It was a good day to publish today. Three research articles got out--2 in the International Review of Research of Research on Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL); see http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/index and 1 in the Journal of Interactive Online Learning (JIOL); see http://www.ncolr.org/jiol/issues/showissue.cfm?volID=6&IssueID=21. These are listed below.
But what is amazing is not the free downloadable PDF files (i.e., text) but the audio or MP3 files with the IRRODL articles. I know that this journal has had this audio feature in for 2 years now, but I never noticed it before. Of course, the journal is using open source software and not paying for AT&T voices, but it still sounds very cool (better than I remember writing them). And they are being used by people in several countries in Africa. Now that is way cool. Why doesn't every journal do this? Or at least every open access journal? We could then be working on resolving some of our serious digital divide problems. Ok, I will admit that this idea requires Internet access by someone to download the files.
What about others? Imagine if my graduate students (or your students) had all their articles in audio format! They could listen to research while attending their son's swim meets or daughter's soccer games. They could listen to them when driving to class and have them fresh in their minds. They could listen them when running during lunch or after work. They could share them with other students, colleagues at work, or even friends and relatives. Imagine if your mother could ask you questions about some new model, method, or idea she heard on her iPod or MP3 player when listening to your article during the holiday season? Imagine speaking to an audience in Africa, China, or India which heard your article or many of your articles; not simply heard about you.
Text is great and journals provide us with increasing access to text. But, let me tell you, when you hear your article (even when read my a stale robotic voice), it is a highly pleasurable experience. It takes weeks or months (and sometimes years) to think through your ideas and put them to paper in a publishable manner. But what happens when they are played back to you in 30 minutes or perhaps an hour. You hear your ideas pressing up against other ideas that you had. And when it is a collaborative effort (as most of mine are), you see how you were able to weave your distinct voices together. That is really the coolest part. You certainly can see the voices come together in text. However, that is not anywhere near the joy I felt when hearing one of my articles tonight; even if the computer voice pronounced "reification" as "rife-ication." I can read, save, and print out the text file; but to listen to it is refreshing. It is like having someone in the room with you present your ideas back to you.
How else to use? Here are 10 ideas off the top of my head (took 5-10 minutes to generate these so there must be tons more!)
1. Idea Rehearsals Via Audio: Perhaps as a way of thinking or rehearsing through a presentation on an article. You can hear the computer voice and know you can do better. Maybe have the audio file play for 20 or 30 seconds and then pause it and you repeat it or summarize the points made.
2. Audio Quote Summaries: Perhaps use it for short quotes--cue up the audio to the right spot and have the computer read the article aloud to the class and then have student reflections on each quote or story.
3. Random Audio Snippets: Play random 15 to 30 second sections of the MP3 file and ask the class to make sense of them. Simply click on different parts of the audio--you never know what you will play, nor do they.
4. Stump the Class Idea Audios: Play a 5 or 10 or 15 minute chunk of a popular article that your students have not read and ask them to figure out the author without looking it up online. Figure it out through discussion.
5. Post Audio Expert Interviews: Ask the original authors to comment on a particular audio snippet from the article that you play for them.
6. Audio Splicing: Have students find a way to splice sections of audio recordings of different articles and have them try to create a theme or pattern. See if the class can determine where it was spliced in.
7. Audio Learning Alternatives: Have students download the audio and listen to it in a place where they never have studied in the past. Ask them to reflect on their learning.
8. Multi-Sensory Experiences: Have students listen to one article from an author, read another one, and also watch him or her deliver a speech or presentation in an online streamed video or conference presentation. Ask them to compare and contrast the three formats--read, see, and hear.
9. Multi-Sensory Experiences with Author Capstone: After #8, brainstorm questions about the articles, podcast, or video and then invite that person (or persons if joint efforts) into class and discuss these questions with him or her.
10. Best of Article Audio Creations: Create your own audio or MP3 file of articles your class is reading from a particular journal. Maybe read or listen to a special journal issue and have your students pull out he key concepts and create an MP3 file of them and then share this with the journal editors. Perhaps they will publish this "best of" podcast.
Those are just a few ideas I had in 5-10 minutes of thinking about this. I am sure you all can come out with dozens more. For more ideas, you can order this book (coming out next July):
Bonk, C. J., & Zhang, K. (in press). Empowering Online Learning: 100+ Activities for Reading, Reflecting, Displaying, and Doing. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Ok, here are the three articles published I had today. The first publication is research with two University of Houston colleagues, Dr. Mimi Lee and Dr. Grace Lin, while helping analyze the community of practice of global translators at the OOPS (Opensource Opencourseware Prototype System). OOPS is helping translating MIT courses to traditional and simplified Chinese. It is a fascinating story.
Lee, M., Lin, M.-F., & Bonk, C. J. (2007, November). OOPS, turning MIT OpenCourseWare into Chinese: An analysis of a community of practice of global translators. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 8(3). Available: http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/463/980 (HTML) and http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/463/982 (PDF)
http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/463/966 (audio file)
The second article is a following or Part 2 of an article on open source in China.
Pan, G., & Bonk, C. J. (2007, November). The emergence of open-source software in North America. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. 8(3). Available: http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/496/938 (HTML) and http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/496/950 (PDF)
http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/496/971 (audio file)
Here is the orignal (this was is highly popular in IRRODL or so we have been told):
Pan, G., & Bonk, C. J. (2007, March). The emergence of open-source software in China. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. 8(1). Available: http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/331/762 (HTML) and http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/331/777 (PDF)
http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/331/771 (audio file)
The third article of mine published today explores the use of Breeze (Adobe Connect Pro) in an instructional design class wherein residential and distance students are doing critiques of online designs:
Park, Y. J., & Bonk, C. J. (2007). Synchronous learning experiences: Distance and residential learners’ perspectives in a blended graduate course. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 6(3) 245-264. Available: http://www.ncolr.org/jiol/issues/showissue.cfm?volID=6&IssueID=21
Here is the sister article to that one that came out a couple of months ago:
Park, Y. J., & Bonk, C. J. (2007). Is life a Breeze?: A case study for promoting synchronous learning in a blended graduate course. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching (JOLT), 3(3), 307-323; see http://jolt.merlot.org/vol3no3/park.pdf or http://jolt.merlot.org/vol3no3/park.htm
Finally, for those not wanting to read research but, insted, needing some entertainment related to the Web 2.0? Watch this YouTube video:
"Here Comes Another Bubble - The Richter Scales"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi4fzvQ6I-o
It came out 2-3 days ago and already has had 231,548 views!!!!!! If you like Billy Joel the singer, you will like this one.
Wednesday, 5 December 2007
Friday, 30 November 2007
Upcoming August 7, 2008 Wisconsin 24th Annual Distance Teaching and Learning Keynote: “Movin’ to Montana Soon; Gonna be a Distance Learning Tycoon!”
A couple of months ago, I was invited to keynote the 24th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning in Madison, Wisconsin Thursday morning August 7th at the Frank Lloyd Wright Convention Center (see http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/). Thursday is the big day for this conference so I was totally thrilled to be asked. The email invite came from Jane Terpstra, the Conference Director (she also inquired why I had not attended the previous 2 conferences after doing 7 in a row). Needless to say, as a fellow cheesehead, I quickly said yes since this is where I went to graduate school, it is the state where grew up (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), and a place that I dream about each day. Madison is absolutely the best place on the planet. And besides, Madison is on a vortex so you can feel the spirit and inspirational presence or aura of the place when you are there. Just drive through on I-90 or I-94 and when you get to the outskirts of this town, you literally feel like a different sort of human being—at one with nature and wanting to help others.
I have presented at this conference many times. When at the conference from 1999-2005 I became known for my Hawaiian shirts. I wore Hawaiian shirts under my suit and tie (at some point in my talk I would strip down to it and my shorts), over the top of my suit (hiding my nice shirt and tie which at some pt I would change into), or when walking in wearing what appeared to be only a Gateway box as an unemployed dotcom worker. But those where other times. Now I am just a boring traditional presenter again. Not! I wonder what I can be this year!!! Suggestions welcome! If I choose your idea, I will send you one of my books for free.
