Stephen Downes

El progreso tecnológico y el desarrollo de sistemas informáticos de las últimas décadas, unido a su impacto en nuestra vida cotidiana, ha favorecido el surgimiento de distintas formas de enseñanza y aprendizaje, como es el caso de los MOOC/COMA.
Siendo así, se hace necesario revisar si los principios establecidos en el Informe Delors de 1996, que estableció las bases de la Educación a lo largo de toda la vida, a partir de la determinación de los Cuatro Pilares de la Educación, se garantizan en esta nueva metodología de aprendizaje on-line, masivo y abierto.

'CCK08' was a unique event on Connectivism and Connective Knowledge within a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) in 2008. It was a course and a network about the emergent practices and the theory of Connectivism, proposed by George Siemens as a new learning theory for a digital age. It was convened and led by Stephen Downes and George Siemens through the University of Manitoba, Canada. Although the event was not formally advertised, more than 2000 participants from all over the world registered for the course, with 24 of these enrolled for credit.

The course presented a unique opportunity to discover more about how people learn in large open networks, which offer extensive diversity, connectivity and opportunities for sharing knowledge. Learners are increasingly exercising autonomy regarding where, when, how, what and with whom to learn. To do this, they often select technologies independent of those offered by traditional courses. In CCK08 this autonomy was encouraged and learning on the course was distributed across a variety of platforms.

This paper explores the perspectives of some of the participants on their learning experiences in the course, in relation to the characteristics of connectivism outlined by Downes, i.e. autonomy, diversity, openness and connectedness/interactivity. The findings are based on an online survey which was emailed to all active participants and email interview data from self-selected interviewees.

The research found that autonomy, diversity, openness and connectedness/interactivity are indeed characteristics of a MOOC, but that they present paradoxes which are difficult to resolve in an online course. The more autonomous, diverse and open the course, and the more connected the learners, the more the potential for their learning to be limited by the lack of structure, support and moderation normally associated with an online course, and the more they seek to engage in traditional groups as opposed to an open network. These responses constrain the possibility of having the positive experiences of autonomy, diversity, openness and connectedness/interactivity normally expected of an online network. The research suggests that the question of whether a large open online network can be fused with a course has yet to be resolved. Further research studies with larger samples are needed, as is an investigation into the ethical considerations which may need to be taken into account when testing new theory and practice on course participants.

This is the first in a series of reports exploring new forms of teaching, learning and assessment for an interactive world, to guide teachers and policy makers in productive innovation.

The first report proposes ten innovations that are already in currency but have not yet had a profound influence on education. To produce it, a group of academics at the Institute of Educational Technology in The Open University proposed a long list of new educational terms, theories, and practices. We then pared these down to ten that have the potential to provoke major shifts in educational practice, particularly in postschool education. We have not deliberately excluded school education, but that is not our area of expertise. Lastly, we drew on published and unpublished writings to compile the ten sketches of new pedagogies that might transform education. These are summarised in rough order of immediacy and timescale to widespread implementation.

The report is also available at http://www.open.ac.uk/innovating - you can see a summary of each innovation at the menu on the right-hand side, under 'themes'. We welcome comments on the report and the innovations so please do take a look and let us know what you think!

This paper is a report on preliminary observations from a collaborative project in New York City conducted between academia and city government. The project selected graduate students as New York Mayoral Fellows to work with specific adult learning sites. The goal was to use social media to extend the learning opportunities of the adult learners and to encourage them to enhance their own life or a small part of the community around them. Observations indicate that a collaborative project of this nature can be highly beneficial for all stakeholders. Adult learners in specific sites of the city’s adult education program were engaged with innovative social media tools and techniques. Amidst different working styles of academia and city government, the project delivered resounding success. Questions of sustainability remain following the graduate Fellows’ tenure at each site, which will be addressed in the second iteration of the project.

This new series of reports explores new forms of teaching, learning and assessment for an interactive world, to guide teachers and policy makers in productive innovation. The first report proposes ten innovations that are already in currency but have not yet had a profound influence on education. You can see a summary of each innovation at http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/innovating/. Please feel free to contribute to the blog with comments on the report and the innovations.

