Applying lessons from connectivist MOOCs and Udacity to TOL4B

"MOOC - The Resurgence of Community in Online Learning," by Stephen Downes, got me thinking about MOOC is relation to the TLT Teaching Online for Beginners (TOL4B) MOOCOW that just concluded.  The "OW" by the way, stands for "or whatever." 

http://halfanhour.blogspot.com/2013/05/mooc-resurgence-of-community-in-online.html?m=1    Below are some ideas I want to apply to TOL4B version 2. 

I take a performance based approach to instructional design and tried to apply Dee Fink's

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integrated course design approach to the design of TOL4B. In some respects this seems to be contrary to the connectivist theory which is the foundation of the MOOC.  I read Creating the Connectivist Course" in Stephen Downes collection "Connectivism and Connective Knowledge: Essays on meaning and learning networks " (May 20120)
http://www.downes.ca/files/Connective_Knowledge-19May2012.pdf
 trying to understand what type of design approach Stephen Downes used in the  MOOCs he has offered.  

"By navigating the content environment, and selecting content that is relevant to your own personal preferences and context, you are creating an individual view or perspective. So you are first creating connections between contents with each other and with your own background and experience. And working with content in a connectivist course does not involve learning or remembering the content. Rather, it is to engage in a process of creation and sharing. Each person in the course, speaking from his or her unique perspective, participates in a conversation that brings these perspectives together." (pg 505)

So far I have not been able to find an answer to my question.  My sense is that a primary purpose of these early MOOCs was to create connectivist experiences and environments. There are people who suggest that connectivism is not a theory, I tend to agree.  I think it's a way of facilitating learning and designing learning environments which focuses on networking within communities of learners.

I was also fascinated by a recent article in Fast Company, "UDACITY'S SEBASTIAN THRUN, GODFATHER OF FREE ONLINE EDUCATION, CHANGES COURSE,"
  http://www.fastcompany.com/3021473/udacity-sebastian-thrun-uphill-climb Apparently Sebastian Thrun is not happy with the low completion rates in Udacity courses and is partnering with businesses and colleges to use the content within the framework of a course or an organization. This model will also produce revenue for the company. Udacity courses are still available for free but if you want credit or a mentor there is a cost.  Sounds like a realistic model to me.

"Udacity’s mission is to educate people so they can live a better life. In an era of declining employment opportunities in many traditional areas, we are empowering our students to acquire the necessary skills to excel in the high-growth tech industry."

The TOL4B offered 3 paths through the MOOC: guided, DYI supported and DYI unsupported. Sounds similar to the shift Udacity has made.

More thinking to do,

USING ADOBE CONNECT BREAKOUT ROOMS – LESSONS LEARNED

This is a collection of the lessons I recently learned when preparing to use Adobe Connect breakout rooms in preparation for a small group activity which was part of the TLT MOOCOW, Teaching Online for Beginners, tlt.gs/TOL4B (10/18/13)

Three very general pieces of advice. One, give yourself lots of time for group work. Two, practice several times before using this feature. Three, take time to clarify instructions at the onset: verbal and visual.

Preparation Strategies We used breakout room facilitators.  We met several times:

·         Went over the small group activity, directions and various individual group member roles.

·         Practiced moving from the main room layout to the small group layout.

·         Work with the facilitators so they also know how to send the host a chat message while within the breakout session. 

NOTE: The best way to get the facilitators into groups is for them to be presenters before moving breakout groups. Adobe will distribute each to a different breakout room.

Participant Orientation to New Features/Functions  Include some practice activities and or demonstrations  using features that may be new to participants such as writing on the Note Pod and activating microphones. Participants become presenters when moved into breakout groups.  This gives them the ability to use the microphone.  You may also want to develop and review guidelines for regulating conversation especially if the group is large and if many have mics such as raising your hand when you want to speak.

Activity Directions and Breakout Room Functionality    Review activity directions with the large group in addition to including a slide with those same directions which will display in the breakout rooms.  Explain how the groups were formed, random or selected.  Random is the easiest and fastest way especially for large groups. Warn the participants before sending them into groups. 

