5 reasons to do a MOOC & 5 reasons not to. The Professors Behind the MOOC Hype - Technology. Dave Chidley for The Chronicle Paul Gries, of the U. of Toronto, has taught MOOCs on computer science. By Steve Kolowich What is it like to teach 10,000 or more students at once, and does it really work? The largest-ever survey of professors who have taught MOOCs, or massive open online courses, shows that the process is time-consuming, but, according to the instructors, often successful. Nearly half of the professors felt their online courses were as rigorous academically as the versions they taught in the classroom. The survey, conducted by The Chronicle, attempted to reach every professor who has taught a MOOC. Hype around these new free online courses has grown louder and louder since a few professors at Stanford University drew hundreds of thousands of students to online computer-science courses in 2011.
Princeton University's Robert Sedgewick is one of them. Like many professors at top-ranked institutions, Mr. It paid off. Why They MOOC Mr. But it might also be good for him. Mr. Mr. Reflections of a mooc unvirgin. I recently completed my first mooc, and I will soon receive the certificate to prove it. Many people don’t think a certificate of completion means much, but this one will mean a lot to me. I put substantial time and energy into this course, so it will be satisfying to have something tangible to recognise it. Before I signed up, I had decided to do a mooc because I was blogging about them but had never experienced one for myself. I considered doing Georgia Tech’s Fundamentals of Online Education via Coursera, but I wasn’t attracted to the introductory angle of the content. As it turned out, the course crashed under the weight of its own popularity, so I dodged a bullet there. I also considered the independent(?) So my first learning – before I even began – was that all moocs are different.
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the EDCMOOC. Pro’s The mooc was well prepared. Assessment for the course was crowd-sourced. Cons Suggestions for improvement Like this: Like Loading... MOOCs and the general education economy. Steve Krause writes that the recent EDC-MOOC (in which we both participated) was "meh. " I agree. But you know what else was meh for me? School. K-12. Undergrad. So from my perspective, so what if MOOCs are meh? Clearly though, universities depend on general education courses to make their economic model go.
So it's not that MOOCs are great. The upshot of this is that the humanities need to start developing a new economic model, one that will not depend on 1000s of undergraduates taking composition or western civ or whatever. Part III - What's it like to be a MOOC Student. How to Build A Strong Online Classroom Community in a MOOC (A Beginning) #edcmooc | Design for Learning. Tag: #edcmooc MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) have recently exploded on the Internet. Currently participating in the “Elearning & Digital Cultures” Coursera MOOC has been both an exciting and enriching experience so far. Many of my classmates have noted that it’s difficult to connect or even find what you need. I see that. If I haven’t had experienced both participating in and designing smaller online courses, I think I might have run screaming from this class. To some extent, online learners do have to take a bit of responsibility in learning how to use the tools, discovering the rules of etiquette and how to use the content creation options (Storify, Twitter, Facebook, Google +, Prezi, Storyline, etc.).
Part of the fun of engaging in an online course is taking a few risks. I have a few suggestions from my initial experience in this MOOC, and as I continue to take this course over the next few weeks I’m sure I will have more: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. How about you? Like this: Teaching 'E-learning and Digital Cultures' | thoughts and reflections on the EDC MOOC.
A positive experience | E-learning and Digital Cultures. We are here. #edcmooc has approached the end. So many wise words have already been written about the edc-mooc course. I have only a little extra to add. Here is a short resume about some of my thoughts: Besides my curiosity for the course content, my mental challenge by enrolling EDC-mooc was certainly the language. Would I be able to cope with the reading of the material as well as writing both blog posts and an assignment in english? Not to mention to take part in the social communities around the course. Now when it's all succesfully completed, I almost burst of different feelings. As a teacher I can't help wonder why this course gave me such a kick in that direction. But the most dominant of the impressions from the EDC are connected to the overwhelming experience of being part of the very active group around the course.
But again the community was there and a lot of people felt like me. When I wrote my final assignment, I found it quite difficult to cover even a few corners of the course in less than 800 words. Digital Learning Spaces: Lessons from the MSc in Digital Education at the University of Edinburgh | David Wicks: Educational Technology. Digital Learning Spaces: Lessons from the MSc in Digital Education at the University of Edinburgh Jen Ross, University of Edinburgh Monday, April 15 Noon – 1:30 PM Seattle Pacific University Library Seminar Room Register: Every course design is philosophy and belief in action. Jen is the programme director of the fully online MSc in Digital Education programme at the University of Edinburgh, co-author of the Manifesto for Teaching Online, and co-organiser of the Coursera MOOC “E-learning and Digital Cultures”. Like this: Like Loading... MOOC, what’s in a name? After spending considerable time and effort on MOOCs in the past the Coursera / University of Edinburgh eLearning and Digital Culture MOOC (#edcmooc) was the first have been able to complete.
