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Interesting assessment of MOOCs and push toward MOOLEs on EdTechDev (developing educational technology), early May 2012 Lisa Lane shows up in comments advocating for her SMOOC (small to medium open online course) on pedagogy. Need to check it out. She has a lot of cred with me!

"attributes. When entities are connected to other entities, different attributes will be activated based on the structure of those connections and the nature of other entities that are being connected. This fluidity of attribute activation appears to be subjective, but in reality, is the contextual activation of the attributes of entities based on how they are related to other entities. Knowledge then is literally the connections that occur between entities. I don't see networks as a metaphor for learning and knowledge. I see learning and knowledge as networks. In global, digital, distributed, and complex settings, a networked model of learning and knowledge is critical."

Virtually Foolproof blog on Ender's Game and Cognitive, Collaborative, and Collective Learning, January 23, 2012. Remarkable blog provoked in part by Dave Snowden's presentation at the Change MOOC, week of January 16, 2011 on what kind of learning is required in different situations.

A blog titled "Inside the Ivory Tower" about teaching musings. This blog brings up the issue of cost in teaching and learning, i.e., the online courses that this professor designs and teaches are often shared by students with non-enrolled learners. The nonenrollees get the materials but not the camaraderie in the online classroom or credential or tutoring that completing this class at the instituion under the teacher's guidance provides enrolled students. The professor would like to share his/her knowledge with the world but his/her reimbursement package is based solely on the # of enrolled students. He is still paying for his own higher education and that of two children, and soon, a third child. What is fair use in this situation when the teacher is just getting by economically himself/herself? It begs the question: How can open learning initiatives that have started at MIT, Carnegie Mellon, etc. be emulated at state universities or other less well endowed settings? Further, how can professional associations offer MOOCs or COOLS when they are not capitalized to do so?

Weaknesses of Online Learning described on the Illinois Online Network website, 2012. It offers the unsupported view below that 20 is the maximum number of students that could be accommodated in an online class without losing the interactive elements. I disagree. Levels of Synergy Online learning has its most promising potential in the high synergy represented by active dialog among the participants, one of the most important sources of learning in a Virtual Classroom. However, in larger classes (20 or more students), the synergy level starts to shift on the learning continuum until it eventually becomes independent study to accommodate the large class. At this point, dialog is limited as well as interaction among participants and the facilitator. The medium is not being used to its greatest potential."

Learner Weblog by Sui Fai John Mak on why people leave MOOCS. Believe that the list of reasons may apply to all online learning communities. Mak's reasons: 1. emotional (people afraid of revealing ignorance with technology and ideas); 2. lack of motivation; 3. feeling of chaos with too much info to deal with; 4. identity (in my words--where do I fit? What is my view uninfluenced by this rich abundance of ideas; 5. Threat to security and privacy and being overpowered by ideas of more influential, smarter people (my words) In comments: Ken Anderson--novelty; our neophilia keeps us from sticking around after the newness wears off; Brainysmurf--the "working on me" realization--what I have to understand and address "about how I learn or do not learn, how I perceive authority and control, how I manage or fail to manage info and filters and flow of information." Jeffrey Keefer--length (of commitment to course--12 weeks or 32 weeks?)

Blog post by Stephen Downes exploring what a MOOC does and does not do--it does not replicate or build on past failed educational pathways where a person--adult or child--is not motivated enough to invest time in his/her own learning path. He mentions that online gaming is the best pre-MOOC and equivalent to MOOC for young people. Makes me wonder about my addiction to WordsFree and Scrabble on my iphone and desire to beat the computer again and again. Or enrolling in a MOOC where the opportunity to connect with smart, similarly-quested learners/achievers/doers must motivate me to overcome challenges of schedule, technology, serendipitous approach to learning, self-expression, etc. The MOOC is simply a much bigger playground where my motivation and my two feet (or eyes!) rule my behavior .

"Change: Education, Learning, and Technology" assessment of MOOCs by Lisa Chamberlin and Tracy Parish, August 2011. Interesting pro/con assessment of MOOCs--participation, distributed learning, credit or no credit, commitment, facilitation. Conclusion: jury still out!

Jenny's blog post/learning artifact on questions to ask in designing a MOOC. Questions are useful for other learning enterprises and the MOOC image is delightful and amusing. Kudos to Jenny and her collaborators; very nicely done!

The Future of Online Learning, Stephen Downes

Stephen Downdes' home website--has interesting ebooks/pdfs on Free learning, Access::Future, and so on

Blog by the Ed Techie --brings up implicit contract for MOOCs, --praises MOOCs for being an opportunity to explore ideas, test bed for one's own ideas --observes that online learning courses that have nothing to do with technology suffer from a divided focus as new online learners pick up the technology part of it, as technology becomes known, it recedes and main topic is elevated --finally, the learner has to make the connections because the facilitators and presenters don't do that for you