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This is not a story about the evolution of the world-wide-web. It is not about an evolutionary process of learning or a desire to engage in life-long learning. It is instead about the importance of purpose and engagement as factors in our learning.

The lessons learned at Vanderbilt are consistent with lessons learned in other MOOCs offered elsewhere. The lessons include, briefly: Teaching online is a team effort. There's more to MOOCs than lecture videos. Open content is our friend The cognitive diversity seen in MOOCs is far greater than in closed courses MOOC students are well-motivated students Cognitive Diversity + Intrinsic Motivations = Crowdsourcing Success MOOC students can be producers as well as consumers of information Accommodating students on different time tables can be challenging Instructor presence is important, even in a MOOC Good stuff; good article.

In the contemporary classroom, there is much greater consideration of what the learner does in partnership with their teacher so that they develop the capacity to learn. Classroom routines and structures are designed to engage the learner in a rich process of dialogical learning. 

Identifying what our children need to learn is one of the most important processes within education. For the teacher this is the question they engage with as they design their teaching and learning units. By no means is this an easy task and the teacher must balance multiple factors to ensure that the programmes they design provide their students with the learning they require. Even the most effective sequence of lessons is of little value if what it sets out to teach has little importance in the lives our learners are likely to lead. 

We are driven by curiosity. It is an innately human quality that has driven us to explore, ask questions, investigate, wonder why and search for a deeper understanding. In a very fundamental way curiosity is the driver of all self-directed learning. It is our desire to find out more, unlock new knowledge and answer our questions (big ones and little ones) that compels us to learn. Sir Ken Robinson famously and provocatively asked "Do Schools Kill Creativity?". The same question might be asked about curiosity.

Powerful learning begins with the perfect provocation. Creating, refining and skilfully presenting the perfect provocation is an essential capability for teachers hoping to engage their class in rich dialogue. Claims that the percentage of students engaged by their learning declines from 75 percent in fifth grade to 32 percent by eleventh grade suggests a need for a more provocative environment. 

Play is a vital tool for learning. It should be vital part of every child's learning; the norm rather than the exception and we leave it behind as we become adults to our own peril. 

Our goal might be to support Deep versus Surface Learning, but what does this mean in practical terms. What are the beliefs and dispositions which support teaching for deep learning, and what are the implications of this in terms of the pedagogy we adopt?

I recently had the opportunity to speak with a group of parents whose children are transitioning into a new phase of their learning. I used this as an opportunity to share some key messages for successful learning and thought I would briefly unpack these here.

"Where Social Learning Thrives "

"over 100 ways that different social technologies (and tools) are being used by learning professionals worldwide - compiled from the comments of those who have contributed their Top Tools for Learning. "

"E-learning Ecosystem in Organizations"

Characteristics of High Quality Technology Teaching and Learning

Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development Suggestions for how to write good learning outcomes

It seems that thanks to COVID19, educators, parents and students are in a rush. It seems the rush started moments after the decision was made to promote social distancing by offering remote learning. From quality learning in classrooms focused on deep learning we shifted into top gear. Packets of work were prepared, online tools rapidly expanded, new options for content delivery were examined and quickly deployed. We wanted to make sure that our students would be kept busy. Parents wanted their children to be busy. - Maybe slow looking is the solution?

OER Integrated set of resources for technology-enabled learning design across disciplines developed by Grainne Conole and Uni of leicester. The resources have all been tried and tested.

"Using learning environments as a metaphor for educational change"