Every year, I did 1 or 2 preconference workshops which were a ton of fun to do! Each was 3 hours long and usually had 70-100 people so I got to meet many participants and form dozens of new friendships. However, I did not go to the conference the past couple of years due to needing a break in my speaking schedule (giving over 100 talks in 2005 as well as 2006 exhausted me and I needed time to write books). So this invite was great since I get to see my favorite place and favorite people and perhaps even my mother and other relatives!
Madison is the best city in the world, and, in August, there are few people who would be willing (or able) to contend it. Ya I’m speaking about August in Madison, Wisconsin with concerts on the square around the state Capital, State Street Brats, Friday night fireworks at the UW Union Terrace, sailing on Lake Mendota with my friend John Craig, and performances and music on the roof of the convention center each Friday night. It is a phenomenal experience. Why would someone miss it? And why do people go to the conference and leave it at 2 or 3 pm on Friday afternoon before experiencing a Friday night in the summer in Madison? I am not sure why. But please, if you go this year, stay an extra night and have fun with my friends and I as we listen to some great music and perhaps sip a few beers (while hopefully not needing to swat too many mosquitoes).
The conference is now entering its 24th year and has a diverse audience. This IS the longest running distance education conference that I know of. Because of its longevity, it has attracted some well known and high quality distance learning presenters and researchers. In terms of attendees, two-thirds are from higher education and the rest are from corporate training, non-profit organizations, government training, and K-12 education. This sorta matches the mix of my research and consulting—mostly higher ed but I work with all sectors. Many administrators from higher education (as well as faculty and instructors teaching in distance education programs) attend this conference so it will be a good one for me to talk about my upcoming book with Jossey Bass (due out in July of 2008):
Bonk, C. J., & Zhang, K. (in press). Empowering Online Learning: 100+ Activities for Reading, Reflecting, Displaying, and Doing. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Unfortunately, the above book is taking a long time in press but Jossey Bass thinks it will be good timing to come out right before the conference. For those who cannot wait, Ke Zhang and I have a journal article summarizing it. For a copy of that article, just send me an email or see:
Bonk, C. J., & Zhang, K. (2006). Introducing the R2D2 model: Online learning for the diverse learners of this world. Distance Education, 27(2), 249-264.
As I noted in an earlier blog post, this book details my R2D2 model (Read-Reflect-Display-Do) and has 25 examples for each of the four phases of the model. In addition to my conference keynote on August 7th, I will have a breakout session related to this book. The title of that breakout session will be: From R2D2 to the Matrix: A Galaxy of Online Learning Style, Motivational, Blended Learning, and Learner-Centered Examples. Hope you can make it. I will be giving away a few copies of the book at that session.
If you are interested in presenting at this conference, proposals are due on January 15th, 2008 (for more details, see http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/workshop.cfm). Get in early, as many of my students and colleagues will be submitting this year. And if you want to be a conference exhibitor, it is not too expensive. I used to do that for my company, SurveyShare, and always got people interested in my survey software (see http://www.surveyshare.com/). If you have questions or want to participate in research presentations, poster, information session, roundtables, demonstrations, exhibits, workshops, etc, the conference manager is Kimary Peterson (email is distel2@education.wisc.edu) and Jane’s email is jkterpstra@education.wisc.edu; see her contact information here: http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/contact.cfm). You can also see a PDF call for papers at http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/CALL08.pdf.
In 2007, the Wisconsin DL conference had about 800-900 participants from the USA and another 100 or so from 17 different countries or a total of around 1,000 people participate. Wow, this will be a fantastic forum to present at! I cannot wait. I hope that some of my former professors, mentors, and graduate school colleagues can attend this conference. Jane mentioned that this past year they had representatives from all 50 of the United States except Montana and then she asked me for a description of my keynote. In hopes to help her attract people from Montana, I sent her this one:
Wisconsin Conference Keynote Title: "Movin’ to Montana soon, gonna be a Distance Learning tycoon." (of course, you must know Frank Zappa’s “Montana song” to understand the inspiration for this title (http://www.lyricsdepot.com/frank-zappa/montana.html)
Keynote Description:
As Dr. Bonk will demonstrate in this session, distance learning has burgeoned in ever corner of the world, from China to Canada to Chile to Chad. More impressively, it has made it to Montana...and not in a small way. Over 99 percent of high schools in Montana have courses in Chinese, Japanese, and Montanese. In addition, all K-12 students in Montana are required to bring their iPods, cell phones, and laptops to their classes for daily lessons plans on Shakespeare, Darwin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Queen Lativah, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem. Given all these activities, it is not surprising that, according to recent polls published in the New York Times, Montaneans are emerging as the most sophisticated consumers of distance learning in the world. This is a land of the big sky and my oh my do they ever like their pie in the sky distance learning programming. As an example, did you know that the average size of display devices in videoconferencing suites in Montana average 100 inches? In fact, there are several sites in Bozeman displaying distance learning programs on 100 foot long screens? Driving through Montana? You can now watch distance learning programs at rest stops, construction sites, convenience stores, gas stations, and even when speeding down the highway at 90+ miles per hour--the screens are so colossal, you can see them for miles. Be sure to keep two hands on the wheel, though.
As a second example, education-minded tourists are no longer coming to Yellowstone to see Ol' Faithful; instead, they are renting out cabins and participating in a variety of blended and fully online distance learning experiences. Notably, Yellowstone Park rangers have created a series of podcasts for attendees to listen to at night. Having trouble sleeping? Not anymore. Just put the Park Ranger Podcast (PRP) in one ear and hear yourself snoring in other. Not surprisingly, “PRP after dark” is the most popular distance learning program in the federal government; more than 3 million listeners this past summer alone. We just might balance the federal budget with such ingenuity! A third example is the infamous Butte Blogger—it’s a Butte!
Spurred by such energy and assorted government distance learning initiatives, distance and e-learning vendors are coming in droves to Great Falls, Billings, Butte, Missoula, and Helena to set up shop. As you may know, ever since the great quake of 1989, Silicon Valley companies have been gradually migrating eastward in the anticipation of the real "big one" and right now Montana is deemed to be the safe spot. Several state senators from Montana have even put forth a bill to rename the state “Sillitana” in recognition of their high tech initiatives. Distance learning is certainly happening in Montana. As a tribute, Dr. Bonk will end this session with a rendition of Frank Zappa's famed “Montana song.” Come join in the fun and sing along with him: “guess I’m Movin’ to Montana soon; gonna be a Distance Learning tycoon."
What do you think? Will this title and abstract inspire people from Montana to come to the conference and my keynote? Tell ya what; if you are from Montana and come to the Wisconsin DL conference and let me know it, I will give you my “Empowering Online Learning” (R2D2) book for free. I will do this for as many Montaneans as show up. Folks from Big Sandy, Geyser, Fort Shaw, Custer, Big Sky, East Glacier Park, Shelby, Libby, Roundup, and Crow Agency—I wanted to see you! All 944,632 of you! Why not! Hec, I like Montana and the west so much, I will do this for all those attending from Wyoming and Idaho as well. Deal? Deal! Now, toss in the remaining states touching Montana (i.e., North and South Dakota) while we are at it. Ok Montaneans, this is your wake-up call. I want to see you!
I do hope that someone from Montana attends the conference. Just so you know, here is the real keynote title and description (sorry Montana people—but I do promise to mention you in my talk at least once—send me distance learning examples from Montana and I will try to include as many as I can):
Real Keynote: Technology Trends Opening Access to Education Worldwide: Now, we ALL can learn!
According to Thomas Friedman’s book, The World is Flat, worldwide economic trends are flattening. In education, however, learning opportunities are actually expanding or opening up through myriad of emerging distance learning technologies. From online content in the form of e-books, podcasts, streamed videos, and satellite maps to participatory environments such as social networking, wikis, and alternate reality worlds, technology-based learning continues to offer new pathways to learning. At the same time, instructors increasingly share their course materials and teaching ideas globally, thereby providing expanding learning opportunities and resources. And the software on which to provide such online learning contents and experiences is increasingly free and open source.
Naturally, many questions surround such systems, sites, and resources. For example, how can instructors and learners in developed and developing countries take advantage of these trends? For what purpose will people share? How can these trends converge to address individual learner's needs worldwide? Curt Bonk will address these issues while enticing participants to think of implications for their organizations, countries, and regions of the world as well as for themselves as leaders and learners.
