I completed my Masters of Education in an online environment, Masters of Educational Technology at UBC while maintaining several part-time/partial load teaching jobs. I understand the economic need to stay employed while upgrading and continuing my path if learning.

There are a couple of choices that I am exploring

The post secondary education (PSE) institutions are seeing there funding decrease while the demand increases. There isn’t a heck of a lot of money to build. What are the choices? Here are 2concepts that are trying to tackle the issues.

1. The Open Learning Initiative (OLI)
   • expensive
   • controlled
   • professor driven
   • using the tools of the institution (LMS)
2. EduPunk
• inexpensive
• chaotic
• student driven
• using collaborative tools available to all (web 2.0 tools)
3. CS50 – Open Courseware:http://cs50.tv/2011/fall/
• looks to be expensive with all the TA, student support and video production
• controlled
• professor driven
• using the tools of the institution (LMS) but opening the course to the public

The Open Learning Initiative (OLI)

Get an overview of OLI and hear from instructors and OLI’s director, Candace Thille.

The video is from the websitehttp://oli.web.cmu.edu/openlearning/initiative

From a financial view point, OLI looks the most expensive. Lots of specialists and lots of ‘man power’. The institution still controls the learning in a closed environment.

Edupunk

Now something a little less expensive that gives the power to the audience. The following video has some audio problems but if you stick with it. It does get better. I would also suggest you start watching at the 3 minute mark. The talk had some technical issues in the beginning. It was recorded at a conference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pud46fxRlts&feature=player_embedded

CS50

CS50 is a lecture/lab Harvard course that is open to the public. It uses lecture capture as the main drive and then uses other web2.0 tools to connect the students. Labs are also captured by a video camera but lead by TAs.

To get an idea of how the course works, visit http://cs50.tv/2011/fall/ and view the 1st lecture.

The course has the feel of a PSE course but with lecture capture.

Our google doc

Western University – shared bookmarks

We shouldn’t forget mental health

The researchers had asked their students this question:

• What characteristics are essential for effective teaching from the student perspective?

Analyzing and combining reasonably synonymous characteristics, researchers isolated the top nine for online and for face-to-face students.

ONLINE	FACE-TO-FACE
1. Respectful	1. Respectful
2. Responsive	2. Knowledgeable
3. Knowledgeable	3. Approachable
4. Approachable	4. Engaging
5. Communicative	5. Communicative
6. Organized	6. Organized
7. Engaging	7. Responsive
8. Professional	8. Professional
9. Humorous	9. Humorous

Respect is number 1.  More important than knowledge!!! The ability to communicate and engage are high on the list but respect dominates all other characteristics in effective teaching, in the students opinion. Interesting that Faculty spend, on average, 22 years acquiring enough knowledge to teach at the university level. How much time do we spend on respect?

The same top nine characteristics are common between online and face-to-face students, with only the order for the two bolded characteristics changing.

Responsiveness is more highly valued online, moving five positions. Which is not surprising considering all the  mobile devices and connectivity of today.

Use this google doc (https://docs.google.com/document/d/157sDCWbhFxDmUa4iPDXGBRfiSW_kpLvZbV19L_9qxWk/edit) to add your ideas, comments or questions while attending this prezi presentation. This is often called a back channel, an informal channel of communication.

Hopefully the wireless won’t fail us in this room.
Please use this link to follow me as I present. I have never tried this before so it will be interesting to see if it works.
http://prezi.com/7qadvbeevjaj/present/?auth_key=eguvfnv&follow=qobcg0fuokjo”

Don’t worry if it doesn’t work… you can use this embedded prezi below