Personal Learning Environment tools: preparation for Southampton MOOC Personal Learning Network

As there aren't any MOOC guidelines in my hands from Southampton yet, for the learning experience I researched what I think I will need as a minimum to prepare to be successful in the way I want.

I set up a blog (this one) as a place to reflect on my experience so that I am in a position to share it with others in a spirit of compare / contrast / grow. I gathered feeds about MOOC experiences from the instigators and participants; of course Downes and Siemens loomed large amongst them. I am instinctively  drawn towards the necessity of connectivism as a digital age dynamic theory. In my information gathering I need ways to organize and refine what I got, so I found myself trying out a variety of sources. The best amongst them were netvibes, rss feeds, bloglines, evernote and pinterest (for thematic graphic storage). Sources of inspiration were mainly You Tube and slideshare. I figured that my most detailed sharing would likely be done through something like dropbox after I learn who my like-minded fellow students are. I have used delicious as a bookmarker for years so old habits die hard. I'm not really proficient with google+ yet and I haven't really forgiven them yet for the death of various cherished tools. For getting the answers to my basic questions I have chosen a bundle of sources which I have used in the past - although on this occasion Techopedia has helped the most so far. That's my plan - let's wait and see how well it works. I guess the official estimate of 3 hours per week for 6 weeks will prove to be a massive understatement!

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Techopedia impresses this relative beginner and computing autodidact

I know a bit about computing I think. Yet when you have taught yourself, as you went along, with a few (half-understood) conversations with experts in computing (but not necessarily communication) it is great to find a fall-back position where you can check your knowledge and plug the gaps. That's what techopedia.com  does for me, at a basic, easily readable level, as well as updating and rounding up my half-knowledge in the following areas for example:

• the difference between the Internet and the World Wide Web
• the pioneers of the World Wide Web
• a timeline of the development of the Internet and the World Wide Web
• understanding social media
• a beginner's guide to internet memes
• 6 key trends in online business
• what do massive open online courses (MOOCs) mean for education?
• cloud computing
• top 10 cloud computing myths busted

I hope this will all be useful background to my Web Science MOOc later this month and if not I have learnt something useful anyway. It satisfied my curiosity and at some point I had to stop clicking yet another hyperlink.

Tim Berners-Lee: The World Wide Web - Opportunity, Challenge, Responsibility (Photo credit: Anna L. Schiller)

Time to extend our concept of 'blended learning'

The time has come to reconsider what we mean by blended learning. I suggest that it can exist on two levels.

Firstly an acceptable definition from Wikipedia:

' Blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online delivery of content and instruction with some element of student control over time, place, path or pace.^[1] While still attending a “brick-and-mortar” school structure, face-to-face classroom methods are combined with computer-mediated activities.^[2] Proponents of blending learning cite the opportunity for data collection and customization of instruction and assessment as two major benefits of this approach.^[3] Schools with blended learning models may also choose to reallocate resources to boost student achievement outcomes.^[4]'

1. ^ "Blended Learning (Staker / Horn - May 2012)" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-10-24.
2. Jump up ^ Strauss, Valerie (22 September 2012). Three fears about blended learning, The Washington Post
3. Jump up ^ Harel Caperton, Idit. (2012) Learning to Make Games for Impact. The Journal of Media Literacy, 59(1), 28-38.
4. Jump up ^ Jacob, Anna M. (2011). Benefits and Barriers to the Hybridization of Schools. Journal of Education Policy, Planning and Administration, 1(1): 61-82.

Then a proposed extension from me.
 If a MOOC, for example, is accompanied by:

• peer-to-peer teaching with questions answered by a professor - for example by email
• dropboxes or wikis for idea collection and development
• skyping or video conferencing to set up pair or group learning
• with knowledeable peers or experienced tutors involved

isn't that blended learning too - or is it the case that we really believe a monopoly of knowledge resides in formalised institutions of learning?

