Participation in a TLT session on MOOCs

Hi Everyone, I thought I would share what I have prepared for the TLF Friday Live event on MOOCs.

MOOCs What are they?

Massive Open Online Course according to a video by Dave Cormier and Neal Gillis is:

• a response to the challenges of organizations concerning information overload. a course (participants, facilitators, engaging in the learning process, start and end date, an event).
• open (accessible, take without paying for participating, work is shared).
• paticipatory (engage with material, each other, and the course facilitator.)
• distributed - the information knits together to create a networked course.
• Is a step on the road to lifelong learning. 

Conference Metaphor MOOCS can have similar characteristics as educational and technology conferences depending upon how they are designed. In my experience there seems to be tracks or themes, concurrent sessions, hands on sessions, interaction, and sometimes they contain gamification. of some sort in a similar way as do conferences.

Concerning multiple tracks or themes, there may be a group people who want to learn about promoting critical thinking in discussions in current day conferences there is generally a track for just such an interest. There may be another group interested in how to build a learning activity that is rooted in active learning. Yet another group may want a series on hot to manage a debate activity. Sometimes the tracks may over lap in that some of the sessions may explore managing a critical thinking learning activity that has students debating in small groups and then presenting back to the larger group.

In general, I think the concurrent sessions of a conference translate into the ability to participate in any MOOC activity at any time but sometimes the MOOC was designed with a chronological learning path but at the same time you can go back and continue developing ideas concepts and knowledge with other students and the instructor in a past activity. I see this similar to bouncing from one session to another at a conference or using the flex time in between sessions to further interface with someone who might have had a great experience or idea that interests you.

In both conferences and in MOOCs sharing ideas, networking with people, developing understanding together, collaborative visions, and the real time building of understanding are the most valuable pieces.

The need for me to interface with javascript developers, multimedia creators, teachers, and learners is so important. So that is what I try to do at conferences and in MOOCs, develop ideas together.

I was at a conference recently where there was a game woven into almost every aspect of the conference. This motivated me to communicate with people, be attentive, assist other game players, and be highly engaged. A few months later, I joined a MOOC that had a similar game component. I forgot to add the log in credentials to my password management solution so I have not participated in a while but in the beginning I was furiously collecting badges with the idea of gaining status in the community so that people would want to work with me.

MOOCS for which I am a part: Google - Online Learning Today... Tomorrow and Power Searching with Google. Standford - Class2Go (Solar Cells, Fuel Cells and Batteries) and An Introduction to Computer Networks Classes WCET - Do you have CLASS? Current/Future State of Higher Education.

University of Indiana one with Curtis Bonk.

A few app based MOOC type entities:
Tappestry - Tin Can API
Khan Academy
TedEd

@kylesonger

David Sherman - Teaching at Excelsior College

David Sherman, one of our very best teachers at Excelsior College in the area of music history and related topics talks about teaching at Excelsior College in this video. One of the best points he makes is about how a student who would normally not respond and contribute to a learning activity in a large group due to shyness or similar reason, does contribute in an on-line format because that stressor is removed. David goes on to make several other points that clarifies why he loves teaching at Excelsior College.

Yet More Evidence that We Have to Do not Hope

This TED talk video is yet more evidence that people do have solutions for many of the ills of American Society but we can not wait for someone in power to act on these solutions.  We have to force them as the every day citizens.  This particular TED talk entitled "Four Ways to Fix a Broken Legal System" obviously is geared toward the legal system of America but it makes points about the education system and other areas of American life.  It struck me that this guy and other people have solutions.  Why can't these solutions be enacted.  Because we are waiting for someone in power to enact these solutions?  I do not know.  But it is my contention that we as every day citizens need to force change.  There are many other points in this video that can generate conversation including the warning labels and what they say about our intelligence as well the teachers not having authority to discipline students so they have no power to prevent that 1% of students from disrupting the learning of the other 99%.

John Bowler in "Mad Scientists" National Geographic

A friend of mine John Bowler in "Mad Scientists" a possible National Georgaphic show coming this fall. 
 Watch the second part of the video. 

CDETG Panel Questions (June 3rd 2011)

I was asked to talk about trends in mobile devices in education by the Capital District Educational Technology Group. Here is what I talked about as one panelist of many exploring related topics.