What do you think of the above keynote? In effect, I will walk the audience through my WE-ALL-LEARN model which is the basis of the other book I am working on (each letter stands for a technology trend). This book is tentatively titled, “WE-ALL-LEARN: An Open Education Extension of the World is Flat.” I hope to be done with it in the early part of 2008. Ok, see you all in Madtown in August! This will be a blast since now, “WE-ALL-LEARN.” Anyone need some dental floss?
I have presented at this conference many times. When at the conference from 1999-2005 I became known for my Hawaiian shirts. I wore Hawaiian shirts under my suit and tie (at some point in my talk I would strip down to it and my shorts), over the top of my suit (hiding my nice shirt and tie which at some pt I would change into), or when walking in wearing what appeared to be only a Gateway box as an unemployed dotcom worker. But those where other times. Now I am just a boring traditional presenter again. Not! I wonder what I can be this year!!! Suggestions welcome! If I choose your idea, I will send you one of my books for free.
Every year, I did 1 or 2 preconference workshops which were a ton of fun to do! Each was 3 hours long and usually had 70-100 people so I got to meet many participants and form dozens of new friendships. However, I did not go to the conference the past couple of years due to needing a break in my speaking schedule (giving over 100 talks in 2005 as well as 2006 exhausted me and I needed time to write books). So this invite was great since I get to see my favorite place and favorite people and perhaps even my mother and other relatives!
Madison is the best city in the world, and, in August, there are few people who would be willing (or able) to contend it. Ya I’m speaking about August in Madison, Wisconsin with concerts on the square around the state Capital, State Street Brats, Friday night fireworks at the UW Union Terrace, sailing on Lake Mendota with my friend John Craig, and performances and music on the roof of the convention center each Friday night. It is a phenomenal experience. Why would someone miss it? And why do people go to the conference and leave it at 2 or 3 pm on Friday afternoon before experiencing a Friday night in the summer in Madison? I am not sure why. But please, if you go this year, stay an extra night and have fun with my friends and I as we listen to some great music and perhaps sip a few beers (while hopefully not needing to swat too many mosquitoes).
The conference is now entering its 24th year and has a diverse audience. This IS the longest running distance education conference that I know of. Because of its longevity, it has attracted some well known and high quality distance learning presenters and researchers. In terms of attendees, two-thirds are from higher education and the rest are from corporate training, non-profit organizations, government training, and K-12 education. This sorta matches the mix of my research and consulting—mostly higher ed but I work with all sectors. Many administrators from higher education (as well as faculty and instructors teaching in distance education programs) attend this conference so it will be a good one for me to talk about my upcoming book with Jossey Bass (due out in July of 2008):
Bonk, C. J., & Zhang, K. (in press). Empowering Online Learning: 100+ Activities for Reading, Reflecting, Displaying, and Doing. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Unfortunately, the above book is taking a long time in press but Jossey Bass thinks it will be good timing to come out right before the conference. For those who cannot wait, Ke Zhang and I have a journal article summarizing it. For a copy of that article, just send me an email or see:
Bonk, C. J., & Zhang, K. (2006). Introducing the R2D2 model: Online learning for the diverse learners of this world. Distance Education, 27(2), 249-264.
As I noted in an earlier blog post, this book details my R2D2 model (Read-Reflect-Display-Do) and has 25 examples for each of the four phases of the model. In addition to my conference keynote on August 7th, I will have a breakout session related to this book. The title of that breakout session will be: From R2D2 to the Matrix: A Galaxy of Online Learning Style, Motivational, Blended Learning, and Learner-Centered Examples. Hope you can make it. I will be giving away a few copies of the book at that session.
If you are interested in presenting at this conference, proposals are due on January 15th, 2008 (for more details, see http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/workshop.cfm). Get in early, as many of my students and colleagues will be submitting this year. And if you want to be a conference exhibitor, it is not too expensive. I used to do that for my company, SurveyShare, and always got people interested in my survey software (see http://www.surveyshare.com/). If you have questions or want to participate in research presentations, poster, information session, roundtables, demonstrations, exhibits, workshops, etc, the conference manager is Kimary Peterson (email is distel2@education.wisc.edu) and Jane’s email is jkterpstra@education.wisc.edu; see her contact information here: http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/contact.cfm). You can also see a PDF call for papers at http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/CALL08.pdf.
In 2007, the Wisconsin DL conference had about 800-900 participants from the USA and another 100 or so from 17 different countries or a total of around 1,000 people participate. Wow, this will be a fantastic forum to present at! I cannot wait. I hope that some of my former professors, mentors, and graduate school colleagues can attend this conference. Jane mentioned that this past year they had representatives from all 50 of the United States except Montana and then she asked me for a description of my keynote. In hopes to help her attract people from Montana, I sent her this one:
Wisconsin Conference Keynote Title: "Movin’ to Montana soon, gonna be a Distance Learning tycoon." (of course, you must know Frank Zappa’s “Montana song” to understand the inspiration for this title (http://www.lyricsdepot.com/frank-zappa/montana.html)
Keynote Description:
As Dr. Bonk will demonstrate in this session, distance learning has burgeoned in ever corner of the world, from China to Canada to Chile to Chad. More impressively, it has made it to Montana...and not in a small way. Over 99 percent of high schools in Montana have courses in Chinese, Japanese, and Montanese. In addition, all K-12 students in Montana are required to bring their iPods, cell phones, and laptops to their classes for daily lessons plans on Shakespeare, Darwin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Queen Lativah, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem. Given all these activities, it is not surprising that, according to recent polls published in the New York Times, Montaneans are emerging as the most sophisticated consumers of distance learning in the world. This is a land of the big sky and my oh my do they ever like their pie in the sky distance learning programming. As an example, did you know that the average size of display devices in videoconferencing suites in Montana average 100 inches? In fact, there are several sites in Bozeman displaying distance learning programs on 100 foot long screens? Driving through Montana? You can now watch distance learning programs at rest stops, construction sites, convenience stores, gas stations, and even when speeding down the highway at 90+ miles per hour--the screens are so colossal, you can see them for miles. Be sure to keep two hands on the wheel, though.
As a second example, education-minded tourists are no longer coming to Yellowstone to see Ol' Faithful; instead, they are renting out cabins and participating in a variety of blended and fully online distance learning experiences. Notably, Yellowstone Park rangers have created a series of podcasts for attendees to listen to at night. Having trouble sleeping? Not anymore. Just put the Park Ranger Podcast (PRP) in one ear and hear yourself snoring in other. Not surprisingly, “PRP after dark” is the most popular distance learning program in the federal government; more than 3 million listeners this past summer alone. We just might balance the federal budget with such ingenuity! A third example is the infamous Butte Blogger—it’s a Butte!
Spurred by such energy and assorted government distance learning initiatives, distance and e-learning vendors are coming in droves to Great Falls, Billings, Butte, Missoula, and Helena to set up shop. As you may know, ever since the great quake of 1989, Silicon Valley companies have been gradually migrating eastward in the anticipation of the real "big one" and right now Montana is deemed to be the safe spot. Several state senators from Montana have even put forth a bill to rename the state “Sillitana” in recognition of their high tech initiatives. Distance learning is certainly happening in Montana. As a tribute, Dr. Bonk will end this session with a rendition of Frank Zappa's famed “Montana song.” Come join in the fun and sing along with him: “guess I’m Movin’ to Montana soon; gonna be a Distance Learning tycoon."
What do you think? Will this title and abstract inspire people from Montana to come to the conference and my keynote? Tell ya what; if you are from Montana and come to the Wisconsin DL conference and let me know it, I will give you my “Empowering Online Learning” (R2D2) book for free. I will do this for as many Montaneans as show up. Folks from Big Sandy, Geyser, Fort Shaw, Custer, Big Sky, East Glacier Park, Shelby, Libby, Roundup, and Crow Agency—I wanted to see you! All 944,632 of you! Why not! Hec, I like Montana and the west so much, I will do this for all those attending from Wyoming and Idaho as well. Deal? Deal! Now, toss in the remaining states touching Montana (i.e., North and South Dakota) while we are at it. Ok Montaneans, this is your wake-up call. I want to see you!
I do hope that someone from Montana attends the conference. Just so you know, here is the real keynote title and description (sorry Montana people—but I do promise to mention you in my talk at least once—send me distance learning examples from Montana and I will try to include as many as I can):
Real Keynote: Technology Trends Opening Access to Education Worldwide: Now, we ALL can learn!
