Joy
Clay Burell, Beyond School, November 22, 2011.

It's so nice to see Clay Burell post again, and he comes up with a gem, on an example of beautiful learning. "Joy chose to explore the Golden Age of Chinese lyric poetry of the Tang Dynasty. The result, below — technical quibbles aside — is evidence that Joy is aptly named. Give her a couple of minutes to get past her intro and into the heart of it all, and maybe you’ll get some of that ga-ga too." I watched the video - it's absolutely fascinating, and so worth watching.

[Link] [Comment][Tags: Video, China]

Learn ICT
Doug Peterson, doug – off the record, November 22, 2011.

Doug Peterson writes, "I find the results confirm the way that I believe that teachers learn best." Now, to make the bridge from this to how students learn best.

[Link] [Comment][Tags: Thomson Corporation]

4 Stages of Personalization (Music Metaphors Included)
John T. Spencer, Cooperative Catalyst, November 22, 2011.

It was at AusWeb 2001 I first heard of the difference between customization (the user sets preferences) and personalization (the system adapts to the user). This post expands that set of distinctions somewhat: standardization (you try to reach the entire class), differentiation (you try to reach different levels within the class), customization (you provide individual choices), and personalization ("students are free, empowered and ready to make learning personal"). The last category is laudable, but vague, and more likely to become something like 'personalization' in the AusWeb definition. So I prefer to think of student-defined learning as 'personal' learning. The difference between 'personal' and 'personalized' learning? It's like the difference between 'tender' and 'tenderized'.

[Link] [Comment][Tags: Personalization, Customization, Online Learning, Ontologies]

Flipped Classroom Full Picture: An Example Lesson
Jackie Gerstein, User Generated Education, November 22, 2011.

"The problem with the flipped classroom," writes Jackie Gerstein, "is that the major focus is on the didactic presentation of information, that it is still at the center of the learning experience." It does not need to be that way. In this post she provides a sample 'flipped-classroom lesson' which makes the point. "This lesson did not center around the content media, in this case the Slideshare, but on the students’ personal experiences, interactions with other students, and acquisition of tangible life skills." The key, I think, is the 'Experiential Engagement', the activity. For example, "the learners started off with the Lighthouse activity, where in partner teams, the sited person led his or her blindfolded partner through a series of obstacles. The goal of this part of the lesson was to provide an experience that overtly demonstrated the importance of listening." Then they can be sent out to review the 'flipped' bit of the lesson on their own. Finally, the experience is cemented with a 'so what' activity.

[Link] [Comment][Tags: Interaction, Experience, Online Learning]

Where Are the Philosophers? Thoughts from THATCamp Pedagogy
Prof. Hacker, Chronicle of Higher Education, November 22, 2011.

The Chronicle's Prof. Hacker says "there are not... numerous examples of philosophers using techniques of the digital humanities to _do_ philosophy or using digital tools to teach philosophy." I comment in reply, "Well, I *think* I am doing digital philosophy, but philosophers (properly so-called) may disagree. But if we agree that philosophy is "the discovery, development, classification and analysis of human concepts and reasoning," then I am definitely doing philosophy online (perhaps even using the techniques of the digital humanities, whatever those are). Additionally, my background and formal academic training are in philosophy, up to my ABD (yeah, I'm one of those people more stubborn than their supervisor). But if you think 'doing philosophy' is 'being employed as a philosophy professor and offering classes', then I'm not doing philosophy. But who would want to define philosophy *that* way? To find people using new technologies, we have to look outside the usual places."

[Link] [Comment][Tags: Academia]

The Wisdom of Motivated Crowds
Teemu Leinonen, FLOSSE Posse, November 22, 2011.

Directly relevant to my talk this evening, Teemu Leinonen on motivation: "In a good course students should have the opportunity to practice leadership, gain knowledge, and be autonomous. Students should be provided ways to get social attention and opportunities to play and compete with each other. But this is not enough. Students should have the opportunity to make connections to deep philosophical issues, too: to obey moral codes, improve society and have connections to past and upcoming generations." He makes the point that "many courses (not only the MOOCs) are not motivating because they do not pay enough attention to the participant’s desires." I think that's true, and this is motivating me to examine the question.

[Link] [Comment][Tags: Leadership]

The State of Internationalization in Canada
Ken Steele, Academica, November 22, 2011.

Ken Steele, author of the excellent Academica newsletter on Canadian higher education, discusses the sector's potential with respect to internationalization. He writes, "It’s a time of upheaval for higher education worldwide, and therefore a time of opportunity for Canada. I just hope we don’t squander the brief window of opportunity."

[Link] [Comment][Tags: Canada, Academia, Newsletters]