom, by outlining Milton Friedman's legacy as a Freedom Fighter:
Advocate for individual liberty
Freedom as an ultimate value
Freedom as an instrumental value
Lee ended with a quote from Adam Smith:
" The statesman who should attempt to direct private people in what manner they ought to employ their capitals would not only load himself with a most unnecessary attention, but assume an authority which could safely be trusted, not only to no single person, but to no council or senate whatever, and which would nowhere be so dangerous as in the hands of a man who had folly and presumption enough to fancy himself fit to exercise it." (WN: B.IV, Ch.2, Of Restraints upon the Importation from Foreign Countries in paragraph IV.2.10)
Our next speaker, John Morton, provided an overview of the latest NCEE publication
Teaching the Ethical Foundations of Economics.
Co written with Jonathan Wight this book contains 10 lessons that reintroduce an ethical dimension to economics in the tradition of Adam Smith, who believed ethical considerations were central to life. Utilizing these innovative instructional materials your students will learn about the important role ethics and character play in a market economy and how, in turn, markets influence ethical behavior. Click here to read Jonathan's introduction.
Our closing speaker David Schmidtz integrated philosophy with the previous discussion of freedom and teaching economics.
Professor of Philosophy and Joint Professor of Economics David Schmidtz conducts the Program in the Philosophy of Freedom. The aims of the program in the philosophy of freedom are
To provide undergraduate students with a two-course sequence in Philosophy of Freedom, PHIL 320a and PHIL 320b.
To have visiting professors give lectures topics related to Philosophy of Freedom.
To provide workshops for alumni of the University of Arizona Philosophy graduate program.
To give current graduate students fellowship opportunities that advance their teaching and research.
David began with a reminder that, as educators, our role is to empower our students to participate in the complex real world and that role will demand that we provide authentic opportunities to develop critical thinking skills and demonstrate the results of their thinking. He ended his introduction by sharing a transferable teaching tidbit, one that I will certainly incorporate.
David uses the following incentive in his large (300 student) undergraduate class. At random, he selects a student and asks if they are in attendence. If not, the student will have one point deducted from their final grade. If they are present, the student is asked to summarize the key point from the previous class. The student is free to pass. If this is the case, no points are deducted. However, if the student provides an acceptable summary, the student is awarded 1 point and the process proceeds to the "bonus" round. Here another student is selected at random and asked to summarize the current class. Essentially this checks preparation, asking the student the key points from the required reading. If the student successfully answers, 5 bonus or extra credit points are awarded to the student. An incorrect answer or silence is not penalized.
Schmidtz went on to organize his presentation around the familiar economic concept of the gains from trade.
After contrasting a zero sum view of interaction with a positive sum view, Schmidtz presented the underpinning or preconditions needed to realize the gains from trade - voluntarism and property rights. With these in place, specialization leads to collaboration which widens the sphere of benefit to the agents in society. Following Adam Smith, the increasing size of the market allowed for increases in specialization and increases in benefit.
At this point, Schmidtz shared a second transferable teaching tidbit. This in the form of a story about Thomas Edison. Schmidtz asked if Edison had endowed a charitable foundation. (I was unable to determine if Edison did). Schmidtz then asked, would the world have been a better place, had he donated his wealth to charity. Then Schmidtz asked if Edison had paid taxes and repeated his previous question, would the world be better off if he had paid taxes.
The conclusion - Edison's contribution to improving society, raising standards of living and stimulating growth was the light bulb. This invention has far more lasting and important positive consequences that would a charitable contribution or a payment of up to 100 per cent in taxes.
As you can tell, we have a wonderful day and many thanks are due to ASET president Dr. Alice Temnick and Arizona Council on Economic Education Program Director Ashlay Hall.
The program ended with the recognition of Brett Haglin as Arizona Economics Teacher of the Year and Elizabeth Volard as recipient of the John C. Morton service award.
Please feel free to leave comments, share your reaction to the conference, or leave questions for ASET, ACEE or the 2008 participants at this blog.
The conference as an amazing experience. This 7th annual conference of the Arizona Society for Economics Teachers was attended by over 100 Arizona educators and 50 students of economics. Co sponsored by the Arizona Council on Economic Education the morning was packed with three powerful presentations.
Up first was Dwight Lee who kicked off the day's discussion with an historical overview of freedom, markets and Milton Friedman. Lee's eloquent (and humorous) description of the struggle between Keynes and Friedman was reminiscent of Yergin and Stanislaw's The Commanding Heights as Lee showcased Friedman's intellectual journey.
