One of the things I would like to do is teach online. In fact, I really enjoy online communication. One of the reasons I like it is that I like to be able to partition out my time (whereas a phone call will often throw this off). An email can be quickly read, prioritized, and then handled at the appropriate time and urgency (IM etc..). I also like electronic communication because it really allows me to think about what I am trying to say. I think I am most clear in written form (and it also forces others to think about what they are trying to say before they write me). But enough about that, this article recently caught my eye…. http://chronicle.com/free/v54/i46/46a00103.htm

Synthesizing it, it comes down to ‘How can we prove who is really taking a test’

The counter argument is how is an online experience any different from a large lecture hall. How can you be sure the person enrolled is the same person turning in tests and assignments.

So of course technology to the rescue!!! So they go and invent all of these fancy doo dads to try and prove that you are really you. With 360 degree cameras and fingerprint readers and typing analyzers, its enough to make you sick. Oh yeah, and it looks like this sort of stuff is going to become law… wretch.

I’m surprised they don’t just rfid chip all of the students, that should take care of it.