According to Thomas Friedman’s book, The World is Flat, worldwide economic trends are flattening. In education, however, learning opportunities are actually expanding or opening up through myriad of emerging distance learning technologies. From online content in the form of e-books, podcasts, streamed videos, and satellite maps to participatory environments such as social networking, wikis, and alternate reality worlds, technology-based learning continues to offer new pathways to learning. At the same time, instructors increasingly share their course materials and teaching ideas globally, thereby providing expanding learning opportunities and resources. And the software on which to provide such online learning contents and experiences is increasingly free and open source.
Naturally, many questions surround such systems, sites, and resources. For example, how can instructors and learners in developed and developing countries take advantage of these trends? For what purpose will people share? How can these trends converge to address individual learner's needs worldwide? Curt Bonk will address these issues while enticing participants to think of implications for their organizations, countries, and regions of the world as well as for themselves as leaders and learners.
What do you think of the above keynote? In effect, I will walk the audience through my WE-ALL-LEARN model which is the basis of the other book I am working on (each letter stands for a technology trend). This book is tentatively titled, “WE-ALL-LEARN: An Open Education Extension of the World is Flat.” I hope to be done with it in the early part of 2008. Ok, see you all in Madtown in August! This will be a blast since now, “WE-ALL-LEARN.” Anyone need some dental floss?
Friday, 2 November 2007
IU IST Dept Now in iTunes: Bonkcasts on Blended Learning as well as the Flat Learning World (also speaking in DC)
As you will see below, "TravelinEdMan" is making a reappearance after a purposeful 4-5 month hiatus from the speaking circuit to write books. These are one day trips to DC for various conferences and invited talks. First though, let me mention a couple of recent podcasts (i.e., Bonkcasts) you can listen to in case you are unable to attend one of my talks.
Podcasts: I am happy to announce that the podcasts I did back in late August and early September for the Indiana University (IU) Instructional Systems Technology (IST) colloquium series are finally posted to iTunes. My department (i.e., IST) created a wonderful, new podcast colloquium series in iTunes. I am one of the first to do a podcast for it and got ambitious and did 2 of them. These are each other an hour long! Both are based on popular conference keynote talks I have been doing. Here is the URL: http://itunes.iu.edu
When you get there, launch iTunes and then scroll down to the link for the Pilot Course named "IST @ IUB Colloquium Series." Next look for my talks:
1. "Blended Learning: Situations, Solutions, and Some Stunning Surprises"
2. "The Learning World is Flat" (this one should really be called: "How the Learning World Became Flat: Ten Knowledge Sharing and Technology Trends Equalizing Access to Learning" I have also labeled it, "WE-ALL-LEARN: An Open Education Extension of the World is Flat"
Abstracts are below:
1. Blended Learning: Situations, Solutions, and Several Surprises
Abstract: There is both extensive confusion and much optimism about blended learning due to multiple blended learning definitions and approaches. Some might blend to take advantage of face-to-face and virtual learning opportunities. Others might blend to combine synchronous and asynchronous technologies to best meet student needs. To addresses these issues, Dr. Bonk will lay out several different models and definitions of blended learning as well as the advantages and disadvantages of blended learning. Importantly, the session will include a dozen different situations or problems and more than 50 potential blended learning solutions in many different disciplines and levels of institutions. Many of the examples will come from Dr. Bonk’s recent Handbook of Blended learning: Global Perspectives, Local Designs. Dr. Bonk will also tap into recent data he has collected on the present and future state of blended learning around the planet. Some of this data will surprise you! During this session, small teams of participants (instructional designers, trainers, administrators, instructors, students, etc.) will build and later present their own blended learning models.
2. How the Learning World Became Flat: Ten Knowledge Sharing and Technology Trends Equalizing Access to Learning
Abstract: Ten technology trends have emerged during the past few years that have flattened the world of learning and made it accessible to increasing numbers of learners. The learning world is being flattened by such technologies as Google, Skype, Wikipedia, podcasting, and blogs. Additional flatteners that are transforming the possibilities for learning include online learning portals such as digital libraries, museums, and referenceware, mobile technologies, wireless technologies, cheap computers, free online courses and software, and open source software. There are web sites springing up around the globe related to sharing courses, course materials, resources, and teaching ideas. MERLOT, for example, has more than 34,500 members and 15,000 shared learning objects as well as an annual international conference. Connexions is a similar project for sharing learning resources from Rice University, while the UK has just developed a learning object site called Jorum. And, of course, there is a the MIT OpenCourseWare initiative which is not only sharing MIT course content around the globe in English, but is now being translated into other languages such as Chinese, Spanish, and Portuguese. Interestingly, more than 50 universities around the globe are following the lead of MIT and placing their courses online including those in Vietnam , Japan , and India . Naturally, many questions surround such systems and sites. For example, how can these trends converge to address every potential learner on this planet? How can developing worlds take advantage of these ten trends? For what purpose will people share? Will these knowledge sharing and technology trends bridge the digital divide? Does the importance of knowledge sharing differ by culture? In this humorous, informative, media-rich, and thought provoking session, Curt Bonk will highlight such themes and issues while pushing the audience to think of short- and long-range implications both for their institutions, countries, and regions of the world as well as for themselves.
DC Presentations: I will be doing the latter talk on how the learning world has become flat 2 times in the next 10 days in Washington, DC:
1. Tuesday, November 6, 2007, 1:30-2:30 pm (informal social networking to follow)
Room 4115 Hornbake Building, South Wing; Research Colloquium Series: College of Information Studies, University of Maryland. This is free to the public!
2. Monday (November 12th at 1:30-3:00 pm) in downtown DC at the hotel Renaissance (999 9th St). This is part of my keynote for the Association of University Centers on Disabilities annual conference. This conference costs $95. http://www.aucd.org/template/news.cfm?news_id=1554&id=17
3. I am also doing this public talk on the 12th in DC. “Creating Engaging, Collaborative, and More Active Classes: Low-Risk, Low-Cost, Low Time (for online classrooms)” at Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale Campus. Time is Monday, November 12th from 6-7 pm. Where: Annandale Campus – CT building Room 335. This is free to the public!
“Creating Engaging, Collaborative, and More Active Classes: Low-Risk, Low-Cost, Low Time (for online classrooms)”
Abstract: Are you bored with your teaching? Are your students? Are students not engaged in their learning? Do you feel that new approaches simply take too much time or are too risky? Are you interested in collaborative learning? In this talk, Dr. Bonk provides more than 100 ways to liven up your lectures and get your students involved and engaged in learning. The emphasis will be on collaborative learning and student engagement in that learning. There will be dozens of collaborative learning methods that you can use to motivate and engage your students in their learning. Some of the strategies will be very teacher-centered, while others will give students more ownership and control of the curriculum. These strategies will relate to creativity, critical thinking, cooperative and collaborative learning, and motivation. Importantly, each strategy will be laid out in a step-by-step approach. In addition, Dr. Bonk label each one in terms of the degree of risk, time, and cost and he will offer his advice for getting started with these tools and techniques.
4. I am doing a 4th talk on November 6th at the Convention Center in DC. This one is on blended learning for public health educators at 4:30 pm. I have a more minor role in it.
Hope to see some of you there! If not, you can take a listen to the podcasts I mentioned in iTunes. http://itunes.iu.edu
Podcasts: I am happy to announce that the podcasts I did back in late August and early September for the Indiana University (IU) Instructional Systems Technology (IST) colloquium series are finally posted to iTunes. My department (i.e., IST) created a wonderful, new podcast colloquium series in iTunes. I am one of the first to do a podcast for it and got ambitious and did 2 of them. These are each other an hour long! Both are based on popular conference keynote talks I have been doing. Here is the URL: http://itunes.iu.edu
When you get there, launch iTunes and then scroll down to the link for the Pilot Course named "IST @ IUB Colloquium Series." Next look for my talks:
1. "Blended Learning: Situations, Solutions, and Some Stunning Surprises"
2. "The Learning World is Flat" (this one should really be called: "How the Learning World Became Flat: Ten Knowledge Sharing and Technology Trends Equalizing Access to Learning" I have also labeled it, "WE-ALL-LEARN: An Open Education Extension of the World is Flat"
Abstracts are below:
1. Blended Learning: Situations, Solutions, and Several Surprises
Abstract: There is both extensive confusion and much optimism about blended learning due to multiple blended learning definitions and approaches. Some might blend to take advantage of face-to-face and virtual learning opportunities. Others might blend to combine synchronous and asynchronous technologies to best meet student needs. To addresses these issues, Dr. Bonk will lay out several different models and definitions of blended learning as well as the advantages and disadvantages of blended learning. Importantly, the session will include a dozen different situations or problems and more than 50 potential blended learning solutions in many different disciplines and levels of institutions. Many of the examples will come from Dr. Bonk’s recent Handbook of Blended learning: Global Perspectives, Local Designs. Dr. Bonk will also tap into recent data he has collected on the present and future state of blended learning around the planet. Some of this data will surprise you! During this session, small teams of participants (instructional designers, trainers, administrators, instructors, students, etc.) will build and later present their own blended learning models.
