I thought there was a little crossover between the E-Learning and Web Standards groups here, so I wanted to share with both.

I've long respected Tim O'Reilly and see him as someone who can really take an analytical perspective on current techs and think about behavior and what will happen over the long haul.  He did this with Web 2.0 and now he's turning his eye to MOOCs and online educational models.

It's an excellent read, and his vision reminds me a lot of how people in tech circles work in terms of sharing and taking code in new directions.  It's also exciting pedagogically.

http://radar.oreilly.com/2012/12/the-mooc-movement-is-not-an-indicator-of-educational-evolution.html


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And, because I cannot help myself, I would like to point out the paraphrasing of Jon Bruner's argument that MOOCs are a necessary shake up for non-elite educational institutions and ask us all to consider what that actually means in terms of the open education movement of the 1970s, which led to more and better access for a wider population to legitimate college degrees.  If elite institutions are not in need of a shake up, if they are all that remain intact in a robust way, what are the ramifications to society?  I don't think it's a coincidence that all of the MOOC environments are being developed by Ivy League institutions -- it's an investment in their brands and their futures.

/end Sara's usual critical analysis of business practice in higher ed.

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Sara Hurley
Instructional Designer & Team Lead
School of Public Health
University of Minnesota

612-625-7709