User:Vtaylor/Open learning

Open learning is ongoing... * OER K-8 curate * iLearning personal

== ==

2017.12.2 * TeachEngineering Terms of Service - love these resources, but they are not "open" even though they are included in OERCommons and other open repositories. "prior authorization must be obtained by Academic Users who wish to externally distribute, disseminate or transfer modified or unmodified versions of the TeachEngineering digital library collection content. Prior authorization must be obtained by all other users."

2107.11.21 * Ditch That Textbook There may be more to the OER movement in the US than people realize. Matt Miller and the "pirates" have been suggesting ways to "ditch that textbook". So what do you get when there is no textbook? A big content hole that is filled from other sources. Matt and colleagues promote the notion that teaching and learning are restrictive and boring when a textbook is the focus and the source of all information on a subject. Even when the textbook provides references, these are of little value in most cases. Nobody goes there. While there are plenty of suggestions for activities, many using commercial apps and/or Google functionality, there isn't much directly relating to alternate sources of content or OERs. Sure, a busy innovative teacher can see the goodness in this catalog of good ideas, but all look like one more thing to take on without any significant decrease in some other teaching work. * Nobody in this space is complaining about intermittent electricity or having to teach 70 kids with 9 sharing a textbook out on the grass. No references to having to be so careful to ensure that kids know what will be on the exams, although it reality, this is an issue for Matt's audience too.

2017.11.20 * Elimu in Swahili means education * http://e-limu.org/ leading digital educational content provider in East Africa. eLimu’s KCPE Revision and Hadithi! Hadithi! literacy application make learning fun and engaging for curious children both at school and at home. * vt... Looking back through the posts, I don't see much about phones. ICT integration can be considered to include some of these low-power lower cost alternatives. It would be great if there were laptops, tablets or desktop computers with unlimited electricity and internet access. There are many interesting and productive learning experiences available using simpler, cheaper technologies such as pre-loaded lessons, text messaging, photo sharing and audio lectures and discussions. * (edited out - course addresses in next step)) If the Global Learning Xprize Android tablets with applications that guide learners were available to you, how would you use them in your location? How would they help in your situation? What problems would there be? https://learning.xprize.org/ * https://ugc.futurelearn.com/uploads/files/40/0a/400abb89-d330-4186-bb4f-9e33751f72b8/YouTube_Elimu_project_video_transcript.pdf ugh! Lots of good ideas for enriching content with video, ani,ation, pictures, but still based on a textbook model and lots of references in the "features" descriptions about knowing what will be on the exams. Some minimal reference to what do "you" want to learn but it is all in the context of the textbook based content.

2017.11.17 * social learning - k-8 open education challenges - "trust" * recognized recommender evaluation. peer review. author collaborator. users feedback. repository reputation. freedom to adopt. * functional equivalent of TpT for OERs.

2017.11.16 * Where's the money? * Introducing Spirited Media 2.0 Stephen Downes - not charging for content, and you're not running advertisements, then how are you going to make money with educational content (or any other content) in the future? Spirited Media answers this question with a three-part business model: it will sell memberships, it will have sponsored events, and it will offer consulting. All of these preserve the accessibility (and mobility) of content, and yet allow the company to trade on its reputation for knowledge and insight in a way that offers specific services for compensation.

== Global Connected Education - online conference ==

2017.11.13 * Global Education Conference schedule * interesting format. sessions 2/7 for 4 days. Keynotes throughout. I pick sessions based on my availability even if just 20 minutes. Some pleasant surprises. Great model for open learning, even at 5am EST there were 12 people attending live. * Where are attendees located? * My Identity, Your Identity Culture Project: Global Online Collabor * iEAEN projects - Freedom High School Orlando FL. Nice explanation about overcoming concerns about others participating - specific teachers and their students. Interesting that adjustments needed - Google for just US class as prohibited in partner school country.

== Open Educational Resource (OER) ==

2017.11.16 [https://halfanhour.blogspot.ca/2017/11/the-real-goal-of-open-educational.html Te Real Goal of Open Education[ * vt: Using Coursera for the recent course with videos of two white guys talking to each other, closed assignments and no participant interaction or discussion, nothing open or shared, missed everything important and exciting about Open Learning and OERs. This probably did more harm than good for raising awareness and promoting OERs.