2. How the Learning World Became Flat: Ten Knowledge Sharing and Technology Trends Equalizing Access to Learning
Abstract: Ten technology trends have emerged during the past few years that have flattened the world of learning and made it accessible to increasing numbers of learners. The learning world is being flattened by such technologies as Google, Skype, Wikipedia, podcasting, and blogs. Additional flatteners that are transforming the possibilities for learning include online learning portals such as digital libraries, museums, and referenceware, mobile technologies, wireless technologies, cheap computers, free online courses and software, and open source software. There are web sites springing up around the globe related to sharing courses, course materials, resources, and teaching ideas. MERLOT, for example, has more than 34,500 members and 15,000 shared learning objects as well as an annual international conference. Connexions is a similar project for sharing learning resources from Rice University, while the UK has just developed a learning object site called Jorum. And, of course, there is a the MIT OpenCourseWare initiative which is not only sharing MIT course content around the globe in English, but is now being translated into other languages such as Chinese, Spanish, and Portuguese. Interestingly, more than 50 universities around the globe are following the lead of MIT and placing their courses online including those in Vietnam , Japan , and India . Naturally, many questions surround such systems and sites. For example, how can these trends converge to address every potential learner on this planet? How can developing worlds take advantage of these ten trends? For what purpose will people share? Will these knowledge sharing and technology trends bridge the digital divide? Does the importance of knowledge sharing differ by culture? In this humorous, informative, media-rich, and thought provoking session, Curt Bonk will highlight such themes and issues while pushing the audience to think of short- and long-range implications both for their institutions, countries, and regions of the world as well as for themselves.
DC Presentations: I will be doing the latter talk on how the learning world has become flat 2 times in the next 10 days in Washington, DC:
1. Tuesday, November 6, 2007, 1:30-2:30 pm (informal social networking to follow)
Room 4115 Hornbake Building, South Wing; Research Colloquium Series: College of Information Studies, University of Maryland. This is free to the public!
2. Monday (November 12th at 1:30-3:00 pm) in downtown DC at the hotel Renaissance (999 9th St). This is part of my keynote for the Association of University Centers on Disabilities annual conference. This conference costs $95. http://www.aucd.org/template/news.cfm?news_id=1554&id=17
3. I am also doing this public talk on the 12th in DC. “Creating Engaging, Collaborative, and More Active Classes: Low-Risk, Low-Cost, Low Time (for online classrooms)” at Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale Campus. Time is Monday, November 12th from 6-7 pm. Where: Annandale Campus – CT building Room 335. This is free to the public!
“Creating Engaging, Collaborative, and More Active Classes: Low-Risk, Low-Cost, Low Time (for online classrooms)”
Abstract: Are you bored with your teaching? Are your students? Are students not engaged in their learning? Do you feel that new approaches simply take too much time or are too risky? Are you interested in collaborative learning? In this talk, Dr. Bonk provides more than 100 ways to liven up your lectures and get your students involved and engaged in learning. The emphasis will be on collaborative learning and student engagement in that learning. There will be dozens of collaborative learning methods that you can use to motivate and engage your students in their learning. Some of the strategies will be very teacher-centered, while others will give students more ownership and control of the curriculum. These strategies will relate to creativity, critical thinking, cooperative and collaborative learning, and motivation. Importantly, each strategy will be laid out in a step-by-step approach. In addition, Dr. Bonk label each one in terms of the degree of risk, time, and cost and he will offer his advice for getting started with these tools and techniques.
4. I am doing a 4th talk on November 6th at the Convention Center in DC. This one is on blended learning for public health educators at 4:30 pm. I have a more minor role in it.
Hope to see some of you there! If not, you can take a listen to the podcasts I mentioned in iTunes. http://itunes.iu.edu
Thursday, 1 November 2007
Time to graduate to "The Graduate Educator"!!!
I got an email late tonight from my colleague, Dr. Cecil Smith, who went to graduate school with me in educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin oh so long ago. Seems that Cecil has started a new blog that focuses on the education of graduate students as well as those teaching in graduate programs. It is called, "The Graduate Educator" (http://www.graducator.blogspot.com). In this blog, Cecil discusses issues such as innovative college teaching, pros and cons of giving students more voice or ownership over their learning, grant writing, plagairism, technology integration, conference speaking, instructor modeling, etc. I could envision using his musings and commentary in my own classes.
See
http://www.graducator.blogspot.com
In effect, this is a discussion of topics that surround those in graduate programs on a daily basis. As such, it is an excellent source of topics to read about, reflect upon, and discuss with others. Some of the issues he discusses are those that you cannot really fit in a class or faculty training or that are too often ignored. In a way, Cecil is using his blog to mentor graduate students in his own program at Northern Illinois University as well as new faculty around the planet or anyone who simply stumbles upon it. He is also starting a discussion about graduate education. With adult education populations exploding through the emergence of online and blended learning, a discussion of their needs, experiences, and requirements is quite useful. Cecil understands adult education and has many books, articles, and conference papers in this area. Cecil started this 2 months ago and really enjoys it.
A few months ago, I mentioned Cecil in my advice on how to get published as a young scholar. Cecil has an article filled with advice for new faculty members which I suggested he turn into a book. Young people in higher education environments will want to read it!
Smith, M C. (2004, April). Advice for new faculty members: Getting your writing program started. Discussion presented as part of Division C New Faculty Mentoring session at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego.
http://www.cedu.niu.edu/~smith/whatsnew.htm
Thanks Cecil! It is always great to see my friends from graduate school doing so well! I have heard from many of them the past two weeks.
See the blog, "The Graduate Educator" (link is above) as well as his homepage and the article noted above. Cecil's Homepage: http://www.cedu.niu.edu/~smith
See
http://www.graducator.blogspot.com
In effect, this is a discussion of topics that surround those in graduate programs on a daily basis. As such, it is an excellent source of topics to read about, reflect upon, and discuss with others. Some of the issues he discusses are those that you cannot really fit in a class or faculty training or that are too often ignored. In a way, Cecil is using his blog to mentor graduate students in his own program at Northern Illinois University as well as new faculty around the planet or anyone who simply stumbles upon it. He is also starting a discussion about graduate education. With adult education populations exploding through the emergence of online and blended learning, a discussion of their needs, experiences, and requirements is quite useful. Cecil understands adult education and has many books, articles, and conference papers in this area. Cecil started this 2 months ago and really enjoys it.
A few months ago, I mentioned Cecil in my advice on how to get published as a young scholar. Cecil has an article filled with advice for new faculty members which I suggested he turn into a book. Young people in higher education environments will want to read it!
Smith, M C. (2004, April). Advice for new faculty members: Getting your writing program started. Discussion presented as part of Division C New Faculty Mentoring session at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego.
http://www.cedu.niu.edu/~smith/whatsnew.htm
Thanks Cecil! It is always great to see my friends from graduate school doing so well! I have heard from many of them the past two weeks.
See the blog, "The Graduate Educator" (link is above) as well as his homepage and the article noted above. Cecil's Homepage: http://www.cedu.niu.edu/~smith
Tuesday, 30 October 2007
What's new at Rio Salado? Weekly courses, of course!
I was quoted in an article yesterday (Oct 29, 2007) in the Arizona Republic, "At one college, new semesters start each week," by Anne Ryman. The article related to courses being started every week at Rio Salado College. Seems this is a new trend.
