News was passed around my department today that Purdue University will soon be announcing a new online master's degree focused on learning design and technology. Apparently, this program has been three years in the making. What I find interesting is the statement that there will be no fundamental difference between the residential and online courses.
No fundamental difference? How can they be so sure--the program has not even started. Humm...all programs say that. But as with any program (live in the classroom or online or blended or videoconferencing or correspondence or whatever), with each teacher, each module, each resource, etc., that is different, the program is, in fact, different. Hec, I have taught a course on instructional strategies for over 20 years and this spring I changed nearly 50 percent of the activities. It was vastly different.
I think such statements are made so as to reduce fears of those enrolling as well as those potentially hiring the graduates of such programs. But, in my mind, if you are really good as an instructor, your class cannot be replicated. Each iteration should be highly unique and special. Those who like vanilla bland, same-same programming (i.e., prepackaged content) will bore students and instructors endlessly.
Perhaps you should read the press release...
Purdue to Launch Online Master's Program, March 20, 2011, News Release, InsideINdianaBusiness.com Report.
I find it interesting that the Inside INdiana Business article is dated March 10, 2011 while the Purdue press release is dates 9 days from now or March 20, 2011. In effect, the news story got out 10 days early it seems. Perhaps they are concerned about the competition--there are many online master's programs in the field of instructional design and educational technology. There are also certificate programs. My program Instructional Systems Technology here at Indiana University in Bloomington has both online certificate as well as master's programs (and perhaps soon an online Ed.D.). Check out the IST Website for distance education courses, requirements, and forms.
As dozens of online master's in educational technology and learning technology spring up around the country and the world, there will be fewer needs for faculty members in my field to be place-based. But why are so many such online programs coming online today? Here are 14 reasons off the top of my head.
1. Keeping Up With the Joneses: To keep up with other programs. If IU does something, often you will see programs at Florida State or the University of Georgia or Missouri (where I was earlier this week), do the same or similar, and vice versa. Most of the prominent educational technology programs now have online master's degrees or at least are contemplating offering such degrees soon.
2. Faculty Interests and Skill Base: These are educatiional technology programs--certainly most faculty in such programs are interested in online learning or have technology skills in this area.
3. Jobs, Jobs, Jobs: As schools, colleges, and universities as well as businesses add online courses and programs, they most certainly need to hire more instructional designers and e-learning specialists. With the recent explosion of online and blended degrees, there are many jobs right now in this field (i.e., the demand). And, as a result, many people want to obtain the skills needed for such jobs (i.e., the supply). For those interested in educational technology job openings, see my ed tech jobs portal which has links to 34 job listing sites in the field.
4. Design, Development, and Deployment Costs: There is not a lot of capital needed to build such programs (compared to science and medical fields).
5. Demand: There is much demand from those working fulltime who are now seeking instructional design or new media skills in their spare time. Coming to campus for a face-to-face experience is not possible.
6. Branding, Recognition, and Recruitment: This is a means to advertise one's doctoral program--offer a certificate online and attract students to the master's...or offer a master's online and attract students to the doctorate. Successful online certificate programs and master's degrees help with the branding of the department or program.
7. Survival of the Fittest: For many programs in educational technology, they would not exist without the online master's or certificate program. Students do not have time for traditional, face-to-face classes. Courses and programs, and faculty within such courses and programs, must be nimble and flexible.
8. Tough Economic Times: Similarly...This is new money! Budgets are tight right now and administrators will take anything that provides a positive cash flow. And many online master's and certificate programs are doing just that today.
9. Campus or Organization Need, Niche, or Service: The online master's or certificate might be a service for other units on campus--i.e., training people who need skills in instructional design and development. It also might be part of a president's or dean's stated mission or state of the university address.
10. Expandable Faculty: With an online master's program, you can recruit clinical faculty from around the world (some famous and some former alumni). With that, you can potentially extend both the reach and reputation of the department.
11. Influence and Footprint: Purdue has great faculty (as do other programs like Michigan State which I reviewed in an earlier blog post) and so it is important to see how far the ideas, skills, and courses of such faculty can extend around this planet. Why not try to influence those thousands of miles away?
12. Template Exists: Once one program goes online, there is a template for how others can replicate and extend such a model.
13. Learner Expectations: At first, our online master's was unusual when it was first offered in the late 1990s. Now it has become the norm. Students simply expect educational technology programs to offer online master's degrees as well as certificates. And they can learn from those students who have successfully transversed through such online courses and programs.
14. Real-World Touch: Master's programs with those working fulltime provides a reality check for one's ideas, cases, and activities. With such students, there is a real world audience built into each course.
There are many types of people in the real world who might sign up. In fact, the INdiana Business article says: "Fields such as education, business, industry, and the military, have a need for effective training and instruction prepared by skilled professionals. Our program incorporates cutting-edge learning theory, educational technology and instructional development in a convenient online delivery method - taught by the same faculty as the on-campus classes."
This is true--there are many audiences for such online programs. I wish my colleagues at Purdue much success. They are great. One must also realize that they were not the first, nor will they be the last to offer such a program. By 2020, hundreds of such master's programs may exist. By 2030, most Ph.D.'s in my field will be online or blended (some FTF mentoring will still be needed at times). And by then, the field will have certainly morphed into something else. That morphing might be coming sooner than most people realize....it could be right around the corner in the next few years. But 20-30 years out is a pretty safe bet. Times will change and so will this field. Which people and places will recognize such and stay ahead of the field?
Those wanting more information can contact Purdue (see website for more details).
Friday, 11 March 2011
Thursday, 17 February 2011
By George, he's Rich: From Connexions to Connectivism and Beyond
Ok, Packers have won the Super Bowl...Cool. Now time to move on to other things...but it takes a few weeks to move on from that huge feat.
Tonight I am sharing...Life is a Breeze (meeting) sometimes...(3-4 years ago Yun Jeong Park and I had an article, "Is Online Life is a Breeze?" The past two nights it was. The World was open and more so!)
You see, I had 2 world famous guest speakers in my online R685 World Is Open (Web 2.0) class this week in Breeze/Adobe Connect Pro:
1. Richard Baraniuk from Connexions at Rice University in Houston (Connexions is like MERLOT only it is a repository; not just a referatory or set of Web links) talk about Open Education (among best talks on Open Education I have seen—he addressed the Creative Commons issue—he takes a very liberal viewpoint and you can watch and understand why.
Note that this was his invited talk at the Educause Learning Initiatives (ELI) conference in DC this week. Good conference--I did it last year in Austin. The ELI conference connects the learning and technology people more tightly than the main annual conference from Educause. Educause, in fact, has many different wonderful conferences. And they stream and save the key talks. In addition, Educause Quarterly and Educause Review are free and open access journals. They also have a great annual report predicting the future of technologies called the Horizon Report which is freely available online (e.g., see the 2011 Horizon Report). So Educause is a key player in this open education world.
Back to Richard Baraniuk...Rich has a popular TED talk from a few years ago. He always has brilliant content and an engaging manner of presenting it. And he just popped into my class and had a go. How cool is that? Rich and I were both master's students at UW Madison in 1987--he in computer science and electrical engineering and me in educational psychology (Rich left for Illinois for his Ph.D. while I stayed on for mine). And both of us freezing our butts off. Henry Jenkins was also in grad school at Madison that at the same time but in yet another department as were my close colleagues, Tom Reynolds, Okhwa Lee, Veronica Acosta, Kim Foreman, and Miheon Jo and many others. It would have been fun for Rich, Henry, myself, and others to meet at the same time then. Some refer to it as the Golden Age at UW-Madison. Perhaps not like what has been happening the past few days in Madison.
Here is his talk from last night (just click and play):
Richard Baraniuk, Rice U, Breeze Meeting on Open Education, Feb 16, 2011: http://breeze.iu.edu/p83518404/
2. George Siemens of Athabasca U in Canada; George is a popular blogger. Famous for his theory called Connectivism which he discusses along with social networking and Learning Analytics. In fact, George has a new course on learning analytics. His Learning and Knowledge Analytics course is open access. See his syllabus. George is a firm believer in open teaching and open access to content. I am trying to do the same by sharing these two talks in my blog for my R685 World is Open/Web 2.0 course (a 51 page syllabus with every article as a hot link).
This was another fascinating talk from George. And with both audio and video. George has generated so much content in such a short period of time, it is difficult to tell you were to start reading all his stuff.
Like Rich, George has a TED talk. His was in New York on April 13, 2010.
Here is his talk tonight (again, just click and play):
George Siemens, Athabasca U, Breeze Meeting on Connectivism and Learning Analytics, Feb 17, 2011: http://breeze.iu.edu/p46919943/
Both Rich and George (tempted to call them Sir Richard and King George given their status in the field) were excellent. Each point made was spot-on brilliant as per usual. And each talk was a new one. We got the first dry run or second one. That is what this open world allows. Each day, each moment in fact, there are thousands, if not millions, of such global interactions with students and experts around the planet. That is one of the key benefits of the Web (or Web of Learning)--we can connect to mentors, tutors, and experts at any time. Each of us can play a major role in creating, facilitating, or simply participating in such global connections and collaborations. Yes, YOU!
I mean, this is what we are alive for--to help the people of this planet see new perspectives. To stand in each other's shoes; even if just for a few fast-fleeting moments or a few minutes. Elevating social cognition and perspective taking is why many of us are in the fields of learning technologies, educational technology, instructional systemes technology, e-learning and distance learning, learning sciences, and educational psychology. That is why I am here.
It was great to hear about Connexions, Collaborations, Creative Commons, Connectivism, and Learning Analytics the past two nights. It is not often that you can invite and bring in two well known people to your class. the past two nights have been such nights. What fun. Thanks Rich and George.
Tonight I am sharing...Life is a Breeze (meeting) sometimes...(3-4 years ago Yun Jeong Park and I had an article, "Is Online Life is a Breeze?" The past two nights it was. The World was open and more so!)
You see, I had 2 world famous guest speakers in my online R685 World Is Open (Web 2.0) class this week in Breeze/Adobe Connect Pro:
1. Richard Baraniuk from Connexions at Rice University in Houston (Connexions is like MERLOT only it is a repository; not just a referatory or set of Web links) talk about Open Education (among best talks on Open Education I have seen—he addressed the Creative Commons issue—he takes a very liberal viewpoint and you can watch and understand why.
Note that this was his invited talk at the Educause Learning Initiatives (ELI) conference in DC this week. Good conference--I did it last year in Austin. The ELI conference connects the learning and technology people more tightly than the main annual conference from Educause. Educause, in fact, has many different wonderful conferences. And they stream and save the key talks. In addition, Educause Quarterly and Educause Review are free and open access journals. They also have a great annual report predicting the future of technologies called the Horizon Report which is freely available online (e.g., see the 2011 Horizon Report). So Educause is a key player in this open education world.
