Week 21

 concepts of open learning

 Open learning is completely supportive of the concept that the internet is a world of knowledge at your finger tips. It is important and helpful for people connected to the internet to be able to learn from courses available online. The system is dynamic and each course has a personality of it's own.

Pedagogy clearly drives the structure of the variety amongst the courses. Students who need structure can take a course that is developed for a classic classroom setting, with assignments, quizzes and tests. Other systems are more open to projects and social support amongst the students and educators. The most open system (in my opinion) is the teach yourself from the broad source of the internet and a light frame to follow and learn from. 

These classes are excellent for people who do not have access to the courses they are interested in. They are excellent for a person who is limited on time, but wants to learn something new or continue their education. Finally it is good in general for anyone who needs it. 

The draw backs include keeping up with a class. Being able to engage in an unstructured program or just simply remembering to turn on your computer to get your work done. Many times people do not feel connected to other individuals in the classes because of lack of F2F time. Also if people post at different times or do their work at different times, conversations can feel disconnected and missing the flow of a good discussion.

Solutions to this puzzle are available in video, blogging, forums, social networks and skype like software. As time moves on the internet becomes closer to the dynamics of real life with the always unsolvable aspect of the person being separated by space and time. This should not be of any great issue if the purpose is to learn new intellectual ideas or skills that do not require major hands on practice with a teacher/ mentor standing beside the student. 

This is the reason that core courses should be and can be taught through the internet. They are courses that one can read about,view a video and practice independently. A language course say would be started at the most basic vocabulary then if direct practice is needed to learn an accent or how to say a word, video chat would allow direct instruction. On the other hand a course such as horse back riding, one could learn about the horse, how to care for the horse maybe even how to get on the horse, but then how to feel the horse, how to guide the horse, that is definitely a real world event. 

MOOCs creating an open course: includes language classes,
 http://hikmatnoma.wix.com/globalclassroom#!moocs/c1l5q

This article is anti MOOCs and counters my argument that it is a great idea and a way for anyone and every one who has a computer with internet to be exposed to hire education. 
Note: Notre Dame is a private Jesuit university (they are suppose to help the poor).
http://chronicle.com/article/Were-All-to-Blame-for-MOOCs/139519/



For fun you tube lessons:
Italian lessons video series:

Horse back riding lesson video series from you tube: This is an example of something that may not carry over to the real world.