Per this article: "On Monday, Rio Salado College, part of Maricopa Community Colleges, began offering more start dates on hundreds of courses than any other public college in the nation, Rio Salado officials said. The college offers 50 start dates a year on 373 general-education courses. Rio Salado can begin so many courses each week mainly because it is an online school; classrooms aren't needed. But the move represents the broader trend in higher education of finding increasingly creative ways to tailor class times and term dates to individual students' needs."
See article at:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1029weeklycollege1029.html#
Now there are questions about this:
1. What happens to creativity and innovation when different sections of a course begin each week? Won't instructors become burned out? Will they see there section as not unique but just another course?
2. Will this lower collaboration opportunities across sections of the course?
3. What happens when students take incompletes and they begin to pile up?
4. Will other colleges and universities follow the lead of Rio Salado?
5. Will instructors be more colleagial in such a situation or less so?
6. How will these courses be evaluated and who will look at the evaluation?
7. What population besides working adults will appreciate and perhaps demand more such course offerings?
8. What happens when this is extended and courses are offered (or started) every day or every hour instead of every week or month?
9. What is Rio Salado automating when doing this? What can the system or computer handle in terms of feedback and course administration?
10. What is the quality of these courses?
Many questions remain here. However, this new delivery format offers working adults and others with complex schedules more flexibility to learn. And that is why we are doing this right? To help people to learn. Hence, it is vital that places such as Rio Salado experiment with their forms of course delivery. However, it is also important that they experiment with their evaluation approaches. And they must share their results.
We are just at the dawn of this type of experimentation. In 10 years, the normal college timetables will likely look so much different than today! Those who completed college a decade or 2 ago (or 3 or 4) will no longer be able to relate to those in higher education today; the choices are simply too enormous to fathom. Each student will have a unique path and set of learning experiences. Preprescribed learning is being replaced by personalized learning. This initative from Rio Salado can be seen from either direction depending on how they implement it.
Per this article: "On Monday, Rio Salado College, part of Maricopa Community Colleges, began offering more start dates on hundreds of courses than any other public college in the nation, Rio Salado officials said. The college offers 50 start dates a year on 373 general-education courses. Rio Salado can begin so many courses each week mainly because it is an online school; classrooms aren't needed. But the move represents the broader trend in higher education of finding increasingly creative ways to tailor class times and term dates to individual students' needs."
See article at:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1029weeklycollege1029.html#
Now there are questions about this:
1. What happens to creativity and innovation when different sections of a course begin each week? Won't instructors become burned out? Will they see there section as not unique but just another course?
2. Will this lower collaboration opportunities across sections of the course?
3. What happens when students take incompletes and they begin to pile up?
4. Will other colleges and universities follow the lead of Rio Salado?
5. Will instructors be more colleagial in such a situation or less so?
6. How will these courses be evaluated and who will look at the evaluation?
7. What population besides working adults will appreciate and perhaps demand more such course offerings?
8. What happens when this is extended and courses are offered (or started) every day or every hour instead of every week or month?
9. What is Rio Salado automating when doing this? What can the system or computer handle in terms of feedback and course administration?
10. What is the quality of these courses?
Many questions remain here. However, this new delivery format offers working adults and others with complex schedules more flexibility to learn. And that is why we are doing this right? To help people to learn. Hence, it is vital that places such as Rio Salado experiment with their forms of course delivery. However, it is also important that they experiment with their evaluation approaches. And they must share their results.
We are just at the dawn of this type of experimentation. In 10 years, the normal college timetables will likely look so much different than today! Those who completed college a decade or 2 ago (or 3 or 4) will no longer be able to relate to those in higher education today; the choices are simply too enormous to fathom. Each student will have a unique path and set of learning experiences. Preprescribed learning is being replaced by personalized learning. This initative from Rio Salado can be seen from either direction depending on how they implement it.
Friday, 5 October 2007
USA Today Leads to Tomorrow: Teachers as online concierges and can Facebook pioneer save face?
The USA Today has had some interesting articles this week that forced me to pause and reflect for a bit. One article on how the Internet changes the lifes of hotel concierges (or power concierges I guess) and the other on all the corporate giants looks to purchase Facebook for its community for some big dollars it seems.
The USA Today article #1
The USA Today had an article earlier this week on how hotel concierges go the extra mile for customers now in the age of the Internet. And it is true! If you have gone to a good hotel lately, you would see them working hard to find people restaurants, entertainment, places to visit, directions, etc. I know at AERA in Chicago I had them working hard and then again in San Francisco in August with my son. They have resources at their fingertips to help you out. They have contacts to get you in quicker or faster. They have maps to get you there. They know the best times to go, best places to stop on the way or when done, and things to see along the way, etc. See article from I think Tuesday on this:
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20071002/concierge03.art.htm?loc=interstitialskip
Now if one of the roles of an online teacher is to be a concierge for students (and any teacher for that matter), might we begin to see teachers looking more like the concierges at hotels? Should we? Do instructors, teachers, trainers, etc., find us a variety of resources to explore online to quelch our thirst for knowledge? Do they give us choices of maps on how to get there? Do they highlight different routes for our destinations and tell us things we might visit along the way? Do they call ahead and let their online friends know we are coming? Do they reflect for a moment on what you might do when done? Are they there 24 hours a day for still other learning pursuits?
Yes, hotels have got it right--they have someone helping their guest find what they need online when the person needs it. But do schools, universities, and organizations have it right? Do they have someone there for you to stop in and see and make a request for information? And do they even allow it? Many university master's and doctoral programs (including my own) are so prescriptive (you take these classes this semester and these the next one and you fill out these checkboxes and forms and so on), that I wonder when our students have time to be like a guest in a hotel and explore the things that they really want to see during their journey here. And this is for graduate students!!! What happens earlier in life with all the prescriptive worksheets, standardized tests, and other assorted requirements?
Of course, I work at a super fantastic, wonderful program which is rated #1 in all the polls that I ever read I have read 1 or 2 polls). Great people, excellent facilities, and loads of wireless Internet access. I love this place--both university and surrounding community! Still, all programs like the one I am in, from my point of view, need no requirements (or as few as necessary)--just let the students choose their courses and learning pursuits. They can now watch lectures from Berkeley in iTunes or YouTube. See transformative teacher change with technology in TeacherTube. Watch the best of Alan Kaye and many others in educational technology in Google Video. They can converse in discussion threads such as QuickTopic and write collaborative documents in Google Spreadsheets and Documents or Collanos. They can explore keynotes from prior conferences. I stop here (I could write for pages); but the point is that we as instructors need to be concierges more often (perhaps not all the time), and let students browse the learning possibilities in front of them.
Sure, the common lecture is important and I certainly model that type of behavior, but so is exploration, sharing, collaboration, discussion, and engagement in real-life learning. More is more (see one of my earlier posts). We need to push students into the many learning possibilities that are ripe for them now. Concierges sometimes show you things you did not know were available or possible. Teachers as concierges can do the same things. We need to have quick access to such resources, of course, but as this occurs increasingly around the planet, so too will we sense a shift from prescribed learning checkboxes toward more learner designed programs of study. Now the Web of Learning offers this chance to explore and allow teachers to be their tour guides. Don't get me wrong--BOTH lectures and exploration are part of learning. We are shifting to more exploratory opportunities and some simply do not see it or want to admit to it or allow it.
Life, and hence, learning, is a journey; it is not a set of checkboxes, prescriptions, and requirements. The Web opens up so much more possibilities for learning and yet people want to constrain it or require it to be in a certain format for a certain audience.
What about K-12 schools and undergraduate college training? Are K-12 schools and universities set up for instructors to be concierges? As we move to problem-based learning, learning by design, product-based learning, inquiry learning, and so on, the instructor does, in fact, become a tour guide, expedition leader, or concierge. I have told my students that for decades--I am your tour guide, so we will go on a magical journey (while playing the Who's song "Magic Bus"). Well, now we got that Magic Bus. Now we got that Magic Bus!!! "I want it! I want it! I want it!" Won’t that be wild (and a wild bus ride at that) when it gets into the job descriptions and interviews become more performance-based—where the instructor, teacher, or trainer must quickly understand the learner needs and then access them!!!
USA Today article #2.