Back to Richard Baraniuk...Rich has a popular TED talk from a few years ago. He always has brilliant content and an engaging manner of presenting it. And he just popped into my class and had a go. How cool is that? Rich and I were both master's students at UW Madison in 1987--he in computer science and electrical engineering and me in educational psychology (Rich left for Illinois for his Ph.D. while I stayed on for mine). And both of us freezing our butts off. Henry Jenkins was also in grad school at Madison that at the same time but in yet another department as were my close colleagues, Tom Reynolds, Okhwa Lee, Veronica Acosta, Kim Foreman, and Miheon Jo and many others. It would have been fun for Rich, Henry, myself, and others to meet at the same time then. Some refer to it as the Golden Age at UW-Madison. Perhaps not like what has been happening the past few days in Madison.
Here is his talk from last night (just click and play):
Richard Baraniuk, Rice U, Breeze Meeting on Open Education, Feb 16, 2011: http://breeze.iu.edu/p83518404/
2. George Siemens of Athabasca U in Canada; George is a popular blogger. Famous for his theory called Connectivism which he discusses along with social networking and Learning Analytics. In fact, George has a new course on learning analytics. His Learning and Knowledge Analytics course is open access. See his syllabus. George is a firm believer in open teaching and open access to content. I am trying to do the same by sharing these two talks in my blog for my R685 World is Open/Web 2.0 course (a 51 page syllabus with every article as a hot link).
This was another fascinating talk from George. And with both audio and video. George has generated so much content in such a short period of time, it is difficult to tell you were to start reading all his stuff.
Like Rich, George has a TED talk. His was in New York on April 13, 2010.
Here is his talk tonight (again, just click and play):
George Siemens, Athabasca U, Breeze Meeting on Connectivism and Learning Analytics, Feb 17, 2011: http://breeze.iu.edu/p46919943/
Both Rich and George (tempted to call them Sir Richard and King George given their status in the field) were excellent. Each point made was spot-on brilliant as per usual. And each talk was a new one. We got the first dry run or second one. That is what this open world allows. Each day, each moment in fact, there are thousands, if not millions, of such global interactions with students and experts around the planet. That is one of the key benefits of the Web (or Web of Learning)--we can connect to mentors, tutors, and experts at any time. Each of us can play a major role in creating, facilitating, or simply participating in such global connections and collaborations. Yes, YOU!
I mean, this is what we are alive for--to help the people of this planet see new perspectives. To stand in each other's shoes; even if just for a few fast-fleeting moments or a few minutes. Elevating social cognition and perspective taking is why many of us are in the fields of learning technologies, educational technology, instructional systemes technology, e-learning and distance learning, learning sciences, and educational psychology. That is why I am here.
It was great to hear about Connexions, Collaborations, Creative Commons, Connectivism, and Learning Analytics the past two nights. It is not often that you can invite and bring in two well known people to your class. the past two nights have been such nights. What fun. Thanks Rich and George.
Monday, 24 January 2011
Memories of the Green Bay Packers at 92 (and in the Super Bowl); Jerry Bonk (dad) at 80; Richard Bonk (bro) at 46; and other cold January news...
Some January news (it is PACKED):
It is January 25th, 2011. I am about to post about news related to my Web course and videos for teaching online and then I remember that the clock has just pushed past midnight. And now it is my brother Richard's 46th birthday. More importantly, it would have been my father's birthday as well. He would have been 80. Dad (Jerry Bonk; also Jerome Anthony Bonk or JABO) died of pancreatic cancer back on July 27, 1995 (the same day that the Korean War Memorial was dedicated in DC....my father fought in the Korean War and my son Alex is from Korea and many of my closest friends are from Korea)...That was 1995, but it seems like just ysterday.
I did not cry much as his funeral as I had to give the eulogy. It was a poem about his life and his grandkids. But I am crying now as I did not realize that it was his 80th bday until a minute ago. A moment of sadness.
My father was a caring, brilliant, and funny person. He worked very hard to raise 5 children. More specifically, he worked for AT&T in Milwaukee his entire life as an engineer and later an accountant (my former profession). He went to night school at Marquette to get his degree. He was happy when I decided to leave West Virginia University in the summer of 1992 and come to Indiana University since the School of Education (where I now work) had significant funding from AT&T to be a demonstration site for technology in education. The building opened up (came on-line) when I arrived in late August 1992. It is still a rather fascinating place in which to work. Now more than 18 years later, it has had some remodeling during the past year to make it even better. It is a fun place to work.
Back to my father...What my dad (Jerry) really liked was football; and the Green Bay Packers were his team (and mine). I am sure he loved the outcome of the Packer-Bears game yesterday (21-14 Packers) from wherever vantagepoint he had. We watched the Pack win the first two Super Bowls in the front room of our house back when I was quite young. And a year or two later, he took me to a game at Milwaukee County Stadium (which was a few miles from our house) in the freezing cold; this was decades ago when they still played in Milwaukee and had Carole Dale at wide receiver, Ray Nitschke (#66) at middle linebacker, and the fantabulous Bart Starr at quarterback. There is no way I could go at such temperatures today--I shake in the cold too much.
Getting tickets was a rarity (it still is, by the way). When we could not get tickets and they were playing in town, my dad (i.e., Jerry) would take me to a pub a few miles west of our house in West Allis, Wisconsin (head down Cleveland Avenue a few blocks and then take a left on National Avenue a few miles over to neighboring New Berlin (where my great uncles once had farms side-by-side). This was way out actually and near the city of Waukesha. It was high up on a hill so that they would get reception). My best friend in the old neighborhood, Mark Perry, read this blog post and just sent me an email. He thinks it was Prospect Hill Tap or Pub and I think he is right (Google says it is at 19745 W National Ave; still there perhaps after all these years and a YouTube video I found has people playing acordians there just like my father would have). Not sure if that is from the pub but you will get a sense of the place. (Thanks Mark...at least your brain cells are still intact unlike mine!)
I remember one game sipping some 7-up or sprite at that pub and a rookie named Travis Williams from Arizona State returned the opening kick-off 87 yards for a touchdown. After three more scores by Green Bay, he repeated the feat again (after the Cleveland Browns had scored) wtih an 85 yard run for a TD. It was 35-7 at the end of the first quarter on way to a 55 to 7 Packer victory. I think that was the first time it ever happened and I was able to see it sitting there in the pub. This was November 12, 1967. Two months and 2 days later, the Packers would beat the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II 33-14 (January 14, 1968). My father was extremely happy with each score.
A few years later, my dad would install his dream...a huge residential TV antenna tower (in cement) so that we could pick up Packer games from across Lake Michigan. This was well before cable TV and now Direct TV. I think my dad would spend a hour or so positioning the antenna in a certain direction to pick up the game. And when he did get it in, it was often quite fuzzy, but we did not mind and would watch it. No high-dev (HD) TV stations back then. To get these games, I think dad would try to get Muskegon, Michigan, though sometimes it was Traverse City (Note: back then the games in Milwaukee were blacked out...they were definitely not on Chicago TV unless it was Da Bears in town). This was such a super structure, my friends and I used to climb on it. I am surprised none of us ever fell off and died. But it was useful for avoiding getting tagged or tackled.
Well, nomatter that silly tower (which by the way, no longer exists), dad would definitely have watched the big game this past Sunday. And he would not have been alone despite the weather outside...my best friends, brothers-in-law, nephews, nieces, and I would have been there to watch it with him. Many of them looked up to him as their surrogate father. Undoubtedly, he would have had a smoke and a beer or two or three or four near the end of it. But he would have been happy and so would all of his kids. A game of pool after? Of course!
It was a quite memorable game. Let's hope that they can beat Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl in two weeks. Happy birthday Jerry Bonk. It is not everyday one turns 80 and your team is headed to the Super Bowl.
And my brother Richard (Bonk) has been texting me all day yesterday and today so I know he is happy too. Happy 46th bday Richard. Perhaps you can once again find some Super Bowl tickets, but this time take me richie Rich.
======================================
...now I should post what I intended to post tonight and go to bed. Ok...my online R685 course this spring on my World is Open book and the Web 2.0 is now 51 pages. My goodness. Everything is a hotlink. Check it out. I mean at 51 pages, can pretty much count on everything to be there. At the same time, in 15-20 months, it will be long past its prime.
There is a tad more news...my department (Instructional Systems Technology) published a news story on my 27 videos on teaching online (e.g., planning for an online coure, using blogging and wikis, giving feedback, handling plagiarism, creating community, etc.). Here it is: IST News, Announcing the V-PORTAL…”Video Primers in an Online Repository for e-Teaching and Learning." IST professor’s Book, School of Education, Indiana University, January 21, 2011.
In addition, my dean's office has decided on a farily liberal Creative Commons license for them…allowing corporate people or anyone to use pieces and remix them (and even sell them). These videos are available under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0.
Remember you can find these videos in a portal from the Instructional Consulting office at IU. They also have links to additional resources, a color PDF copy of the PowerPoint slides used in each of the 27 shows. (Firefox preferred and will play faster).
For faster access, watch them in my TravelEdMan YouTube Channel (use any browser).
==========================
p.s. Happy bday dad and Richard. Despite the cold, it is a wonderful week in which to have a birthday. Go Pack. (Yes, that Brett Farve Vikings jersey is still here but I am not wearing it....not this month or the next one anyway.)
p.s.s. Great quote today from my Dalai Lama daily calendar, "We need to embrace the oneness of humanity and show concern for everyone--not just my family or my country or my continent." (so I guess that means I can like the Indy Colts as well as the Packers...and perhaps even the Vikings when Farve is playing.)
It is January 25th, 2011. I am about to post about news related to my Web course and videos for teaching online and then I remember that the clock has just pushed past midnight. And now it is my brother Richard's 46th birthday. More importantly, it would have been my father's birthday as well. He would have been 80. Dad (Jerry Bonk; also Jerome Anthony Bonk or JABO) died of pancreatic cancer back on July 27, 1995 (the same day that the Korean War Memorial was dedicated in DC....my father fought in the Korean War and my son Alex is from Korea and many of my closest friends are from Korea)...That was 1995, but it seems like just ysterday.
I did not cry much as his funeral as I had to give the eulogy. It was a poem about his life and his grandkids. But I am crying now as I did not realize that it was his 80th bday until a minute ago. A moment of sadness.
My father was a caring, brilliant, and funny person. He worked very hard to raise 5 children. More specifically, he worked for AT&T in Milwaukee his entire life as an engineer and later an accountant (my former profession). He went to night school at Marquette to get his degree. He was happy when I decided to leave West Virginia University in the summer of 1992 and come to Indiana University since the School of Education (where I now work) had significant funding from AT&T to be a demonstration site for technology in education. The building opened up (came on-line) when I arrived in late August 1992. It is still a rather fascinating place in which to work. Now more than 18 years later, it has had some remodeling during the past year to make it even better. It is a fun place to work.
Back to my father...What my dad (Jerry) really liked was football; and the Green Bay Packers were his team (and mine). I am sure he loved the outcome of the Packer-Bears game yesterday (21-14 Packers) from wherever vantagepoint he had. We watched the Pack win the first two Super Bowls in the front room of our house back when I was quite young. And a year or two later, he took me to a game at Milwaukee County Stadium (which was a few miles from our house) in the freezing cold; this was decades ago when they still played in Milwaukee and had Carole Dale at wide receiver, Ray Nitschke (#66) at middle linebacker, and the fantabulous Bart Starr at quarterback. There is no way I could go at such temperatures today--I shake in the cold too much.