Lee described the seminal work of Friedman, his work analyzing the role of money, the Phillips curve and the controversy over the role of the government. He concluded his well thought overview of economics and freedom, by outlining Milton Friedman's legacy as a Freedom Fighter:
Advocate for individual liberty
Freedom as an ultimate value
Freedom as an instrumental value
Lee ended with a quote from Adam Smith:
" The statesman who should attempt to direct private people in what manner they ought to employ their capitals would not only load himself with a most unnecessary attention, but assume an authority which could safely be trusted, not only to no single person, but to no council or senate whatever, and which would nowhere be so dangerous as in the hands of a man who had folly and presumption enough to fancy himself fit to exercise it." (WN: B.IV, Ch.2, Of Restraints upon the Importation from Foreign Countries in paragraph IV.2.10)
Our next speaker, John Morton, provided an overview of the latest NCEE publication
Teaching the Ethical Foundations of Economics.
Co written with Jonathan Wight this book contains 10 lessons that reintroduce an ethical dimension to economics in the tradition of Adam Smith, who believed ethical considerations were central to life. Utilizing these innovative instructional materials your students will learn about the important role ethics and character play in a market economy and how, in turn, markets influence ethical behavior. Click here to read Jonathan's introduction.
Our closing speaker David Schmidtz integrated philosophy with the previous discussion of freedom and teaching economics.
Professor of Philosophy and Joint Professor of Economics David Schmidtz conducts the Program in the Philosophy of Freedom. The aims of the program in the philosophy of freedom are
To provide undergraduate students with a two-course sequence in Philosophy of Freedom, PHIL 320a and PHIL 320b.
To have visiting professors give lectures topics related to Philosophy of Freedom.
To provide workshops for alumni of the University of Arizona Philosophy graduate program.
To give current graduate students fellowship opportunities that advance their teaching and research.
David began with a reminder that, as educators, our role is to empower our students to participate in the complex real world and that role will demand that we provide authentic opportunities to develop critical thinking skills and demonstrate the results of their thinking. He ended his introduction by sharing a transferable teaching tidbit, one that I will certainly incorporate.
David uses the following incentive in his large (300 student) undergraduate class. At random, he selects a student and asks if they are in attendence. If not, the student will have one point deducted from their final grade. If they are present, the student is asked to summarize the key point from the previous class. The student is free to pass. If this is the case, no points are deducted. However, if the student provides an acceptable summary, the student is awarded 1 point and the process proceeds to the "bonus" round. Here another student is selected at random and asked to summarize the current class. Essentially this checks preparation, asking the student the key points from the required reading. If the student successfully answers, 5 bonus or extra credit points are awarded to the student. An incorrect answer or silence is not penalized.
Schmidtz went on to organize his presentation around the familiar economic concept of the gains from trade.
After contrasting a zero sum view of interaction with a positive sum view, Schmidtz presented the underpinning or preconditions needed to realize the gains from trade - voluntarism and property rights. With these in place, specialization leads to collaboration which widens the sphere of benefit to the agents in society. Following Adam Smith, the increasing size of the market allowed for increases in specialization and increases in benefit.
At this point, Schmidtz shared a second transferable teaching tidbit. This in the form of a story about Thomas Edison. Schmidtz asked if Edison had endowed a charitable foundation. (I was unable to determine if Edison did). Schmidtz then asked, would the world have been a better place, had he donated his wealth to charity. Then Schmidtz asked if Edison had paid taxes and repeated his previous question, would the world be better off if he had paid taxes.
The conclusion - Edison's contribution to improving society, raising standards of living and stimulating growth was the light bulb. This invention has far more lasting and important positive consequences that would a charitable contribution or a payment of up to 100 per cent in taxes.
As you can tell, we have a wonderful day and many thanks are due to ASET president Dr. Alice Temnick and Arizona Council on Economic Education Program Director Ashlay Hall.
The program ended with the recognition of Brett Haglin as Arizona Economics Teacher of the Year and Elizabeth Volard as recipient of the John C. Morton service award.
Please feel free to leave comments, share your reaction to the conference, or leave questions for ASET, ACEE or the 2008 participants at this blog.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Public v private - how should a wiki be constructed
A great discussion has sprung up in EDUC 762 regarding private v public settings for an educational wiki.
