The MOOC Debate, Really?

Ok, have you looked at the number of blogs and posts on MOOC's and the movement, Wow, is really all I can say. Today I read and re-read a post "One Pitfall for Learner Data from Open Education. It really got me thinking. Why is this discussion on MOOC's such a big deal? It's a new avenue, It's a chance some didn't have before and if you get something out of it amazing. If you don't I'm sorry, I think you need to go to class.

To quote Lou's post :

Where novice to intermediate learners learn best when there is full guidance during instruction, experts “often thrive without much guidance”. So when we analyze the (most effective) learning of course completers in a MOOC our findings are skewed because we see the learning of experts. Translating those findings to the general population of learners would again ignore the well researched fact that novice to intermediate learners learn best from fully guided instruction."

Here is how I see it and I beleive I responded quite similarly:

I agree. I personally do not believe the MOOC experience is for the unexperienced learner. I know as I know my hand that we have a great deal of students at all levels of higher ed that are not truly there to well learn. They are there because that's what their parents told them to do, they are there because society says continue your education when they may not sure what their passion is. These students need a hand, they need a push, a great instructor, a mentor. They need accoutability. They need timeframes, assignments and due dates. My own son could never take an online course at 20, he'd forget he was in it. I'm really starting to believe that any type of MOOC is based on the type of learner you are.

I succeeded (well in my eyes) at my ETMOOC experience because it was what I am very passionate about, the topics that I love and really enjoy teaching and sharing. It's true. I woudn't have joined it if I didn't think I would get something out of it, one connection, one thought. I wanted to connect more, I wanted more experience with blogging and building a PLN. I wanted to learn emerging technologies and I have. Don't get me wrong, Lou states you need to be motivated learner. He is correct, I am a highly motivated person, and I always have been. Yet when I was just starting out, I would have needed more than a connectivist or xmooc provides.

So can we get off the data and the bad experiences of the MOOC and be grateful for what it can be and what it adds to our entire educational system. A way to learn. I just think it's great that we are looking to TRY to fulfill the needs of the general population with educational options they did not have before. I have realized one thing I'm sure , it's "who you are" "what motivation you have" and "where you are in your life" as to whether you as a person will suceed in any type of MOOC. Thank you for stirring some great thoughts. Alison, thank you for standing the cause I as love etmooc and your comments found here really helped me put things in perspective for me. :)

Connections Rock! My Video on Real Connections

Thanks to Alan Levine's search for true online connections(see here), I have created my first speaking video of me discussing my real connection with Jeff Utecht. I have made a great connection with Jeff and he has been in Thailand for for the last few years while I am in New Hampshire, USA. An amazing teacher and great blogger, Jeff is always willing to share. Now that I teach at the master’s level, Jeff and I connect regularly; he skypes into my classes about his book Reach, which is, of course, required reading for one of my courses.

This was a big step for me, I try to stay away from videos. Maybe I'll do more, it really wasn't so bad. Thank-you Alan for the great project that pushed me out of my comfort zone!

Connections, online learning and ETMOOC is the way I learn. Hope you enjoy.

Modern Learning,Today's Students

Image from media.penlive.com

Modern Education is at the forefront of a lot of discussion's as backed up by Will Richardson's webcast for #etmooc.

He posted a board for collaboration where participants shared ideas on traditional versus modern education. Today we are a tech driven society. There are endless ways to get information, be taught, learn. It really is an exciting time in education. How do you think your grandchildren be taught?

Let's not forget, as online learning and self directed learning expands, as does the mind and your connections, but how do we ask student under 15 to "direct their own learning". The ability to self organize and use or connections must be taught. It's a shame that we cannot move forward faster as communities and educators but I don't think we knew technology was going to move so fast. Our students, children are very used to "micro-desicions", online interaction is a norm. Can a student sit in a lecture hall, watch a video, tweet and still learn? I think they can, as I write this I am viewing my twitter feeds go by as well as relistening to Will Richardson's webcast for #etmooc.

I don't think the tradition structure does work anymore for students, with one in college (ok, he dropped out due to bordom) and one in high school, one of the biggest complaints I hear is how bored they are. I believe that "common core" may hinder or help the problem.(Could common core turn teaching around that could basicall say these benchmarks are a guideline..."teach it great and in any way but use these as a guideline")? Just a thought.