Getting tickets was a rarity (it still is, by the way). When we could not get tickets and they were playing in town, my dad (i.e., Jerry) would take me to a pub a few miles west of our house in West Allis, Wisconsin (head down Cleveland Avenue a few blocks and then take a left on National Avenue a few miles over to neighboring New Berlin (where my great uncles once had farms side-by-side). This was way out actually and near the city of Waukesha. It was high up on a hill so that they would get reception). My best friend in the old neighborhood, Mark Perry, read this blog post and just sent me an email. He thinks it was Prospect Hill Tap or Pub and I think he is right (Google says it is at 19745 W National Ave; still there perhaps after all these years and a YouTube video I found has people playing acordians there just like my father would have). Not sure if that is from the pub but you will get a sense of the place. (Thanks Mark...at least your brain cells are still intact unlike mine!)
I remember one game sipping some 7-up or sprite at that pub and a rookie named Travis Williams from Arizona State returned the opening kick-off 87 yards for a touchdown. After three more scores by Green Bay, he repeated the feat again (after the Cleveland Browns had scored) wtih an 85 yard run for a TD. It was 35-7 at the end of the first quarter on way to a 55 to 7 Packer victory. I think that was the first time it ever happened and I was able to see it sitting there in the pub. This was November 12, 1967. Two months and 2 days later, the Packers would beat the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II 33-14 (January 14, 1968). My father was extremely happy with each score.
A few years later, my dad would install his dream...a huge residential TV antenna tower (in cement) so that we could pick up Packer games from across Lake Michigan. This was well before cable TV and now Direct TV. I think my dad would spend a hour or so positioning the antenna in a certain direction to pick up the game. And when he did get it in, it was often quite fuzzy, but we did not mind and would watch it. No high-dev (HD) TV stations back then. To get these games, I think dad would try to get Muskegon, Michigan, though sometimes it was Traverse City (Note: back then the games in Milwaukee were blacked out...they were definitely not on Chicago TV unless it was Da Bears in town). This was such a super structure, my friends and I used to climb on it. I am surprised none of us ever fell off and died. But it was useful for avoiding getting tagged or tackled.
Well, nomatter that silly tower (which by the way, no longer exists), dad would definitely have watched the big game this past Sunday. And he would not have been alone despite the weather outside...my best friends, brothers-in-law, nephews, nieces, and I would have been there to watch it with him. Many of them looked up to him as their surrogate father. Undoubtedly, he would have had a smoke and a beer or two or three or four near the end of it. But he would have been happy and so would all of his kids. A game of pool after? Of course!
It was a quite memorable game. Let's hope that they can beat Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl in two weeks. Happy birthday Jerry Bonk. It is not everyday one turns 80 and your team is headed to the Super Bowl.
And my brother Richard (Bonk) has been texting me all day yesterday and today so I know he is happy too. Happy 46th bday Richard. Perhaps you can once again find some Super Bowl tickets, but this time take me richie Rich.
======================================
...now I should post what I intended to post tonight and go to bed. Ok...my online R685 course this spring on my World is Open book and the Web 2.0 is now 51 pages. My goodness. Everything is a hotlink. Check it out. I mean at 51 pages, can pretty much count on everything to be there. At the same time, in 15-20 months, it will be long past its prime.
There is a tad more news...my department (Instructional Systems Technology) published a news story on my 27 videos on teaching online (e.g., planning for an online coure, using blogging and wikis, giving feedback, handling plagiarism, creating community, etc.). Here it is: IST News, Announcing the V-PORTAL…”Video Primers in an Online Repository for e-Teaching and Learning." IST professor’s Book, School of Education, Indiana University, January 21, 2011.
In addition, my dean's office has decided on a farily liberal Creative Commons license for them…allowing corporate people or anyone to use pieces and remix them (and even sell them). These videos are available under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0.
Remember you can find these videos in a portal from the Instructional Consulting office at IU. They also have links to additional resources, a color PDF copy of the PowerPoint slides used in each of the 27 shows. (Firefox preferred and will play faster).
For faster access, watch them in my TravelEdMan YouTube Channel (use any browser).
==========================
p.s. Happy bday dad and Richard. Despite the cold, it is a wonderful week in which to have a birthday. Go Pack. (Yes, that Brett Farve Vikings jersey is still here but I am not wearing it....not this month or the next one anyway.)
p.s.s. Great quote today from my Dalai Lama daily calendar, "We need to embrace the oneness of humanity and show concern for everyone--not just my family or my country or my continent." (so I guess that means I can like the Indy Colts as well as the Packers...and perhaps even the Vikings when Farve is playing.)
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
Global Learn Call for Papers Extended to Jan 31, Upcoming Global TIME (virtual in Feb), & E-Learn in October in Hawaii
Good news. Global Learn Call for Papers was just extended from today to January 31st. Global Learn: Global Conference on Learning and Technology will be held in Melbourne March 28-April 1, 2011. It will be in the Sebel Albert Park, Melbourne. Looks like a nice hotel with pretty good rates ($133/night + tax USD and $153/night + tax Aussie dollars).
The GL 2010 conference was in Penang, Malaysia last May. It was the best conference I have attended in many years...it did not hurt to be held along the beach and have luscious views at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and each evening. So many great friends and colleagues were there. And there were superb keynote and invited speakers each day. Unlike most conferences I go to, I attended sessions throughout the day...every day (despite sitting at the beach most nights till 3 am sipping beers and listening to music...often with the likes of Tom Reynolds (from National U in San Diego who was on Fulbright in Columbia), Paul Kim (Stanford), Grace Lin, Curtis Ho, and many others (from the U of Hawaii--the largest conference contingent), Ke Zhang (Wayne State who was on sabbatical in China), Okhwa Lee (from Chungbuk National in Korea), Siew-Mee and Greg Barton (from Deakin and Monash Uni's in Melbourne), Marc Curcher (Dubai Men's College), Dorit Maor (Murdock U in Perth...she was my former visiting scholar), Katsuaki Suzuki (Japan), Thanomporn (Toh) Laohajaratsang (from Chang Mai U in Thailand...another former visiting scholar of mine from this past fall here at IU), Daniel Tan (NTU in Singapore) as well as his assistant Shirlene Tang, Abtar Kaur and Zoraini Wati Abas (from the Open U of Malaysia in KL...Zoraini really was the force that enabled this conference to happen), Teh Chiew Lan (from Penang, Malaysia), Elaine Khoo (from the U of Waikato in New Zealand), John Hedberg (from Macquarie Uni in Sydney), Insung Jung (International Christian U in Tokyo) and her husband Illja Rha (from Seoul National University in Korea...and many of his students), Mona Masood (former student of mine now in Malaysia), Joe Luca (Edith Cowan in Perth), Yayoi Anzai (Japan), Jake Enfield (good ol' IU), and many others...apologies to those not mentioned here or that I forgot). You can see that people came from all over the world. My IST doctoral student, Jake Enfield, went and presented 3 times and was a major star.
As you can see, I highly recommend it. What an event! New conferences are places where you can make the most impact and extend your social network well beyond anything you might imagine. Of course, Dr. Gary Marks and his team from AACE also made Global Learn in Penang last year in May a great conference experience. They have much experience with running such conferences and it showed. Love the conference bag by the way! I still use it. I get 20-30 such bags a year and only keep 1 at most and this was the one for 2010. Lovely! I also picked up two tailored suits that were shipped home--one blue and one white. The white one I had made 1 hour before departing...best suit I have...now that was close. Greg and Siew-Mee Barton must have bought 2-3 each and took all their friends to the same shop.
So these are the reasons why I highly recommend Global Learn this year in Melbourne. Excellent presentations, great views, lovely conference bags, cheap shopping (at least in Penang), plenty of night life, wonderful breakfast and lunch conversations, constant interactions and rest when needed, etc. And you meet international experts (and stars) in e-learning and technology in training and education. The keynote and invited speakers for GL 2011 should be posted in the next few days (I know since I am on the organizing committee and help found the conference along with many others). Perhaps I will see a couple of you there! For future reference, this conference will be held each year in Asia or the Pacific Rim (from Turkey and the UAE in the west to Taiwan and Japan in the east and from India, Australia, and New Zealand in the south to Russia and Mongolia in north). If you live in that huge region of the world, perhaps you can nominate one of your countries in the future and then help out.
Part of the Mission statement is: "The mission of Global Learn Asia Pacific conferences and events is to further the advancement and innovation in learning and technology. As the educational world becomes increasingly global, new ways to explore, learn, and share knowledge are needed. Global Learn serves as a means to connect and engage creative educators, researchers, consultants, training managers, policy makers, curriculum developers, entrepreneurs, and others in the topics and fields in which they are passionate." Read more about the mission and audience as well as the extremely current and cool list of conference topics. Are you an educational entrepreneur, head of a government agency, filmographer, educational consultant, instructional design specialist, flexible learning consultant, educational philanthropist, training director, e-learning director or evaluator, etc.? If so, I hope to see you at Global Learn in Melbourne. Again see the mission statement for additional potential audiences for this special conference.
I should point out that Global Learn is an AACE (the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) conference just like Ed Media (June 27-July 1, 2011 in Portugal), SITE (March 7-11, 2011 in Nashville), E-Learn, and now Global TIME (to be held next month for the first time—virtually). See all AACE conferences.
By the way, the International E-Learn Conference for 2011 is in Hawaii in October (Oct. 17-21) and the call for papers is due April 22. I am chair of the E-Learn exec committee one last year and happy to help you out in any way I can. The conference hotel is beautiful and looks over Waikiki beach (assuming it is the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel again). I have attended Ed Media twice there (2003 and 2009) and E-Learn once (2006) and loved each one. Though in 2006 we experienced 2 early morning monster earthquakes around 6.7 and 6.0 (7 minutes later) on the Richter scale and hotel swayed a bit and we had to present in the dark that day...but the food was very cheap and plentiful for the next 2 days. Smile.
Again, I hope to see many of you in Melbourne...and if you are going, drop me a note. My friends Dr. Siew-Mee Barton (from Deakin University) and Dr. Greg Barton (from Monash University) are helping with the conference and will try to arrange a wine tasting social before or after the conference. And the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Melbourne in late March 2011 will be next to the conference hotel just prior to the start of Global Learn, so get there early if you can (March 24-27th next to Albert Park). Vroom...vroom.
You have till January 31st, 2011 to get your papers in! Just do it. Here are the forms for the final call for papers!
