September 6, 2011
Presentation
MOOC: The Massive Open Online Course in Theory and in Practice
Stephen Downes, September 6, 2011,
IV Innovar para Transcendar Simposio de la COMINAIC, Guadalajara, Mexico
In this presentation I set the MOOC within the context of the objectives of this symposium on curriculum design, provide an outline of the history of the MOOC, and use that history to create a description of MOOCs. See also The MOOC Guide.
ALT Live Beta
James Clay,
e-Learning Stuff, September 6, 2011.
Here is more on the live online version of the ALT-C conference. "at ALT-C 2011 I am trying a new idea in order to capture, create and engage in that “silent” online time. Probably the best way to describe what ALT Live Beta is, is if you have ever watched Glastonbury or T4 on the Beach on the television, as well as the “front stage” stuff, they also have a room back stage where they chat, discuss and interview the people who have just been on stage. ALT Live Beta is a live internet video stream of the “back stage” of ALT-C 2011."
Information foraging and social networks
George Siemens,
elearnspace, September 6, 2011.
Slides and a brief commentary from George Siemens's presentation in South Africa. "We need some degree of centering in order to gain coherence in a topic," he writes. "We (mistakenly) assume that if the educator provides that coherence in the form of a course, students will acquire it. But coherence is a personal thing – it’s about how *we* connect information elements and how we use artifacts and narratives to share that coherence."
[Link] [Comment][Tags: Connectivism, Information, Networks, Africa]
Music Video: We’ve Got To Be That Light – A Gift to America’s Teachers
Jeff Goldstein,
Dr. Jeff's Blog on the Universe, September 5, 2011.
I'm always a bit leery of people who style themselves as 'Dr. Firstname', like 'Dr. Phil' or 'Dr. Bob' or 'Dr. Jeff'. And I'm also leery of speeches or songs that talk about 'being the light' and 'sacred trust'. And I'm also leery of messages addressed to a specific national group, such as "teachers across America". All of these betray an uncertainty about one's one place and the relevance of one's own message, which is compensated for by appeals to authority, belief and patriotism. Which those caveats in place, here's the video, timed to coincide with the start of a new school year. Because the symphony of science style still works pretty well. And it was interesting to follow the institutional links back to the Tides Center and its projects.
The Paradox of Openness: The High Costs of Giving Online
Helen Keegan,
Heloukee: EdTech and Digital Culture, September 5, 2011.
"The transition from ‘me’ to ‘professional.me’ is not unproblematic," writes Helen Keegan, "and there are ethical issues at play when we encourage our learners to cast-off prior, potentially problematic online IDs in order to nurture a persona that appeals to potential employers." When our online persona becomes something that is assessed and evaluated by others, she argues, it becomes something that is shallow and artificial. And the person loses the capacity to experiment and try on new hats. "The ability to adopt pseudonyms and personas has been core to the experience of many of our students, who choose to present themselves using alternative IDs in the professional spaces while still retaining their (much ‘cooler’ in terms of their peers) identities within less formalised spaces." The idea, in my mind, that we have one and only one identity is alien to actual experience, and it is a mistake to force that onto people online.
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