How do you weight in?
While here, if you have not voted in the survey on wiki use, give it a whirl.
Do the current survey results on wiki inform your comments?
I'll kick off our discussion by responding to the following excellent question:
So I wondered why your group chose to only complete a wiki to submit to the instructor knowing that your wiki could be subjected to vandalizing even with the private access. Not suggesting our classmates but, others who might obtain access.
This is a great question and really reflects back on the philosophy of the internet, social networking and community building. My response is grounded in my personal philosophy, experience with this tool and constructivist view point of learning communities.
Personal Philosophy
I am grounded in the moral philosophy of Adam Smith. Smith, in The Theory of Moral Sentiments presents a strong case that the link between individual liberty or natural liberty and society is personal responsibility expressed through virtue. The operative agent is an impartial spectator that aligns liberty with responsibility.
So my first response, is that I have tremendous confidence in my fellows.
Experience with wiki
If you think back to the survey (over on our left) one of the major advantages of a wiki is the archive functionality. Every page and page edit is saved in history. If a "vandal" were to attack any or all pages in a public wiki, the previous page would be restored and the vandal blocked from the site.
Our EDUC 762 group midterm project was a private one, a decision that I obviously find contrary to the essence of wiki, Adam Smith, Walt Whitman and inclusiveness. Having said that, the questioner accurately points out, the wiki could still be "vandalized".
But, the process of collaboration or the process of vandalizing is, I think, important to regard. Howl, was considered obscene (a form of poetic graffitti), Dali and Pollack are examples of those attacked by the cultural establishment as juvenile and "vandals" and early rap and hip hop were considered criminal. I am not saying that this wiki rises to high art, but a defining characteristic of wiki is collaboration and inclusivement (in my view).
So, I would welcome all collaboration which, at its heart could be viewed as subversive and ultimately vandalism.
A bit like the philosophy in The Leaves of Grass . . . . could Whitman have been anticipating the wiki (Me or I or our?):
What is commonest, cheapest, nearest, easiest is Me.
or
I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable.
or
Our freedom all in thee! our very lives in thee!
Constructivist view of learning
It will not be surprising that my philosophy of constructivism is founded on notions of personal liberty and responsibility, inclusiveness and a sense that, as Whitman and Ginsberg declare - are democratic and universal. The notion of American exceptionalism that was early on described in Democracy in America by Tocqueville identified five values crucial to America's success as a democratic republic:
(1) liberty
(2) egalitarianism
(3) individualism
(4) populism and
(5) laissez-faire
Perhaps these are important not only to wiki, but to the broader discussion of community building.
Click over to Public Wiki to view the wiki under discussion. The question at the beginning of this post focused on the Owyang assessment of weaknesses of wiki. Immediately above this analysis of weakness you can see a summary of strengths/benefits/uses of wiki that might inform your analysis of this topic.
Thanks to my classmates over in EDUC 762 for prompting this excellent discussion.
How do you weight in?
While here, if you have not voted in the survey on wiki use, give it a whirl.
Do the current survey results on wiki inform your comments?
I'll kick off our discussion by responding to the following excellent question:
So I wondered why your group chose to only complete a wiki to submit to the instructor knowing that your wiki could be subjected to vandalizing even with the private access. Not suggesting our classmates but, others who might obtain access.
This is a great question and really reflects back on the philosophy of the internet, social networking and community building. My response is grounded in my personal philosophy, experience with this tool and constructivist view point of learning communities.
Personal Philosophy
I am grounded in the moral philosophy of Adam Smith. Smith, in The Theory of Moral Sentiments presents a strong case that the link between individual liberty or natural liberty and society is personal responsibility expressed through virtue. The operative agent is an impartial spectator that aligns liberty with responsibility.
So my first response, is that I have tremendous confidence in my fellows.
Experience with wiki
If you think back to the survey (over on our left) one of the major advantages of a wiki is the archive functionality. Every page and page edit is saved in history. If a "vandal" were to attack any or all pages in a public wiki, the previous page would be restored and the vandal blocked from the site.
Our EDUC 762 group midterm project was a private one, a decision that I obviously find contrary to the essence of wiki, Adam Smith, Walt Whitman and inclusiveness. Having said that, the questioner accurately points out, the wiki could still be "vandalized".
