Another day, another MOOC, this time ocTEL 2014, the MOOC run by ALT. As ever, I’m just signing up to see what it’s like, and actually wondering whether these low level activities are good for me or whether (probably) I’d be better off going away and doing some independent reading and writing. However, I’ll spend a few minutes now thinking about the course.
We’re asked to reflect on “big and little questions”:
Q: Can you identify the most important question about TEL that matters to you?
Q: Or alternatively do you have a cluster of issues? Or perhaps you’re ‘just browsing’?
A: I’m just browsing. I’m interested in learning communities, though – always looking for evidence of those. I’m more interested in what makes good learning than in any particular technology. I work as a learning technologist, but that’s a job title, not who I am. I don’t think that using technology should be hard, either for staff or for students, and I’m a little bit interested in why there are barriers to adoption of specific technologies, I guess.
Q: Write down your reflections on this, privately or publicly:
A: Why do I browse? I guess that, since #rhizo14, I keep looking around to see what makes for successful courses/communities – without expecting to find the answer. I’m learning what works for me, and that’s a start, at least!
Q: Try and hold these reflections in your mind in the weeks to come – to direct the choices you make about which options to pursue, or as something to revise or refine it in the light of what you learn.
A: Well, as my students say, obv. 😛
I’ll stick around for a bit – there’s a few familiar faces and that might make up for hating having to read to find out how to engage with the platform.