How I did this was quite simple … I knew I’d fade out after a week or so so I set a goal of one blog entry per week’s activity, including a pre-MOOC post and post-MOOC ‘submission feedback’ post. Now I had set myself this public goal I needed to follow and live up to it. It worked. This may not be to everyone’s taste or motivational style, but after 3 other failed MOOCs I wanted to finish one, just one.
MOOCs were also presented at the 2013 Blackboard Users Conference (#durbbu) by Jeremy Knox: MOOC Pedagogy Which now brings me to the nature of the different MOOCs available. The difference between these two types of MOOCs is defined as: Here’s a question for you … how does the newly created FutureLearn fit into this? Fingers crossed. References: Hoyle, M. Image: Die Bildungsschlange (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) Digital Artefacts as Homework #edcmooc | On-Learn.
*deutsche Version dieses Artikels* As a last assignment for the E-Learning and Digital Cultures Course we were supposed to produce a digital artefact in which we should present what we have learned out of the course. This Artefact was allowed in all formats, it should only be accessible in the internet. It is a strange feeling when you submit your homework and just copy in a link. On the other hand, behind each link there is a lot of work, so there is nothing to be ashamed of. It is impossible to show you ALL the artefacts as this course has been very productive. We are everywhere in the internet. I would rather show you some examples of great and useful tools which I meant to introduce to you anyway. There was a timely recommendation of 5 minutes that every film or presentation should belong. Too much? Related articles: Like this: Like Loading... Learning In a Flat World - Exploring EDCMOOC Digital Artifacts from My Global Classmates.
In this last week of the University of Edinburgh’s Coursera MOOC – E-Learning and Digital Cultures, I mentioned in my last post that our assignment was to create a digital artifact for this learning experience. I chose to explore Scoop.It as a way of curating resources from this course, and posted my resulting artifact here. Now I wanted to go explore what some of my many classmates have done. I conceptually know that some 40,000-plus started the course, and that 7,000+ were active at the mid-point, but I have no idea how many saw the course through to this final step of submitting an artifact. However, I have another 36 hours or so before I can begin assessing my three assigned artifacts, so this is more a journey to understand the landscape (and maybe gather baseline data).
After all, I would assess my own work as meeting the minimum standards…but I am interested to see what truly remarkable artifacts there might be out there. So in no particular order…but these I liked: Assessment Details | E-learning and Digital Cultures. #edcmooc A reflection on artefacts | my learning journey. What is real and what is not? Getting to the heart of the matter.. So, I have finished evaluating my artefacts and am now awaiting my marks. After looking at the three artefacts I was allocated, I have to admit to feeling a little disappointed in a couple which was why I opted to look at some more.
Two of the five I looked at didn’t seem to address the themes at all. One was a great selection of external websites, videos and quotations but there was no narrative to link them all together. The other two, I thought were pretty good and clearly showed a good understanding of the concepts although they too lacked personal reflection. I had thought that the criteria were relatively clear about what we had to do. I think that being involved in the Tweetchats and browsing the forums reasonably regularly gave me some insights into the way that other people were thinking and interpreting the resources. Photo by Easegill (Nigel Robertson) Taken at Hamilton Sculpture Park Like this: Like Loading... Lastrefuge: #EDCMOOC Week Five: The Assessment!!
Quick intro: This post begins with the assessment and link to my artefact. I link to some online tools that others can use to make their own… and also share some of the resources produced by other MOOCers and a link to those produced by the students on the MSc in E-Learning and Digital Cultures. Finally I have put links to all the videos and readings that we have had access to over the duration of this brilliant short course – just in case you want to see for yourself how you might build your own MOOC.
You are joking? Produce a digital artefact - me?! It has to combine at least text and images… And it will be peer reviewed. There was a little flurry from some MOOCers worried that any old person was going to mark their work. There was also some concern – not least from the not very techie people like me – about how to make an artefact – and just how artefacty it had to be … Did it have to have text, pictures, music – and oh god no – movement – please not movement! Online tools The readings: Lost in transmission? Digital Artefact for #edcmooc Wk.5. Here we are, the final week, well done everyone, we made it!
A ‘Digitial Artefact’ you say? What’s that then? I was not sure when the MOOC started what a digital artefact was, but now understand it’s just another term, albeit slightly pompous, for a blog post, a video, an image, a collection of audio/visual elements that make are collected together in one ‘presentation’ mode. And what is this artefact to do: The artefact will be critically peer-assessed on elements and themes of the course: The artefact addresses one or more themes for the courseThe artefact suggests that the author understands at least one key concept from the courseThe artefact has something to say about digital educationThe choice of media is appropriate for the messageThe artefact stimulates a reaction in you, as its audience, e.g. emotion, thinking, action I decided to bring together some thoughts around the MOOCs theme in a Prezi, see below: David Hopkins’ Digital Artefact #edcmooc on Prezi Thank you.
Sentimental campus: Dublin February 19 by Sian Bayne on Prezi. Assessment, #edcmooc style | Teaching 'E-learning and Digital Cultures' Mybackyard78 - wryerson - MSAD#51 Mail. E-Learning and Digital Cultures: Week 3 Reflection #edcmooc. I think I made a mistake in week three of #edcmooc. I was doing some travelling by train and decided to review the resources while in transit.