Breakout Room Layout  I like creating a separate layout for the breakout room activity that   You will need to use very large font (30 -32, at least) because the pod will be small.)  The chat pod was used to facilitate discussion for those without microphones.  The Note Pod was used for the note taker/reporter to capture the highlights from discussion.  If you include a place for the reporters name at the top it will be quicker during the report to assign mic privileges to the correct person. I am still experimenting with how to get the timer to work.  I think a countdown timer will help the groups manage their time.
matches

what the groups will be doing.  Below is the format we used. In addition to the chat, attendee and note pod, I included a share pod where I uploaded a slide with activity directions and participant roles.

Moving into Breakout Rooms

The first step is to select the breakout view from the Attendees Pod. You will then see the number of breakout rooms.  Three rooms is the default. You can add additional rooms by clicking the  button.

       

The second step is to move people into the rooms. The easiest way to do this is to evenly distribute them from the main room.  To do so press this button

You can also click and drag individuals to different rooms.  This can and should be done prior to starting the breakouts.

Step three.  If you have a specific breakout room layout bring that layout up BEFORE moving into groups.  The groups will experience the layout applied before moving into groups.

Step four. When you are ready to move to breakouts, give a heads up and then press the 

button. The hosts will remain in the main room and can move themselves into various breakout rooms.  It is good to check back in the main room periodically.  If someone comes late to the session, they will enter the main room and you can then move them individually into a room.

Breakout Room Activity You may want to have a back-up reporter and several back-up facilitators just I case.

Ending the Breakout Session You have the ability to send a broadcast message that will be viewed simultaneously by all groups.  It is good practice to give a five minute and 1 minute warning.

Group Report Out When the groups report out you can open their white board while in the main room so they can refer to their written summary.  You will need to give mic privileges to the reporter.  If the reporters names is at the top of the Note pod, this will be faster.

NOTE: If you are sending the participants back to the same breakout groups, simply press the Start Breakouts button.  If you want them in different groups then press the random button.

Some Resources:

Adobe Connect Breakout Rooms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT1sUzmUA6I

***Adobe Connect Tutorial: Breakout Rooms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKDlRt3PC9s

All Things Adobe Connect Get Connected http://allthingsadobeconnect.blogspot.com/2012/09/what-are-best-practices-for-connect.html

Connect Guru: Adobe Connect Pro Breakout Rooms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZjPaj49x7g

Using Adobe Connect 9 (pg. 61-70) http://help.adobe.com/en_US/connect/9.0/using/connect_9_help.pdf

Two MOOCs start this Week: April 15th

MOOCs (Massive Open Online Course) have been called ”the single biggest change in  education since the printing press” (Anant Agarwall, President edX). Zaid Alzagoff developed this comprehensive presentation, “Demystifying MOOCs”

Demystifying MOOCs! from Zaid Alsagoff
http://www.slideshare.net/zaid/demystifying-moocs

Educause has also assembled some great MOOC resources: http://www.educause.edu/library/massive-oen-online-course-mooc

My recommendation is to find a MOOC and check it out for yourself. I have participated in 3 and have learned something new each time.  There are two MOOCs starting this week that I will be participating in.  It would be fun to have you join me.  Let me know if you will be testing the waters and we can meet to talk about our experiences, tweet me @luv2playgolf or comment below.  Up-coming MOOC information:

1. Instructional Design for Mobile Learning (#IDML13) – Free Professional Development This is a micro MOOC which means that it is focused with targeted skill building in the MOOC format. Kickoff event is 4/16/2013, 1pm CT April 15 - May 12, 2013.

2.  Today’s Blended Teacher: A MOOC made for Community and Curation

Offered by the Blended Schools Network.  They will be using Google Plus and SoftTalk Cloud.  5 weeks beginning 4/15/13.

MOOC Guidelines begin to Emerge

Amy Woodgate returns to FridayLive tomorrow, April 12th, 2:00 PM ET to continue the conversation about MOOCs. 

The #edcmooc "eLearning & Digital Cultures" MOOC is the TLT sMOOCher's second MOOC. This link will take you to the guidelines that have emerged from our previous conversations as captured by Steve Gilbert. We will continue to add to these guidelines and welcome your contributions as well. Comment below or add to the Google doc. 

