When you have a son like mine who is so much into superheroes, you would like to have those energies focused into more productive activities. It is a good thing that he already has a blog about movies where he can write about superhero movies if he wants. It is obvious however that his creative mind continues to crave for more avenues for his interest. Then he found the World of Superheroes through EdX.org…

edx online course

What is EdX.org?

EdX.org is an open source online platform created for students and institutions for the purpose of offering courses and content. However, it goes beyond that as it seeks to attain a deeper understanding of three things: how students learn, how technology can transform learning, and the way teachers teach. It hopes to share whatever it discovers in the hope of promoting success in learning.

It is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts and is governed by MIT and Harvard. A good number of notable schools, institutions, and organizations, are members and contributors. Among the active contributors is the Smithsonian Institution. One of the courses it offered was the “The Rise of Superheroes and Their Impact On Pop Culture”, which of course got the attention of my son.

World of Superheroes

One of the exciting detail of this course is that aside from being taught by Smithsonian experts Michael and David Uslan, Stan Lee will also be sharing tips and advice to students. Michael Uslan is the executive producer of top-grossing movies including The Dark Knight series and Lego Movie. Stan Lee, as many would know, is the creator of many superheroes we are familiar with like Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, and The Avengers.

The course tries to explore the many questions surrounding superheroes like when did they first arise, how superheroes became super-villains at a certain point in time and how they were accepted back, how they became the stars of blockbuster movies, and many more. Students can ask questions and chat with the instructors online through the coursework. The end goal is for students to be able to design their own superhero, super-villain, and story scene.

My Say

To say that this course is very exciting for my teenage son is an understatement. He reveled in the fact that he was not discriminated against for his age. He was allowed to speak his mind and test the limits of his imagination. That we all know is where real learning begins.