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Text Structure
Key Ideas and Details
Academic Vocabulary / Words and Phrases in Context
Words and Phrases in Context
Key Ideas and Details
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Page 23. What is Pappano's tone in paragraph 2? Tone is the writer's attitude toward the topic. Tone is set through word choices, descriptive details, dialogue, and setting.
Pappano's tone in paragraph two is impressed and enthused.
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Page 23. What evidence does Pappano provide in paragraph 2 and 3 that suggests MOOCs are becoming popular?
Pappano uses statistics such as "edX has 370,000 students this fall," "Coursera has reached more than 1.7 million," and "150,000 people have signed up for a Udacity course" to suggest the MOOCs are becoming popular.
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Page 24. What is the disruption that Agarwal refers to in paragraph 4? What can you infer from Agarwal's job title about the way he feels about the disruption? Explain.
The disruption that Pappano is referring to in paragraph 4 are MOOCs. MOOCs are disrupting the the standard way of teaching. From Agarwhal's job title (president of edX), I can infer that he feels positively about the disruption. He wants them to succeed.
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Page 30. What does consuming mean in paragraph 27? Find context clues that help you determine its meaning.
In paragraph 27 the word consuming means "listening to." You can infer this from where the text later says that she would listen to the lectures multiple times.
100
In paragraph 23, why would classes like "How to Build a Blog" and "Building a Web Browser" be examples of applied learning?
Those classes would be an example of applied learning because they are classes that people can actually use in their everyday lives.
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Page 24. The section of the article called "What is a MOOC Anyway?" is a subheading. What will the writer describe in this section? How do you know?
In the section "What is a MOOC Anyway?" the author will describe what a MOOC really is. I can infer this from the subtitle.
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Page 24. What details in paragraph 5 support the writer's claim that "this is the year everyone wants in" to the MOOCs?
The details that support the writer's claim include "elite universities are pairing with Coursera at a furious pace"; [Coursera] now offers courses from 33 of the biggest names in postsecondary education, including Princeton, Brown, Columbia, and Duke"; "Google unleased a MOOC-building online tool"; and "Standford unveiled Class2Go."
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Page 29. How is Andy Brown not a traditional academic, as noted in paragraph 25?
Andy Brown is not a traditional academic because his courses are more "fun" and about topics not typically taught in college, such as "Landmarks in Physics."
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Page 30. What is the meaning of intentionality in paragraph 30? Find clues that help you determine its meaning.
Intentionality means deliberately or on purpose in paragraph 30. You can infer this from contrasting it with serendipity.
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Page 29. Based on the information in paragraph 24, what type of teachers does Udacity hire?
Udacity hires teachers who they believe will be excellent teachers, choosing instructors "not because of their academic research . . . but because of how they teach" and believing that "students will want to learn from whoever is the best teacher."
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Page 25. Words that appear inside parentheses are sometimes used to help clarify an idea. What is the author trying to clarify in paragraph 10? Why would the author need to clarify this?
The words in parentheses on page 25 help to clarify what type of entertainment the author actually means. The author would need to clarify this because the reader might think of many other types of entertainment.
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Page 26. Find details in paragraph 14 that convey the sense of excitement MOOC creators feel about the future of MOOCs. Explain how Pappano's word choice creates this feeling of excitement.
Pappano uses words such as "shimmery hope"; "best education in the world"; and "vote of confidence" to convey the sense of excitement that MOOC creators feel about the future of MOOCs.
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Page 25. How is the meaning of "medium" in paragraph 11 different from the usual meaning of the word?
The meaning of medium in paragraph 11 is the plural of media whereas the common meaning of medium has to do with size.
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Page 32. What does the word assessment mean in paragraph 35? What context clues helped you determine the meaning?
The word assessment in paragraph 35 means evaluation. You can infer this because it refers to people who "assign very inaccurate grades" and says that their assessments after awhile have less weight.
300
What details does the author provide about Brown's course in paragraph 25? What can you conclude about why people like his course?
Some details that the author provides about Brown's course include that it's an "indie version of 'Bill Nye the Science Guy'" and it's "filmed in Italy, the Netherlands, and England." I can conclude that people like this course because it seems more like a movie or television show than a typical college class.
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Page 32. In the fourth sentence of paragraph 36, the author uses em dashes to separate text. What is the purpose of the em dashes?
The author uses em dashes to separate examples of MOOC student diversity. Em dashes are sometimes used in place of commas to show a short pause or to separate things in a list.
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Page 27. How does a Coursera course differ from a traditional college course? Use details in paragraph 20 to support your answer.
Unlike traditional college courses, Coursera provides students with a more "Facebook" type experience by having them create a profile and upload a photo of themselves. Also, Coursera provides online tools for students to plan "meet-ups."
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Page 26. What does the word proctored mean in paragraph 12? Use context clues to help determine the meaning.
In paragraph 12 the word proctored means monitored. I can infer this because exams became proctored after some individuals were found to be cheating.
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Page 33. What does the writer mean when she says the "line between online and on campus is blurring" in paragraph 42? What evidence suggests that this is true?
The phrase saying that the "line between online and campus is blurring" means that the difference between taking classes online and taking classes at a campus is becoming smaller and smaller. Some evidence that shows this is true include the following: "Dr. Davidson will teach a class . . . at Duke and as a MOOC"; "San Jose State students are taking Dr. Agarwal's (online) course"; "Massachusetts Bay Community College in Wellesley will use edX MOOC in introductory computer science."
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Page 32. How can MOOC participants affect their classmates negatively? Use details in paragraph 36 to support your answer.
MOOC participants can negatively affect their classmates by giving them "inaccurate grades" and not being knowledgeable enough in a topic to contribute to a conversation about it.
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Page 30. How can an online learning environment be challenging for a student? Use evidence from paragraph 27 to support your answer.
An online learning environment can be challenging because it can be difficult to concentrate when a student doesn't have a teacher in front of him or her and students can get distracted easily.
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Page 28. In paragraphs 21 and 22, the author describes the experiences two different students have had with MOOCs. How are Kimberly Spillman's experiences different from those of Stacey Brown?
According to the author, Kimberly Spillman has been able to meet other students and attend study groups. However, Stacey Brown has been unsuccessful in organizing study groups.
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Page 27. What does flavor mean in the subhead "The Flavor of the MOOC?" Find context clues in the following paragraphs that indicate how flavor is used.
The two paragraphs that follow the subheading show that flavor as used in the subhead describes the tone and feel of a MOOC. Vibe in paragraph 20 is a synonym for flavor, and within this context vibe means feel.
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Page 31. How has Dr. Agarwal's course changed over time? Use details from paragraph 31 to support your answer.
In the spring Dr. Agarwal's class offered students only a "PDF" with "brief answers" for their work. Today Dr. Agarwal's class offers students "full explanations" and procedures directly on their site.
500
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