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Edupunk is an approach to teaching and learning practices that result from a do it yourself attitude and the avoidance of mainstream educational tools. and processes.

Hi Joanne, Check out the Edupunks' Guide at http://www.edupunksguide.org/ A comprehensive guide to learning online and charting a personalized path to an affordable credential using the latest innovative tools and organizations.

The more freedom and self directed learning the better I say, but what about bona fide credentials for the stiff upper lips of the world? This is a great site with step by step and tutorials. It all starts with research and wanting and learning to learn...

Insight: While one can be present in a traditional classroom by sitting there, online courses require some kind of action that involves thinking.

What a great term: social loafing. I've never heard it before, but upon reading this article, realised I've experienced it often enough. Thanks.

It's the first time i've heard of this term also. Very different from the term lurking. A little lengthy but worth the skim over.

Kaine Very interesting article. I think it exists. I have perceived social loafing, definitely in my past online courses or at work.But I am not sure if that is true or not. What if I was also perceived as social loafer at the same time by others? Who is right then? Thanks for sharing it. I read and also bookmarked it. Ilona

Guide to make e-learning more accessible

For those that are creating online learning...great guidelines for teaching Disabled Students

Naked Lecturer? I had a look, of course. There were no pictures. Bummer. A while ago, I checked out "The Naked Scientists" podcast and found they all wore white lab coats, just like the rest of them. Life is full of disappointments. I see that "The Naked Lecturer" worked in both the "Further" and "Higher" Education sectors. I'm trying to imagine how to picture that . . . An x-y chart? Perhaps a hot air balloon and a jet plane? Would You Rather: Ride in a hot air balloon or travel in a jet plane? In any case, the resources are very useful, and they are presented in a usable way. Especially the little post-it Notes. Oh, I get it. Use them to cover up the interesting bits. Very cleaver. That's not higher or further, that's just better.

Hi Brainy. Good post on lurking. I "lurk" when I listen to radio, download podcasts, watch TV, and read the newspaper. Works for me. A live session where "presence" and group dynamics is central to the activity is a bit different (if the name of everyone "in the room" is displayed, lurkers are visible to others, even if they say nothing). In live MOOC sessions, most people lurk most of the time. That doesn't mean they are not engaged, they may simply feel that sitting at the back of the room suits them better. Mark McGuire

Hello Brainy Smurf, Guess I've been lurking in #cck12, but I don't see it as much different from face-to-face classrom behaviour. Not everyone comments no matter what the forum--eliciting participation is part of the "dark art" of facilitation, no?

Hi, Sandra, thanks for weighing in. I agree that lurking online is essentially the same as a classroom, it just might not be as obvious since the online facilitator (if there is one) can't see body language or eye contact. The more I play around in moocs (currently in my 3rd, 4th and 5th at the moment), the more the idea of eliciting participation (or 'engaging' participants) is starting to make me cringe. I'm becoming more confident that learning doesn't need to invite engagement as explicitly as we think it does. Participants will decide how much/little to interact for a million different reasons on any given day (e.g., fatigue, boredom, illness, distraction, reflection, synthesizing, doodling) and I think we should let them own those choices.

Without structure, nothing works. Not even an open course.

You know from experience that when you enjoy a subject, learning about that subject is easier, more fun, and you retain the information longer. Getting kids to enjoy learning is more productive to education efforts than spending more money, lengthening school days, you name it.

This blog raises great questions, Brainy Smurf, but I found your response posting most helpful.

Not an educational resource for many of you unless you coach football but this is a network that I belong to. I use this to stay connected to a bunch of other football coaches. We upload articles , meet online chant and discuss many different football topics.

An introduction to Connectivism