Mission Statement
Project FrEd will strive to provide the highest-quality, curriculum-driven, free educational content possible on a digital medium. It will include wiki eTextbooks, video lectures, problem sets, solutions manuals, interactive flash animations, and question fora (singular = forum). Its digital format will provide a free source of tutoring by allowing students to re-watch lectures, re-do problem sets and re-learn material they have not fully understood or may have forgotten. It will also be a free source of enrichment: for studying additional, interesting, or nonessential courses to broaden one’s education; for studying a course one plans to challenge to expedite one’s education; or for the general public to study, simply for the pleasure of learning. In BC, it will provide a supplement to in-class learning and facilitate concept mastery. This will reduce the workload on teachers by providing a ready-made resource for students experiencing difficulties either from challenge or boredom. Moreover, it will provide an excellent guide to home schooling, reducing workload on parents while increasing and standardizing education quality. Project FrEd will also provide better, safer access to education for those experiencing challenges due to bullying, pregnancy, disability, parenting, employment and rural location.
FrEd will do its utmost to maintain political and religious neutrality. It will teach scientific concepts as a study of reality and as our best guess at how the universe works, regardless of any conflict with religious ideologies (i.e. Evolution is a scholarly, academically-accepted theory with very strong supporting evidence (genetic evolutionary signatures, the fossil record, et cetera) and will be taught by Project FrEd.)
Consequently the per-pupil cost of education will be decreased, while empowering us to better educate more people using less capital than ever before. In addition, by using less paper, Project FrEd will reduce fossil fuel consumption as well as many different forms of pollution. While FrEd seeks to reduce the cost of education, it strongly feels that these funds should be redirected to research so as to truly benefit society as well as provide more higher education jobs for those who wish to pursue degree programs. With more educated individuals and more funding for research, humanity will progress more quickly.
Project FrEd will strive for universality, allowing for use by different nations and peoples. It will promote a generalized, positive education, respecting tolerance, diversity, and democratic principles. Project FrEd will only support curricula that it approves and will strive to exclude any material that could be used for propaganda or oppression, even if it is already a part of a nation's curriculum. In fact, Project FrEd will strive for the emancipation of all people on Earth and for their right to a basic, humane standard of living.
Project FrEd also seeks to remedy the widespread “mental arthritis” that so many adults seem to suffer when they abandon learning. Sadly, it is far too often the case, that individuals stop learning due to specialization or fatigue. Some careers are more predisposed to this phenomenon than others. They often result in an individual who is highly resistant to change or to learning new things in general. Sufferers of “mental arthritis” often resist new ideas including aspects of new technology. It’s one thing to dislike participating in a trend (“I don’t like to text”) and another to reject the idea altogether (“no one should text”).
Project FrEd will strive to encourage continued learning. Learning through Project FrEd could occur during downtime at work, as part of play with one’s children, or during leisure time at home. Imagine that instead of playing Facebook applications to allay boredom, an individual could take a psychology course he or she always wanted to take. Perhaps, before the next vacation, he or she could learn the language of the host country. There are many opportunities individuals pass up because they become rigid and set in their ways or cannot be bothered to invest the time or money. Learning becomes more and more painful, and adapting to new ways of thinking becomes more and more difficult. This is mental arthritis, and Project FrEd will work to help those who suffer from this affliction.
FrEd will do its utmost to maintain political and religious neutrality. It will teach scientific concepts as a study of reality and as our best guess at how the universe works, regardless of any conflict with religious ideologies (i.e. Evolution is a scholarly, academically-accepted theory with very strong supporting evidence (genetic evolutionary signatures, the fossil record, et cetera) and will be taught by Project FrEd.)
Consequently the per-pupil cost of education will be decreased, while empowering us to better educate more people using less capital than ever before. In addition, by using less paper, Project FrEd will reduce fossil fuel consumption as well as many different forms of pollution. While FrEd seeks to reduce the cost of education, it strongly feels that these funds should be redirected to research so as to truly benefit society as well as provide more higher education jobs for those who wish to pursue degree programs. With more educated individuals and more funding for research, humanity will progress more quickly.
Project FrEd will strive for universality, allowing for use by different nations and peoples. It will promote a generalized, positive education, respecting tolerance, diversity, and democratic principles. Project FrEd will only support curricula that it approves and will strive to exclude any material that could be used for propaganda or oppression, even if it is already a part of a nation's curriculum. In fact, Project FrEd will strive for the emancipation of all people on Earth and for their right to a basic, humane standard of living.