CDETG Panel Questions (June 3rd 2011)

My Summary - Technology Trends

• Moving Target (Full time job keeping track of the trends and predicting which ones will benefit you the most)(impact, staying power, etc...)
• HTML5 (gaining strength in the industry, supplanting Flash, more secure, more programmers, support on multiple platforms)
• Web Conferencing (Adobe Connect Professional)
• Remote Computing (GoTo My PC)
• Should be done with an eye toward learning theory (learning outcomes based, active learning, collaboration, solving problems, and student lead)

What is the rationale for implementing mobile learning technologies?

• Learning will need to occur where the student needs it to occur. 
• Learning will shift from remembering facts and figures to understanding and applying concepts and skills as the ability to look up information from reputable sources will replace rote memorization. (Dependent on a complete overhaul of the education system of many countries including the U.S.). 

Will increased use of shorthand in synchronous and asynchronous communication affect students' writing ability in the long term?

• Yes, I believe it already has. 
• Many experts with brilliant minds will be needed to ensure this does not occur or damage student writing in the future. 
• Continuing the require long form submissions (papers, and other long writing based learning activities) from students is one key tactic. 
• A shift to voice controlled mobile applications and similar technologies may shift society away from shorthand.

Will brevity of expression trump depth of knowledge?12

• Once again learning will shift from remembering facts and figures to understanding and applying concepts and skills as the ability to look up information from reputable sources will replace rote memorization. (Dependent on a complete overhaul of the education system of many countries including the U.S.), so yes expression along with demonstration of skills and concepts will trump knowledge.

Will it become easier for students to cheat during tests? Is this issue relevant to twenty-first-century learning?

• I think this will hold a lot less relevance in twenty-first learning. Practical application of skills and concepts designed to be assessed on a mobile or in person method could authenticate a students’ mastery. 
• It does depend upon the assessment method and type. One would design an assessment that evaluates that particular student and thus may evaluate something slightly different and once again shy away from facts, figures, dates and rote memorization less.

What course content is suitable for transmission to mobile computing/communication devices?

• All course content. It all depends upon how it is designed. The paradigm of valuing a student for how much they can memorize must dissipate in favor of mastery of skills, concepts, thinking critically, problem solving, evaluation, and application. 

Will the quality of communication and interaction be enhanced or diminished by adopting mobile learning pedagogy?

• Well, we know the quantity will increase but it will depend heavily on the method of content delivery. 
• Some studies have suggested that the wallflowers interact more in a mobile classroom than they would in a brick and mortar classroom. 
• If the learning activity (perhaps a debate discussion) is designed to ensure interactivity by requiring it for higher or even passing evaluation then I see this being successful. In fact at Excelsior College a few of our better designed and redesigned courses are already increasing substantive interaction over older first round versions of the same courses. 

Do mobile devices allow students to interact with peers and instructors at the same level and quality as if they were participating using a PC?

• I believe mobile devices give more opportunities for students to work on an assignment. Think back to when you were in college, if you were out with friends and you forgot to complete an assignment you were forced to remember when you arrived home to complete the work. ith a mobile device at the very least you could make yourself a calendar entry with e-mail or sound reminders. In addition one could actually complete the learning activity now with mobile applications such as Mobile Bb Learn Blackboard application or a simple mobile web browser with CMS sites such as Moodle 4iPhone or Android applications. 
• I used to take long plane rides back from college for holidays and could have tied up any loose ends to my courses during the flight with mobile learning except of course during takeoff and landing. I also used to swim for SUNY Oswego and during long bus rides had to work clumsily in note books and carry a large school bag in addition to my food and swim bag. 

Will a shift in emphasis from e-learning to mobile learning increase the gap between the haves and have-nots?

• This is a good question and I think the answer lies once again in how an educational institution handles this issue. Some educational institutions have already started to issue iPads or Android tablets to starting freshmen and some of those institutions have rolled that cost right into tuition. Similar programs have begun in K-12 schools as well. 
• Cell phones are even more common so by accommodating any “smart phone” platform you should be able to bridge the gap to most of those than do not have much as I think in most cases they have at least that communication device back to Mom and Dad. 
• Schools could use a service such as Gabcast to ensure even those with out a mobile phone can use a land line (payphone, or local public library) to participate in class. 

Will the quality of the instructional content be improved, enhanced, or downgraded by transferring to a mobile-compatible format?