The USA Today also has a great article on Wednesday on the 23 year old who owns Facebook. Here is a quote from that article: "Facebook could be worth as much as $6 billion today, Bear Stearns (BSC) analyst Robert Peck says. He expects privately held Facebook to post a profit of about $30 million on revenue of $140 million this year, and register a $70 million profit on revenue of $358 million in 2008. He predicts $6 billion in revenue by 2016."
Wouldn’t it be nice to own a company worth perhaps $6 billion at age 23? And to be able to say, no not today Google or Microsoft; come back in a few years when my company is worth 3-4-5 times as much. Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder, is holding off. But when he does cave in, there are many things he can do to save face (pun intended) and contribute to global education, knowledge, open educational resources, and sharing. Let's see if he does like Bill Gates and makes solid attempts to improve the life and educational opportunities of the citizens of this planet. Let's see if he does like John Wood and creates a program like Room to Read. Let's see if he truly has college students (or any students) in his heart when he does sell off. We need the Marks of the world (and all of us) to keep pushing and making our dents in educational reform and opening educational possibilities for the citizens of this planet.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2007-10-02-facebook-suitors_N.htm
The article also talks about a chief competitor to Facebook called LinkedIn. As someone who has been in LinkedIn for a couple of years and Facebook for quite a long time as well, I can say that Facebook is my preference and it is not even close in terms of a comparison of my preferences. The only time I use LinkedIn is when I agree to be a friend with someone who has requested it. There are many reasons for my preference for Facebook. LinkedIn is a corporate tool (I used to be a corporate controller and CPA in a previous life some 20+ years ago--so I understand these suit types).
The other day, I got a phone call as well as an email from someone who was recently umemployed after working at a financial services firm in Phoenix for a couple of years (he had just been promoted by the way--he and nearly 20,000 others were let go it seems). He was applying for a job with a new firm and saw that I was linked to someone who was linked to someone who worked at the firm so he was looking for information to help him with the job. Unfortunately, I never heard of the person. But would I have gotten an email from this person if I was not a potential source of information about a potential job? LinkedIn is part of the corporate culture of jobs, money, consulting gigs, etc. And the resources at LinkedIn are more stale and boring compared to Facebook.
In contrast to LinkedIn, Facebook is about life and sharing. Plain and simple. I never get that sort of request with Facebook. Sure I have friends writing in Facebook asking me for help on jobs and information. But they never say, I see you have a friend in Facebook who has a friend in Facebook who works at XYZ. You see, people use LinkedIn to supposedly "get ahead" in life when life is really what is happening in Facebook. It is unfortunate that they do not realize that. For them, life is about money. For Facebook people, life is about sharing, collaborating, and socializing.
Perhaps Mark Zuckerberg can join LinkedIn to help all the unemployed corporate types get back on their feet with a job at Facebook or at any other company he decides to develop with all of his money. It might be his way to save face.
<
The USA Today article #1
The USA Today had an article earlier this week on how hotel concierges go the extra mile for customers now in the age of the Internet. And it is true! If you have gone to a good hotel lately, you would see them working hard to find people restaurants, entertainment, places to visit, directions, etc. I know at AERA in Chicago I had them working hard and then again in San Francisco in August with my son. They have resources at their fingertips to help you out. They have contacts to get you in quicker or faster. They have maps to get you there. They know the best times to go, best places to stop on the way or when done, and things to see along the way, etc. See article from I think Tuesday on this:
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20071002/concierge03.art.htm?loc=interstitialskip
Now if one of the roles of an online teacher is to be a concierge for students (and any teacher for that matter), might we begin to see teachers looking more like the concierges at hotels? Should we? Do instructors, teachers, trainers, etc., find us a variety of resources to explore online to quelch our thirst for knowledge? Do they give us choices of maps on how to get there? Do they highlight different routes for our destinations and tell us things we might visit along the way? Do they call ahead and let their online friends know we are coming? Do they reflect for a moment on what you might do when done? Are they there 24 hours a day for still other learning pursuits?
Yes, hotels have got it right--they have someone helping their guest find what they need online when the person needs it. But do schools, universities, and organizations have it right? Do they have someone there for you to stop in and see and make a request for information? And do they even allow it? Many university master's and doctoral programs (including my own) are so prescriptive (you take these classes this semester and these the next one and you fill out these checkboxes and forms and so on), that I wonder when our students have time to be like a guest in a hotel and explore the things that they really want to see during their journey here. And this is for graduate students!!! What happens earlier in life with all the prescriptive worksheets, standardized tests, and other assorted requirements?
Of course, I work at a super fantastic, wonderful program which is rated #1 in all the polls that I ever read I have read 1 or 2 polls). Great people, excellent facilities, and loads of wireless Internet access. I love this place--both university and surrounding community! Still, all programs like the one I am in, from my point of view, need no requirements (or as few as necessary)--just let the students choose their courses and learning pursuits. They can now watch lectures from Berkeley in iTunes or YouTube. See transformative teacher change with technology in TeacherTube. Watch the best of Alan Kaye and many others in educational technology in Google Video. They can converse in discussion threads such as QuickTopic and write collaborative documents in Google Spreadsheets and Documents or Collanos. They can explore keynotes from prior conferences. I stop here (I could write for pages); but the point is that we as instructors need to be concierges more often (perhaps not all the time), and let students browse the learning possibilities in front of them.
Sure, the common lecture is important and I certainly model that type of behavior, but so is exploration, sharing, collaboration, discussion, and engagement in real-life learning. More is more (see one of my earlier posts). We need to push students into the many learning possibilities that are ripe for them now. Concierges sometimes show you things you did not know were available or possible. Teachers as concierges can do the same things. We need to have quick access to such resources, of course, but as this occurs increasingly around the planet, so too will we sense a shift from prescribed learning checkboxes toward more learner designed programs of study. Now the Web of Learning offers this chance to explore and allow teachers to be their tour guides. Don't get me wrong--BOTH lectures and exploration are part of learning. We are shifting to more exploratory opportunities and some simply do not see it or want to admit to it or allow it.
Life, and hence, learning, is a journey; it is not a set of checkboxes, prescriptions, and requirements. The Web opens up so much more possibilities for learning and yet people want to constrain it or require it to be in a certain format for a certain audience.
What about K-12 schools and undergraduate college training? Are K-12 schools and universities set up for instructors to be concierges? As we move to problem-based learning, learning by design, product-based learning, inquiry learning, and so on, the instructor does, in fact, become a tour guide, expedition leader, or concierge. I have told my students that for decades--I am your tour guide, so we will go on a magical journey (while playing the Who's song "Magic Bus"). Well, now we got that Magic Bus. Now we got that Magic Bus!!! "I want it! I want it! I want it!" Won’t that be wild (and a wild bus ride at that) when it gets into the job descriptions and interviews become more performance-based—where the instructor, teacher, or trainer must quickly understand the learner needs and then access them!!!
USA Today article #2.
The USA Today also has a great article on Wednesday on the 23 year old who owns Facebook. Here is a quote from that article: "Facebook could be worth as much as $6 billion today, Bear Stearns (BSC) analyst Robert Peck says. He expects privately held Facebook to post a profit of about $30 million on revenue of $140 million this year, and register a $70 million profit on revenue of $358 million in 2008. He predicts $6 billion in revenue by 2016."
Wouldn’t it be nice to own a company worth perhaps $6 billion at age 23? And to be able to say, no not today Google or Microsoft; come back in a few years when my company is worth 3-4-5 times as much. Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder, is holding off. But when he does cave in, there are many things he can do to save face (pun intended) and contribute to global education, knowledge, open educational resources, and sharing. Let's see if he does like Bill Gates and makes solid attempts to improve the life and educational opportunities of the citizens of this planet. Let's see if he does like John Wood and creates a program like Room to Read. Let's see if he truly has college students (or any students) in his heart when he does sell off. We need the Marks of the world (and all of us) to keep pushing and making our dents in educational reform and opening educational possibilities for the citizens of this planet.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2007-10-02-facebook-suitors_N.htm
The article also talks about a chief competitor to Facebook called LinkedIn. As someone who has been in LinkedIn for a couple of years and Facebook for quite a long time as well, I can say that Facebook is my preference and it is not even close in terms of a comparison of my preferences. The only time I use LinkedIn is when I agree to be a friend with someone who has requested it. There are many reasons for my preference for Facebook. LinkedIn is a corporate tool (I used to be a corporate controller and CPA in a previous life some 20+ years ago--so I understand these suit types).