But, the process of collaboration or the process of vandalizing is, I think, important to regard. Howl, was considered obscene (a form of poetic graffitti), Dali and Pollack are examples of those attacked by the cultural establishment as juvenile and "vandals" and early rap and hip hop were considered criminal. I am not saying that this wiki rises to high art, but a defining characteristic of wiki is collaboration and inclusivement (in my view).
So, I would welcome all collaboration which, at its heart could be viewed as subversive and ultimately vandalism.
A bit like the philosophy in The Leaves of Grass . . . . could Whitman have been anticipating the wiki (Me or I or our?):
What is commonest, cheapest, nearest, easiest is Me.
or
I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable.
or
Our freedom all in thee! our very lives in thee!
Constructivist view of learning
It will not be surprising that my philosophy of constructivism is founded on notions of personal liberty and responsibility, inclusiveness and a sense that, as Whitman and Ginsberg declare - are democratic and universal. The notion of American exceptionalism that was early on described in Democracy in America by Tocqueville identified five values crucial to America's success as a democratic republic:
(1) liberty
(2) egalitarianism
(3) individualism
(4) populism and
(5) laissez-faire
Perhaps these are important not only to wiki, but to the broader discussion of community building.
Click over to Public Wiki to view the wiki under discussion. The question at the beginning of this post focused on the Owyang assessment of weaknesses of wiki. Immediately above this analysis of weakness you can see a summary of strengths/benefits/uses of wiki that might inform your analysis of this topic.
Thanks to my classmates over in EDUC 762 for prompting this excellent discussion.
Reflections after week one in EDUC 761 - Collaborating Communities
My opportunities to grow as an educator are continuing at UofW Stout in the Graduate Certificate Program in E Learning and Online Teaching as I get to "kick it up a notch" in EDUC 761 Collaborative Communities. This is the 4th class in the 5 class sequence, last fall I completed Introduction to E Learning and Instructional Design. Three weeks ago I began EDUC 763 Online Assessment and, so far the excellent material in EDUC 761 is very complimentary to what I have previous completed and what I am concurrently studying.
The first week reinforced to me that I need to be aware of my tendency to embrace engagement and neglect detail. The co instructors for EDUC 761 constructed a module zero to give all participants an opportunity to learn about communication "rules" and other suggested approaches for the course. I flew through this and, found that as I began our first module, I needed to reflect back on a number of approaches for engagement and discussion.
After 2 days of splattering the discussion board, I went back to module 0, reviewed the "rules" for discussion board use and the returned to the online discussion board in a manner that was more in line with course expectations in terms of both content and form.
I had the opportunity to have a number of off line discussions via e mail with both co instructors and several classmates and was impressed with the kindness and tolerance reflected in those discussions.
The reading for the week was an excellent primer for beginning to think about online learning communities. The author of How to be a Great Online Teacher and my co instructor made a point about humor in communities that I completely agree with. However, my agreement with the use of humor needs to be tempered by moderation. Just like in EDUC 760 with Den O Connor, EDUC 763 with Susan Manning and currently in EDUC 762 with Datta Kaur, my humor was . . . . not well considered. I guess what may "work" in person, needs to be filtered in the online world. Thankfully, my community in this class is kind, tolerant and forgiving.
The readings for this class were a great reinforcement of both why I aspire to become an improved online facilitator and the assumptions and practices necessary to achieve this goal.
The first week reinforced to me that I need to be aware of my tendency to embrace engagement and neglect detail. The co instructors for EDUC 761 constructed a module zero to give all participants an opportunity to learn about communication "rules" and other suggested approaches for the course. I flew through this and, found that as I began our first module, I needed to reflect back on a number of approaches for engagement and discussion.
After 2 days of splattering the discussion board, I went back to module 0, reviewed the "rules" for discussion board use and the returned to the online discussion board in a manner that was more in line with course expectations in terms of both content and form.
I had the opportunity to have a number of off line discussions via e mail with both co instructors and several classmates and was impressed with the kindness and tolerance reflected in those discussions.
The reading for the week was an excellent primer for beginning to think about online learning communities. The author of How to be a Great Online Teacher and my co instructor made a point about humor in communities that I completely agree with. However, my agreement with the use of humor needs to be tempered by moderation. Just like in EDUC 760 with Den O Connor, EDUC 763 with Susan Manning and currently in EDUC 762 with Datta Kaur, my humor was . . . . not well considered. I guess what may "work" in person, needs to be filtered in the online world. Thankfully, my community in this class is kind, tolerant and forgiving.
