Saylor.org: zero-cost alternative to higher education
Another initiative (US-based, non-profit) to provide alternatives to universities, based around Open CourseWare. Saylor covers a good range of course areas, though “while we may try to obtain accreditation in the future, at present, Saylor.org is not an accredited institution and does not confer degrees of any kind”. There’s a good appreciation by Stian Haklev … Continue reading
Ragged Uni: free, peer-based learning
Another model of peer-based self-organised learning, based so far in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, and London (though Glasgow seems the most active by some distance). In addition to the “everyone has something to teach” ethos, the Ragged University is also working on a hub of free educational resources, supported and discounted entry into formal education, plus … Continue reading
Einztein.com – online courses + social network for teachers/peers = rich learning?
We all know that learning is not just about transferring content; dialogue and relationships are key to gaining deep understanding of concepts. So stand-alone online learning resources don’t cut it. But if you took some Open Educational Resources and added some low cost teacher/peer relationships, using social networking tools, would you then have enough to … Continue reading
Is Khan Academy heading in the wrong direction, back to being institutionalised?
What I originally thought was interesting about Khan Academy was how it worked outside the norms and mechanisms of institutional education. It seemed that just turning over the keys to the learning resources, and letting people choose what they wanted, rewind and fast forward without supervision, led people to feel empowered to organise their own … Continue reading
No ‘one size fits all’ model for education, #OER still only at end of the beginning (excerpts from @donaldclark)
This is a long piece by Donald Clark that touches on many subjects. I’m not attempting a summary of it all here, just excerpting the key lessons that seemed most valuable from an agile learning perspective… Clipped from donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com 10 lessons learnt at WISE in Doha This culture clash surfaced time and time again at … Continue reading
Learning innovation starts in the classroom? What if the world were the classroom? from @jaycross
This little snippet jumped out at me. Jay Cross has honed his arguments into great, pithy observations like this one. Clipped from http://www.internettime.com The whole discussion rested on Pelosi’s (and nearly everyone else’s) assumption that learning takes place in classrooms. When I managed to get the microphone, I asked whether the issue wouldn’t go away … Continue reading
Do you agree with these seven characteristics of self-managed learning – 7 S’s? via @fredgarnett
Another mnemonic (… though I’m not sure it’s good mnemonic design (a) to have 7 elements and (b) all with the same initial letter). I think some people I know would disagree with some of these characteristics — especially the points about structure. The descriptions below are just the introductions to each characteristic: click through … Continue reading
Not drivers, but openers: overview of what Curtis Bonk thinks will transform learning
I read the “sampler” of Curtis Bonk’s The World is Open (http://worldisopen.com/) on a Kindle. The ideas/words ratio seemed too low for me to consider reading the book in full. However, I like the idea that what’s changing the learning landscape is not so much a set of drivers as “openers”. These are technologies and … Continue reading
Learners’ control, creation and chaos: @gsiemens’ convictions are more interesting than what he’s left behind
George Siemens himself has focused attention on the questions he’s no longer asking about the role of technology in learning. But along the way he gives a concise summary of the convictions about what makes learning work that he’s gained from his experience. I can’t help feeling this list is more important than the list … Continue reading
If you step back, kids achieve the impossible, emergent properties are always astonishing – Sugata Mitra at ALT-C
The full transcript of Sugata Mitra’s keynote to the ALT-C conference last month will be published shortly but I took some notes to embed my own learning. I thought these might be helpful to others, as they’re easier to skim than either a full transcript or 54 minutes of video. The (or A) Future of … Continue reading
Agile Learning 