The GL 2010 conference was in Penang, Malaysia last May. It was the best conference I have attended in many years...it did not hurt to be held along the beach and have luscious views at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and each evening. So many great friends and colleagues were there. And there were superb keynote and invited speakers each day. Unlike most conferences I go to, I attended sessions throughout the day...every day (despite sitting at the beach most nights till 3 am sipping beers and listening to music...often with the likes of Tom Reynolds (from National U in San Diego who was on Fulbright in Columbia), Paul Kim (Stanford), Grace Lin, Curtis Ho, and many others (from the U of Hawaii--the largest conference contingent), Ke Zhang (Wayne State who was on sabbatical in China), Okhwa Lee (from Chungbuk National in Korea), Siew-Mee and Greg Barton (from Deakin and Monash Uni's in Melbourne), Marc Curcher (Dubai Men's College), Dorit Maor (Murdock U in Perth...she was my former visiting scholar), Katsuaki Suzuki (Japan), Thanomporn (Toh) Laohajaratsang (from Chang Mai U in Thailand...another former visiting scholar of mine from this past fall here at IU), Daniel Tan (NTU in Singapore) as well as his assistant Shirlene Tang, Abtar Kaur and Zoraini Wati Abas (from the Open U of Malaysia in KL...Zoraini really was the force that enabled this conference to happen), Teh Chiew Lan (from Penang, Malaysia), Elaine Khoo (from the U of Waikato in New Zealand), John Hedberg (from Macquarie Uni in Sydney), Insung Jung (International Christian U in Tokyo) and her husband Illja Rha (from Seoul National University in Korea...and many of his students), Mona Masood (former student of mine now in Malaysia), Joe Luca (Edith Cowan in Perth), Yayoi Anzai (Japan), Jake Enfield (good ol' IU), and many others...apologies to those not mentioned here or that I forgot). You can see that people came from all over the world. My IST doctoral student, Jake Enfield, went and presented 3 times and was a major star.
As you can see, I highly recommend it. What an event! New conferences are places where you can make the most impact and extend your social network well beyond anything you might imagine. Of course, Dr. Gary Marks and his team from AACE also made Global Learn in Penang last year in May a great conference experience. They have much experience with running such conferences and it showed. Love the conference bag by the way! I still use it. I get 20-30 such bags a year and only keep 1 at most and this was the one for 2010. Lovely! I also picked up two tailored suits that were shipped home--one blue and one white. The white one I had made 1 hour before departing...best suit I have...now that was close. Greg and Siew-Mee Barton must have bought 2-3 each and took all their friends to the same shop.
So these are the reasons why I highly recommend Global Learn this year in Melbourne. Excellent presentations, great views, lovely conference bags, cheap shopping (at least in Penang), plenty of night life, wonderful breakfast and lunch conversations, constant interactions and rest when needed, etc. And you meet international experts (and stars) in e-learning and technology in training and education. The keynote and invited speakers for GL 2011 should be posted in the next few days (I know since I am on the organizing committee and help found the conference along with many others). Perhaps I will see a couple of you there! For future reference, this conference will be held each year in Asia or the Pacific Rim (from Turkey and the UAE in the west to Taiwan and Japan in the east and from India, Australia, and New Zealand in the south to Russia and Mongolia in north). If you live in that huge region of the world, perhaps you can nominate one of your countries in the future and then help out.
Part of the Mission statement is: "The mission of Global Learn Asia Pacific conferences and events is to further the advancement and innovation in learning and technology. As the educational world becomes increasingly global, new ways to explore, learn, and share knowledge are needed. Global Learn serves as a means to connect and engage creative educators, researchers, consultants, training managers, policy makers, curriculum developers, entrepreneurs, and others in the topics and fields in which they are passionate." Read more about the mission and audience as well as the extremely current and cool list of conference topics. Are you an educational entrepreneur, head of a government agency, filmographer, educational consultant, instructional design specialist, flexible learning consultant, educational philanthropist, training director, e-learning director or evaluator, etc.? If so, I hope to see you at Global Learn in Melbourne. Again see the mission statement for additional potential audiences for this special conference.
I should point out that Global Learn is an AACE (the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) conference just like Ed Media (June 27-July 1, 2011 in Portugal), SITE (March 7-11, 2011 in Nashville), E-Learn, and now Global TIME (to be held next month for the first time—virtually). See all AACE conferences.
By the way, the International E-Learn Conference for 2011 is in Hawaii in October (Oct. 17-21) and the call for papers is due April 22. I am chair of the E-Learn exec committee one last year and happy to help you out in any way I can. The conference hotel is beautiful and looks over Waikiki beach (assuming it is the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel again). I have attended Ed Media twice there (2003 and 2009) and E-Learn once (2006) and loved each one. Though in 2006 we experienced 2 early morning monster earthquakes around 6.7 and 6.0 (7 minutes later) on the Richter scale and hotel swayed a bit and we had to present in the dark that day...but the food was very cheap and plentiful for the next 2 days. Smile.
Again, I hope to see many of you in Melbourne...and if you are going, drop me a note. My friends Dr. Siew-Mee Barton (from Deakin University) and Dr. Greg Barton (from Monash University) are helping with the conference and will try to arrange a wine tasting social before or after the conference. And the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Melbourne in late March 2011 will be next to the conference hotel just prior to the start of Global Learn, so get there early if you can (March 24-27th next to Albert Park). Vroom...vroom.
You have till January 31st, 2011 to get your papers in! Just do it. Here are the forms for the final call for papers!
Friday, 26 November 2010
Announcing the "V-PORTAL": Video Primers in an Online Repository for e-Teaching and Learning...
The V-PORTAL…“Video Primers in an Online Repository for e-Teaching and Learning”
...A month ago, I mentioned that I would have (what I think is...) a major announcement soon. Well, I finally found the time to post this. Are you primed for it? I hope so! Here it is...
During the past year, in collaboration with the Instructional Consulting office and the Instructional Systems Technology (IST) Department in the School of Education at Indiana University, I have designed and produced a series of 27 brief (7-10 minute) videos related to teaching online. This video (or video podcast) series, “Video Primers in an Online Repository for e-Teaching and Learning” (V-PORTAL), covers topics for both novice and more expert online instructors and educators. Those watching them can learn how to engage learners with Web 2.0 technologies, build instructor presence, prepare highly interactive and relevant online activities, access free and open course resources, plan for the future of e-learning, and much more. See below for links as well as show descriptions.
Links to the “V-PORTAL”:
1. Watch the Videos & Find Resources (Firefox preferred): IU School of Ed Instructional Consulting Office): http://www.indiana.edu/~icy/media/de_series.html
In addition to links to these 27 videos, the above link includes additional Web resources, color PDFs of Dr. Bonk PowerPoint slides, and a feedback form for each of the 27 shows. This is the main V-PORTAL site.
2. For faster access, watch in Bonk’s YouTube Channel (use any browser): http://www.youtube.com/user/TravelinEdMan
This second Website above was created for those wanting to quickly access the videos in YouTube and perhaps jump around between them. Try it out! Hundreds of people already have.
List of 27 videos:
1. Planning an Online Course
2. Managing an Online Course: General
3. Managing an Online Course: Discussion Forums
4. Providing Feedback
5. Reducing Plagiarism
6. Building Community
7. Building Instructor and Social Presence
8. Online Relationships: Student-Student, Student-Instructor, Student-Practitioner, Student-Self
9. Fostering Online Collaboration/Teaming
10. Finding Quality Supplemental Materials
11. Blended Learning: General
12. Blended Learning: Implementation
13. Blended Learning: The Future
14. Online Writing and Reflection Activities
15. Online Visual Learning
16. Using Existing Online Video Resources
17. Webinars and Webcasts
18. Podcasting Uses and Applications
19. Wiki Uses and Applications
20. Blog Uses and Applications
21. Collaborative Tool Uses and Applications
22. Hands-On/Experiential Learning
23. Coordinating Online Project, Problem, and Product-Based Learning
24. Global Connections and Collaborations
25. Assessing Student Online Learning
26. Ending, Archiving, Updating, and Reusing an Online Course
27. Trends on the Horizon
Production Note: These 27 video primers were designed and produced during the fall of 2009 and on into much of 2010. They were finalized and announced in October 2010.
3. Alternative Access Site:
My friends at Kind Khalid University (KKU) in Abha, Saudi Arabia are translating to Arabic. They already have a site in English. See link below.
King Khalid University (KKU), Abha, Saudi Arabia; E-Learning at KKU: http://elc.kku.edu.sa/en; see videos: http://elc.kku.edu.sa/en/27-videos-for-teaching-online
I hope that there will be more such alternative access sites (e.g., in Chinese, Malay, Korean, Spanish, German, Canadian, etc.) in the coming years. Sending a big smile to those I know in Alberta, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland.
Who might use? How might you use these videos?
There are many intended audiences for these videos as well as many possible uses. Whether you are interested in emerging technologies or innovative pedagogies, I hope that you find something of value in this video primer series. What's more, you can watch them on the Web for free from anywhere in the world. You can view them while sitting at home in your pajamas and fuzzy slippers while sipping some hot chocolate, eating lunch at your office desk, or relaxing at a mountain or lakeside retreat. Each lesson is delivered to you in 10 minutes or less.
Those seeking additional information or some personalization regarding the content of these videos can always send me a request--as the host and developer of all 27 shows--to give you and your staff a personal overview of any of these topics. Such a session might be live or online. In addition, I am always happy to send any articles I have written (see my open access publications) or recommend others you might read. You might find many free articles and other resources in my 43 page R685 course syllabus “World is Open with Web Technology” (i.e., a course on the Web 2.0) this fall; everything is a hot link. One might also explore the "Free Stuff" at my World is Open book Website.
Back to the videos…For those simply glancing at a few of these videos and then discussing some of the content within your respective institution or organization, I believe that your instructors, instructional designers, and administrators will be better prepared for the highly interesting and complex world of online teaching and learning. Enjoy these free video primers in the V-PORTAL. I know of no other set of such videos at this moment in time….though I could be wrong.
You might give certificates out to teachers or trainers who watch and reflect on how they might use ideas found in each one of them. Some other potential uses of these video primers are listed below.
Ten Ways to Use:
1. Instructor Training: present videos to online instructors for reflection.
2. Workshops: the 27 video primers might be embedded in brief or extended workshop.
3. Certification: design activities related to the videos as part of a larger training program.
4. Student Courses: videos could be used as supplements to course readings related to new or emerging technologies, online teaching and learning, and blended learning.
5. Personal Exploration: dig into an area of interest.
6. Discussion: present a video for 10 minutes followed by 5-10 minutes or more of discussion or reflection activities.
7. Debates: these resources might jump-start debates on new courses, programs, or initiatives.
8. Strategic Planning: these videos might be used to highlight new directions or potential areas related to online learning that a department, program, school, university, corporation, or organization might head.
9. Retreats: the contents of the V-PORTAL might find its way into faculty or administrator retreats.
10. Accomplishments/Strengths and Challenges/Weaknesses: organizations and institutions might compare the ideas in these videos to accomplishments or areas of strength as well as pending challenges or weaknesses that are in need of further development.
These possible uses are listed at my talk description site: http://www.trainingshare.com/keynotes.php#tasel.
Those wanting more ideas on how to use shared online video for instruction might read this paper that I wrote two years ago. This article details the theory from educational psychology behind the use of video anchors in instruction while also laying out 20 ways that they might be used from instructor-centered and learner-centered pedagogical approaches.
Bonk, C. J. (2008, March). YouTube anchors and enders: The use of shared online video content as a macrocontext for learning. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) 2008 Annual Meeting, New York, NY.
Or this one from last year:
Bonk, C. J. (2009, October 5). Using Shared Online Video to Anchor Instruction: YouTube and Beyond, Faculty Focus, Magna Publications, Madison, WI.