#EDCMOOC sounds like SOLE to me

"What is the future of learning?"  This question was posed recently by Sugata Mitra in the TED talk  "Build a School in the Cloud." Sugata Mitra supposes "Could it be that we don't need to go to school at all? Could it

http://www.ted.com/pages/sole_challenge#download

be that at the point in time you need to know something you could find out in two minutes?"
I listened to this TED talk after completing the #EDCMOOC, "eLearning & Digital Cultures." During this experience it became clear to me the MOOCers direct their own learning.  This is very similar to what Sugata Mitra is proposing.
He says "Learning is the product of educational self organization. If you allow the educational process to self organize, learning emerges. It's not about making learning happen it's about letting it happen." This last phrase caused me to remember how one of the EDCMOOC teachers referred to the MOOC.  He called it "A Happening." The teachers in the MOOC truly did what Mitra is suggesting here.  "The teacher sets the process in motion and then stands back and watches in awe as learning happens." His formula is broadband, collaboration and encouragement.  This is exactly what I found in the MOOC Mitra refers to this as Self-Organized Learning Environments (SOLE).  If you are interested in taking part in his research project check out the SOLE Toolkit.

TLT sMOOChers talk about #EDCMOOC

TLT March 8th Conversation with Amy Woodgate

Below are the questions that were raised during the March 8th conversation with Amy Woodgate. Amy will return on April 12th. The conversation will continue. You can join in. Register for the event here.

Why is synchronous important?
How important is the power of voice and presence? I found the Google Hangouts in the EDCMOOC particularly refreshing, too. Do you think it was because  it was one of the few times we , as students, were able to connect with the teachers? How many attendees participated in the edcmooc hangout?  How many participants typically participate in the synchronous components of a MOOC?

What is the teacher role in a MOOC?
Although the multiple data streams from discussion boards, forums, Twitters, etc showed a very
energetic environment, I think the role of the teachers' should be explored and looked into....

How did you co-create these MOOCs?
What kind of (organisational) culture/attitude within UniEdinburgh - bottom-up/top-down, had you jumped on it and approached Coursera/did they approach you? Were there any particular champions within U Edinburgh who had imagineered UE MOOCs and how long had preparations begun prior to June 2012 sign-up? Did Coursera provide any assistance developing the courses? Do you think you got lucky with the community that formed around edcmooc? I have not experienced this with other moocs... there seemed to be some very enthusiastic students taking part who took it upon themselves to create their own spaces and build communities? I heard the MOOC on eLearning and Digital Culture deviated from the standard video lecture as the main form of delivery. Can you elaborate on the decisions that led to this? what was the reasoning behind the deviation from Coursera's standard  method of video as the main content delivery?

Where/how were the MOOCs marketed?

I would like to discuss the financial aspects of course delivery, etc. Were the faculty compensated similarly to what their participation would have been for a traditional F2F course? How much did the course cost and did student income pay for it? What % of the students do you expect will pay in the future?

How do we to get other groups, pre-college educated feel comfortable to jump in? What are the MOOC naysayers saying? What are you seeing from the exit surveys? What is the overlap between those faculty threatened by MOOCs and those threatened by online education more generally?

What are your thoughts on best MOOC practices?

MOOCers: how much time did you spend on the MOOC each week?

What is your take on assessments in the MOOC?

Can online resources like TLT be a MOOC? Could you build a MOOC around an interactive ebook that people pay for?

Did any of the "traditional" courses that were run "simultaneously" on same topic as a MOOC, did anyone observe any notable changes?  improvements, deficits in the "traditional" version as a consequence of the MOOC happening? I would love to hear more about how the MOOC changed your experience Amy as a student?

#EDCMOOC, Being "real" in a cyberspace environment

SOME of what I am taking away from the e-Learning and Digital Cultures MOOC.

Sadly I missed the deadline for submitting. Rats! I so want the experience of critiquing to work of my fellow students.  I am happy that I can view their artifacts as I know there is much to be learned.