Modern learning is not replacing traditional schools, we now have online academys and charter schools where our "non-traditional learners are being told they must attend in order to finish school" Let's be honest, these are the trouble makers. The one's we work like heck to crack but end of being our every challenge. Charter schools and online academy's are certainly a step in the right direction, but wouldnt it be great if we had a drop down approach in education, both public and private where the technology teachers and media specialists are not the "UA", the fun class, the elective. In this day in age where so much can be done for and with education via digital literacy and technology, I think the change can only occur when we make technology teacher's integrators at the top of the helm instead of at the bottom. In this world where 21 century curriculum has proved time and time again (see related article as of 1996)to engage our learners and provide them greater strengths. It is not at the top, it is at the bottom or in the middle. We need as a community to realize that we must help digitize our students.

Since our children already are, why don't we help them do it correctly?

Even students see it. Take a look at this blog post from a high school student, Nick Lehtsky insisting social media will help wih education.

Thanks you #etmooc and Will Richardson for a great discussion. Sorry I missed it.

Sharing and True Connections Online

Image from http://mediabistro.com

Well I just finished watching an amazing video from Alan Levine. He is looking for people to share "true stories" from connected experiences. Have you ever met that amazing blogger or shared a photo and where then asked to participate in something or speak somewhere? Please see his great video I embedded below.

I personally love love love this concept. You share and make an actual connection. From that something blossoms. I truly feel that is the ultimate compliment. As I just released a true digital story with goanimate, I can tell you it was a tough call for me. It's so hard to share the truth sometimes, but we are a total of our experiences so maybe my story will inspire others to come forward, to know they are not alone but the passion for learning does not end.

If you have a great connection story, Alan would love to hear it and I will be watching closely. Check out his blog where you can post your story in any format.

I'm sad to say that at this time I cannot participate as I have made some connections but not in the way Alan discusses. For me, I was taught by an international educator, Jeff Utecht back in 2009 and as he began my journey of blogging and web2.0, I always looked up to him. He published a book a few years ago "Reach" which is a great book on creating your PLN and has tutorials for great tools. Was that a plug?

Anywho, I enjoyed the book so much and watch Jeff's blog so closely that I made it required reading for my master's class. I got to Skype with Jeff often as he was always available to Skype with my class, one email to Jeff and he is always there. For me, having someone being willing to give their free time to talk with my students over Skype and taking the time to get to know and discuss issues with Jeff has truly become the one "connected" experience I have had. Oh, wait,I don't have a movie, but I wonder if Alan would think that story would count?

I hope someday to say I met or collaborated with someone from #etmooc, I have made what I consider to be "micro-connections" and follower's but I cannot honestly say I have not experienced what I see, that is others who really look for each other on our twitter chats and say hello regularly online in blackboard, but I know it will come. Sharing is always paid back two folds.

My Real Life Digital Story-GoAnimate

my life by mrshegstrom on GoAnimate

Animation Software - Powered by GoAnimate.

I wish it could say it was a happy ending. I teach at the master's level, but I miss being in the classroom with middle school and high school teachers. I wonder if your opinion of me has changed.. :(... Talk about true digital identity

A thought on MOOC's and ETMOOC

Today I tried to catch up with google plus. With over 1200 in my email's I figured it was about time to catch up. As usual there are 5 posts I have put in "read later", thanks diigo, a few I commented on and one that took me on a journey I did not expect and I wanted to share:

I found the following post by..Alan Brady called tree sitting. Now unless you completely want to hear an argument as to why the idea's of MOOC's is a bad one and well written with many great points and logical sequence, I suggest you read it. I read it three times and as he disagrees greatly with MOOC's. He discusses these views in his post while addressing a blog post by Clay Shirsky regarding Clay's thoughts on Mooc's as suggested at Mr. Shirsky's blog where he consider's the MOOC a lightening rod, an explosion in this open world, MOOC's will help with expenses, will open how we view what we are learning. I agree completely Mr. Shirsky, thanks for the great post and books.

Mr. Brady's arquement is that "the word MOOC is misused and that certain colleges will make a profit or misuse it's intentions".

When he references MOOC's and the self directed learner that is required, he states: you would be getting a special kind of online text, one which is slightly more interactive than a web-site, but basically not distinct from a well-organized blog. Such things can be a wonderful addition to the universe.But calling them “classes” is begging the question that a class is no more than that, and I am consistently amazed that anyone would make that mistake."