The readings for this class were a great reinforcement of both why I aspire to become an improved online facilitator and the assumptions and practices necessary to achieve this goal.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Greg Mankiw, NBER, and David Warsh's view
Interesting analysis by David Warsh on Greg Mankiw's decision to pass at NBER.
Tomorrow's Professor Blog
Tomorrow's Professor Blog is a joint project between MIT and Stanford and appears to archive messages and comments from a similarly named mailing list.
Thanks to Naomi Story, director of the MCC Center for Teaching and Learning for pointing out the mailing list and blog.
The Feb. 6 e mail (will appear on the blob Feb. 20) directly related to a discussion over in EDUC 761 Collaborating Communities and in part reads
Tomorrow's Teaching and Learning
The Rules of Engagement: Socializing College Students for the New Century
By Neil F. Williams
Introductory comments by James Rhem, publisher, NT&LF.
Professor Williams had contributed a nice piece on "shared quizzes" earlier and so his name on an article was encouraging, but requiring students to exchange greetings with him at the door and creating a formal rule about covering one's mouth if one yawned? These, among others, seemed beyond the pale of college teaching.
Did students really need this level of coaching in manners?
And if they did, was it a college professor's job to continue raising these children?
What do you think?
Thanks to Naomi Story, director of the MCC Center for Teaching and Learning for pointing out the mailing list and blog.
The Feb. 6 e mail (will appear on the blob Feb. 20) directly related to a discussion over in EDUC 761 Collaborating Communities and in part reads
Tomorrow's Teaching and Learning
The Rules of Engagement: Socializing College Students for the New Century
By Neil F. Williams
Introductory comments by James Rhem, publisher, NT&LF.
Professor Williams had contributed a nice piece on "shared quizzes" earlier and so his name on an article was encouraging, but requiring students to exchange greetings with him at the door and creating a formal rule about covering one's mouth if one yawned? These, among others, seemed beyond the pale of college teaching.
Did students really need this level of coaching in manners?
And if they did, was it a college professor's job to continue raising these children?
What do you think?
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Second life, social networks and online learning
If you completed the survey to the left, I would love your comments and elaboration here.
I learned about Second Life from, of all people my spin teacher. Now Biray is an amazing teacher and very, very adept at staying current with instructional technology so I thought I should find out about this social network. So I rushed out and 6 months later, here are my thoughts and questions. I would love to hear what you all have to say.
In addition to the recommendation by Biray, I learned about social networking in the Graduate Certificate Program in E Learning and Online Teaching. Den, Susan, Datta Kaur, Kay and Lisa are accomplished facilitators and online mentors and, in one form or another, they have all pointed out the possibilities of social networks in the evolution of learning communities.
So, as an economics instructor, I became intrigued by the costs and benefits of these social networks and the impact that they may have on teaching and learning. Below find a representative sample of what my indepth use of google revealed.
I would say that, in order to build effective learning communities educators need to be aware of the boundaries of their discipline, some learning theory, some instructional design, a bit of assessment and some awareness of how their students interact and in what environments their students interact. All of these will inform how we develop and delivery instruction and what approach we use to facilitate our classes.
Further, if we see any value in constructivism, we need to be aware of, to quote Biray, "where our students are". If they are in social networks - Facebook, MySpace, Second Life, then perhaps we need to know a bit about these networks.
After all, our learning communities are not about us, they are not about our disciplines, they should be about how learners access and integrate content in an authentic and relevant manner. We should remember that authenticity and relevance are jointly defined.
So, here they are, a few sources about Second Life.
My next post may be about teaching economics on youTube.
University of Cincinnati Second Life Learning Community (UCSLLC)
The University of Cincinnati Second Life Learning Community will evaluate the feasibility of using Second Life, a 3D multi-user virtual online platform (3DMUVE), in online instruction for the purpose of distance learning and to enhance traditional face-to-face courses. Our major goals are to share and develop resources as we examine the use of the Second Life virtual environment for instruction, pool our talents to build reusable learning objects and spaces in Second Life, and ultimately create a web-based resource for other educators that describes our process, the results of our experience, and our recommendations for its future use as an instructional tool.
At colleges, real learning in a virtual world
They may be college teachers and students, but they're also pioneers — exploring strange new worlds that exist nowhere on Earth. That's because their classes and field trips take place only on computers, using an online digital world called Second Life.