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• 
  
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Paul Casey on 'The Pedagogy of MOOCs

A highly informed and informative look by Paul Casey at which pedagogy is used in which MOOcs by which institution:

Pedagogy of MOOCs from Paul_Stacey

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What is a MOOC? from Dave Cormier plus who are the major players?

I like this video for its straightforward, clear introduction to the purpose of a MOOC. It makes it clear how you determine the structure, the path you follow, the contacts you make, the networks you develop and maintain. It explains that the responsibility for success or failure is yours alone and it does it in a minimalist way.

An Overview of the MOOC Research Initiative from George Siemens

MOOC Research Initiative from gsiemens

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• MOOCs
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Lessons for MOOCS from Traditional Online Learning from George Siemens

Reflections on 'Open University Innovation Report 2 Innovating Pedagogy 2013'

Through Stephen Downes OLdaily feed I found out about the report: 'Open University Innovation Report 2 2013: Exploring new forms of teaching learning and assessment, to guide educators and policy makers' via David Hopkin's Technology Enhanced Learning Blog.
They examine ten educational development concepts which the report writers consider to be of interest over the coming years. I shall only comment on those which particularly interest me.

1. MOOCs

I think this diagram sums the position of MOOCs up perfectly:

 http://www.fleapalmer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/mooc.jpg

The dominant area seems to be America but there are interesting experiments in Australia in my opinion. The UK is in the process of organising but dominant emerging business models are Coursera, Udacity and edX. Of the 20,000 who typically register only 5-10% reach the end. This interests me because before I register I learn what is on offer in an abbreviated form. If the course is stimulating it will point me in various directions - many of which may be away from the course - a divergent effect.
This seems to me to be the MOOC's great advantage - opening up, not closing down avenues as traditional courses demand in order to be awarded the degree etc. This is where the 'innovative learning pedagogies' mentioned could really come into their own, in my opinion. Apparently the key approaches at present are video lectures, recommended readings and staged assessment. Personally I want my lectures to be bite-sized, 20 minutes, like in the best TED Talks length.
2. Badges to Accredit Learning
For me the proof of badging will be in their growing acceptance. I understand that the core technology is there but how will Human Resources' managers react internationally and locally? The success of MOOCs long term will be closely related to the 'badge backpack' take up in the market place. Otherwise we are talking about leisure learning as opposed to recognised cunulative and flexibly developing life-long learning which is in tune with the zeitgeist.
http://www.dontwasteyourtime.co.uk/tag/openbadgesmooc/
4. & 5. Seamless Learning and Crowd Learning
This is where we are right now (outside of schools?). We are all potential experts, sources of knowledge and advice, judges of validity and we move seamlessly from person to person, location to location, device to device, recording, filtering, analysing and drawing conclusions about the data we experience. We discuss it, customize it , pass it on and publish it. This has been a grassroots novices revolution driven by expert technology. How fast can learning institutions accommodate to this?
6. Digital Scholarship
Aside from the open access, the use of digital media by academics I am struck by the advances in libraries and  library science of which the super Library of Birmingham in the UK is a prime example.


8. Learning from Gaming
'Intrinsic integration' seems to be a key characteristic of gaming communities and according to the report the best games motivate with 'specific learning activities and outcomes' and the pedagogy needs to be matched by 'elements of challenge, personal control fantasy and curiosity'. They can also manipulate players' feeling of 'flow'. These then need to be integrated with worthwhile targetted learning goals.
9. Learning Maker Culture
Gaming can lead to making in the sense that the skills of today merge with the skills of yesteryear. An example could be cosplay.

English: Cosplay (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

10. Citizen Inquiry
The joining of natural curiosity to learn with structured inquiry; the transformation of knowledge consumption into knowledge engagement and creation. The public ownership of previously private knowledge.

The report itself can be found here:
http://www.open.ac.uk/personalpages/mike.sharples/Reports/Innovating_Pedagogy_report_2013.pdf