Educational Insanity – You either love a good dichotomy or you don’t. This is about online learning, mostly in higher education. Especially in the wake of the UVA fiasco, I’ve been pondering online learning and the term “MOOC” (massively open online course), which I believe has been co-opted from folks like George Siemens, Dave Cormier, and Steven Downes. Those guys taught the Connectivism MOOC in 2008 and, most recently, the Change11 MOOC. Here’s a bit of a history of their courses. In a similar vein, though clearly with their own spin and innovations, Jim Groom et al. have been offering ds106 (digital storytelling) as a MOOC in recent years. Then, along came the folks at Coursera and Udacity and Udemy and… It’s unclear if the founders of these entities explicitly adopted the MOOC terminology or if the “mainstream” media applied the term to those outfits. So, what we have, essentially, are two VERY different kinds of MOOCs. So, that’s our first dichotomy… The second dichotomy comes from Mike Caulfield who writes about “residential online.” Thoughts?
blog | Schooling the World On Power, Knowledge, and the Re-Occupation of Common Sense photo by Carol Black One of the most profound changes that occurs when modern schooling is introduced into traditional societies around the world is a radical shift in the locus of power and control over learning from children, families, and communities to ever more centralized systems of authority. While all cultures are different, in many non-modernized societies children enjoy wide latitude to learn by free play, interaction with other children of multiple ages, immersion in nature, and direct participation in adult work and activities. Once learning is institutionalized under a central authority, both freedom for the individual and respect for the local are radically curtailed. The problem with this scenario should be obvious: who gets to decide what the world’s children will learn? American teacher in the Philippines, c. 1901 I am in favor of publicly supported radio. Not the same thing, are they?
Brainstorm in Progress Free Technology for Teachers allthingslearning LEARNing! Actually, it’s about education, training and LEARNing. It’s for educators and teachers who are interested in making a real difference to the lives of their students, their colleagues and their organisations – basically, people who are interested in “doing business” differently in education. People in education are often divided into two categories – “the thinkers” and “the doers”. We are also grouped into categories based on who we do business with – primary, secondary, tertiary. There are other classifications such as “teachers”, “administrators” and “support staff”. Traditionally, many of our discussions have been about “TEACHing”. This “design flaw” confuses the means and ends in education – and keeps all of us apart. What we need is more “thinking doers” who come together – across the lines that have been drawn in the sand (or the “schoolyard”) – to talk about “what really matters” in education. LEARNing – student LEARNing, educator LEARNing, institutional LEARNing! Like this:
Educational Technology Guy 100 Blogs That Will Make You Smarter By Alisa Miller Reading blogs doesn’t have to be an exercise in futility or a waste of time. Your blog addiction can serve you well by with these blogs that are sure to make you smarter. These blogs bring you information about politics, education, technology, art, literature, an international perspective on life and culture, and much more. Become a regular reader of these blogs and who knows how intelligent you will be in the end. Politics Whether you fall to the left, right, or down the middle, these political blogs will open your eyes and expand your mind and bolster your leadership skills. Daily Kos. News Get the latest news about the nation, the world, the economy, health care, and even some off-the-wall news stories with these blogs. AC360. Higher Education These blogs come from professors and universities and share a wealth of information that will surely expand your world and help make you smarter. Lessig. Technology Harga-Blog. Sports The Wages of Wins Journal. International Perspective
For the Love of Teaching Holt Think: Ed, Creativity, Tech, Administration Does Opting Out Help or Hurt? Opinion There seems to be a growing movement among parents, led by folks such as Diane Ravitch to encourage or to actually remove their students from taking state standardized tests. Parents such as LA Times journalist Karin Klien pulled her daughter out of testing after realizing that they do not actually help the learning process: "As a journalist, reviewing an early state test that had been leaked to the paper by a teacher, I saw how thin and fault-riddled it could be. I really have no argument here. National organizations such as Fair Test have sprung up challenging the notion that student have to take “the test.” I get it. Some people are choosing to opt out their children because they don’t see an academic benefit, like Klien. Some are opting out their children because they see the stress on their children. But I can’t help but wonder if these parent opting out their kids actually help their cause any? Schools are still accountable. Skype/ Facetime:
Reflections, Ideas, Motivation, and Resources by a Passionately Creative, Easily Distracted, Hopefully Encouraging College Instructor. | Developer of the Tetra Training Method for Teachers