• Simply moving to a mobile platform without a complete shift in the learning paradigm will not improve the quality of instructional content. 
• This movement toward mobile learning is an excellent time to make a fundamental shift in our think about how students learn, what is important to bring out into the field, into the more than eight jobs per lifetime that a student will see, and to enable a student to shoot for mastery in a given area of study but always be accepting of lifelong learning. 

What types of resistance to change will faculty and students experience?

• I think it will be very hard for faculty to learn to teach differently from the way they were taught. It has been many years since the phrase “guide on the side rather than sage on the stage” was coined and yet I personally do not see much movement toward acceptance of what that really means. 
• I believe students will have an easier time adjusting. Students are already learning from their mobile devices albeit from perhaps a commercial or gaming sense. It is still learning. A student can start to understand the concept of supply and demand or competition in business by using mobile applications such as Groupon, Foursquare, Google Latitude, and more. Weather applications for an earth scientists are a boon as every student if carrying around a mobile weather station complete with radar. 

How will the instructor's role change?

• Classroom management will change to asking probing questions, ensuring student to student interactions are effective, efficient, constructive, and positive. 
• Instructors moving to teaching online after teaching “on the ground” tend to mention how much more students write and thus they must read, evaluate and respond, quite a moderate amount without interfering with student to student mentoring, constructive criticism and more. 
• Once again it is very important to design these courses to prompt interaction, learning of concepts, mastery of skills, synthesis of knowledge, evaluation of peers, evaluation of self, and application of concepts and skills. 

12 Citations Corbeil, J. & Corbeil, M. (2007). Are You Ready for Mobile Learning? Frequent use of mobile devices does not mean that students or instructors are ready for mobile learning and teaching. Educause Quarterly Magazine, v30 (2).

Request for a List of Educational Podcasts

A coworker recently asked me for a list of educational podcasts that could be distributed in a best practices meeting.

Here is a short list some of which I have not evaluated yet and some that I use frequently (you must search for the podcasts that meet your needs):

• The Educational Podcast Network  
• Podcasts.com Channels  
• NPR Education Podcasts  
• Feedburner.com 
• Technology Specific This Week in Tech Network 
• Podcast Aggregator Mediafly 

Let me know if you feel there is anything missing or that should be eliminated from this list.

iPhone 4 for Verizon - A Tech Dilemma

The iPhone 4 for Verizon has been announced and it causes a dilemma for me. Do not get me wrong, I am really happy that people now have the option of getting the iPhone for Verizon or AT&T. The dilemma it poses for me is to reserve one on February 3, 2011 and get it February 10, 2011, or wait until some day in July 2011 when the iPhone 5 is rumored to be released.

Here is the list of pros and cons to getting the iPhone 4 on Verizon in February and/or the Verizon iPhone 5 in July if it actually gets released.

Pros

1. I will no longer have to carry both my Motorola MOTO™ VU204 and my 2nd generation iPod Touch
2. The iPhone 4 has a much better camera than my cell phone and the 2nd generation iPod Touch does not have camera at all.
3. I can stay on Verizon where I have always received great voice service although prices for data plans do scare me a bit.
4. My employer has made the move to support iOS devices so that I can get my calendars and e-mail synchronized and have access to them on the go even away from a Wifi access point.

Cons

1. I will have to wait 6 more months to get the newest technology in the iPhone 5.
2. I have already waited many years to be able to call an iPhone my own.
3. The suspected data plan for unlimited data may be very expensive as my phone bill is only a little over $30 with no texts and $50 with moderate text messaging.
4. The iPhone 4 is a CDMA phone and will not work on Verizon's new LTE network which has been touted as having blazing 4G speed. The iPhone 5 will possibly have the ability to harness this speed.

There are some differences between the iPhone for AT&T and the one for Verizon. The Verizon iPhone can be used as a Wifi hot spot and thus have tethering abilities to up to 5 devices although it is unclear if Verizon will change extra for this feature. This does not really matter too much to me but I can understand it's usefulness for others. There is talk that with the upgrade to iOS 4.3, AT&T and Verizon iPhones will both have the hot spot/tethering capability. In a related note the Verizon version of the phone's software is 4.2.5 as opposed to the current AT&T version with iOS 4.2.1. The antenna notches have been moved which in turn caused a movement of a few of the iPhone buttons possibly making current iPhone cases to possibly block those buttons or not fit correctly. I will write more about the details and influences of my decision as I deal with them. Let me know what you think in the comments or use the social networking buttons below. Take care.