#EDCMOOC Using MOOC-like resources for undergrad education

TLT Group
tltgroup.org

Looking for examples of how colleges and universities are facilitating the most effective integration of MOOCs and similar new resources into undergraduate programs that are NOT producing or hosting the MOOCs. And thereby increase the variety, quality, and quantity of undergraduate instruction available to students and alumni.

Please share your ideas through this survey. tlt.gs/MOOCusage

#EDCMOOC Being Real and in Rhythm

The MOOC was referred to as "a happening" by Hamish Macleod, one of the instructors in the MOOC. "Make Your Own Kind of Music" by Mama Cass Elliott captures the spirit of my ideas around being MOOC real and in rhythm.

Created using iPad ap Paper 53 and Snagit

I have been thinking about two things in relation to a MOOC. One is the notion of being "real" or human.  The other has to do with being in rhythm.
I have been trying to understand the rhythm of a MOOC. After two MOOC experiences, I have come to the conclusion that the learner needs to create their own rhythm.  The MOOC truly is a container in which I can create the contents to be in rhythm with my needs.

Then there is the idea of being "real."
When thinking about being "real" my mind is drawn to The "Velveteen Rabbit" story by Margaret Williams.  Figuring out how to be "real" in other words, to develop a social presence and make connections with others in an online environment takes time.

#EDCMOOC, thoughts from week 1 and 2

I got a late start on the MOOC, E-learning and Digital Cultures,  My first activity was to listen to a recording of the February 1st Google+ hangout. This was a pretty good way to start as the 5 instructors provided perspectives on different aspects of the course and reacted to various posts and themes that have emerged from the course.  I loved Sian Boyne's use of the T.S. Eliot quote "In my end, is my beginning" (“Four Quartets” Part II: East Coker)  She used it to explain participant interest in the final assignment, even before getting started. This made me think about my goals for the course.  My primary goal is to figure out how to use social networking tools to build my own personal learning network.  Here's how I hope to do that:

• Utilize TweetDeck to follow participant conversations and to share my thoughts via Twitter as well.
• Join the Google+ EDC community to see how that works.
• Participate in the tlt sMOOCher study group.

I also want to:

• Gain new perspectives on e-Learning and then share and incorporate into my work.
• Experiment with joy and abandon without becoming adicted. 

I have learned a lot about creating social presence by observing others. The course is large in size but I just don't think that should be a negative.  The trick, I think, is to figure out how to make the largeness a positive. I stumbled upon a VoiceThread that Felecia Sullivan started, see below.  I so love hearing people's voices and listening to the conversation that is emerging. The idea of engaging in a smaller community within the larger MOOC has emerged from more people.  I concur with this sentiment and this VoiceThread is an example.



I need to dive into the content so I can engage in the conversation as well.  In other words, I need to catch-up.

#CFHE12 Wk #4 my favorite speakers

The focus of week four was on the impact  of data analytics on education: is it a fad? What are the consequences of data-driven education? How does (or should) this drive change in higher education? My favorite speakers this week were John Baker, Founder, President & CEO and Erik Duval, Professor at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

Erik Duval, spoke about Open Learning Analytics October 31 session with Erik Duval  (slides) His focus is on

using learning analytics to make the student and the teacher more powerful.  Dashboards are designed to help learners visualize their learning so they can be better drivers of their learning, thus more powerful.

I especially like how Eric likened the learning analytics movement to what is called quantified self.  Data is used to trigger self-reflection. The Quantified Self is “a movement to incorporate technology into data acquisition on aspects of a person's daily life in terms of inputs (e.g. food consumed, quality of surrounding air), states (e.g. mood, arousal, blood oxygen levels), and performance (mental and physical).[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantified_Self)

#CFHE12 sMOOCher “Meetup” Friday, Nov2, 1:00 PM ET

The TLT sMOOCher (Smart MOOCs Higher Education Research Subgroup) group is what Paul Glader refers to as a MOOC “meetup” in his blog post How In-Person Meetups Are Fixing The Problem With MOOCs.  (reference via Penny Kuckkahn.) This is our time to add some love to what Nan Zingrone reminded us could be a loveless MOOC.  We will talk together about the content of #CFHE12 week 4 and the impact of data analytics on education:

• Is it a fad?
• What are the consequences of data-driven education?
• How does (or should) this drive change in higher education?

