Monday, September 20, 2010

More on PLEs and PLNs

The challenges I'm having in this PLENK2010 course remind me of the feelings I had taking graduate classes that I just didn't get at first. Some of them I subsequently "got." There are issues of scale and responsibility that I find curious.

Just what is the fuss over LMS? There are purposes for things. Arguing against the application of course/learning management systems in favor of PLNs or PLEs seems like preferring ice tea over sand bags. They are different things, they apply differently to people and at different levels.

I'm struggling, too, with the value of trying to learn anything with >1000 people in the room...just too much stuff happening. That some of it is happening in other languages is intriguing in part, but brings so much extra work that there is marginal value at this point in time for THIS learning path traveler.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Testing the water with a Massive Open Online Course

I'm half-ways busy testing the water with a MOOC being offered by George Siemens, TEKRI, Stephen Downes, NRC, Dave Cormier, UPEI, Rita Kop, NRC. It's called PLENK2010 and it's got a bunch of different purposes.