I can in earnest tell you I am learning more because there are no time lines really. I am learning rhizomatically and that's OK. I have the time to explore and my stomach is not in a knot because my digital story isn't complete. I have enjoyed so many different paths that I feel that I have learned more. Don't get me wrong, I spend at least 6 hours a week actively in etmooc. I don't worry what path I end up going down as it is usually in great detail and with thinkers similar and very unsimilar to me, which enlighten's me and helps me to grown.

“He states that the term online” has performed some strange alchemy, turning a digital lecture class into pedagogical gold. And this is the entire structural logic of the MOOC as a concept: with great technology, comes great student to teacher ratios. There is no MOOC without this imperative to shed pedagogical labor."

Wow, now I am pretty sure he is not connected as I have learned that I have a community of over 1000 educators to help me. That's an awesome ratio in my eyes. Now I've seen Alan's work and Sue's many comments, I find that so hard to believe. Did we get lucky?? Every facilitator has been wonderful in sharing work, reviewing comments and reading our blogs. It is evident in the comments and in our blackboard sessions that they know who we are and really care about the content provided and well "re-created".

I think we know who our connections are by now. We know that there are over 1000 people willing to help in our #etmooc community. Am I wrong? I think that those who need to be nudged or pushed to listen or in some cases talk are what we call lurkers. Not slackers. They see the information and hopefully they will try to play with one of the many great tools the community provides and contribute too. It's ok, 80% of the information on the internet is learned because they are looking for it. Even if they don't contribute, does not mean they did not learn.

Point is, As an etmooc'er I got upset. I got upset that the views he presented appeared to be well, without experience plain and simple, it is so easy to judge or give view points when you have not participated in both types of learning. I have worked my but off it my MOOC experience and I have learned more than many college classes combined. I can go to a lecture with 200 people and walk down hallways and not experience the conversations and reflections that I read, discussed and listen to in #etmooc, I think Alan and our other facilitators our providing a great path with topics, communities, blackboard sessions that are enticing and educational. One of the major arguements is that a MOOC is not quantifiable. It is not known who is actually participating and how much. Again, I disagree, I believe if you ask Alan or Sue of etmooc, they could tell you there top contributors, those that have blogs, tweeted, participated, lurked, and learned. I'm sure if you really wanted to you could count how many times I shared on google plus and twitter and how many blogs I wrote and if you really wanted you could even get feeds to my comments as technology is a wonderful thing.

We self directed learners do not need the quantifiable. Maybe any MOOC need's a disclaimer,

Must read "rhizomatic learning".

Must define your own goals.

Must be willing to be a provider and sharer of information in an online environment and be mature in nature.

Warning: This is a MOOC, We do not hold your hand but welcome you on a great journey!"

As I finish this post, I just read another great post on MOOC's were they are broken down to an actual online course by Joe Dillon, "Course camparison,f2f vs etmooc". A great read.

Do you moderate your comments?

(image from http://zonezeed.com) As my never ending endeavor to continue to be a contributor and producer in the #etmooc community and a better blogger in general, I am still spending time reviewing blogs and trying to leave thoughtful comments. I learn so much from watching comments and thread's take off that I love being able to get feed's and emails from blogs I have commented on previously.

I am noticing a new trend, I did not see a few years ago and I find it so odd as we are in the age of "digital identity" and citizenship.

Many people let my comments fly and do not moderate their comments. I have to admit I am usually quite shocked when this happens. So I have to ask. Why would you allow someone to comment to your blog or any "uploaded" work" without moderating their work first. The comment could be horrible, or in my case I get a lot of advertisements which I assume are spam and delete them immediately. I certainly do not allow a comment to hit the www were all can see, if I have no idea what it says or if it represents me and who I am trying to relate/connect with.

I used to have my middle school students read the following PDF. "This is Me". It really relates to how we are perceived on line. So for those of you who don't moderate or are not sure where the setting is, please give a shout. Don't let other's comment's help define who you are online.

Internet.. or is it digital Literacy - A great resource

By Knight Foundation (Knight-Crane Convergence Lab) [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Today, I found a really cool website , we are on "digital literacy in #etmooc and I am a researcher by nature. I have found "Internet Literacy's that I have to share: New Literacies of the Internet by learners.org website.