Let's also talk about our #CFHE MOOC experience.

Please put November 30th and Dec 7th on your calendar for our

final MOOC report out during FridayLive. The exact date will be determined soon.

This link will take you to a summary of insights from our October 26th FridayLive midterm report as well as some individual goals for the second half.  Please add your goals.

See you Friday!

#CFHE12 How do I leverage the "massive" part of the MOOC?

I am really enjoying the speakers each week and appreciate the content and resources.  One of my goals is to figure out how to leverage the "massive" part of the MOOC. I am open to suggestions.  Here are some of my strategies:

1. I think I have figured out how to connect my blog to the course and have started to post some blog messages of my own.
2. I want to respond to some blog posts of others that appear in the course newsletter.
3. I have downloaded TweetDeck at the suggestion of my colleague, Penny Kuckkahn. This has helped me view just the tweets from the course. 
4. I'd like to submit my own Tweets.

I listened to the informal discussion by the course facilitators last Friday.  It was interesting to understand the rational for offering some many different ways to access and interact.  The idea is to offer all these options so participants can chose the one(s) they are most comfortable in using.  Caroline Haythornthwaite will be speaking on Thursday. In her paper SOCIAL NETWORKS AND INTERNET CONNECTIVITY EFFECTS she explorers different characteristics of social networking ties and the impact on group interaction.

FridayLive! Second #CFHE12 MOOC follow up

FridayLive! Second #CFHE 12 MOOC follow up
My notes from the October 26th sMOOChers (Smart MOOCs Higher Education Research Subgroup) midterm conversation about #CFHE12.

Nan Zingrone - Atlantic University coined this phrase in the chat “ loveless Moocs (xMoocs) have no discussion in them.”  Nan credits Nellie Deutsch of Integrating-Technology For Active Online Learners (www.integrating-technology.org) for the term loveless in reference courses with lectures plus exams only. “ No chance for participants to build relationship in loveless Moocs.”

We had a good discussion about the synchronous and asynchronous elements of the MOOC, who was using which ones and why.  We also talked about building community and different ways to accomplish this.

Priscilla Stadler persistently asked about how best to characterize MOOC pedagogy.  I’m not sure we really answered this question.

A summary of some of the MOOC tips, observations, and recommendations to help others learned as shared in the text chat.

• Nan Zingrone - Atlantic University:i get turned off by the volume of the tweet feed; I have subscribed only to the introductions that I'm responded to, and otherwise it's using the Newsletter to remind me of what I'm interested in and where that can be found
• Ilene Frank - The presentations have been eye-opening for me! One that Ilene recommended, October 22 session with Debra Quazzo
• Andrea:Match content to learning outcomes that are stated on the Contents page.
• Dale Parker:I have found resources on there that are useful ie the blended learning toolkit and some sites like Open Culture that I will share with other faculty and students
• Steve Gilbert, TLT Group:IF: finding most recent webinars with $ focus "awakening!" - helpful.
• Molly Baker:Is the role of the leaders of a MOOC to facilitate process and content is created by the community? Or is content created and communicated as a structure for the course and the dialog is directed at that structure/content?
• Henry Merrill:Mooc concierge? If my purpose in participating in a MOOC is to get immersed in the content , then I need to dive in. If I'm wanting to skim it for best practices and new ideas, then a concierge would be helpful.
• Nan Zingrone - Atlantic University:sort of like categorizing stuff up in Scoop.it or Pinterest, that's curation. Perhaps when a MOOC is set up, at least the loaded materials can also have click-offs leading you there in a table of contents, or at the learning objectives spot for each of use
• Steve Gilbert, TLT Group:HOSTS for beginners
• Ilene Frank:Teaching undergrads to develop a personal learning network can be one of the purposes.
• Nan Zingrone - Atlantic University:that's what Moodle for Teachers in www.integrating-technology.org training courses have done for me: connected me to online educators all over the world, and then they become my PLN with a really rich cultural dimension to it (I've been taking these Moodle training courses on and off for several years, some of which were MOOCs)

Goals for the second half of the MOOC. Results to be shared During FridayLive on November 30th, 2:00 pm ET Third sMOOChers Cohort Follow UP Register for free here.