Unfortunately, the Iarnród Éireann WiFi wouldn't let me access any of the videos, so I couldn't watch the film festival or Steve Fuller's TedX Warwick talk Defining Humanity. Instead, I jumped straight into the advanced reading: Neil Badmington's introduction on Posthumanism. I read it twice, in full, and have gone back to sections since. But, I really don't think I have the necessary background to be able to make any sense of it at all. Being Human, Humanism, Posthumanism and Transhumanism As I read Badmington's introduction, I had fleeting glimpses of meaning and at times thought I might be approaching some understanding. I was ready to give up at this stage. So, my conclusion is, does it really matter? Perspectives on Education In contrast, the two readings on education were much more accessible. The Talking Head V Being Present In conclusion. MultiMOOCing Tragic: Our Chemical Selves: The Biology of Connectivism. Connectivist Learning: course Prerequisites: your own device, internet connection, oxytocin and adrenaline This is my last post before the edcMOOC course starts tomorrow.
Through this blog, I've been living out the connectivist experience of not one, but two MOOCS, both which are experimental in the connectivist "genre". According to the good folk at ETMOOC, the key principles in the design of such a MOOC are: • The course is developed with a weak ‘centre’. While etmooc.org will provide a level of aggregation, detail, and direction, the majority of interactions are likely to occur within groups & networks, facilitated through various online spaces & services. • Participants are strongly encouraged to develop their own reflective, learning spaces.
. • Sharing and network participation are essential for the success of all learners in #etmooc. To fellow students who will embark on eLearning and Digital Cultures tomorrow, this is a familiar scenario. Herin lies my concern. And oxytocin? Transhumanism and its Unique Relationship with the Emperor #edcmooc « periwebblog. I find the views of the Transhumanists in our readings a bit like the Emperor’s new clothes, all rhetoric but nothing new. It might be I am too pragmatic (and tired) to understand the nuances? “Transhumanists view human nature as a work-in-progress, a half-baked beginning that we can learn to remould in desirable ways.
Current humanity need not be the endpoint of evolution. Transhumanists hope that by responsible use of science, technology, and other rational means we shall eventually manage to become posthuman, beings with vastly greater capacities than present human beings have” N Bostrom We have been “evolving” like this since our earliest times. We had a wonderful BBC programme on Early Britain recently – which showed how we have evolved, physically, mentally and spiritually.
“Transhumanism promotes the quest to develop further so that we can explore hither to inaccessible realms of value. “ N Bostrom. Like this: Like Loading... [New post] #edcmooc Week 4 Redefining the human - wryerson - MSAD#51 Mail. Visually learning, collectively yearning | another space oddity. Another space oddity | CyberSpace: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship E.R.P. Its five-week mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new conversations, to boldly go with thousands of random strangers to coloni. It’s a course, of course #edcmooc | Teaching 'E-learning and Digital Cultures' [New post] Hold the R-word - wryerson - MSAD#51 Mail. College credit recommended for free online courses - Brownsville Herald: US & World News: How to Save College. The #EDCMOOC Conveyer Belt and Other Massive Metaphors | Gather with Purpose. 2nd #edcmchat Twitter Chat - 2 February 2013 (with tweets) · hummelsiep1.
eLearning and Digital Cultures: consolidating learning and blowing my mind with “objects that blog” #edcmooc « Learningcreep. Somewhere between OERs and MOOCs is the beginning of the end for traditional university courses | edcmooc_jonopurdy. A proposed process for small group, synchronous dialogue in a MOOC environment – #edcmooc | Felicia M. Sullivan. Learn Like an Arachnid: Why I’m MOOCifying | Open Education. From Open Access To Open Learning. Netcococo.png (952×442) Coursera and the homogenization of knowledge | Digital Cultures. Week Two summary | Chantelle's E-learning and Digital Cultures site. Www.ashgate.com/pdf/SamplePages/Making_Digital_Cultures_Intro.pdf.
Edcmooc – a week 1 round up « Dreaming LearnTech. Notes on Technological or Media Determinism « TTDolan. Connected learning: getting beyond technological determinism. Technological Determinism. 21st Century Learning is Not A Program. The 30 Biggest Myths About Online Learning. A Real Lesson in Digital Citizenship. 5 Ways to Stay Organized and Focused as an Online Learner. Connected Learning Infographic. Teacher Update: Wanted: Tech-Savvy Teachers - wryerson - MSAD#51 Mail. Best content in E-learning and Digital Cultures 2013. How Digital Technology Has Changed the Brain. MOOCmania. Hybrid Pedagogy: A Digital Journal of Teaching & Technology | Home. Www.dontwasteyourtime.co.uk/feed/
Seven Skills Students Need for Their Future | Asia Society. How Technology creates Digital Culture | Open Course in Education Futures. EDC MOOC - Google+ - E-learning and Digital Cultures begins in less than two…