Please click on the link above, it gives an excellent session on "How has the Internet changed traditional views of literacy instruction". This great session includes a video as well as great resources and student assignments as well as a reinforced printouts. They state the learning goals as: At the end of this session, you will better understand how to:

organize your curriculum and instruction to meet the demands of the new literacies

integrate technology into your content-area curriculum

provide equal access to computer use for all of your students

teach your students to critically read and evaluate information on the Internet

ensure safe use of the Internet in your classroom

It's a great session and an easy to do for students of flat classrooms as well as teachers just looking for resources.

I found it mildly amusing that their goals and questions are very similar to those of the International Society of Education Technology standards: posted here that fall under "Reseach and Information Fluency".

Personally I think of each definition as "digital literacy" as of 2008, to be technically literate meant to be internet literate, or digtally literage it was just evolution. Only my 2 cents. I do like the definition from wikipedia quite a bit:

"Digital literacy is the ability to effectively and critically navigate, evaluate and create information using a range of digital technologies. It requires one "to recognize and use that power, to manipulate and transform digital media, to distribute pervasively, and to easily adapt them to new forms".

Can You Lend me a Hand? New Course Ideas Needed

Ok, I just received a request for more courses falling under the "Computer Education or Integration" realm in a masters program. We already have Networked Learning which covers:

Blogs and comments

Animoto

Webinars

Podcasts

Diggo

Digital Citizenship

All in 12 weeks.

We also have a Multimedia course that covers some emerging technologies such as animoto, voicethread and wiki's. Can you suggest a topic that you are interested in or that we have covered in ETMOOC that you think would make for an awesome 12 week course?? I wanted to focus on facebook, twitter and blogging and digital identity and was thinking "Social Media and Responsiblity in Education". Feel free to look at the first few weeks at sherryhegstrom.wikispaces.com. I am currently being told it will overlap the Networked Learning course.

I personally do not think it does as I wanted to go over more such as microblogging, crowdsourcing, and a true focus on blogging and Digital identity as it pertains to education. I've also considered digital storytelling as I have so many tools now, Could you do Digital Storytelling for 12 weeks? Would you want too? Ok, I'm throwing it over the wall and beg for responses, If you could fill 12 weeks with 1 to 3 topics, what would you pick??

Image from lendahandnow.com.

Does Storyboarding Take Creativity Away?

As I pondered the new assignments from #etmooc on Digital Storytelling, I found myself reflecting on the many ways and forms I myself have learned and taught digital storytelling. From Scratch to Animoto, Voicethread, Photostory, GoAnimate and anything really within the web 2.0 realm. I started to ponder a question I would like to throw out to the many.

How important is storyboarding? While I teach Scratch from MIT, you work with character’s called sprites and bits of code that can change your background, move each character, add have them think or talk. This I know I need a storyboard for and have always loved watching students think they have it and start programming then back to rewrite, as they change their minds. Scratch story embedded here took a great deal of storyboarding but it was again, worth the effort and I am not sure with the complexity of the visual components they could have done it without good storyboarding:

I have also taught what I consider to be “collaborative stories” on wikis. In this process, each person, begins a story and then each student in a class from 11-20 middle school students are told to add 5 – 10 sentences to the story. Within a few days you can really see which stories are taking off. So soon we are usually down to 3 to 5 stories which get added to by all members of the same class. They write their comments and then we moved them around to create pages(the full story). Feel free to view my old wiki here, story Mars done by 6th graders. Now look at the history of Mars, it took group effort. I have also left their story Dewey the Alien and the history here, you can actually see how 15-18 different wiki threads turned into some cool stories.

The stories come out really cool or silly but if you think about it no one needed to sit down and think about how many characters, setting, backgrounds or conversations they were going to have. They wrote truly from their heads with no determined plan. Are these methods two different styles both with great results or is it the complexity of move advanced software that will be seen by the eye that lends for storyboarding?

I believe and I may be wrong, that we might be taking away creativity when we ask our students for thought out well planned storyboards before they begin, for some are we losing the creative component that is the strength of digital storytelling? Curious..

Digital Storytelling Resources and Scratch Animation

I'm so excited about our new section in the MOOC I have been a part of, #etmooc. As an educator that has worked at the middle school level, undergraduate and graduate level, there a few things I have found to be more empowering and exciting than introducing digital storytelling to audiences that have not experienced the pleasure before.

