Richard Baraniuk is a Rice University professor who has a truly unique vision: create a free, global online education system that puts the power of collaboration and creation in the hands of teachers. To do this, he created Connexions, a Web site that allows teachers to “create, rip, mix and burn” coursework—without the fear of copyright infringement.

Connexions system cuts out the textbook and allows teachers to share course materials, modify existing work, and distribute it to their students—all under the Creative Commons license. This could become a powerful force in leveling the educational playing field.

To learn more about Richard Baraniuk’s vision, click here to view the video presentation he made at a recent TED Talks conference.

Happy learning!

Ahh, Hitchcock! He of the great suspense and thriller films, Alfred Hitchcock was born in London in 1899. Hitchcock was a great storyteller in his youth, and aspects of his mother were borrowed for the movie Psycho. Surprising as it may seem, Alfred Hitchcock only won one Academy Award for his films; his film, Rebecca won Best Picture in 1940.

Hitchcock was the second son and youngest of three children born to William Hitchcock, a greengrocer and poulterer, and Emma Jane Hitchcock. His father was stern, and it is widely known that Hitchcock’s father once sent him to the local police station with a note asking them to lock him up for 10 minutes as punishment for bad behavior. The idea of being wrongly accused or harshly treated is reflected in his movies. His mother would often make him address her while standing at the foot of her bed, especially if he behaved badly. He often had to stand there for hours. This would be recalled by the character Norman Bates in Psycho.

As a young man, Hitchcock worked in advertising before entering the film world. Hitchcock directed his first film in 1925 (The Pleasure Garden). It was a highly unsuccessful film and threatened to derail his career. However, his next film, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog was his entry in the thriller genre and was a major success.

The list of Hitchcock’s films is a list of true classics. Read more about Hitchcock’s life, his films, and his achievements on the Simply Hitchcock Web site. Check out the Free Downloads for some awesome stuff. Don’t forget to take the Simply Hitchcock Poll!

Happy learning!