Online Education and the Virtual Classroom Sometimes the best inventions happen by accident. One of the world's great storehouses of biological knowledge is the Animal Diversity Web. In 1995, University of Michigan biology professor Philip Myers decided to use the new medium of the World Wide Web to engage his students in producing the textbook he thought his course needed but did not exist. The tasks of researching, writing, checking, and posting information about animal species and their habitats could, Myers reasoned, not only teach students about animal diversity but also help them better understand the science involved. He was right. What he had not foreseen, however, was that ADW would spawn a set of overlapping worldwide communities. The most famous intramural project to burst beyond its original walls is Facebook. The Social Network, based on a 2009 book, by Ben Mezrich The Accidental Billionaires, points to the frequent connection on the web between accidental community formation and economic opportunity.
My Open Learning: xMOOCs I participate frequently in MOOCs, both xMOOCs such as those offered through platforms edX and Coursera, and cMOOCs. cMOOCs offer a different learning experience; usually less structured where learning relies upon networked interactions using social media platforms. Click here for reviews on my completed cMOOCs. To read an in-depth article describing differences between the two types of MOOCs click here. I participate in MOOCs for different reasons that depend upon my learning goals and the amount of time I am able to commit to the course during its time frame. 1) Course auditor: Do not participate for the most part in course activities, discussions or assessments, though will read and review select course materials and discussion forums. 2) Active learner: Engage in the majority of activities, assignments and some discussions. ♦ Turn Down the Heat: Why a 4° C World Must Be Avoided, Coursera Course duration: January 27, 2014 – February 23, 2014 Participation level: Course Auditor
My Open Learning: cMOOCs Current 1) Open Online Experience 2013Overview: This year-long professional development course is open to anyone, and focuses on education technology for K- 16. It provides a rich, immersive experience into the study and use of educational technology in teaching and learning, and is designed on the “connectivist” model. For a brief definition of “connectivism,” click here. To view #OOE 2013′s Google + community learning page click here. Courses Logo for etmooc from etmooc.org 1) Edtech MOOC 2013, Alec Couros Course Duration: January 13 to March 30, 2013 Participation Level: see below This cMOOC [constructivist] Educational Technology & Media, included topics that ranged from connected learning, digital storytelling and literacy, the open movement and digital citizenship. This MOOCs’ overall objective was to create a learning community that is rich in interaction using social platforms [Google+ Communities, Twitter, #edmooc], and not a Learning Management System (LMS), as many MOOCs do.
Teaching Tips From a Master MOOC-Maker Teach a MOOC … what are you, crazy? … However, what I learned was that teaching a MOOC has been the purest and most fun form of teaching and learning that I’ve ever done. Maria H. I attended the Sloan Symposium last week as a virtual attendee and participated in several sessions including Designing a MOOC for Canvas. I’ll include the highlights of the session—an insiders look at MOOCs based on Andersen’s experience supporting thirty MOOCs in her role with Canvas as Director of Learning, and the methods she shared for creating activities that drive learning and sustain student interest. Andersen has extensive teaching experience, both in face-to-face and online venues, though she much prefers teaching MOOC students, describing them as eager to learn, motivated, and willing to dig deep into content areas of interest for the sake of personal development. Role of the Instructor: Andersen shared sage advice for MOOC instructors. Andersen suggests leveraging international perspectives
How to Organize a MOOC MOOCs prompt some faculty members to refresh teaching styles CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Amid the various influences that massive open online courses have had on higher education in their short life so far -- the topic of a daylong conference here Monday -- this may be among the more unexpected: The courses may be prompting some faculty to pay more attention to their teaching styles than they ever have before. The conference, organized Monday in Cambridge by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, featured academics and administrators from elite North American universities and other players in the world of MOOCs discussing the rise of online courses and the future of residential colleges and universities. The new attention to teaching methods and learning sciences is coming from two directions: faculty who want to make sure their teaching is up to snuff for a wider audience, and technology that allows new levels of interaction with students, and new understanding of students' strengths and weaknesses.
online learning insights | A Blog about Open and Online Education Accredible Blog Yet Another Silicon Valley Startup Blog, Learning Mode: Critical Issues in Online Education Open and Closed The voice belongs to Cody Wilson, a law student in Texas who last year founded Defense Distributed, a controversial initiative to produce a printable “wiki weapon.” With Defcad, he is expanding beyond guns, allowing, say, drone enthusiasts to search for printable parts. Mr. Wilson plays up Defcad’s commitment to “openness,” the latest opiate of the (iPad-toting) masses. Not only would Defcad’s search engine embrace “open source” — the three-minute trailer says so twice — but it would also feature “open data.” With so much openness, Defcad can’t possibly be evil, right? One doesn’t need to look at projects like Defcad to see that “openness” has become a dangerously vague term, with lots of sex appeal but barely any analytical content. Openness is today a powerful cult, a religion with its own dogmas. This fascination with “openness” stems mostly from the success of open-source software, publicly accessible computer code that anyone is welcome to improve.
Claire Major's Blog | Mostly about teaching in higher education Learning and Knowledge Analytics - Analyzing what can be connected index MOOC and Mookies: The Connectivism & Connective Knowledge Online Co...