http://www.hannaharendtcenter.org

In fact, as this essay by Kevin Bell suggests, the original worthy goals of the MOOC – to make higher education open and available to people who might otherwise not have access to it – are being eroded. I also see in this essay the first serious sputtering of the energy these online courses. Pedagogically, for the most part, they are flawed – mostly if you try to compare them to an online course you might take through a university with a professor within easy reach.

Charles De Gryse

Charles de Gryse graduated with a BFA from the University of Michigan in 1970 and was a graphic artist and designer as well as pro photographer for many years. He has been teaching computer productivity and introductory computer skills in the Business and Computer Technologies Department at Washtenaw Community College for the past 3 years and plans to continue to specialize in adult education at the community college level as a career.

Ed Tech magazine, which focuses on K-12 issues, in November 2012 published a report on six hot trends in educational technology with a move toward digital-only textbooks as the No. 1 item. According to the report, 37 percent of teachers surveyed — no information was given as to the total number of respondents — say they plan to transition to only digital textbooks within the next one to five years. Just 26.3 percent of them believe they could do so easily given their current network infrastructure.

This is an interesting development, as a move to digital-only textbooks would align with a push by legislators and district officials to implement more technology in the classroom. The push coincides with the need for students to be more techno-savvy as they look for 21st-century jobs.

My question is: who foots the bill for the technology? Would it be the school? Most districts are strapped for cash and looking for ways to slash budgets.

Would the money come via a vote of the public? At a time when so many people are hurting financially, I think it would be tough to sell taxpayers on the idea.

What about funds for upkeep and repair? Would the school or the students be held responsible for that? In principle, the idea sounds like a great one. But, as with many other things, finances are the major hurdle.

Jason Davis

Jason Davis is a student in the Eastern Michigan University EDMT master’s program. Davis plans to teach college journalism at Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn upon completion of the program. Davis earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University in 2004 and has worked as a print journalist since September 2004.

The McClass

Run inside an LMS, or even better by Coursera or Udacity, and/or offered by proponents of the mass-produced course (U of Phoenix, Ashford, etc), the McClass features recorded lectures, an unmoderated internal discussion (if any), and grading by graduate students, peers or staff (and soon robo-graders). All xMOOCs are in this category, but so are classes created by teams of instructional designers or course developers and “content experts”, but facilitated (I hesitate to use the word “taught”) by less experienced instructors or program coordinators. Sartorial analogy: one size fits all.

She hesitates to say “teach” and I do also.

The sub sandwich class

It’s a six inch or a twelve — you can change the mix of ingredients inside but the options are standardized. Sub sandwich classes are offered by community colleges and universities dependent on a single Learning Management System, the inherent design of which influences (and may determine) instructor pedagogy. Even built on a whole wheat system like Canvas or an in-house product, the defaults of the LMS are easy to adopt without requiring an examination of ones own pedagogy. Hallmarks include dependence on publisher-produced materials, and an internal, traditional moderated discussion of issues, usually lacking a constructivist focus. Quality varies and is partly dependent on the freshness of the ingredients.

Even the best online courses can get a little stale.

The artisanal class

Created by the instructor, the artisanal class includes only those elements that help realize the instructor’s pedagogy. The design is developed based on knowledge and experience as an active, independent teacher. The artisanal class may exist inside an LMS, but when it does the LMS is substantially customized, and often external web elements are brought in to replace built-in features (blogs, wikis, etc). Hallmarks include a foundation in free and open or home-made formats, innovative assessment techniques, and a distinct lack of top-down control. Discussion may be distributed or focused on content creation. Flaws add character and provide opportunity for community creativity. Most cMOOCs fit this model, but so do classes offered by public institutions who allow faculty substantial control over the design and deployment of their work.

The cMOOC, by the way, is a Connectivist MOOC, more focused on learners generating and creating knowledge.

According to her email to the EDMT faculty,

“In the dental school each dental hygiene class 1st,2nd, 3rd and 4th year students chose a most appreciated faculty member and the award is presented at the annual faculty appreciation banquet. The dental hygiene 2nd year students chose me. I am honored, thankful and completely surprised as part-time faculty members do not usually win an award.  The students told me that one of their biggest reasons for them choosing me is that I took the time to create interactive activities to help them to learn. I basically put the skills that I have learned throughout my EDMT program so far to practice and it is making a big impact on student learning and the students stressed that they enjoy learning so much more with the incorporation of technology. I just wanted to say thank you all so much. I am very grateful for the opportunity to be a student in the EDMT program and I have learned so much relevant information for my career.

You are all outstanding,

Thank you!  

Sarah Moeller”

Sarah Moeller

We are so grateful to know that Sarah is using the knowledge and skills acquired through the EDMT MA program to support the learning of her students.

Way to go, Sarah!!!

We appreciate hearing from you,

EDMT Faculty!

When you have time take a look at it and let us know what you think.

It was a lot to cover in a short time, but I wanted to remind the audience that for all the flash and zip in the new projects that are hitting our institutions of higher learning, there is always the human element of what it means to be a teacher which lies just beneath the technology.