Mobile media break down traditional barriers that have defined learning in schools because they enable constant, personalized access to media. This information-rich environment could dramatically expand learning opportunities (Mathews and Squire, 2010, p. 209). This article identifies and discusses two instructional design theories for mobile learning including the major differences between those theories and other online instructional design theories. It also presents a detailed argument for the use of mobile learning in a particular case study.

This new series of reports explores new forms of teaching, learning and assessment for an interactive world, to guide teachers and policy makers in productive innovation. The first report proposes ten innovations that are already in currency but have not yet had a profound influence on education. You can see a summary of each innovation at http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/innovating/. Please feel free to contribute to the blog with comments on the report and the innovations.

Open Educational Resources are being promoted by governmental, non-governmental, inter-governmental and private business houses. There are different funding mechanisms for developing OERs. Due to restricted or limited funding provisions currently, we need to have a look at alternatives. Educational providers need to examine ways to meet the challenge of numbers, costs, quality etc. MOOCs are getting popular in extending the outreach of education.

This new series of reports explores new forms of teaching, learning and assessment for an interactive world, to guide teachers and policy makers in productive innovation. The first report proposes ten innovations that are already in currency but have not yet had a profound influence on education. You can see a summary of each innovation at http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/innovating/. Please feel free to contribute to the blog with comments on the report and the innovations.

This video was created using screencast-o-matic and Google drive. The video describes Moodle MOOC on WizIQ, its layout, navigation and requirements for those who want a certificate of completion and go go on to be an admin of Moodle. The MOOC includes live online sessions and course on Moodle 2.5 at 3 levels (beginners, teachers with editing rights, and managers/administrators of Moodle. The MOOC also includes a free practice area for teachers. Join Moodle MOOC on WizIQ so you can experience Moodle, MOOC and WizIQ: http://www.wiziq.com/course/20705-tea...

ABSTRACT Resumen: Los docentes están llamados a jugar un importante rol como mediadores y facilitadores del cambio educativo, en el contexto de un ingente cambio socio-cultural. En este sentido, la experimentación y reflexión docente resulta fundamental. En particular, con respecto al uso de tecnologías educativas, el docente no solo debe ser inducido a utilizar innovaciones, sino a experimentar, comprender y reflexionar sobre los aspectos pedagógicos a la base de la adopción de tecnologías, repensando, en este modo, su propio quehacer profesional. Esta modalidad de trabajo es convergente con las nuevas líneas de investigación sobre el desarrollo profesional (Twining, Raffaghelli, Albion, & Knezek, in press). En este documento se introduce el panel de experiencias docentes coordinado en el contexto de la experiencia CIAMTE virtual. El objetivo de dicho panel, fue el de generar un espacio de reflexión transnacional sobre la adopción de tecnologías en el ámbito de la educación inicial, media y superior. Cuatro experiencias docentes de Argentina, Uruguay, México e Italia. Las educadoras participantes fueron invitadas a realizar una lectura de sus propias experiencias a la luz de a) el tipo de tecnología utilizada, b) los objetivos educativos de la actividad de aprendizaje mediada por tecnologías, c) el tipo de impacto en los educandos participantes, d) cómo la propia experiencia contribuiría al desarrollo del debate sobre el aprendizaje en red. Abstract: Teachers are called to play an important role as mediators and facilitators of educational change, in the context of a massive socio-cultural change. In this sense, experimentation and reflection about teaching is essential. Particularly, with regard to the use of educational technologies teachers must not only be induced to adopt innovations, but to experience, understand and reflect on the pedagogical issues that the educational technologies implementation could trigger, rethinking, in this way, their own professional work. This working method is convergent with the new lines of research on professional development (Twining, Raffaghelli, Albion, & Knezek, in press). The present paper introduces a teachers’ professional develoment experience called “panel of teaching experiences” in the context of virtual CIAMTE congress. The purpose of this panel was to create a space for reflection on transnational adoption of technologies in the field of early childhood education, primary and secondary education, and finally, higher education. Four teaching experiences of Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico and Italy are hence introduced. The teachers participating were invited to re-read and reflect on the own teaching experiences in the light of a) types of technology used, b) educational objectives for the learning process mediated by technology, c) the type of impact on engaged learners d) how the experience would contribute to the discussion about networked learning.

The Learning Technologies Consortium in conjunction with Wake Forest University offered a panel on MOOCs their innovation, implementation and impact at four universities; Duke University, Univ. of Florida, Univ. of Maryland, and Wake Forest University.