If you are really enamored with shared online video like the V-PORTAL, I also have created a portal of more than 50 shared online video portals and resources. As you can see, I am quite excited by the use of online video in instruction.
Final side notes:
I hope that people find these video primers valuable. Each one begins with a commentary from me and then I fade into the right hand corner of the screen in a picture-in-picture presentation mode. I had a high definition camera in the room which utilized a Tandberg lecture capturing video system. Using file compression, the Tandberg system produced three different quality files--low, medium, and high resolution.
Each video pod was shot without direct editing, other than my assistant, Jake Enfield (a doctoral student in my program), adding the starting and ending screens and chopping off the extraneous beginnings and endings. For some videos, support people in the instructional consulting office at IU had to make adjustments to better sync my audio/voice with the videos. They also reviewed numerous takes of many of the video pods to help me select the right one. In effect, there were many people hours spent here for which I am highly appreciative. Still considering all the content, it was a fairly low budget, but highly effective. A great team! As noted below, there was some frustration at times, but we survived.
There is much content in the 27 shows. It took a long time to create them (1 year). It was like writing a book. So, yes, I am very glad to be done. Many days of filming…some with rolling brownouts and room temperatures of over 100 and others when I had the flu and a personal temperature of well over 100. Still other days I was losing my voice. But all-in-all, I think you will like the final product. As you will notice, I wear 27 different shirts and ties in these 27 different shoes; most of them are Jerry Garcia ties.
Ok, now, it's time to be primed...explore them, enjoy them, and perhaps expand on them.
Recap and Reminder: The V-PORTAL: Video Primers in an Online Repository for e-Teaching and Learning (Reminder of the 2 main sites): 1. more comprehensive site from IU Instructional Consulting Office with additional Web resources; or 2. the faster playing YouTube site that I created.
Important Acknowledgment: I want to acknowledge and publicly express thanks to the School of Education at Indiana University in Bloomington which funded this highly valuable and momentous production effort. In particular, the IU School of Education Instructional Consulting office and the Instructional Systems Technology (IST) Department played key roles in their planning, generation, and dissemination.
Permissions Note: You have permission to make a Web link to these videos, share information about these contents with others, or translate the contents to another language, as long as the contents (i.e., the movies) included here are used for non-profit educational purposes. As a courtesy to the Indiana University School of Education and myself (Dr. Curt Bonk, the host of the 27 video primers), please send me an e-mail at (cjbonk at indiana dot edu) or to the Instructional Consulting office in the IU School of Education at "ic@indiana.edu" to let us know how you are using these learning resources (i.e., the intended purpose). You might also state who is using them. Thank you.
...A month ago, I mentioned that I would have (what I think is...) a major announcement soon. Well, I finally found the time to post this. Are you primed for it? I hope so! Here it is...
During the past year, in collaboration with the Instructional Consulting office and the Instructional Systems Technology (IST) Department in the School of Education at Indiana University, I have designed and produced a series of 27 brief (7-10 minute) videos related to teaching online. This video (or video podcast) series, “Video Primers in an Online Repository for e-Teaching and Learning” (V-PORTAL), covers topics for both novice and more expert online instructors and educators. Those watching them can learn how to engage learners with Web 2.0 technologies, build instructor presence, prepare highly interactive and relevant online activities, access free and open course resources, plan for the future of e-learning, and much more. See below for links as well as show descriptions.
Links to the “V-PORTAL”:
1. Watch the Videos & Find Resources (Firefox preferred): IU School of Ed Instructional Consulting Office): http://www.indiana.edu/~icy/media/de_series.html
In addition to links to these 27 videos, the above link includes additional Web resources, color PDFs of Dr. Bonk PowerPoint slides, and a feedback form for each of the 27 shows. This is the main V-PORTAL site.
2. For faster access, watch in Bonk’s YouTube Channel (use any browser): http://www.youtube.com/user/TravelinEdMan
This second Website above was created for those wanting to quickly access the videos in YouTube and perhaps jump around between them. Try it out! Hundreds of people already have.
List of 27 videos:
1. Planning an Online Course
2. Managing an Online Course: General
3. Managing an Online Course: Discussion Forums
4. Providing Feedback
5. Reducing Plagiarism
6. Building Community
7. Building Instructor and Social Presence
8. Online Relationships: Student-Student, Student-Instructor, Student-Practitioner, Student-Self
9. Fostering Online Collaboration/Teaming
10. Finding Quality Supplemental Materials
11. Blended Learning: General
12. Blended Learning: Implementation
13. Blended Learning: The Future
14. Online Writing and Reflection Activities
15. Online Visual Learning
16. Using Existing Online Video Resources
17. Webinars and Webcasts
18. Podcasting Uses and Applications
19. Wiki Uses and Applications
20. Blog Uses and Applications
21. Collaborative Tool Uses and Applications
22. Hands-On/Experiential Learning
23. Coordinating Online Project, Problem, and Product-Based Learning
24. Global Connections and Collaborations
25. Assessing Student Online Learning
26. Ending, Archiving, Updating, and Reusing an Online Course
27. Trends on the Horizon
Production Note: These 27 video primers were designed and produced during the fall of 2009 and on into much of 2010. They were finalized and announced in October 2010.
3. Alternative Access Site:
My friends at Kind Khalid University (KKU) in Abha, Saudi Arabia are translating to Arabic. They already have a site in English. See link below.
King Khalid University (KKU), Abha, Saudi Arabia; E-Learning at KKU: http://elc.kku.edu.sa/en; see videos: http://elc.kku.edu.sa/en/27-videos-for-teaching-online
I hope that there will be more such alternative access sites (e.g., in Chinese, Malay, Korean, Spanish, German, Canadian, etc.) in the coming years. Sending a big smile to those I know in Alberta, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland.
Who might use? How might you use these videos?
There are many intended audiences for these videos as well as many possible uses. Whether you are interested in emerging technologies or innovative pedagogies, I hope that you find something of value in this video primer series. What's more, you can watch them on the Web for free from anywhere in the world. You can view them while sitting at home in your pajamas and fuzzy slippers while sipping some hot chocolate, eating lunch at your office desk, or relaxing at a mountain or lakeside retreat. Each lesson is delivered to you in 10 minutes or less.
Those seeking additional information or some personalization regarding the content of these videos can always send me a request--as the host and developer of all 27 shows--to give you and your staff a personal overview of any of these topics. Such a session might be live or online. In addition, I am always happy to send any articles I have written (see my open access publications) or recommend others you might read. You might find many free articles and other resources in my 43 page R685 course syllabus “World is Open with Web Technology” (i.e., a course on the Web 2.0) this fall; everything is a hot link. One might also explore the "Free Stuff" at my World is Open book Website.
Back to the videos…For those simply glancing at a few of these videos and then discussing some of the content within your respective institution or organization, I believe that your instructors, instructional designers, and administrators will be better prepared for the highly interesting and complex world of online teaching and learning. Enjoy these free video primers in the V-PORTAL. I know of no other set of such videos at this moment in time….though I could be wrong.
You might give certificates out to teachers or trainers who watch and reflect on how they might use ideas found in each one of them. Some other potential uses of these video primers are listed below.
Ten Ways to Use:
1. Instructor Training: present videos to online instructors for reflection.
2. Workshops: the 27 video primers might be embedded in brief or extended workshop.
3. Certification: design activities related to the videos as part of a larger training program.
4. Student Courses: videos could be used as supplements to course readings related to new or emerging technologies, online teaching and learning, and blended learning.
5. Personal Exploration: dig into an area of interest.
6. Discussion: present a video for 10 minutes followed by 5-10 minutes or more of discussion or reflection activities.
7. Debates: these resources might jump-start debates on new courses, programs, or initiatives.
8. Strategic Planning: these videos might be used to highlight new directions or potential areas related to online learning that a department, program, school, university, corporation, or organization might head.
9. Retreats: the contents of the V-PORTAL might find its way into faculty or administrator retreats.
10. Accomplishments/Strengths and Challenges/Weaknesses: organizations and institutions might compare the ideas in these videos to accomplishments or areas of strength as well as pending challenges or weaknesses that are in need of further development.
These possible uses are listed at my talk description site: http://www.trainingshare.com/keynotes.php#tasel.
Those wanting more ideas on how to use shared online video for instruction might read this paper that I wrote two years ago. This article details the theory from educational psychology behind the use of video anchors in instruction while also laying out 20 ways that they might be used from instructor-centered and learner-centered pedagogical approaches.
Bonk, C. J. (2008, March). YouTube anchors and enders: The use of shared online video content as a macrocontext for learning. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) 2008 Annual Meeting, New York, NY.
Or this one from last year:
Bonk, C. J. (2009, October 5). Using Shared Online Video to Anchor Instruction: YouTube and Beyond, Faculty Focus, Magna Publications, Madison, WI.
If you are really enamored with shared online video like the V-PORTAL, I also have created a portal of more than 50 shared online video portals and resources. As you can see, I am quite excited by the use of online video in instruction.
Final side notes:
I hope that people find these video primers valuable. Each one begins with a commentary from me and then I fade into the right hand corner of the screen in a picture-in-picture presentation mode. I had a high definition camera in the room which utilized a Tandberg lecture capturing video system. Using file compression, the Tandberg system produced three different quality files--low, medium, and high resolution.
Each video pod was shot without direct editing, other than my assistant, Jake Enfield (a doctoral student in my program), adding the starting and ending screens and chopping off the extraneous beginnings and endings. For some videos, support people in the instructional consulting office at IU had to make adjustments to better sync my audio/voice with the videos. They also reviewed numerous takes of many of the video pods to help me select the right one. In effect, there were many people hours spent here for which I am highly appreciative. Still considering all the content, it was a fairly low budget, but highly effective. A great team! As noted below, there was some frustration at times, but we survived.
There is much content in the 27 shows. It took a long time to create them (1 year). It was like writing a book. So, yes, I am very glad to be done. Many days of filming…some with rolling brownouts and room temperatures of over 100 and others when I had the flu and a personal temperature of well over 100. Still other days I was losing my voice. But all-in-all, I think you will like the final product. As you will notice, I wear 27 different shirts and ties in these 27 different shoes; most of them are Jerry Garcia ties.
Ok, now, it's time to be primed...explore them, enjoy them, and perhaps expand on them.
Recap and Reminder: The V-PORTAL: Video Primers in an Online Repository for e-Teaching and Learning (Reminder of the 2 main sites): 1. more comprehensive site from IU Instructional Consulting Office with additional Web resources; or 2. the faster playing YouTube site that I created.
Important Acknowledgment: I want to acknowledge and publicly express thanks to the School of Education at Indiana University in Bloomington which funded this highly valuable and momentous production effort. In particular, the IU School of Education Instructional Consulting office and the Instructional Systems Technology (IST) Department played key roles in their planning, generation, and dissemination.
Permissions Note: You have permission to make a Web link to these videos, share information about these contents with others, or translate the contents to another language, as long as the contents (i.e., the movies) included here are used for non-profit educational purposes. As a courtesy to the Indiana University School of Education and myself (Dr. Curt Bonk, the host of the 27 video primers), please send me an e-mail at (cjbonk at indiana dot edu) or to the Instructional Consulting office in the IU School of Education at "ic@indiana.edu" to let us know how you are using these learning resources (i.e., the intended purpose). You might also state who is using them. Thank you.