What I truly love is the many web 2.0 an free online software applications that are now availabe online. Goanimate.com, Animoto.com, Voicethread.com, Prezi.com and so many much more (please note, each link is an example from myself or student work)

So I am going to start this new blog post by sharing what I have shared and taught so far. First, let me say, Storyboarding in creating a digital story is so important. This is where you should see yourself or students spending the bulk of their time. I do.. See various links I use with my students below:

Integrating Digital Storytellingby Mark Standley, yes it is from 2003, so wow, 10 years ago, they knew we had to give students a new voice, a better or cooler way of communicating.

Digital Storytelling 101 - By Discover Ed. Take a look around.

Digital Story Telling PDF Digital Storytelling in the Classroom, This has some great storyboards!

Education Resources for Digital Storytelling - This discusses some of the basic steps of digital storytelling from developing your story to brainstorying, storyboarding, drafting, revising, editing, timing, images and narration.

Storyboard That - This was a great find gosh back in 2008 by Free Technology for Teachers.

And I cannot forget my absolute favorite. Scratch Programming from MIT. See my example on cyberbullying here.

Learn more about this project

Scratch is a programming language that is free,fun to learn and affords for integration across all content areas. I have used Scratch Programming with middle school students and adults and the inspiration and reasoning skills that are built are truly 21st century skills and the best part is it really is a easy as buidling lego blocks and that's exactly what it looks like. I have so much more I'd love to say and teach you. Next blog post.... For now, I have left the links for the 21st century guide and 1 project done by one of my 7th grader's years ago and one by an student/middle school teacher and can add more. Enjoy.

Scratch Programming and 21st Century Learning.

Weather and the Atmosphere

Texting While Driving

I Need Connected Learning- #ETMOOC

Ok, here it is a Sunday afternoon and as football looms on the TV, I have just spent 3+ hours looking over various #etmooc sessions run this week as well as looking over google plus for intro's and new posts to see what's going on and who likes what. It was not a wasted three hours but a valuable three hours and soon to be more. In the midst of another share on twitter and I start to to really put somethings together. I love learning this way. I always have.

Let me explain, I joined a MOOC an etmooc.org which is being run by Alec Couros (I pray I spelled that right) and many others. I'm so excited to work with Shareski this week. I have always enjoyed his blogs and posts and am sorry I didnt truly connect sooner. I am, I admit a lurker, I read, I implement, I "borrow" but I never really connected until now!

It reminded me of a post from Jeff Utecht; (then instructor, now friend). In a jist, he needs a network to learn, people to bounce ideas off of and learn from in order to enjoy learning. In order to enjoy learning, he needed to as I do, to feel connected. In re-reading this post, I realized this was my reality, this is why I haven't taken many PD opportunties offered or attended as many conferences. I don't like learning alone, it is so very true for many of us, and it is certainly true of me. I have needed this connection. I trive on a connectivist approach to learning and I embrace the new applications and tools that I am made aware of. I can truly say I need connected learning.

I love finding connections(people and groups) with such similar interests as myself that it is almost scary.

I have found some questions, how do I work on "connected learning"? Are there any articles I should read for etmooc for this week? Am I participating enough? Why doesn't my diigo look as cool as Alec's in the tutorial?? So so much, BUT, It's OK, This is what I love to do, love to tinker, to figure it out. I have found no links on what should or shouldnt be done for the topic of connected learning as outlined in the calendar for #etmooc, but that's cool, It took one day, a few thoughts and boom, I remembered a post from a dear friend and mentor Jeff Utecht, so to him I say thank you as I do to Alec, Shareski and all of those I have watched and learned from since "2009". I thank connected learning as I would not even know thier names. These connections are much more relevant to me as an educator in technology than some of my professors in the lecture halls back in the day....

#Etmooc - Learning More EveryDay

Today I came into the last 35 minutes of the #etmooc session. Wow, what amazing content. It certainly changed my thoughts on how much I thought I was connected. I'm really not. It seems that it is truly worth the effort of working with all of the new tools we have with web 2.0. Today my goal is to go over diigo.com and see how it connects to other facets that I already use such as delicious.com. With Alec and Michelle as the facilitators, I was really able to see how while each tool can be slightly time consuming, they are so user friendly and make for sharing in a much easier way. I was so surprised to see that he could share and hyperlink text that was highlighted, very cool. Thank you to #etmooc community. I'm learning alot and having a great deal of fun! My tool box has already expanded in the first week :)