Open Educational Resource (OER) is:
 * any type of educational materials that are in the public domain or introduced with an open license. The nature of these open materials means that anyone can legally and freely copy, use, adapt and re-share them. OERs range from textbooks to curricula, syllabi, lecture notes, assignments, tests, projects, audio, video and animation.  --OER Guidelines

2017.11.13 http://www.tessafrica.net/tools Exploring TESSA OER] - There are a number of resources listed. Most are associated with universities, government or educational organizations. Are their individual who review and publish information about the good stuff for specific areas of interest?

2017.11.13 1.12 Exploring OER - dm posted: "OER are useful materials, but one has to be careful when selecting them" vt reply "How do you find and select the OERs you use? This sounds like you have some experience to suggest that care must be taken in selection." It is clear from the other discussions that many of the participants struggle with such basic concerns like stable electricity, access to devices for educators and institutions. It is very interesting to see how the course is constructed to be appropriate for the range of technology available to the audience - mostly text, not too much per page, a few pictures to highlight the activity on location. As the course moves through the activities and OERs are introduced, so additional concerns are being raised. In some cases, there are opportunities to support the new and continuing use of OERs. Although there have been references to some organization, some of the functionality required hasn't been presented. The post above suggests that there aren't a lot of "go to" repositories and recommenders of OERs that would be trusted sources for recommendations and/or OERs. There are hundreds of sites that review and recommend apps and web sites. Although there are some sites that started off offering collections of "free" lesson plans and classroom resources, these are morphing into publisher sites with increasingly expense resources available. In a recent article ?? said he was disappointed with the growth of Teachers Pay Teachers site in that the resources offered aren't open. While these may be good resources, they are static which implies that they will be used "as is" for years to come. His point was that teaching and learning should be dynamic and flexible to meet the needs of these students right now, and static materials don't encourage the growth and personalization that would make the learning experience better. * How do people find and select OERs, especially with limitations on their access to the 1+ billion OERs out there? Who are you going to trust to select and deliver appropriate material? How will you connect with this trusted source? What can the source do to help you be successful? Do you expect to tailor the OER for you specific use? What information or tools do you need for this? Are you willing to share your revised version of the OER? Do you anticipate being an OER creator as well as a user?

2017.11.14 2.8 Key Resources - Using questions to promote thinking. And expecting all learners to really think about the question and come up with an answer of their own. Sometimes we use an online discussion so every learner has plenty of time to think through the question and formulate an answer. Usually there is no one "correct" answer so there are opportunities for many opinions and ideas. Online discussions are great for shy learners or English language learners so they have time to work out their answers without the time pressure of an in-class question response.

2017.11.13 2.10 Teacher education activities * "required to select TESSA materials from the TESSA website to use during their teaching practice. ... Teachers on the programme are required to include materials from their use of TESSA, ... in their portfolios. They are also required to discuss their experiences during group reflections and to give a written, structured reflection at the end of the practicum." * "teachers discuss the TESSA materials in small group seminars, looking at how the materials can be adapted for use with this age group of pupils. Following the discussion, the group of teachers then observes the lecturer teaching one of the TESSA activities in a local school. The teachers then comment on the lesson and use the ideas to adapt other TESSA activities for their own context. If it’s not possible to observe in a real school setting, the teachers watch a video clip of the lesson during their seminar."

== ==

UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers
 * Technology Literacy, enabling students to use ICT in order to learn more efficiently.
 * Knowledge Deepening, enabling students to acquire in-depth knowledge of their school subjects and apply it to complex, real-world problems.
 * Knowledge Creation, enabling students, citizens and the workforce they become, to create the new knowledge required for more harmonious, fulflling and prosperous societies.

