It is, but some things need teachers, or at least slides and tutorials, instead of encyclopedia articles. If I had to learn linear algebra from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_algebra, I wouldn't have gotten nearly as far as I did with Math 54 in college.
Posted at ~1 AM in the Valley... would love for this to be bumped up during the daytime here. Then again the kinds of people who would comment are probably wide awake right now.
Nonfiction, but thought Fire in the Valley was worth mentioning. Pirates of the Silicon Valley is the movie based on it. Antitrust is also good.
Do they believe that only Earth-like planets can support life? Or is it that Earth-like planets are one type of planet that supports life, with many other possibilities? I would think the first assertion to be short-sighted.
Just a thought in addition to the physics lectures (which are definitely important) - programming, or maybe even simple data entry, is probably the easiest way to earn money during spare time while still gaining knowledge and experience. If these kids could learn how to program and had access to computers with Internet access, I think there could be a way for them to earn some money and gain early job experience. And if the programming/computer lessons are related to physics, you could teach both at the same time.
I know some people would find this controversial since this is a high school classroom and not a vocational/trade school - that the kids need to focus on learning and building a strong educational foundation. But I'm from India and know how bad the situation can get... these kids are probably under a lot of pressure to earn for their families. Besides, I'm guessing there are people in the US with PhDs that are struggling to find jobs in this economy... if one benefit of a strong, pure educational foundation is some guarantee of job security in the future, it certainly isn't always the case.
Can anyone think of realistic ways that kids in this situation could make money by coding, or doing something computer related, on the Web? Amazon Mechanical Turk comes to mind, but I don't know much about it, or if the tasks involved will teach you anything significant.
What kinds of computer concepts will you be teaching to the kids (Word/Excel, basic programming, data structures and algorithms)? Do they have access to any computers outside of class, like in an Internet cafe, or even on a cell phone that can be hacked to accept code?
maybe there are applications for enhanced training within companies, or even to sell on the cheap to college students themselves that want a better group-study environment for when they can't meet up. you don't have to sell bulk licenses.
