Group items tagged

Great essay on adult learning online, January 2012

Blog site named "e-Literate" catchy, no? (Wish I had thought of it! But maybe we can use e-literacy for the foundations course?) This blog post written by Michael Feldstein, one of multiple bloggers on this site, quotes extensively from a New Republic article written by Kevin Carey. What I think is interesting for us is how we must add value (coaching, badging, mentoring, etc.) as private providers of learning to what most people could do on a DIY basis if they had all the skills--technological, contextual, and others--to proceed on their own. Excerpt: "Other providers might take advantage of the fast-growing body of open educational resources-free online courses, videos, lectures, and syllabi-and add value primarily through mentoring, designing course sequences, and assessing learning."

Georgia Tech does a lot of its courses online and is encouraging more courses to go online. Some questions have been raised about the quality that I am still trying to explore. But the excerpt below on FAQ--last question--might be useful to us in describing our courses. Excerpt: "FAQ Will I get a certificate after completing this class? Certificate of Completion will be provided by Georgia Tech C21U What resources will I need for this class? You will a good internet connection as you may be downloading software, installing software and uploading files. What is the coolest thing I'll learn if I take this class? You will learn how to convert your face-to-face class to a robust online course"

Nellie Deutsch is a wonderful educator using the WizIQ platform for helping people learn all kinds of things. This one is focused on the virtual classroom and has a list of learning objectives that might be adapted for our beta test work group as what they will learn while they are helping us with the website/program development issues.

Just found out about this MOOC that starts next week (April 30--5 weeks long) by Curtis Bonk, a professor at Indiana University. It's on Instructional Ideas and Technology Tools for Online Success. I would like to see how he structures this class and learn a lot, too, about the topic. Every MOOC is a chance to learn!

MIT and Harvard have teamed up to offer MOOCs, and this month Stanford, Princeton, U of PA, U of MI have created a new commercial company, Coursera, with $16 million in venture capital.

Brenda Kaulback provided this link--a lot here to think about in relation to Studio.

Letter to the editor in response to a NYTimes article by Bill Keller that touts the benefits of online learning, and the need to adapt to new technologies, not just teach the same way and put it online.

Good argument for online learning and the use of new teaching methods when using technology.

benefits of online learning as an answer to why f2f learning is better. Flexibility, use of technology, greater interactions with the instructor and fellow students are cited as benefits to online learning.

benefits of online learning: good response to OK's article

Open Culture website--lists all kinds of free online courses; should we link to this site or somehow study these to see which ones we might recommend to WLStudio learners?

article on business owner-peer support groups, NYT, May 24, 2012. Ken Prest sent me this article. Interesting set-up. What is/should be transferrable to Studio idea?

This is a wonderful blog that details different configurations of and commitments to online learning by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, April 2011, prompted by her frustration over someone dismissing all online learning opportunities. Read the whole thing!

Reactions to badges for the hyperlinked library MOOC by Brian Kelly. He found all the badges he was awarded for various tasks: join a tribe; send a friendship request, accept a friendship request, update his MOOC avatar, plus, another badge just for receiving 5 badges. He found all this badge awarding for these simple tasks "cheesy" and that the system was patronizing him. However, he does acknowledge that it may motivate others. He also brought up the issue of cultural diversity. This MOOC has participants from all over the world. How will they find badges?

Reactions to badges for the hyperlinked library MOOC by Brian Kelly. He found all the badges he was awarded for various tasks: join a tribe; send a friendship request, accept a friendship request, update his MOOC avatar, plus, another badge just for receiving 5 badges. He found all this badge awarding for these simple tasks "cheesy" and that the system was patronizing him. However, he does acknowledge that it may motivate others. He also brought up the issue of cultural diversity. This MOOC has participants from all over the world. How will they find badges?

Create our own course website with assignments, calendar, syllabus, and discussion tools, or take one of the courses offered on the site by those who have created courses.

Interesting potential for us to use? Partner with others on this site? Seems there are a lot of possibilities here.

At Muse University, stodgy, expensive, and time-consuming education is a thing of the past. Here you'll find classes designed for your busy lifestyle: They're short, they're smart, and they're delivered straight to your inbox. The best part? All of our classes are totally free. Just sign up to enroll, and get ready to start class tomorrow.

Very good presentation of social performance support.

Great article on why more progress in the classroom isn't happening with student-centered uses of technology. June 10, 2015 Edweek, quotes Larry Cuban.

How digital learning expands learning options/assessment/products, etc. Tom Vander Ark 

article on benefits, drawbacks for online learning--more time to reflect and respond in writing; live dialogue/discussion may be compressed into 3 hour time blocks making for a difficult session for introverts. Curtis Bonk is quoted several times.