Thursday, 18 November 2010
November Rain?...This year, it is more of a flood of ed tech-related articles...some say 19; I say 20...you count.
Twenty Educational Technology-related Articles…from November 2010.
Introductory Statement for November Rain Blog Post: It's raining ed tech articles. Yes, once again, it is hard to keep up with all the news related to emerging technologies. Frustration kicks in. But will you kick back? I hope so. Now, for those 20 articles...
1. Want to know the state of online learning in K-12 education in the USA? Here is a brief summary of the highlights from this report.
Growth of online instruction continues, though unevenly, Staff Report, eSchool News, November 16, 2010.
2. Want more info? Here is the full K-12 online learning report filled with useful data and interesting charts. Long report at 150 pages but many useful visuals.
Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning: An Annual Review of Policy and Practice, Written by John Watson, Amy Murin, Lauren Vashaw, Butch Gemin, and Chris Rapp and colleagues at Evergreen Education Group, November 2010.
3. Want to know the state of online learning in higher education in the USA? Here is a brief summary of the findings.
Enrollment in Online Courses Increases at the Highest Rate Ever, Travis Kaya, Chronicle of Higher Education, November 16, 2010.
4. What more info from that report? Ok, here is the full report. It is not too long—30 pages. Good stuff in here. Many useful charts. I have been sharing them with my students and colleagues the past couple of days.
Class Differences: Online Education in the United States, 2010, I. Elaine Allen and Jeff Seaman, The Sloan Consortium, November 2010.
5. Are you interested in how the for-profit companies like Kaplan, ITT, and the University of Phoenix are responding to politicians and educators about things like student funding, quality, job placements and graduation rates, etc.? Well, not all that is in the next article. Sorry about that...but it is a start.
Kaplan's CEO Faces Tough Questions From Public-University Leaders, Paul Fain, Chronicle of Higher Education, November 16, 2010.
6. Here’s a recent article about an online learning research study at the University of Florida from the New York Times that I disagree with (and that had been reported earlier in eSchool News and the Chronicle of Higher Education) and wrote to the authors about. I think there was a one point difference between students who came to live lectures and those who only watched the videos. There were differences in the Hispanic population, however. But keep in mind that many of whom lacked quality access. It is difficult for me to get too excited about such individual studies like this when there are huge meta-analyses (albeit with problems) that show the opposite.
Live vs. Distance Learning: Measuring the Differences, Trip Gabriel, New York Times, November 5, 2010.
7. Interested in creativity coming from Korea like the new Galaxy Tab from Samsung? Or just interested in Korea like me? Read on.
Samsung cranks up creativity as it focuses on mobile Net, Roger Yu, USA Today, November 16, 2010.
8. Interested in the life of someone who writes papers for students so that they do not have to? Totally fascinating article. I loved reading this one and so too did my son Alex…a real eye opener! Much honesty in it--how professional writers help students cheat. The most popular article in the Chronicle of Higher Education this week. The author made $66,000 of income so far this year writing student term papers and master’s theses. True. And he is coming out of the closet with this article…well not quite…his true identity is not revealed.
The Shadow Scholar: The man who writes your students' papers tells his story, Ed Dante, Chronicle of Higher Education, November 12, 2010.
9. And interesting and spot on article is “Voodoo Education.” I think this article is nearly as important as the previous one--Trent Batson (whose work I have been reading for more than 2 decades—a technology and writing guru) discusses how teaching in higher education must begin to change and how the Web 2.0 can help. I appreciate that he refers to writing research from the 1980s (which is the stuff I was writing and reading about for my dissertation).
Voodoo Education: Why Are We Still in Its Spell, by Trent Batson, Campus Technology, November 17, 2010.
10. Not interested in Voodoo Education? Perhaps you are interested in Twitter use by age, gender, education, etc.? If so, this one’s for you.
Who are All of These Tweeple? By Brian Solis, November 10, 2010.
11. Or perhaps you are interested in how baby boomers are using social networking and other emerging technologies. CBS News and the USA Today have had a special this week on some of that.
Boomers Joining Social Media at Record Rate, Joshua Norman, CBS News, November 15, 2010.
12. Interested in the different ways the USA Today presents data on Baby Boomers—interactives, videos, pictures, articles, etc. See link below. Online news is no longer just text! Check this out.
Many articles and embedded videos in this special issue: Senior boom amid economic bust, Rick Hampson, USA TODAY, November 15, 2010.
13. How about the explosion of digital textbooks….is it a passing fad? Read this one.
As Textbooks Go DigitalCampus Bookstores May Go Bookless, Jeffrey R. Young, Chronicle of Higher Education, November 14, 2010.
14. Interested in color e-book readers that function a tad more like an iPhone than the Kindle? How about the new Nook from Barnes and Noble? Try this article from the USA Today earlier today…(which is yesterday by the time I actually post this).
New Nook Color is a page-turner with novel features, Edward C. Baig, USA Today, November 18, 2010.
15. Was FarmVille a pasing fad? Apparently, not. See this one also from the USA Today today. CityVille and FrontierVille are among us it seems…
Zynga sees new 'CityVille' building on 'FarmVille' success, Jon Swartz, USA Today, November 18, 2010.
16. Apparently, Facebook is adding features that add to functionality. The Empire called Facebook is now doing battle with the big boys…Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, etc.
Facebook Messages puts texts, chats, e-mails in one in-box, Edward C. Baig and Jon Swartz, USA Today, November 16, 2010.
Those wanting to hear from Zuckerberg himself might listen to this "Web 2.0 Summit 2010: Mark Zuckerberg, "A Conversation with Mark Zuckerberg"" that was posted to YouTube. Posted on November 17th (2 days ago), this video already has 133,000 viewers. It is 106 minutes long but it apparently has a redundant 10 minute part. A different version of this session is 56 minutes long and was just posted. The recent Web 2.0 Summit looks cool but I cannot afford ($4,000+ registration is a tad beyond my budget for conferences, but perhaps I should do it one time and see what it is like).
Participants in this video include:
1. Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook),
2. Tim O'Reilly; his bio (O'Reilly Media, Inc.),
3. John Battelle (Federated Media Publishing),
"A Conversation with Mark Zuckerberg"
17. So the secrets of Rosetta Stone are revealed. I had predicted its demise without Web premise (due to competition from resources like ChinesePod, LiveMocha, and Babbel). Just having airport kiosk and CD presence is no longer enough. But a bright CEO is leading to many useful changes and much growth at Rosetta Stone.
Rosetta Stone CEO wants to teach the world to talk, Charisse Jones, USA Today, November 8, 2010.
18. Then there are new applications for the iPad and iPhone for those who love music. First it was the flute and trombone, and now it is the fiddle.
Smule adds Magic Fiddle to its Ocarina and Magic Piano apps, Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY, November 10, 2010.
19. Ok, who is interested in Gesture-based learning? And what gesture are you making at me?
Gesture-Based Learning, Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - November 17, 2010.
#647 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology. 55,195 Readers, The MASIE Center. Host: Video for Learning LAB & Seminar – January
20. For those who think that November is nuts with educational technology news, remember September and October were just as crazy. The Chronicle of Higher Education, in fact, ended October with a special report on the state of online learning. Many articles were in it including one filled with numbers.
Online Learning, Chronicle of Higher Education, Oct 31, 2010. (Online Learning: By the Numbers).
Recap: Well, that is 20 articles for you to peruse from November (ok, 19, with the 20th one from October 31st). Still, as you can see, it is a month with much happening. Much promise. Much excitement. And despite a criticism or controversy here or there, there can be no mistake that there is no turning back. No, none at all. Happy browsing and reading.
November Rain Blog Post Postscript....
Anita Vyas, a doc student from the Instructional Technology program at the University of Houston (one of my favorite stops), commented that I really only had 19 articles from November and one from the end of October. She is right. She recommended I add the following one to my list. This article discusses a new platform to make e-books more social--sharing snippets, ratings, comments, etc., with friends, perhaps in Facebook or Twitter.
21. Social Books Hopes to Make E-Reading Communa, Jenna Wortham, New York Times, November 11, 2010.
There is a company called "Rethink Books" that appears to be laying the groundwork for this area. Their "About" says: "We love books. And people. So we decided to bring the two together in new and engaging ways. We are passionate about the opportunity for new media technologies to provide a more dynamic reading experience. Books are as much about community as they are about content. So we develop software for consumers and tools for authors and publishers to build that community. By increasing the interaction between readers, authors, publishers, agents, and friends, more books get read and shared and we all win." This reminds me of LibraryThing for some reason.
Again, thanks to Anita for that "November Rain" Blog Post addition. Now let me add another short learning technology-related article, thereby getting me to 22 (or 21, depending on how you count, or if you are counting at all):
22. Interesting news…See below from the Wired Chronicle of HE today. Looks like USC is on the uptick--it plans to create an Open Lab on Future of Digital Media. How cool is that? Way cool I think! Henry Jenkins moved from MIT to USC last year and is bringing in some funding/monies (most likely for things like emerging media studies, social networking/digital media research, teen identity issues, interdisciplinary studies, participatory learning (Web 2.0), privacy issues, applications of existing media over technology development, etc.). Research that people like Mimi Ito and dana boyd do.
Southern Cal to Open Lab on Future of Digital Media, Wired Chronicle of Higher Education, Josh Keller, Chronicle of Higher Education, November 18, 2010.
Those wondering how I keep up with the educational technology, learning technology, new media, and online learning news, should read my blog post from last month. "Going Techno-Bonkers: 18+ (6-6-6) Ways Slightly Crazy People Keep Up With Online Learning and Technology Trends."
Any more rain coming? I hope not.
Introductory Statement for November Rain Blog Post: It's raining ed tech articles. Yes, once again, it is hard to keep up with all the news related to emerging technologies. Frustration kicks in. But will you kick back? I hope so. Now, for those 20 articles...
1. Want to know the state of online learning in K-12 education in the USA? Here is a brief summary of the highlights from this report.
Growth of online instruction continues, though unevenly, Staff Report, eSchool News, November 16, 2010.
2. Want more info? Here is the full K-12 online learning report filled with useful data and interesting charts. Long report at 150 pages but many useful visuals.
Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning: An Annual Review of Policy and Practice, Written by John Watson, Amy Murin, Lauren Vashaw, Butch Gemin, and Chris Rapp and colleagues at Evergreen Education Group, November 2010.
3. Want to know the state of online learning in higher education in the USA? Here is a brief summary of the findings.
Enrollment in Online Courses Increases at the Highest Rate Ever, Travis Kaya, Chronicle of Higher Education, November 16, 2010.
4. What more info from that report? Ok, here is the full report. It is not too long—30 pages. Good stuff in here. Many useful charts. I have been sharing them with my students and colleagues the past couple of days.
Class Differences: Online Education in the United States, 2010, I. Elaine Allen and Jeff Seaman, The Sloan Consortium, November 2010.
5. Are you interested in how the for-profit companies like Kaplan, ITT, and the University of Phoenix are responding to politicians and educators about things like student funding, quality, job placements and graduation rates, etc.? Well, not all that is in the next article. Sorry about that...but it is a start.
