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Microsoft |
| Saturday, November 12, 2005 |
My son came with me on a trip to Microsoft this week. It went well or so I think. I talked about the 10 technology trends that have flattened the world of learning. You can get my handouts at the e-learn homepage http://www.aace.org/conf/eLearn/default.htm. The ten flatteners are:
The Ten Forces that Flattened the Learning World
1.Tools for Searching and Finding Information (e.g., Google, Yahoo!)
2.Rise in Demand for Online Learning
3.Open-Sourcing Learning: Sakai, Moodle, eduCommons
4.Collaboration (e.g., SharePoint, Groove, Word, Interwise, Breeze, Google Talk, Skype)
5.Learning Portability (Podcasting, Mobile technology)
6.Learner Empowerment and Individualization of Learning (Blogs, Wikis, etc.)
7.Online Portals of Information
8.Online Learning Object Repositories (MERLOT, Connexions, Careo, Jurom)
9.Open CourseWare (MIT OCW, Utah State, Johns Hopkins, Japan, CORE, OOPS)
10.Knowledge Brokers and Collectors
In effect, it is mainly about sharing knowledge. Each of these technologies or trends is playing a role in the sharing of knowledge. We have moved from technology to enhance what we do (like CDs for testing) to technology to extend what we do (like international collaborations in my class with students from Finland and Korea) to technology to transform what we do (with students writing cases and exam questions based on real world experiences instead of the instructor using Harvard business cases) to technology to share what we do (for example, learning objects). The use of MITs opencourseware and MERLOT.org's learning objects are just 2 key examples. There is so much to be shared. We all have a role in that sharing. What will your role be? What can you do?
My student, Guoping Ma, who now works for Microsoft came to my talk and showed us around Microsoft for a bit. She needs to complete her dissertation in the next year or two on online communities. I hope she does. Her husband, Steven, and son, Patrick, and her took us to a fantastic Asian restaurant before we went home called Wild Ginger. It was a long flight home on the red eye. Nice to see Guoping! She helped me start CourseShare by designing the initial code back in 1999 for InstructorShare which allowed instructors in different disciplines to share articles, teaching ideas, media, etc., and discuss ideas in an asynchronous forum and to chat on them as well. We had perhaps 1,000 people using InstructorShare even though we never advertised it. I took it down recently due to concerns I had about copyright.
I posted some pictures from this trip in Flickr. I will try to provide a URL soon.
Alex and I also got a tour around the University of Washington as he may go to school there. He likes the city and university. It is around 40 percent Asian so that is good for him to fit in. The mountains in the background and lakes in the city make it a great place to go to school. Former students Barb Halpenny and Erin Maher now work there and they each showed us around. Barb took us around campus and Erin got us dinner. Each of them used to work for me at CourseShare as project managers 4-5 years ago. |
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| 2 Comments: |
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New education tool with huge potential... Free Groove integrated with Skype for a student budget -- FREE
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I did not know Groove was free. I thought they charged!
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New education tool with huge potential... Free Groove integrated with Skype for a student budget -- FREE
Please try www.verosee.com or see our Blogs