• Beth Dailey:I want to try to leverage the massive part of the course. This past week I tried expanding my social networking skills within the #CFHE12 MOOC by connecting my own blog, twitter account & Google Reader. Next week I plan to learn how to use TweetDeck.

• Dale Parker: I just see this as a cultural revolution and I just want to watch and learn about the changes.
• Nan Zingrone - Atlantic University:I love the MOOC, and I love the sMOOChers add on, but I'm building Moodle training for my faculty and students at our online grad school at the minute so can't be anything but verbal in the webinars I can get into; but I owe you guys and will try to help in the future. Maybe Nan would be willing to further elaborate on this comment: Nan Zingrone - Atlantic University:but if you read and respond to introductions or blog posts you can get a conversation going and that helps build community, so that's what I've been doing.
• moy@sepche.org: This is Beth again. Perhaps keep a running list of the roles that faculty would play in a MOOC and the skills they would need to play the roles effectively. Beth agreed to synthesize, summarize list of good/useful intermediate roles for faculty making MOOCs more useful to learners, colleague?
• Priscilla Stadler: I'm interested in the possible value of MOOCs for teaching and learning at an urban community college (LaGuardia /CUNY)
• Henry Merrill: I'm going to register for the Ed Future MOOC - a session to reflect on that experience after it closes might be be useful?

sMOOChers: Smart MOOCs Higher Education Research Subgroup [#CFHE12}

The TLT Group is offering an opportunity to explore a MOOC and talk together not only about the topic but about the MOOC experience. The MOOC we have chosen is the "Current/Future State of Higher Education" (#CFHE12).  This is the second MOOC that I have participated in and one of my goals is to better understand and leverage the social networking aspects of the course.
If you want to pop into the sMOOChers discussion please join us later today, 2:00 pm ET at tlt.gs/login.  It's midterm in CFHE12 and here is what we will be discussing.

Dale Parker will summarize and evaluate our 3 categories for reflection as we participate in CFHE12 and comment on implications for adult learners: Process:  Reflection about Experience (about our shared experience in a MOOC as it happens - focus on process) Content:  Adaptation and Application of Resources (to our own institutions and individual situations of the information and resources provided by the MOOC - focus on content) Support:  Develop New Roles (to help students learn from MOOCs) Nancy Smulsky will review and extend her comments about the quality and variety of resources within CFHE12, the effectiveness (or lack) of interactivities within CFHE12, and the significance of being unable to view/use MOOC resources prior to the week for which they are designated.   Jane Harris will be unable to join us live on Oct 26, but will share some of her notes and list of recommended readings based on her experience within CFHE12 (and elsewhere). Steve Gilbert will invite more discussion about the role of scheduled synchronous events within MOOCs and other online educational activities.  He will ask participants about their own experiences with synchronous online elements within larger courses, MOOCs, programs, including these and other questions: ·       In what ways are scheduled synchronous online sessions helpful to learners who prefer or need more external structure and guidance for their own learning, even when those learners are highly motivated to master the course content?  In what ways does it matter, if at all, if the synchronous sessions are required, recommended, or purely optional? ·        In what ways do scheduled synchronous online sessions deter learners who prefer or need flexible schedules from participating in online courses, MOOCs, et al. ? In what ways does it matter, if at all, if the synchronous sessions are required, recommended, or purely optional? ·       In what ways does it matter, if at all,  which media are used and which kinds of equipment are required for synchronous sessions?  Pure text?  Multi-way voice via telephone?  Webinar?  Two-way video?  Etc. We will also discuss additional plans and questions to enhance our participation in the last weeks of CFHE12 and guide our preparation of final comments during FridayLive!  November 30, 2012.  NOTE:  Jane Marcus offered to prepare some notes and comments - based on her recent observations of MOOC-like developments at Stanford and elsewhere -  in time for the final session.

My reflections from Week Two of the MOOC on how to address diversity and learning styles in an online course and the R2D2 model.