Some 60 schools and universities have set up shop inside Second Life — most in the past year. They join a population that includes real-world business people, politicians, entertainers, and more than 800,000 other "residents" of the virtual world.
Getting an Academic Life in Second Life from the Chronicle of Higher Education
Colleges around the world are opening virtual campuses in Second Life, a three-dimensional, colorful environment that can be accessed via a computer. One of those campuses is New Orleans Island, which was built by Merrill L. Johnson, an administrator at the University of New Orleans. What is the appeal of Second Life, and what kind of classes does the university hold there? Is Second Life a useful distance-education platform or just frivolous entertainment? Mr. Johnson will answer those and other questions.
Unintended Consequences
Doug Simpson's weblog of research on the collision of law, networks and disruptive technologies.
Virtual worlds are increasingly becoming subjects of serious research by law and economics scholars as well entrepreneurs. Over the coming weeks, we'll be exploring a virtual world called Second Life, with the help of several embedded "avatars" living there, and comparing their reports with the thoughts of leading scholars in this emerging field.
Academic research on Second Life
Although you may not realise it, Second Life has a huge group of educators active within it, many of whom have been active for some time. The process of writing academic papers however, is long and sometimes painful. We are starting to see these papers appearing dotted around the place:
I learned about Second Life from, of all people my spin teacher. Now Biray is an amazing teacher and very, very adept at staying current with instructional technology so I thought I should find out about this social network. So I rushed out and 6 months later, here are my thoughts and questions. I would love to hear what you all have to say.
In addition to the recommendation by Biray, I learned about social networking in the Graduate Certificate Program in E Learning and Online Teaching. Den, Susan, Datta Kaur, Kay and Lisa are accomplished facilitators and online mentors and, in one form or another, they have all pointed out the possibilities of social networks in the evolution of learning communities.
So, as an economics instructor, I became intrigued by the costs and benefits of these social networks and the impact that they may have on teaching and learning. Below find a representative sample of what my indepth use of google revealed.
I would say that, in order to build effective learning communities educators need to be aware of the boundaries of their discipline, some learning theory, some instructional design, a bit of assessment and some awareness of how their students interact and in what environments their students interact. All of these will inform how we develop and delivery instruction and what approach we use to facilitate our classes.
Further, if we see any value in constructivism, we need to be aware of, to quote Biray, "where our students are". If they are in social networks - Facebook, MySpace, Second Life, then perhaps we need to know a bit about these networks.
After all, our learning communities are not about us, they are not about our disciplines, they should be about how learners access and integrate content in an authentic and relevant manner. We should remember that authenticity and relevance are jointly defined.
So, here they are, a few sources about Second Life.
My next post may be about teaching economics on youTube.
University of Cincinnati Second Life Learning Community (UCSLLC)
The University of Cincinnati Second Life Learning Community will evaluate the feasibility of using Second Life, a 3D multi-user virtual online platform (3DMUVE), in online instruction for the purpose of distance learning and to enhance traditional face-to-face courses. Our major goals are to share and develop resources as we examine the use of the Second Life virtual environment for instruction, pool our talents to build reusable learning objects and spaces in Second Life, and ultimately create a web-based resource for other educators that describes our process, the results of our experience, and our recommendations for its future use as an instructional tool.
At colleges, real learning in a virtual world
They may be college teachers and students, but they're also pioneers — exploring strange new worlds that exist nowhere on Earth. That's because their classes and field trips take place only on computers, using an online digital world called Second Life.
Some 60 schools and universities have set up shop inside Second Life — most in the past year. They join a population that includes real-world business people, politicians, entertainers, and more than 800,000 other "residents" of the virtual world.
Getting an Academic Life in Second Life from the Chronicle of Higher Education
Colleges around the world are opening virtual campuses in Second Life, a three-dimensional, colorful environment that can be accessed via a computer. One of those campuses is New Orleans Island, which was built by Merrill L. Johnson, an administrator at the University of New Orleans. What is the appeal of Second Life, and what kind of classes does the university hold there? Is Second Life a useful distance-education platform or just frivolous entertainment? Mr. Johnson will answer those and other questions.
Unintended Consequences
Doug Simpson's weblog of research on the collision of law, networks and disruptive technologies.
Virtual worlds are increasingly becoming subjects of serious research by law and economics scholars as well entrepreneurs. Over the coming weeks, we'll be exploring a virtual world called Second Life, with the help of several embedded "avatars" living there, and comparing their reports with the thoughts of leading scholars in this emerging field.