Kaplan's CEO Faces Tough Questions From Public-University Leaders, Paul Fain, Chronicle of Higher Education, November 16, 2010.
6. Here’s a recent article about an online learning research study at the University of Florida from the New York Times that I disagree with (and that had been reported earlier in eSchool News and the Chronicle of Higher Education) and wrote to the authors about. I think there was a one point difference between students who came to live lectures and those who only watched the videos. There were differences in the Hispanic population, however. But keep in mind that many of whom lacked quality access. It is difficult for me to get too excited about such individual studies like this when there are huge meta-analyses (albeit with problems) that show the opposite.
Live vs. Distance Learning: Measuring the Differences, Trip Gabriel, New York Times, November 5, 2010.
7. Interested in creativity coming from Korea like the new Galaxy Tab from Samsung? Or just interested in Korea like me? Read on.
Samsung cranks up creativity as it focuses on mobile Net, Roger Yu, USA Today, November 16, 2010.
8. Interested in the life of someone who writes papers for students so that they do not have to? Totally fascinating article. I loved reading this one and so too did my son Alex…a real eye opener! Much honesty in it--how professional writers help students cheat. The most popular article in the Chronicle of Higher Education this week. The author made $66,000 of income so far this year writing student term papers and master’s theses. True. And he is coming out of the closet with this article…well not quite…his true identity is not revealed.
The Shadow Scholar: The man who writes your students' papers tells his story, Ed Dante, Chronicle of Higher Education, November 12, 2010.
9. And interesting and spot on article is “Voodoo Education.” I think this article is nearly as important as the previous one--Trent Batson (whose work I have been reading for more than 2 decades—a technology and writing guru) discusses how teaching in higher education must begin to change and how the Web 2.0 can help. I appreciate that he refers to writing research from the 1980s (which is the stuff I was writing and reading about for my dissertation).
Voodoo Education: Why Are We Still in Its Spell, by Trent Batson, Campus Technology, November 17, 2010.
10. Not interested in Voodoo Education? Perhaps you are interested in Twitter use by age, gender, education, etc.? If so, this one’s for you.
Who are All of These Tweeple? By Brian Solis, November 10, 2010.
11. Or perhaps you are interested in how baby boomers are using social networking and other emerging technologies. CBS News and the USA Today have had a special this week on some of that.
Boomers Joining Social Media at Record Rate, Joshua Norman, CBS News, November 15, 2010.
12. Interested in the different ways the USA Today presents data on Baby Boomers—interactives, videos, pictures, articles, etc. See link below. Online news is no longer just text! Check this out.
Many articles and embedded videos in this special issue: Senior boom amid economic bust, Rick Hampson, USA TODAY, November 15, 2010.
13. How about the explosion of digital textbooks….is it a passing fad? Read this one.
As Textbooks Go DigitalCampus Bookstores May Go Bookless, Jeffrey R. Young, Chronicle of Higher Education, November 14, 2010.
14. Interested in color e-book readers that function a tad more like an iPhone than the Kindle? How about the new Nook from Barnes and Noble? Try this article from the USA Today earlier today…(which is yesterday by the time I actually post this).
New Nook Color is a page-turner with novel features, Edward C. Baig, USA Today, November 18, 2010.
15. Was FarmVille a pasing fad? Apparently, not. See this one also from the USA Today today. CityVille and FrontierVille are among us it seems…
Zynga sees new 'CityVille' building on 'FarmVille' success, Jon Swartz, USA Today, November 18, 2010.
16. Apparently, Facebook is adding features that add to functionality. The Empire called Facebook is now doing battle with the big boys…Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, etc.
Facebook Messages puts texts, chats, e-mails in one in-box, Edward C. Baig and Jon Swartz, USA Today, November 16, 2010.
Those wanting to hear from Zuckerberg himself might listen to this "Web 2.0 Summit 2010: Mark Zuckerberg, "A Conversation with Mark Zuckerberg"" that was posted to YouTube. Posted on November 17th (2 days ago), this video already has 133,000 viewers. It is 106 minutes long but it apparently has a redundant 10 minute part. A different version of this session is 56 minutes long and was just posted. The recent Web 2.0 Summit looks cool but I cannot afford ($4,000+ registration is a tad beyond my budget for conferences, but perhaps I should do it one time and see what it is like).
Participants in this video include:
1. Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook),
2. Tim O'Reilly; his bio (O'Reilly Media, Inc.),
3. John Battelle (Federated Media Publishing),
"A Conversation with Mark Zuckerberg"
17. So the secrets of Rosetta Stone are revealed. I had predicted its demise without Web premise (due to competition from resources like ChinesePod, LiveMocha, and Babbel). Just having airport kiosk and CD presence is no longer enough. But a bright CEO is leading to many useful changes and much growth at Rosetta Stone.
Rosetta Stone CEO wants to teach the world to talk, Charisse Jones, USA Today, November 8, 2010.
18. Then there are new applications for the iPad and iPhone for those who love music. First it was the flute and trombone, and now it is the fiddle.
Smule adds Magic Fiddle to its Ocarina and Magic Piano apps, Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY, November 10, 2010.
19. Ok, who is interested in Gesture-based learning? And what gesture are you making at me?
Gesture-Based Learning, Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - November 17, 2010.
#647 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology. 55,195 Readers, The MASIE Center. Host: Video for Learning LAB & Seminar – January
20. For those who think that November is nuts with educational technology news, remember September and October were just as crazy. The Chronicle of Higher Education, in fact, ended October with a special report on the state of online learning. Many articles were in it including one filled with numbers.
Online Learning, Chronicle of Higher Education, Oct 31, 2010. (Online Learning: By the Numbers).
Recap: Well, that is 20 articles for you to peruse from November (ok, 19, with the 20th one from October 31st). Still, as you can see, it is a month with much happening. Much promise. Much excitement. And despite a criticism or controversy here or there, there can be no mistake that there is no turning back. No, none at all. Happy browsing and reading.
November Rain Blog Post Postscript....
Anita Vyas, a doc student from the Instructional Technology program at the University of Houston (one of my favorite stops), commented that I really only had 19 articles from November and one from the end of October. She is right. She recommended I add the following one to my list. This article discusses a new platform to make e-books more social--sharing snippets, ratings, comments, etc., with friends, perhaps in Facebook or Twitter.
21. Social Books Hopes to Make E-Reading Communa, Jenna Wortham, New York Times, November 11, 2010.
There is a company called "Rethink Books" that appears to be laying the groundwork for this area. Their "About" says: "We love books. And people. So we decided to bring the two together in new and engaging ways. We are passionate about the opportunity for new media technologies to provide a more dynamic reading experience. Books are as much about community as they are about content. So we develop software for consumers and tools for authors and publishers to build that community. By increasing the interaction between readers, authors, publishers, agents, and friends, more books get read and shared and we all win." This reminds me of LibraryThing for some reason.
Again, thanks to Anita for that "November Rain" Blog Post addition. Now let me add another short learning technology-related article, thereby getting me to 22 (or 21, depending on how you count, or if you are counting at all):
22. Interesting news…See below from the Wired Chronicle of HE today. Looks like USC is on the uptick--it plans to create an Open Lab on Future of Digital Media. How cool is that? Way cool I think! Henry Jenkins moved from MIT to USC last year and is bringing in some funding/monies (most likely for things like emerging media studies, social networking/digital media research, teen identity issues, interdisciplinary studies, participatory learning (Web 2.0), privacy issues, applications of existing media over technology development, etc.). Research that people like Mimi Ito and dana boyd do.
Southern Cal to Open Lab on Future of Digital Media, Wired Chronicle of Higher Education, Josh Keller, Chronicle of Higher Education, November 18, 2010.
Those wondering how I keep up with the educational technology, learning technology, new media, and online learning news, should read my blog post from last month. "Going Techno-Bonkers: 18+ (6-6-6) Ways Slightly Crazy People Keep Up With Online Learning and Technology Trends."
Any more rain coming? I hope not.
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
The Question of Convergence vs. Personalization and Other Recent Talks, Events, and Activities
Context: I get many emails each day asking my opinion on technology and learning trends. Such requests have come more often since my World is Open book came out last year.
This morning, Dr. Julie Giuliani, Dean of External Affairs, Technology Strategy and Innovation Open Campus, Florida State College at Jacksonville, asked me the following questions this morning:
Question: "I’ve been gathering trend prediction information from the Gartner Group. One of the predictable trends that you mentioned in your book was the idea of convergence of technology. According to the latest research, personalized technology is a more predominant theme. Any comments????"
(Note: I normally do not post my responses, but since I have not blogged in a month, it is time. I do plan for a much more major blog announcement in the next day or 2 so stay tuned.)
My response: Convergence makes sense since it allows us to more seamlessly enter and move back and forth between the world of education--professional life...and the world of entertainment/family/culture--personal life. And those 2 worlds, in effect, become one world called living.
Also less to tote around with convergence. Greater accessibility to learning content that one can manipulate.
The emphasis on personalized learning makes this both more important and more apparent. Are we there yet? No....not even close to personalized learning environments. Are we going to get there in 2 years? No. 5 years? Closer. 10 years? Closer still. I think we are at least 10 years from the idealized worlds of PLEs that we hear about with access to life portfolios and ones likes and dislikes and learning preferences and so on. perhaps 15 or 20. Why do I say this? PLEs was a theme in the UK 4 years ago when I was there. Have we made much progress since then? I think not.
So convergence (technology side) will happen quicker than personalization (pedagogy/learning side). Are you surprised by that? I am not. The money side is on technology today. Eventually, companies will see 7 or 8 billion people who need a personalized learning platform and then they will design one. I think governments and non profits might have a huge say in this as well. And then some teenage kid will design something that we all have been asking for.
Ok, enough predictions for now. Just thought I would share it. On to other things.
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New Conference Keynotes: Saw Thomas Friedman speak at Indiana University (IU) Auditorium on Thursday night November 4th. He was great. Both my son, Alex Bonk, and I enjoyed it a lot. Friedman got me thinking about new keynotes I might create as did Paul Kim from Stanford last month in Orlando at the E-learn conference. I got back from Kentucky Convergence 2010 keynote just in time for Friedman's talk. I was hoping to chat with him after but he was fully booked it seems.
Below are my three of most recent keynotes. The first one I gave back in September for students in the educational technology at Hanyang Cyber University in Seoul, Korea (high res, medium res, low res; and the color PDF of my slides. The second one I have last week in Kentucky Conference 2010 conference (click here for a color PDF of my keynote and my 2-part masterclass workshop on blended learning and shared online video immediately after). The third one I will give tonight to people at the Northern Territories E-Learning Event in Darwin, Australia (Click here for a color PDF of my slides for tonight). I will be coming in 3 hours from now via Elluminate from my home office. Cool.
