MOOC And The Future Of Education
I just completed my second online course and I must say, I am addicted. What a wonderful experience to learn on one's own time and communicate and exchange ideas with brilliant people all over the world.
There are many fascinating facts about MOOC (massive open online course) starting with how easy it is to adapt to the format which is largely video based. For both my courses I used: www.coursera.com.
Both courses were taught by professors who were new using MOOC but both were able to adapt their teaching styles and were quite effective in conveying knowledge via video.
Another aspect of the experience is the sheer size of the numbers of online students. In the first course something like 25K students signed up and actually started and while I do not know how many finished, I recently read that only 10% complete the course and do the work required to earn a certificate of completion.
Everything you do in MOOC is measurable and since class participation is a big part of the experience, participating and writing in the forums is essential. I found this piece of the puzzle a bit tiring and I did wish at times the ability to do it in person and in a group.
Another aspect of MOOC is that everything you generate is shared and can be captured and retained by the teacher or teaching organizations. I read some brilliant reasoning in the forums which were full of fantastic ideas. This begs the question. Who owns the right to this collective content? I know the answer, of course, but it is a valid question. The collective knowhow makes the institution and professor more knowledgeable from this new content and I suppose this is the bargain for free learning. The currency is knowledge flowing from the bottom to the top as opposed to the other way around.
The power of knowledge diffusion that MOOC delivers is truly transformative and revolutionary and I now understand why education is in the process of being massively disrupted by the relentless power of digital disruption. Knowledge is everywhere and no longer locked in the brains of educators with little real life experience. Knowledge is now universal and propelled forward by pedestrian educators with real life experience such as the Khan Academy.
What does MOOC mean for telecom networks? It means that now - more than ever - access to the internet and broadband technologies is imperative for all economies and all levels. Regulatory bodies need to enable broadband technologies so that they in turn enable MOOC so that it reaches every rural corner. In furtherance, more and more, the internet and telecom networks are becoming a sovereign right.
There are many fascinating facts about MOOC (massive open online course) starting with how easy it is to adapt to the format which is largely video based. For both my courses I used: www.coursera.com.
Both courses were taught by professors who were new using MOOC but both were able to adapt their teaching styles and were quite effective in conveying knowledge via video.
Another aspect of the experience is the sheer size of the numbers of online students. In the first course something like 25K students signed up and actually started and while I do not know how many finished, I recently read that only 10% complete the course and do the work required to earn a certificate of completion.
Everything you do in MOOC is measurable and since class participation is a big part of the experience, participating and writing in the forums is essential. I found this piece of the puzzle a bit tiring and I did wish at times the ability to do it in person and in a group.
Another aspect of MOOC is that everything you generate is shared and can be captured and retained by the teacher or teaching organizations. I read some brilliant reasoning in the forums which were full of fantastic ideas. This begs the question. Who owns the right to this collective content? I know the answer, of course, but it is a valid question. The collective knowhow makes the institution and professor more knowledgeable from this new content and I suppose this is the bargain for free learning. The currency is knowledge flowing from the bottom to the top as opposed to the other way around.
The power of knowledge diffusion that MOOC delivers is truly transformative and revolutionary and I now understand why education is in the process of being massively disrupted by the relentless power of digital disruption. Knowledge is everywhere and no longer locked in the brains of educators with little real life experience. Knowledge is now universal and propelled forward by pedestrian educators with real life experience such as the Khan Academy.
What does MOOC mean for telecom networks? It means that now - more than ever - access to the internet and broadband technologies is imperative for all economies and all levels. Regulatory bodies need to enable broadband technologies so that they in turn enable MOOC so that it reaches every rural corner. In furtherance, more and more, the internet and telecom networks are becoming a sovereign right.
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