Academic research on Second Life
Although you may not realise it, Second Life has a huge group of educators active within it, many of whom have been active for some time. The process of writing academic papers however, is long and sometimes painful. We are starting to see these papers appearing dotted around the place:
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Where do you fit in the continuum of innovation?
Kudos to my colleague Pat M over on the EDUC 762 Discussion Board. He made the following post the other day in our discussion of the use of a particular technology in online assessment.
The article, is well worth a read and the short survey comes from Roger's categories.
I'd love to hear your comments: over time have you changed categories? I know in my case, as a younger teacher coming to the innovative use of instructional technology I admired the innovators and, for a brief period in the 1990s was an early adopter. For any number of reasons I am now a part of the early majority (not the silent majority) and I feel comfortable here, at least for now.
Below is my colleague Pat's post regarding this excellent source.
Diane
I think Everett M. Rogers "Diffusion of Innovations theory" might help - we actually used it in our department for years to implement chage (especially in technology from blackboard and chalk to smart classrooms connected to the Net). This was before we could put a label on what we did.
See http://a.parsons.edu/~lima/thesis/documents/Diffusion_of_Innovations.pdf (they even have a concept map, cool huh).
Thanks again, Pat.
Greg@AZ
The article, is well worth a read and the short survey comes from Roger's categories.
I'd love to hear your comments: over time have you changed categories? I know in my case, as a younger teacher coming to the innovative use of instructional technology I admired the innovators and, for a brief period in the 1990s was an early adopter. For any number of reasons I am now a part of the early majority (not the silent majority) and I feel comfortable here, at least for now.
Below is my colleague Pat's post regarding this excellent source.
Diane
I think Everett M. Rogers "Diffusion of Innovations theory" might help - we actually used it in our department for years to implement chage (especially in technology from blackboard and chalk to smart classrooms connected to the Net). This was before we could put a label on what we did.
See http://a.parsons.edu/~lima/thesis/documents/Diffusion_of_Innovations.pdf (they even have a concept map, cool huh).
Thanks again, Pat.
Greg@AZ
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Online assessment
As we think about online assessment, it is clear that a reflection of existing online assessment practices is in order.
The survey to your left asks which online assessment you have seen - as either a student or instructor - most often employed.
I would really appreciate your comment on this topic. If you selected other, would you mind indicating which assessment tool that other is?
If you have time to comment on your experience would you describe the strengths and weaknesses not only of the predominate tool used, but what other tools that previous online class might have used to assess learning.
Why do you think these tools were not used?
Thanks for your comments.
Greg
The survey to your left asks which online assessment you have seen - as either a student or instructor - most often employed.
I would really appreciate your comment on this topic. If you selected other, would you mind indicating which assessment tool that other is?
If you have time to comment on your experience would you describe the strengths and weaknesses not only of the predominate tool used, but what other tools that previous online class might have used to assess learning.
Why do you think these tools were not used?
Thanks for your comments.
Greg
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Module 3
Concept map
The upload of my concept map, obviously did not come through well. I will quote from a bit of my reflection 3 (see below) on this activity in week 3 of our course.
"I will comment on the concept mapping and the effort involved in learning a new tool.
Inspiration has wonderful functionality - I included audio in my map which my classmates can choose to listen to over in the EDUC 763 course site. The map for the module 3 assignment is uploaded as a comment or reply to this posting and as a unique post as well. Honestly, not worth the effort. I could do the same think in word using the drawing tool in 3 minutes, the 2 hours I invested (and it is worth the investment, the functionality in Inspiration is cool) will never be used my me in any setting."
"I will comment on the concept mapping and the effort involved in learning a new tool.
Inspiration has wonderful functionality - I included audio in my map which my classmates can choose to listen to over in the EDUC 763 course site. The map for the module 3 assignment is uploaded as a comment or reply to this posting and as a unique post as well. Honestly, not worth the effort. I could do the same think in word using the drawing tool in 3 minutes, the 2 hours I invested (and it is worth the investment, the functionality in Inspiration is cool) will never be used my me in any setting."
Click here for a clearer view of the concept map below. This link also has a version of the concept map with audio.
Greg@Az
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Images and Readings Worth Noting
Images descriptive of the topics analyzed by participants in the spring semester, 2008.
Module 3
Module 2
Module 1
Excellent readings on wiki - my midterm topic.
Wide Open Spaces: Wikis, Ready or Not
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