Project FrEd also seeks to remedy the widespread “mental arthritis” that so many adults seem to suffer when they abandon learning. Sadly, it is far too often the case, that individuals stop learning due to specialization or fatigue. Some careers are more predisposed to this phenomenon than others. They often result in an individual who is highly resistant to change or to learning new things in general. Sufferers of “mental arthritis” often resist new ideas including aspects of new technology. It’s one thing to dislike participating in a trend (“I don’t like to text”) and another to reject the idea altogether (“no one should text”).
Project FrEd will strive to encourage continued learning. Learning through Project FrEd could occur during downtime at work, as part of play with one’s children, or during leisure time at home. Imagine that instead of playing Facebook applications to allay boredom, an individual could take a psychology course he or she always wanted to take. Perhaps, before the next vacation, he or she could learn the language of the host country. There are many opportunities individuals pass up because they become rigid and set in their ways or cannot be bothered to invest the time or money. Learning becomes more and more painful, and adapting to new ways of thinking becomes more and more difficult. This is mental arthritis, and Project FrEd will work to help those who suffer from this affliction.
The Phases of FrEd
Currently, Project Free Education is in Phase Two, and will hopefully make it to the next phase within eighteen months (April 2011 or sooner). This time will allow for funding, examination of all coding options, assuming partnership with a university or sympathetic coding firm, or if all else fails, inexpensive contracting for coding of the software once grants are secured. While we feel slightly behind schedule, we are still confident we can meet this self-imposed deadline.
...
Phase One: Project Planning and Design (Complete)
In this phase, the ground-work for Project FrEd is designed. Plans are drawn up for what Project FrEd should be, and the desired software for creating, maintaining, and delivering free education online is documented. The initial designs include as much detail as possible to expedite coding later.
Phase Two: Project Software Construction (*In Progress)
In the second phase, the software is coded and debugged. This includes all lower-level planning (flow-charts, etc), all coding of the basic Project Free Education website, and basic alpha testing. A mostly stable version of FrEd is produced that allows mostly bug-free contributions of content. Contributors are warned to back up their work before submitting during the public alpha testing in Phase Three.
*If you feel you can help in any way – direct contributions, referrals of friends that are willing to help, or networking of people that may be willing to help, please do not hesitate to contact us. We’re always ready to make new friends. Thanks in advance!
Phase Three: First Curriculum Created
In Phase Three, the alpha and beta of curriculum creation occur and a stable final version of the first curriculum is produced. It is expected that partnership with the British Columbian school board will occur at this point to make the first curriculum a BC curriculum. The system will not be a strain on BC, but will rather be a significant help to educators at K-12 schools as well as to rural BC students. BC educators in K-12 and university institutions will be asked if they would like a Project FrEd account.
Software design and testing will continue after the first stable version of the basic software is released, one expansion project at a time. A committee will be established to work on each project until that project is completed.
Phase Four: System Streamlining and Tweaking
With the educator portion of the software tested and stable including a curriculum, the learner portion, feedback systems, and administrator/moderator software must all be tested. Moreover, the coding team will provide support for any tweaks and changes requested by a consensus of users to provide a final stable version. The general public will be allowed access to a limited number of user accounts through a random lottery with the total number of desired accounts marked to estimate the number of initial users and the expense required.
Phase Five: Curriculum and Feature Expansion
By re-ordering existing modules and filling in unique ones, more curricula are built at a quickened pace. Thus, FrEd supports for the BC curriculum in BC and the Ontario curriculum in Ontario. Similarly, it could support the Texas curriculum in Texas or an English curriculum in the UK. At this stage, the project matures from a fledgling provincial project, to an international project. Educators dissatisfied with a module can create a better version or revise an existing one. Feedback will regulate quality. Quality will be enhanced as more educators and more students get involved and contribute to modules and fora.
Additionally, the Fast Track program will be created, beta tested, and launched, allowing children 3-6 (or those with attention difficulties) to learn basic material and develop an interest in academics and learning.