The other day, I got a phone call as well as an email from someone who was recently umemployed after working at a financial services firm in Phoenix for a couple of years (he had just been promoted by the way--he and nearly 20,000 others were let go it seems). He was applying for a job with a new firm and saw that I was linked to someone who was linked to someone who worked at the firm so he was looking for information to help him with the job. Unfortunately, I never heard of the person. But would I have gotten an email from this person if I was not a potential source of information about a potential job? LinkedIn is part of the corporate culture of jobs, money, consulting gigs, etc. And the resources at LinkedIn are more stale and boring compared to Facebook.
In contrast to LinkedIn, Facebook is about life and sharing. Plain and simple. I never get that sort of request with Facebook. Sure I have friends writing in Facebook asking me for help on jobs and information. But they never say, I see you have a friend in Facebook who has a friend in Facebook who works at XYZ. You see, people use LinkedIn to supposedly "get ahead" in life when life is really what is happening in Facebook. It is unfortunate that they do not realize that. For them, life is about money. For Facebook people, life is about sharing, collaborating, and socializing.
Perhaps Mark Zuckerberg can join LinkedIn to help all the unemployed corporate types get back on their feet with a job at Facebook or at any other company he decides to develop with all of his money. It might be his way to save face.
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Wednesday, 3 October 2007
Kicking Yourself Hard! 20 Years of the Higher Colleges of Technology in the UAE
I finished teaching at 10 pm last night and then I went to my department mailbox since I had not been in my office for a few days. There was a nice FedX package from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In it was 2 copies of a new book called: "20: An Anthology Celebrating the Twentieth Anniversary of the Higher Colleges of Technology," edited by my friend Tayeb A. Kamali. The forward is by Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, who founded the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) 20 years earlier (see http://www.hct.ac.ae/hctweb/index.asp). He is now the chancellor.
I have spoken at various locations of the HCT including Dubai Women's College, Abu Dhabi Men's College, and Dubai Men's College. Great places and great people and oh, the hotels are unbelievably 1st class. Fond memories! So many great audiences there. And many a fast taxi ride from one place to the next but that is another story. Everything is so new in the HCT and in the country! I miss my friends there.
Here is the book:
The UAE is a fantastical type of place. Having been at the e-Merging e-Learning (EMEL) conference a couple of times and also E-ducation Without Borders (EWB), both in Abu Dhabi, I know that the people of the HCT sure know how to coordinate a conference and galas with laser light shows and singing and dancing. More importantly, they also bring world leaders for keynote presentations. I helped run the EMEL conference a couple of times with excellent Tayeb's help, of course.
But last night as I opened the wonderful book they sent and immediately was kicking myself. Back in early August, I got a call from my friend, Paul Mace, in the UAE asking me for a short book chapter for this book. He noted that they were putting together a special 20th anniversary book commemorating their HCT. I got this request while heading out of town for a week with my son for a vacation down the California coast and just after sending in a bunch of AERA proposals. So, seriously, I was sorta tired at the time. Limited time. I initially said "no" and then "yes" (with a few maybe's in between, of course) and sent them an article on the new millennial learning and generations of learners which was being deleted from a book I was working on. Like all academic articles, it had references. However, they did not want articles with references. So I pulled it.
Now I get the book and it has chapters from many people who have visited the UAE for speeches over the past 2 decades including 6 Nobel prize winners and many other famous people including for US President Jimmy Carter, Albert Schweitzer, Kofi Annan, and Sonia Ganhi, etc. My good friend, Jay Cross, from the Internet Time group has an excellent piece in there on "Conversations" (Chapter 12). 64 chapers in the book and mine could have been one of them (well, then it would be 65). Jimmy Carter talks about the Global Challenge in Chapter 32. Tayeb talks about How the HCT was formed in Chapter 4. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan has chapter on how public-private partnerships can be a seedbed to a more grow civil society. Prince Charles (the Prince of Wales) has a short piece for Chapter 42 called "Honoring the Faiths." A. M. Rosendale, former executive editor of the NY Times, discusses the free press and pursuing the truth.
More important than the people is the content. There are chapters on leadership and trust, empowering women, visual thought, the importance of art in society, ending poverty, cultures of creativity, the path of life, waves of change (in particular in the UAE), a girl in Afghanistan, and gathering skills. Amazing stuff. And they do a great job with the book display--fairly short and readable chapters and with pictures of each author. Some 623 pages.
I will never get a chance to write with such people again. Boy I feel dumb now! Kick-kick-kick!!! Ouch! Cannot sleep. I am so stupid!”
Ok, I woke up this morning and found out from Paul Mace that there will be a Volume 2 in the spring that I can write for. And they will be revising Volume #1 in the next few weeks and I could perhaps have an article in there. Choices, choices...but no more kicks. Wow, I get a second chance. Now what to write on? What could I say that could ever approach Jimmy Carter or Kofi Annan? This may take some thinking!!! Perhaps a piece on sharing and open educational resources. Perhaps. It is the most important trend in education since I entered the field more than 20 years ago. Stop kicking, Curt, and start writing.
I have spoken at various locations of the HCT including Dubai Women's College, Abu Dhabi Men's College, and Dubai Men's College. Great places and great people and oh, the hotels are unbelievably 1st class. Fond memories! So many great audiences there. And many a fast taxi ride from one place to the next but that is another story. Everything is so new in the HCT and in the country! I miss my friends there.
Here is the book:
The UAE is a fantastical type of place. Having been at the e-Merging e-Learning (EMEL) conference a couple of times and also E-ducation Without Borders (EWB), both in Abu Dhabi, I know that the people of the HCT sure know how to coordinate a conference and galas with laser light shows and singing and dancing. More importantly, they also bring world leaders for keynote presentations. I helped run the EMEL conference a couple of times with excellent Tayeb's help, of course.
But last night as I opened the wonderful book they sent and immediately was kicking myself. Back in early August, I got a call from my friend, Paul Mace, in the UAE asking me for a short book chapter for this book. He noted that they were putting together a special 20th anniversary book commemorating their HCT. I got this request while heading out of town for a week with my son for a vacation down the California coast and just after sending in a bunch of AERA proposals. So, seriously, I was sorta tired at the time. Limited time. I initially said "no" and then "yes" (with a few maybe's in between, of course) and sent them an article on the new millennial learning and generations of learners which was being deleted from a book I was working on. Like all academic articles, it had references. However, they did not want articles with references. So I pulled it.
Now I get the book and it has chapters from many people who have visited the UAE for speeches over the past 2 decades including 6 Nobel prize winners and many other famous people including for US President Jimmy Carter, Albert Schweitzer, Kofi Annan, and Sonia Ganhi, etc. My good friend, Jay Cross, from the Internet Time group has an excellent piece in there on "Conversations" (Chapter 12). 64 chapers in the book and mine could have been one of them (well, then it would be 65). Jimmy Carter talks about the Global Challenge in Chapter 32. Tayeb talks about How the HCT was formed in Chapter 4. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan has chapter on how public-private partnerships can be a seedbed to a more grow civil society. Prince Charles (the Prince of Wales) has a short piece for Chapter 42 called "Honoring the Faiths." A. M. Rosendale, former executive editor of the NY Times, discusses the free press and pursuing the truth.
More important than the people is the content. There are chapters on leadership and trust, empowering women, visual thought, the importance of art in society, ending poverty, cultures of creativity, the path of life, waves of change (in particular in the UAE), a girl in Afghanistan, and gathering skills. Amazing stuff. And they do a great job with the book display--fairly short and readable chapters and with pictures of each author. Some 623 pages.
I will never get a chance to write with such people again. Boy I feel dumb now! Kick-kick-kick!!! Ouch! Cannot sleep. I am so stupid!”
Ok, I woke up this morning and found out from Paul Mace that there will be a Volume 2 in the spring that I can write for. And they will be revising Volume #1 in the next few weeks and I could perhaps have an article in there. Choices, choices...but no more kicks. Wow, I get a second chance. Now what to write on? What could I say that could ever approach Jimmy Carter or Kofi Annan? This may take some thinking!!! Perhaps a piece on sharing and open educational resources. Perhaps. It is the most important trend in education since I entered the field more than 20 years ago. Stop kicking, Curt, and start writing.
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