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it is not clear that an outcomes driven system is what students require; many valuable skills and aptitudes – art appreciation, for example – are not identifiable as an outcome. This becomes evident when we consider how learning is to be measured. In traditional learning, success is achieved not merely by passing the test but in some way being recognized as having achieved expertise. A test-only system is a coarse system of measurement for a complex achievement.

The products of our conversations are as concrete as test scores and grades. (Ryan, 2007) But, as the result of a complex and interactive process, they are much more complex, allowing not only for the measurement of learning, but also for the recognition of learning. As it becomes easier to simply see what a student can accomplish, the idea of a coarse-grained proxy, such as grades, will fade to the background.

Most educators, and most educational institutions, have not yet embraced the idea of flow and syndication in learning. They will – reluctantly – because it provides the learner with the means to manage and control his or her learning. They can keep unwanted content to a minimum (and this includes unwanted content from an institution). And they can manage many more sources – or content streams – using feed reader technology.RSS and related specifications will be one of the primary ways Personal Learning Environments connect with remote systems. To use a PLE will be essentially to immerse oneself in the flow of communications that constitutes a community of practice in some discipline or domain on the internet.

In the end, what will be evaluated is a complex portfolio of a student’s online activities. (Syverson & Slatin, 2006)

place independence means that real learning will occur in real environments, with the contributions of the students not being some artifice designed strictly for practice, but an actual contribution to the business or enterprise in question.

As it becomes more and more possible to teach oneself online, and even to demonstrate one’s achievement through productive membership in a community of practice, there will be greater demand for a formalized system of recognition, a way for people to demonstrate their competence in an area without having to go through a formal program of study in the area.

the major shift in instructional technology will be from systems centered on the educational institution to systems centered on the individual learner.

rather than the employment of a single system to accomplish all educational tasks, both instructors and learners will use a variety of different tools in combination with each other.

Automation allows us to more easily create and present content, to more easily form groups and collaborate, to more easily give tests and take surveys. This frees instructors to perform tasks that have been traditionally more difficult and time consuming – to relate to students on a personal basis, to offer coaching and moral support, to learn about and analyze a student’s inclinations and understandings.

Good online facilitation depends on good online communication skills.

This course

is designed to help both formal and informal learners access and interpret models, research and professional dialog in the facilitation of online communities.

After completing this course people should be confident in facilitating online and/or be able to critique and offer advice to other people in the facilitation of online communities.

Facilitation is a rare and valuable skill to have.

In this course we will be looking for online communities in very different places.

It is important that we try and develop an understanding of what exactly we are looking for, and techniques for looking.

Clark identifies that “online learning communities grow best when there is value to being part of them”.

Clark contends that “leaders are needed to define the environment, keep it safe, give it purpose, identity and keep it growing”. He gives a set of mantras for teacher/leaders in any online community: all you need is love control the environment, not the group lead by example let lurkers lurk short leading questions get conversations going be personally congratulatory and inquisitive route information in all directions care about the people in the community; this cannot be faked understand consensus and how to build it, and sense when it's been built and just not recognised, and when you have to make a decision despite all the talking.