Stephen's Web

OLDaily

by Stephen Downes
August 20, 2010

Documenting and decoding the undergrad experience
Canadian universities are looking at how to authenticate students' off-campus experience. "Universities have long recognized that a lot of learning takes place outside the classroom," reports Daniel Drolet. "Now a growing number of schools are developing ways of tracking, measuring and authenticating that learning." It can be a win-win for both students and institutions. "For some universities, recognizing learning outside the classroom helps boost the university brand. "Acadia has long prided itself on its experiential approach – educating the whole student," says Dr. Herman. 'We work hard to try to blur the lines between activities inside the classroom and activities outside. It's natural to try to come up with a program that would recognize that integration.'" Daniel Drolet, University Affairs, August 18, 2010 [Link] [Comment] [Tweet]

Mobile Trends, E-books, and the Web

Good brief analysis, with figures, on mobile learning. "The bottom line is that the mobile market continues to grow explosively, and along with it come the growth of certain activities. One old-school activity that remains popular is texting. The cost of a cell phone and SMS plan compared to that of a computer and a broadband connection has made texting extremely popular in developing countries, and unlimited messaging plans have made it the communication medium of choice for teens everywhere (beating face-to-face conversation and e-mail in popularity)." Rob Reynolds, the xPlanation, August 18, 2010 [Link] [Comment] [Tweet]

Paulo Freire and Critical Pedagogy

Video introduction to Critical Pedagogy from the Freire Project. Via Graham Attwell. Unattributed, Freire Project, August 12, 2010 [Link] [Comment] [Tweet]

Video: Voices From the Front Lines of Online Learning
Video of comments on problems facing higher education institutions culled from attendees at the Distance Education conference in Wisconsin. "In the old days, you might have heard about the difficulty convincing professors of the value of online education... But as acceptance of online education grows, with distance courses getting more popular and mainstream, colleges face new challenges. These run the gamut from coping with stress on student services to navigating the shift from developing courses alone to building them in teams." Mark Parry, Chronicle of Higher Education, August 12, 2010 [Link] [Comment] [Tweet]

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