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Edupunk, as defined by the New York Times, is "an approach to teaching that avoids mainstream tools like Powerpoint and Blackboard, and instead aims to bring the rebellious attitude and D.I.Y. ethos of 70s bands like the Clash to the classroom." The term was coined by Jim Groom, Instructional Technology Specialist at the University of Mary Washington.

This blog post is somewhat a summary of my understanding of what Sakai 3 is all about, from a user point of view. I hope it can become a starting point for current community members who might still see Sakai 3 as a blurry long term vision, and maybe even draw more people's attention to Sakai as a valid alternative to commercial learning management systems like Blackboard.

The physics department has replaced the traditional large introductory lecture with smaller classes that emphasize hands-on, interactive, collaborative learning. Last fall, after years of experimentation and debate and resistance from students, who initially petitioned against it, the department made the change permanent. Already, attendance is up and the failure rate has dropped by more than 50 percent.

Twitter is the class' main mode of communication, and he writes that Twitter has replaced three classroom technologies: listserv, email, cardboard box to collect papers.