Phase Six: Curriculum Improvement: The Best of the Best
While every region is still able to use Project Free Education to represent its own curriculum, the grades of students are readily available allowing educators to assess how effective one order of information (one curriculum) is as compared to another. Since certain curricula in specific subjects are better in some curricula than in others, statistical analysis (by some index) will reveal which elements are most successful in certain curricula and allow for a new curriculum to be created (perhaps a North American Standardized Curriculum). This standardization gives governments and students a choice for a more effective curriculum (which will be very well thought-out and tested on a consenting trial group first).
It is hoped that success will lead to curriculum improvements throughout the FrEd system as well as some regional usage of part if not all of this new curriculum (since the data will show that students benefit from it). In fact, students with different personalities may fare better with different curricula, and like preferential module selection based on learning personality, curriculum variants may be selected for the student also. Ultimately, FrEd's goal is to improve the quality and ease of education for students, so this is not of consequence initially; it is merely an opportunity to further contribute to a free, global, unified education system.
...
Phase One: Project Planning and Design (Complete)
In this phase, the ground-work for Project FrEd is designed. Plans are drawn up for what Project FrEd should be, and the desired software for creating, maintaining, and delivering free education online is documented. The initial designs include as much detail as possible to expedite coding later.
Phase Two: Project Software Construction (*In Progress)
In the second phase, the software is coded and debugged. This includes all lower-level planning (flow-charts, etc), all coding of the basic Project Free Education website, and basic alpha testing. A mostly stable version of FrEd is produced that allows mostly bug-free contributions of content. Contributors are warned to back up their work before submitting during the public alpha testing in Phase Three.
*If you feel you can help in any way – direct contributions, referrals of friends that are willing to help, or networking of people that may be willing to help, please do not hesitate to contact us. We’re always ready to make new friends. Thanks in advance!
Phase Three: First Curriculum Created
In Phase Three, the alpha and beta of curriculum creation occur and a stable final version of the first curriculum is produced. It is expected that partnership with the British Columbian school board will occur at this point to make the first curriculum a BC curriculum. The system will not be a strain on BC, but will rather be a significant help to educators at K-12 schools as well as to rural BC students. BC educators in K-12 and university institutions will be asked if they would like a Project FrEd account.
Software design and testing will continue after the first stable version of the basic software is released, one expansion project at a time. A committee will be established to work on each project until that project is completed.
Phase Four: System Streamlining and Tweaking
With the educator portion of the software tested and stable including a curriculum, the learner portion, feedback systems, and administrator/moderator software must all be tested. Moreover, the coding team will provide support for any tweaks and changes requested by a consensus of users to provide a final stable version. The general public will be allowed access to a limited number of user accounts through a random lottery with the total number of desired accounts marked to estimate the number of initial users and the expense required.
Phase Five: Curriculum and Feature Expansion
By re-ordering existing modules and filling in unique ones, more curricula are built at a quickened pace. Thus, FrEd supports for the BC curriculum in BC and the Ontario curriculum in Ontario. Similarly, it could support the Texas curriculum in Texas or an English curriculum in the UK. At this stage, the project matures from a fledgling provincial project, to an international project. Educators dissatisfied with a module can create a better version or revise an existing one. Feedback will regulate quality. Quality will be enhanced as more educators and more students get involved and contribute to modules and fora.
Additionally, the Fast Track program will be created, beta tested, and launched, allowing children 3-6 (or those with attention difficulties) to learn basic material and develop an interest in academics and learning.
Phase Six: Curriculum Improvement: The Best of the Best
While every region is still able to use Project Free Education to represent its own curriculum, the grades of students are readily available allowing educators to assess how effective one order of information (one curriculum) is as compared to another. Since certain curricula in specific subjects are better in some curricula than in others, statistical analysis (by some index) will reveal which elements are most successful in certain curricula and allow for a new curriculum to be created (perhaps a North American Standardized Curriculum). This standardization gives governments and students a choice for a more effective curriculum (which will be very well thought-out and tested on a consenting trial group first).
It is hoped that success will lead to curriculum improvements throughout the FrEd system as well as some regional usage of part if not all of this new curriculum (since the data will show that students benefit from it). In fact, students with different personalities may fare better with different curricula, and like preferential module selection based on learning personality, curriculum variants may be selected for the student also. Ultimately, FrEd's goal is to improve the quality and ease of education for students, so this is not of consequence initially; it is merely an opportunity to further contribute to a free, global, unified education system.
