Comments on: Open Source Education Endeavor http://geek.michaelgrace.org/2009/07/open-source-education-endeaver/ All my geek in one place Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:48:03 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: MikeGrace http://geek.michaelgrace.org/2009/07/open-source-education-endeaver/comment-page-1/#comment-185 MikeGrace Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:51:34 +0000 http://geek.michaelgrace.org/?p=319#comment-185 Wow! Thank you for taking the time to comment and give some good advice. I am glad you brought up the issues that you foresee with the project and future users. I am excited to take all the information I am gathering and put together something that could be very interesting and useful to many people. Kind of crazy that you were considering a similar topic for your doctorate study. I will definitely keep updates on my blog as to how things are going with the project and thanks again for your input. ; ) Wow! Thank you for taking the time to comment and give some good advice. I am glad you brought up the issues that you foresee with the project and future users. I am excited to take all the information I am gathering and put together something that could be very interesting and useful to many people. Kind of crazy that you were considering a similar topic for your doctorate study. I will definitely keep updates on my blog as to how things are going with the project and thanks again for your input. ; )

]]> By: Christine http://geek.michaelgrace.org/2009/07/open-source-education-endeaver/comment-page-1/#comment-184 Christine Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:38:11 +0000 http://geek.michaelgrace.org/?p=319#comment-184 Really interesting post Mike. As you know I have been teaching for a few years (6 or 7?) and I agree with what you say. The shift has been completely about 'grades'. It is normal to just look at achievement and retention and see it all as facts and figures. For me, I always try my best to make it a personal experience for the students. Sure we have to hit the targets, but where I can configure a program to meet their learning needs I will. (Heck you could even ask my students themselves heh!) Your idea of this open education system has a few issues really. One being that they need to all come in at roughly a similar level. If someone has very little prior knowledge, will you have some way to help them integrate? Will they knowhow to use the system you set up etc... those types of questions. This isn't a big issue, just something to bear in mind when making it. That you might consider a tiered system. Also, at what point does the course 'start & finish', in terms of, it can be very hard to get momentum and make it all work if folks join up half way through. So there needs to be some formal structure, maybe quite short, say a 10 week program so folks can join in without too much delay. I know you were floating ideas around about wiki systems etc... a few systems you may want to look at might be something like wet paint, or the really robust and education leader Moodle. For what you have described, setting out an actual course, I would look into Moodle as a great platform. You could map it out in weeks / resources etc... and it would be there for reusing, well forever really. Plus you can post updates to keep people informed about what is happening, dates of things going up, information that is current, much like a blog. Your idea really sounds a fantastic one and you have already sounded out some interested folks, you gotta go for it and let me know if I can help in anyway, its a very interesting topic and was actually considering a similar topic for Doctorate study. Best ~CMoz Really interesting post Mike. As you know I have been teaching for a few years (6 or 7?) and I agree with what you say. The shift has been completely about ‘grades’. It is normal to just look at achievement and retention and see it all as facts and figures. For me, I always try my best to make it a personal experience for the students. Sure we have to hit the targets, but where I can configure a program to meet their learning needs I will. (Heck you could even ask my students themselves heh!)

Your idea of this open education system has a few issues really. One being that they need to all come in at roughly a similar level. If someone has very little prior knowledge, will you have some way to help them integrate? Will they knowhow to use the system you set up etc… those types of questions. This isn’t a big issue, just something to bear in mind when making it. That you might consider a tiered system.

Also, at what point does the course ’start & finish’, in terms of, it can be very hard to get momentum and make it all work if folks join up half way through. So there needs to be some formal structure, maybe quite short, say a 10 week program so folks can join in without too much delay.

I know you were floating ideas around about wiki systems etc… a few systems you may want to look at might be something like wet paint, or the really robust and education leader Moodle. For what you have described, setting out an actual course, I would look into Moodle as a great platform. You could map it out in weeks / resources etc… and it would be there for reusing, well forever really. Plus you can post updates to keep people informed about what is happening, dates of things going up, information that is current, much like a blog.

Your idea really sounds a fantastic one and you have already sounded out some interested folks, you gotta go for it and let me know if I can help in anyway, its a very interesting topic and was actually considering a similar topic for Doctorate study.

Best

~CMoz

]]> By: MikeGrace http://geek.michaelgrace.org/2009/07/open-source-education-endeaver/comment-page-1/#comment-183 MikeGrace Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:33:25 +0000 http://geek.michaelgrace.org/?p=319#comment-183 Thanks for your input Mike! I always appreciate your perspective and good insight. I will be compiling a list here soon of all the different possibilities and some of the pros and cons I can see with using each. Very exciting stuff indeed. ; ) Thanks for your input Mike! I always appreciate your perspective and good insight. I will be compiling a list here soon of all the different possibilities and some of the pros and cons I can see with using each. Very exciting stuff indeed. ; )

]]> By: Mike Farmer http://geek.michaelgrace.org/2009/07/open-source-education-endeaver/comment-page-1/#comment-182 Mike Farmer Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:37:20 +0000 http://geek.michaelgrace.org/?p=319#comment-182 Check out http://www.dspace.org/ I believe thay have a public holding space for online courses as well. Check out http://www.dspace.org/

I believe thay have a public holding space for online courses as well.

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