June 6, 2012
What is the theory that underpins our moocs?
George Siemens,
elearnspace, June 6, 2012.
George Siemens presents slides and text from a presentation describing eight underlying principles for MOOCs. Among these, he says, MOOC are basdsed on connectivist pedagogy, the idea that knowledge is generative, learner-formed coherence, self-organization and resonance, and autonomous and self-regulated learners. Many of these contrast with the manner in which the big university MOOCDs anre design; as Siemens describes them, "their MOOCs are based on a hub and spoke model: the faculty/knowledge at the centre and the learners are replicators or duplicators of knowledge." He admits that the characterization is a bit unfair - but I would say, it's only a bit unfair, and if I were Siemens I would make the point rather than spend time apologizing for making it. Related tho this (and linking to it) is a post from Audrey Watters on what lies underneath the MOOC.
[Link] [Comment][Tags: Connectivism, Linking and Deep Linking]
Speech by Leonard Katz
Leonard Katz,
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, June 6, 2012.
Pretty good overview of the internet in Canada as seen through the eyes of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, which is reponsible for regulating net providers. Michael Geist focuses on the failure of some providers to provide access in rural areas, as promised. For me, I'd like to see more effort on spam, phishing and unauthorized redirection - if they spent one tent the effort tracking down actual crime on the internet that they did fictitious claims of copyright violation, these scourges would be eliminated.
The great newspaper liquidation
Jack Shafer,
Reuters, June 6, 2012.
Not that anybody wants to announce a fire sale, but... as SmartBrief writes, "Newspapers may be going through a period of slow liquidation, in which owners sell a product diminished by stages in value for a gradually increasing price until nothing is left but the paper's physical assets, writes Jack Shafer." What they are doing now, he writes, is monetizing their goodwill - cheapening their product and charging more - as the last stage before winding down their operations completely.
Machinima Open Online Course
Various Authors,
P2PU, June 6, 2012.
This Machinima Open Online Course is on right now. "Machinima is a portmanteu of machine and cinema. This two week course will cover basic Machinima creation, copyright and creative commons and will result in the learners participating in the production of a Machinima to be entered in the SIGVE EduMachinina Fest." Via Oh! Virtual Learning. P2PU also has an Arrow of Time Milestones MOOC apparently in development.
Digital Humanities MOOC?
Rebecca Davis,
ThatCampLAC 2012, June 6, 2012.
Rebecca Davis is looking for input for a potential digital humanities MOOC. "My colleagues and I at NITLE plan to pilot this idea in the last two weeks of July. This is your chance to request your choice of topics."
Open University announces a Open Learning Design MOOC for autumn 2012
Rebecca Galley,
Cloudworks, June 6, 2012.
I might have mentioned this already, but inb the interest of covering my bases, here's the announcement on Cloudworks. "The Open University’s Institute of Educational Technology is leading the first Open Learning Design Studio MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) focusing on the theme of curriculum design with OERs, to be held in Autumn 2012."
From ADL Team Member… Aaron Silvers: What’s In a Name?
Aaron Silvers,
ADL, June 6, 2012.
ALT is looking for a new name for its next-generation set of e-learning standards - what Aaron Silvers describes in an email as a "broad ecosystem of learning technologies." The name 'SCORM' will no longer do: "The Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) does not adequately capture the scope of the work we're currently undertaking. Although we have temporarily referred to the Next Generation of SCORM when discussing the Tin Can API, personal assistants for learning, etc., these things go beyond 'content'." Of course, it could also have to do with the poor reputation the name SCORM has earned over the years as an acronym dedicated to courseware.
This newsletter is sent only at the request of subscribers. If you would like to unsubscribe, Click here.
Know a friend who might enjoy this newsletter? Feel free to forward OLDaily to your colleagues. If you received this issue from a friend and would like a free subscription of your own, you can join our mailing list. Click here to subscribe.