Learn By Doing

A Lifelong Learner Shares Thoughts About Education

  • Survey shows some use Facebook, MySpace as another aspect to college application

    By Emma Graves Fitzsimmons and Bonnie Miller Rubin |Chicago Tribune reporters

    September 20, 2008

    Lauren Pfeiffer said she doesn’t have to worry about what’s on her Facebook profile, but she can’t say the same about her fellow students.

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  • A Rant A Day – The New Classics of Computer Science
    The New Classics of Computer Science

    Hello. Welcome to the second installment of A Rant a Day.

    We all know about the classic texts of computer science (although, we may be a bit behind on our reading). We’ve heard a thousand times how important Knuth’s Art of Computer Programming, Abelson and Sussman’s Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programming, and the Gang of Four’s book on Design Patterns are.

    But, I think these are sometime overemphasized – often to the neglect of other great books that have been written in the last few decades. Recently, I moved from Chicago to Cambridge and could only bring a few dozen books with me. I was forced to evaluate which are truly timeless classics, and which are just tutorials.

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  • Tinkering School
    Greetings fellow NPR listeners We couldn’t be more excited about the story on “All Things Considered.” Poke around the site to your heart’s content, but if you’re in a hurry, here are five pages you’ll want to visit for sure:

  • But I Did Everything Right!

    DNA discoveries are revealing why even the best parenting doesn’t have the effects experts promise, from breast-feeding to letting kids learn from mistakes.

    Sharon Begley
    NEWSWEEK
    Updated: 4:12 PM ET Aug 9, 2008

    If there is one thing experts on child development agree on, it is that kids learn best when they are allowed to make mistakes and feel the consequences. So Mom and Dad hold back as their toddler tries again and again to cram a round peg into a square hole. They feel her pain as playmates shun her for being pushy, hoping she’ll learn to back off. They let their teen stay up too late before a test, hoping a dismal grade will teach her to get a good night’s sleep but believing that ordering her to get to bed rightnow will not: kids who experience setbacks rather than having them short-circuited by a controlling parent learn not to repeat the dumb behavior.

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  • 20+ Free Web Design Ebooks And Guides

    March 4, 2008

    Even though there are plenty of books available in stores on almost all aspects of web design, you don’t need to spend a dime when you can get all the basic information for free. The following list of free web design ebooks and guides will get you started building accessible, usable, and useful web sites in no time.

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