1. "E-Learning Past, Present, and Future: The Players, the Projects, and the Untold Possibilities"
Abstract: E-learning has exploded in every aspect our lives during the past decade. This explosion, however, comes on the heels of decades of experimentations with learning technologies to deliver education to the masses. Radio, television, correspondence, audiotapes, computer-assisted instruction, and many other delivery formats have had their day. Many of those promoting such technologies had visions of teaching and learning in the twenty-first century. And many of their visions are now coming true. This talk will reveal some of the past of e-learning while positioning us in the present with dozens of interesting and exciting examples of what is possible today. Naturally, it will end with a discussion of the future and what technologies to be on the lookout for. Across the past, present, and future of e-learning, Dr. Bonk will capture your imaginations with stories of people who were the builders of this new age of learning. We may be members of the "Learning Century" now, but it took the monumental efforts of hundreds of key players in thousands of interesting projects to open the learning world that when convergence strikes will bring us millions of exciting learning possibilities across the globe. This talk will highlight dozens of the key players, including some household names and others you will now appreciate. What’s more, anyone in the audience has the chance to join their ranks and change the world.
2. “I am Not Content: The Future of Education Must Come Today”
Abstract. Look left, look right, look back, and then look dead-on straight ahead…what do you see? Of course, the air is filled with e-learning opportunities as well as talk of educational transformation. So much news. So much progress. Each second of the day, dozens of learners discover shiny learning nuggets previous unknown. Each week, thousands of schools, universities, corporations, and government offices announce strategic plans for e-learning. Every month, hundreds of new online courses, programs, and certificates are offered. Year after year, research reports and meta-analyses indicate that there are undeniable positive benefits of online teaching and learning. The world of technology-enhanced learning, is looking up, up, up. But wait a minute. It is no time to be content. It is not time to relax and just let the “inevitable” future unfold in front of our eyes. No! We must all jump in and help build the changes we want to see. Besides, there are hundreds of millions of people who cannot wait. They need access to a more free and open education today--one with high quality content, interactive and engaging tasks, and motivating technology use. This is a land of where nature (i.e., technology) meets nurture (i.e., pedagogy). It is time you joined in to build the future. Those attending this talk should be cautioned to check their hearts and credits cards at the door since this will be an emotionally-packed talk intended to make you act.
3. "Stretching the Edges of Technology-Enhanced Training: From Tinkering to Tottering to Totally Extreme Learning"
Abstract. Some insist. Some resist. Others persist. Such is state of online learning today. But what is highly resistible for some is often passionately irresistible for others. Many are content to tinker with blended forms of learning. They dip their toes into the technology change movement by embedding shared online videos, simulations, timelines, collaborative groups, and open access articles in their courses. Others enter deeper waters and push toward the edges of what is possible. Their classes are teeter-tottering on the brink of transformation. Such instructors hand over the keys to their learners and let them drive for a bit. These risk taking instructors might enjoy reading a learner-designed wikibook, listening to a student generated podcast show, or watching the results of an international video competition. And then there are those who find themselves at the extreme edges of this learning planet. They might tap into virtual explorers, artists, archeologists, and adventurers to excite their learners. It is in such courses that scientific discoveries appear live. Mobile, virtual, and telepresence technologies become the new norm. It is time to stretch toward the edges of learning from those of us tinkering on the shores to those whose learning approaches are tottering in new directions and even landing in totally extreme or alien lands. This talk will showcase examples from all three worlds—the world of the tinkerer, the totterer, and the totally extreme. Which world will you find yourself?
All my talk descriptions are posted online.
Recent Radio Interview: In addition to the new keynotes, I was recently on the radio. On November 1st, I was interviewed for the show, New Horizons with Bob Kustra, President, Boise State University. I had a blast. So much fun to be on Bob's show. He had recently mentioned my World is Open book in his state of the University address. So this was sorta like a follow-up. And, accordingly, the topic was “The World Is Open: How Web Technology is Revolutionizing Education,” Boise State Public Radio (KBSX 91.5).
The show aired on November 5 and 7, 2010. I think it sounded pretty darn good. Bob is a great interviewer and the show is thoughtfully arranged by his producer, Janelle Brown. That is a wondrous combination. Needless to say, I had a lot of fun as I tend to do on radio. Perhaps have a listen. It is a 30 minute show. I think it is 13-14 megs so it will not take too long to download.
Available: http://boisestatepublicradio.org/newhorizons/NH10.11.05.mp3
Hope you enjoy the radio show. And I hope the talk goes well tonight to Australia. More soon.
This morning, Dr. Julie Giuliani, Dean of External Affairs, Technology Strategy and Innovation Open Campus, Florida State College at Jacksonville, asked me the following questions this morning:
Question: "I’ve been gathering trend prediction information from the Gartner Group. One of the predictable trends that you mentioned in your book was the idea of convergence of technology. According to the latest research, personalized technology is a more predominant theme. Any comments????"
(Note: I normally do not post my responses, but since I have not blogged in a month, it is time. I do plan for a much more major blog announcement in the next day or 2 so stay tuned.)
My response: Convergence makes sense since it allows us to more seamlessly enter and move back and forth between the world of education--professional life...and the world of entertainment/family/culture--personal life. And those 2 worlds, in effect, become one world called living.
Also less to tote around with convergence. Greater accessibility to learning content that one can manipulate.
The emphasis on personalized learning makes this both more important and more apparent. Are we there yet? No....not even close to personalized learning environments. Are we going to get there in 2 years? No. 5 years? Closer. 10 years? Closer still. I think we are at least 10 years from the idealized worlds of PLEs that we hear about with access to life portfolios and ones likes and dislikes and learning preferences and so on. perhaps 15 or 20. Why do I say this? PLEs was a theme in the UK 4 years ago when I was there. Have we made much progress since then? I think not.
So convergence (technology side) will happen quicker than personalization (pedagogy/learning side). Are you surprised by that? I am not. The money side is on technology today. Eventually, companies will see 7 or 8 billion people who need a personalized learning platform and then they will design one. I think governments and non profits might have a huge say in this as well. And then some teenage kid will design something that we all have been asking for.
Ok, enough predictions for now. Just thought I would share it. On to other things.
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New Conference Keynotes: Saw Thomas Friedman speak at Indiana University (IU) Auditorium on Thursday night November 4th. He was great. Both my son, Alex Bonk, and I enjoyed it a lot. Friedman got me thinking about new keynotes I might create as did Paul Kim from Stanford last month in Orlando at the E-learn conference. I got back from Kentucky Convergence 2010 keynote just in time for Friedman's talk. I was hoping to chat with him after but he was fully booked it seems.
Below are my three of most recent keynotes. The first one I gave back in September for students in the educational technology at Hanyang Cyber University in Seoul, Korea (high res, medium res, low res; and the color PDF of my slides. The second one I have last week in Kentucky Conference 2010 conference (click here for a color PDF of my keynote and my 2-part masterclass workshop on blended learning and shared online video immediately after). The third one I will give tonight to people at the Northern Territories E-Learning Event in Darwin, Australia (Click here for a color PDF of my slides for tonight). I will be coming in 3 hours from now via Elluminate from my home office. Cool.
1. "E-Learning Past, Present, and Future: The Players, the Projects, and the Untold Possibilities"
Abstract: E-learning has exploded in every aspect our lives during the past decade. This explosion, however, comes on the heels of decades of experimentations with learning technologies to deliver education to the masses. Radio, television, correspondence, audiotapes, computer-assisted instruction, and many other delivery formats have had their day. Many of those promoting such technologies had visions of teaching and learning in the twenty-first century. And many of their visions are now coming true. This talk will reveal some of the past of e-learning while positioning us in the present with dozens of interesting and exciting examples of what is possible today. Naturally, it will end with a discussion of the future and what technologies to be on the lookout for. Across the past, present, and future of e-learning, Dr. Bonk will capture your imaginations with stories of people who were the builders of this new age of learning. We may be members of the "Learning Century" now, but it took the monumental efforts of hundreds of key players in thousands of interesting projects to open the learning world that when convergence strikes will bring us millions of exciting learning possibilities across the globe. This talk will highlight dozens of the key players, including some household names and others you will now appreciate. What’s more, anyone in the audience has the chance to join their ranks and change the world.
2. “I am Not Content: The Future of Education Must Come Today”
Abstract. Look left, look right, look back, and then look dead-on straight ahead…what do you see? Of course, the air is filled with e-learning opportunities as well as talk of educational transformation. So much news. So much progress. Each second of the day, dozens of learners discover shiny learning nuggets previous unknown. Each week, thousands of schools, universities, corporations, and government offices announce strategic plans for e-learning. Every month, hundreds of new online courses, programs, and certificates are offered. Year after year, research reports and meta-analyses indicate that there are undeniable positive benefits of online teaching and learning. The world of technology-enhanced learning, is looking up, up, up. But wait a minute. It is no time to be content. It is not time to relax and just let the “inevitable” future unfold in front of our eyes. No! We must all jump in and help build the changes we want to see. Besides, there are hundreds of millions of people who cannot wait. They need access to a more free and open education today--one with high quality content, interactive and engaging tasks, and motivating technology use. This is a land of where nature (i.e., technology) meets nurture (i.e., pedagogy). It is time you joined in to build the future. Those attending this talk should be cautioned to check their hearts and credits cards at the door since this will be an emotionally-packed talk intended to make you act.
3. "Stretching the Edges of Technology-Enhanced Training: From Tinkering to Tottering to Totally Extreme Learning"
Abstract. Some insist. Some resist. Others persist. Such is state of online learning today. But what is highly resistible for some is often passionately irresistible for others. Many are content to tinker with blended forms of learning. They dip their toes into the technology change movement by embedding shared online videos, simulations, timelines, collaborative groups, and open access articles in their courses. Others enter deeper waters and push toward the edges of what is possible. Their classes are teeter-tottering on the brink of transformation. Such instructors hand over the keys to their learners and let them drive for a bit. These risk taking instructors might enjoy reading a learner-designed wikibook, listening to a student generated podcast show, or watching the results of an international video competition. And then there are those who find themselves at the extreme edges of this learning planet. They might tap into virtual explorers, artists, archeologists, and adventurers to excite their learners. It is in such courses that scientific discoveries appear live. Mobile, virtual, and telepresence technologies become the new norm. It is time to stretch toward the edges of learning from those of us tinkering on the shores to those whose learning approaches are tottering in new directions and even landing in totally extreme or alien lands. This talk will showcase examples from all three worlds—the world of the tinkerer, the totterer, and the totally extreme. Which world will you find yourself?
All my talk descriptions are posted online.
Recent Radio Interview: In addition to the new keynotes, I was recently on the radio. On November 1st, I was interviewed for the show, New Horizons with Bob Kustra, President, Boise State University. I had a blast. So much fun to be on Bob's show. He had recently mentioned my World is Open book in his state of the University address. So this was sorta like a follow-up. And, accordingly, the topic was “The World Is Open: How Web Technology is Revolutionizing Education,” Boise State Public Radio (KBSX 91.5).
The show aired on November 5 and 7, 2010. I think it sounded pretty darn good. Bob is a great interviewer and the show is thoughtfully arranged by his producer, Janelle Brown. That is a wondrous combination. Needless to say, I had a lot of fun as I tend to do on radio. Perhaps have a listen. It is a 30 minute show. I think it is 13-14 megs so it will not take too long to download.
Available: http://boisestatepublicradio.org/newhorizons/NH10.11.05.mp3
Hope you enjoy the radio show. And I hope the talk goes well tonight to Australia. More soon.
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