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.

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.

How Do you Learn from Twitter Chats and WallWisher

Ok, I will be honest, having done two twitter chat sessions for etmooc, or should I say following them while they flew by. I was not a fan! Tweetdeck did help a lot. I was able to follow #etmchat as well as see those messages directed at me. A very nice tool.I will be honest, I'm still not sure how to make an actual connection on these chats, they go so fast, yet I see many who appear to have already made connections and consistently tweet to one another on subjects I'm sure began way before I came in. Maybe they are already connected.. maybe they are new to each other but I see them, connected to two or three and I wonder how they did it so quickly, I will keep trying but to be honest, I don't mind lurking in twitter chats, I still learn. I just feel bad I am not sharing through that medium..

The many comments I received on google plus regarding twitter chats helped a lot. So this week, I did as was suggested, I watched for a while and though I fell like a lurker, I found a post fly by composed by Natasha Allen where she shared her "wallwisher for web 2.0 applications" . Well before I knew if I clicked on the link and was introduced to wallwisher.com. Now this application may seem odd to some, ok, I can put blocks on a wall but for me, it is very powerful. I am a visual person. While my wall is not nearly complete and I love google reader, my reader is a list, if the "post title" does not entice me, I may not read it.

This I can see! It adds a bit of visual perspective to something that is linear. My feeds, wiki's and blogs all on one pretty page is a great idea. What I am most impressed with is how very easy is was to learn, click and add, click and add. It's easy to say the least and I can see great implementation of this in education at all levels. If you use wallwisher.com, please tell me how, currently I am thinking of adding a new wall with resources for my graduate students though that would be redundant from the moodle page they currently have? Or it is possible they like the pretty pictures like I do? Hm...

Created with Wallwisher

Rhizomatic Learning and Comments are How I Learn

Had to add this picture, I love it!

I left this as a comment on a blog today, but realized it makes a great post so here it is.... Ah, the power of comments is a lovely thing. Watching the exchange on the subject on rhizomatic lerning from Louwarnoud van der Duim's Blog has helped me put rhizomatic learning in perspective.

Thanks you to both @louwarnoud, as I had similar notions until I kept on looking and reading Dave's Blog. I no longer think that rhizomatic learnging is just for those empowered or smarter. It does not need an internet connection. It truly takes a facilitator with an open mind. Please feel free to see my blog post which stemmed from similar thoughts until I came upon the blog post on classroom20.com, Who is Educating Us.

You see when "formal education" is introduced to a community that did not have it, they do lose out, and I quote

"One of the most profound changes that occurs when modern schooling is introduced into traditional societies around the world is a radical shift in the locus of power and control over learning from children, families, and communities to ever more centralized systems of authority.Once learning is institutionalized under a central authority, both freedom for the individual and respect for the local are radically curtailed. The child in a classroom generally finds herself in a situation where she may not move, speak, laugh, sing, eat, drink, read, think her own thoughts, or even use the toilet without explicit permission from an authority figure. Family and community are sidelined, their knowledge now seen as inferior to the school curriculum".

Now if that is not proof that we are at our hearts rhizomatic learners, I'm not sure what does! Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Many have expanded my mind when it comes to rhizomatic learning. I still have questions, see my last post..but I think we are wired for rhizomatic learning and if not it is because we were told that's just not how things work! What a shame. I have come to terms with the rhizomatic learning and the power of backtracking and commenting on blogs have helped me to form my own roads. Actually I don't think I have enjoyed a journey like this in a while so Thank you Dave Cormier, because well your awesome and I'm pretty sure I'd like a "badge" for being a rhizomatic learner. Thanks to Lou as I enjoyed your blog and posts immensely. To Carol Black for the amazing paper/post on "Who controls what you learn", and to Sue, as she always comments and has shared and confirmed that looking back and commenting really does add to my knowledge; and last but not least thank you ETMOOC as you have helped me grow and connect!. Thanks for reading.. Love to hear your thoughts.

Who Controls What You Learn and Rhizomatic Learning

Today, I sat down and tried to wrap my brain around Rhizomatic Learning w/ Dave Cormier which I watched last night in the etmooc archives. Ok, so let me get this straight.. "We, as in all of us, or those in a class or Mooc" decide what the learning goals are?? Or is it that we are just introduced to a concept and end up going where it takes us? I must admit, I did not join etmooc without two goals. 1. To me more connected with like minded people. 2. To get and share great ideas in emerging technology and digital identities" as it pertains to my own curriculum design pursuits. I teach/facilitate in Computer Technology and that is why I am connected. I don't think I would be a very valuable teacher in the 21st century if I did not keep up with technology, technology is connections, new applciations, freedom on knowledge, blogging for reflection...sharing with wiki's and learning how to do it correctly(at least that is what I see).

In a Rhizomatic learning environment, do you sign up for a course that states "you decide what you will learn"?? Wow, would'nt that be great! I love etmooc and I love online learning, blogging, wiki's, new apps to play with. So the sad news is while I do teach these courses, they still have very specific standards which I must state in my syllabus and my goals for the week/unit must be detailed in our online CMS. I am blessed as I get to make my own curriculum as it pertains to the standards but that was not the case when I was in public education.

So I am grateful but yet I am stuck. What could be and what is reality is so different. Those of us that share and connect learn so much more than those who follow the conventional models of being educated but they do not have a choice. How do we get that to change?? I love the concept, I love that it has a meaningful name but how do we help others see the light??

Visit Classroom 2.0
Today, I tool a small break and moved over to my classroom2.0 community. There I found the longest and most powerful blog/paper I had read in a long time. Carol Black will be speaking to the classroom 2.0 community on FutureofEducation.com February 5th. The topic is "Who is Educating us", Please read her blog post On Power, Knowledge, and the Re-Occupation of Common Sense. It was after I read this powerful change seen in communities that go from community education to "formal" education that I realized they were essentially being stripped of great lessons and being removed from their culture of learning. You see we need rhizomatic learning, in is in our nature as human beings yet we strip in away as soon as we empose "standards", or "goals as deemed by others". The most powerful thing I received from reading the whole blog was the following:

In “developed” societies, we are so accustomed to centralized control over learning that it has become functionally invisible to us, and most people accept it as natural, inevitable, and consistent with the principles of freedom and democracy. We assume that this central authority, because it is associated with something that seems like an unequivocal good – “education” – must itself be fundamentally good, a sort of benevolent dictatorship of the intellect. We allow remote “experts” to dictate what we must learn, when we must learn it, and how we must learn it. We grant them the right to test us, to measure the contents of our brains and the value of our skills, and then to brand us in childhood with a set of numeric rankings that have enormous power over our future opportunities to participate in the economic and political life of our society. We endorse strict legal codes which render this process compulsory, and in a truly Orwellian twist, many of us now view it as a fundamental human right to be legally compelled to learn what a higher authority tells us to learn.

You see in her blog and I quote: "One of the most profound changes that occurs when modern schooling is introduced into traditional societies around the world is a radical shift in the locus of power and control over learning from children, families, and communities to ever more centralized systems of authority. While all cultures are different, in many non-modernized societies children enjoy wide latitude to learn by free play, interaction with other children of multiple ages, immersion in nature, and direct participation in adult work and activities."

They had rhizomatic learning and it is now gone. They are forced into classrooms where the state/government decide what they must learn. If you have made it through reading the longest post I have writtent to date, I would love to hear what you think.. How do we move more towards a Rhizomatic learning model? Is it possible? Do you see why Carol Black and myself are so upset that natural learning has been replaced?? Your comments as always are appreciated. :)