2017.11.13 Questions are the answers shifting with QFT. The problem described in case 1 is typical of the early stages in student directed learning. Kids (or grownups, for that matter) flounder around when given a big open space to fill with knowledge and learning. This is a process problem. Here is what I'm given, and I'm expected to come up at the end having learned something and made something to demonstrate that. Now what? Ask questions. Lots of questions. Not you the facilitator. The kids should be doing this. This is where the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) comes in. The QFT is a process that can be practiced and applied anywhere. Even little kids can learn the basics because they are great intuitive problem solvers and question formulator. Who hasn't been asked "What's that?" by a toddler or "Why?" by any kid over the age of 3. To get started, the learners generate their own questions, improve their own questions, and decide on questions they wanted to research further. Getting learners to find what they are interested in around the learning targets has a significant impact on learner engagement and changes the structure and work associated with lesson planning. Now the educator identifies the learning outcomes and formulates the question focus statement to start the process. Once learners have been introduced to the question formulation process, the technique can be applied to other topics.

2017.11.13 Start by asking yourself, "What am I doing that the learners could be doing?" and you will find these shifts actually changing the tides of how school works. --Matt Shae This isn't new but it has become part of the range of ideas that are included in the activities to change school. ** Teachers, leaders, mentors have always had this in the back of their mind. To some it is so obvious that they neglect to include it as a guiding principle. It is like anyone trying to understand, document and/or replicate the experts. What these experts think and say they do won't necessarily yield the same outcomes when someone else follows these directions. That doesn't mean that they don't do what they say the do. They just can't communicate all the other information and skills that come along with developing this expertise of years of practice. Great teaching is like this. One of the nice things about technology supported open learning - these great ideas become embedded practice and eventually shape the learning activities. The SAMR model is useful to chart these changes over time. S - learners use the research sources provided by the educator to produce a report. A - learners are assigned a research topic and use the first item in the Google search as the basis for their report. M - with some coaching, learners look for a number of sources for the information, follow links embedded in the first searches so they are now using and citing a broad range of sources. R - learners pick their own topics within the scope of the assignment and research. They share their finding and participate in online discussions about the topic. Learners prepare and publish the information in an open repository. As the facilitator, the work is more interesting. The range of information within the topic, the work cited and the threads of discussions are far beyond what an individual can possibly achieve. Plenty of plenty of surprises, and a great learning experience for all. ** Many educators feel they must be able to "do" so they can "teach" ICT. Often the learners have much to offer as they have the time and the interest in personal use of ICT outside of the school environment. It can be scary for educators initially. It is important that educators be learners too.

== == Making Teacher Education Relevant for 21st Century Africa mooc FutureLearn * Play your part in transforming education in Africa - get teachers ready for the opportunities and challenges of the 21st century.


 * 2017.11.12 Ideal classroom or learning environment - learner-centered active learning tasks and projects. self-directed learners with plenty of resources, high expectations and enough direction to productively alone or in groups as appropriate. Artifacts are created to aid in the learning process and provide evidence of progress. In addition to in-person discussions, online asynchronous discussions should be used to encourage reflection and provide time to process and respond - an important option for those who are left out of conversations because they don't think on their feet or get a chance to contribute with others in real time. The teacher is a facilitator, a resources, and a learner, too. The teacher is the guide on the side who can manage the appropriate level of uncertainty for each individual learner to keep the learning interesting. Everyone asks good questions. Learners take responsibility for their own learning and have the information and skills they need to direct their learning and know how they are doing. All of this assumes that the teacher has the tools, training, resources, time and support to make this happen. This should not depend on a place like a classroom.


 * 2017.11.12 Transitioning to learner-centered personalized learning was cited by several participants. The time it takes for students to cover a curriculum unit can be much longer than traditional teaching. Some are concerned that important information doesn't get covered, butting students at a disadvantage for testing, which in turn puts the instructor in a bad light for not adequately preparing the learners. However, many participants see the values in having students take responsibility for their learning. While less content is covered the learners have a much better understanding of what they learned and have acquired skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.


 * 2017.11.12 Not surprising, there are participants from all over Africa. In the early discussions, several people said they tried deviating from traditional direct instruction, only to have students fall behind their peers who were taught to the test. In one case, the instructor lost his job because of it.

2017.11.11 * the enemy is us... - great line from a Pogo cartoon. Sad commentary on an online course about open education.

== Openness - next... ==

The enemy is us...

Introduction to Open Education

The Next Battle for Openness: Data, Algorithms, and Competency Mapping

There is an another issue that is impacting the perception of “openness”. EdX and Coursera MOOCs are equated with “openness”. If this is what you get with “open” then many people will fail to see how this is special. What participants in the this and most other “open” courses composed of Open Educational Resources (OERs) experience is little more than the digital version of a traditional college course. In this case, the videos are short 5-7 minutes with two white guys talking to each other and the camera – marginally better than the “stand and deliver” 20 minute videos in other MOOCs. Then there are some suggested readings, followed by reflection and discussion activities.

There is no access to any other participant “discussions” without first turning in your own. This isn’t social or “open” to most of us. How about allowing us access to that part of the “open” educational resources and a really powerful open learning experience. Yes, it is possible to end-run these gatekeeping mechanisms accessing some participants’ posts by searching for the hashtag on Twitter or Google search. This course has been very disappointing.

Other MOOC platforms are more open and inviting to sharing and collaboration among participants. FutureLearn, for example, encourages discussion and these are always open to all participants to read and comment on. And participants do. Learning from one another is as much a part of open education as are the inclusion of OERs.

The original MOOCs (before the term “mooc” was coined such as CCK08) were really open. They may have been too unstructured for some participants’ self-directed learning skills. However, the current format and presentation of “open” courses in this very structured “closed” format may well be a significant contributor to the continued struggle for “openness” to make much headway in general education.

David Wiley did talk about how OERs could be used to bring new and interesting learning experiences to a broad audience. For those whose only close encounters with OERs are in an EdX or Coursera MOOC, other than cost, there isn’t anything exciting or revolutionary about “open”. Unless or until “open” figures this out, they are no match for the marketing savvy and financial resources of the textbook and academic publishing industry.

edit… So I wrote up this response so I could “pay to play”. I submitted it as directed. Bingo!

''Assess Peers (due in 23 hours, 26 minutes) – All available peer responses have been assessed. Check back later to see if more learners have submitted responses. You will receive your grade after you’ve completed all the steps for this problem and your peers have assessed your response. Your Grade: Not Completed''

AND on the course front page:

This course is ending in 12 hours at Nov 12, 2017 07:00 EST. After this date, course content will be archived.

So do the math… the assignment that I can’t do is required to access what I really want to see in the course – the thoughts and suggestions from other participants, is due after the course is closed. Great! Oh, and my submission is closed so I can’t edit it any add any of this important new learning experience.

I have still not had access to any “community” or “openness” or social value created through sharing that Stephen Downes says are important to the impact of open education. I am disappointed with the “closed” process and the significant technology barriers to even seeing who else was participating and what they had to say. Unless all the required activities were completed, there was no opportunity to interact or collaborate in shared and open learning.

Sadly, “openness” is doomed if this is the impression on others who have more influence than I do.

And I’m a huge fan of open learning and have been an advocate for OERs since the beginning. I have worked in organizations developing and promoting OERs and open education since the late 1990s. I am one of the original community advisory board members for WikiEducator.org. I worked on some of the very first OERs that were published in the U.S. I have been a subscriber to OLDaily forever. I was a participant in the original CCKs – the ultimate open education experience.

== ==
 * Open Textbooks
 * Locating and adopting OER content
 * iLearning
 * Science6


 * Learning objects, personal learning environments, study guides - interesting learning experience. I wrote a chapter for a book and submitted it. The peer review was scathing. It was clear that peer and I were not on the same page. There was no way to "fix" the information, so I withdrew my submission. I get a note back from the editor - this si want we want. Consider working with others. One of others would not collaborate on the document as it was in WikiEducator - which would have made a lot of sense given the topic - show what you know. That started the usual emailing lots of different versions around until he finally lost the version with significant contributions for the collaborators. I'm not sure which version this is. Looks like Nellie's edits are included.

2017.11.11 hmmm.. somewhere along the line, I have messed around with this page - great title, so much stuff to include. This is a recreation of links to prior collections within WikiEducator.

Many years ago at the launch of a program on Open Education, we asked ourselves about what we meant by "education" as well as "open".