As I posted a little over two weeks ago, I just finished my first MOOC. No sooner after I finished the open educational resource did I start to think about edits and revisions that needed to be made to streamline learning for participants. My plan is to build address the “Next Steps” I detail at the end of this post…and then move back to some of the “Bigger Questions” I have at the start of this post. I should be able to have this all completed in the next 3-4 weeks and re-launch it for use by educators.

In constructing this educational resource and launching it for participants, I had two main goals. First, I wanted to provide educators with an open, educational resource in which they could learn, reflect, and share with others freely online. The ORMS model and associated content I present on and share in workshops, PD, and at the New Lit Institutes. I wanted to provide participants globally with an open set of resources they could use to think authentically and effectively about use of technology in instruction. Of course I would love to have you bring me out for a keynote, or work with a group of teachers…or attend/run a New Literacies Institute. But…there are severe problems with education globally. It’s all worth it if these resources can help one student, teacher, classroom, or school. Second, the MOOC is developed as a social learning experience in which participants construct the materials along with me as they work through the course. Finishing the readings, listening to the lectures, and reviewing the remainder of the content is great…but to me the real power would be in reviewing the work process and product from others in the program as they completed their work. I want to make this all part of the system.

Bigger Questions

So the “bigger questions” that evolve from this. First, for the most part, I’m still teaching this course the same way that I would teach a face-to-face course or workshop. I provided the Powerpoints and recorded lectures along with supplemental materials. I’d like to find a way to really reinvent, or transform teaching and learning using these tools, instead of just capturing what you would have experienced in person. Second, I’m wondering if there needs to be a definite beginning, and ending of the course. Is it possible to leave it open as an educational resource and community…or do I need to have a start date and end date for participants to take it seriously? Not sure…still thinking about this. Third, is there a way that I can streamline the log-in, and social elements of the course? I’m using Google Forms and G+ for the worksheets and social elements. I would like to make it as simple as possible for participants to dip in and out between the two while working on the content. Finally, what am I missing? There are people far smarter than I am in terms building and sustaining these online learning environments. What are elements that I can add to support and scaffold all learners? Does the layout of the course make sense to participants and meet their needs?

Next Steps

Over the next month I’ll make the following additions to the ORMS MOOC.

• As the work continues on the Mozilla Web Literacies, I’ll connect these to the three cornerstones of the ORMS model. I see definite parallels between the two and this would be a way to strengthen my belief that this is an authentic, rigorous use of these web literacies in the process.
• I’m working on a series of open badges that will be added to the ORMS MOOC. I’ve written about this open badging system here before. I’ll continue to share our thinking and development on this as we proceed. Needless to say, we’ll be developing a series of badges that link directly to the ORMS cornerstones and are embedded in the Mozilla Web Literacies. Indirectly this will all link to the Common Core State Standards (important here in the U. S.).
• I’ll be adding work product that has to be completed across the modules. These would be one part of the work that participants need to complete when they pledge for a badge. Additionally, I’ll be adding in one more module to the ORMS MOOC. So, at the end of the class participants will need to build work that is representative of the three cornerstones. All work will need to specifically indicate how this will address specific student learning objectives. The two other aspects of work that need to be submitted for badges will be an online tutorial on a digital text or tool…and starting up an open, online teacher website.  As teachers pledge for badges they’ll need to complete three levels of evaluation, and publicly post their work online (CC-licensed).
• Finally, I’m investigating development of a series of assessments that can be built into the system to help us understand the learning opportunities and challenges associated with this work and these new Web Literacies.

As I continue to work on this…I’ll be sure to share here.

 

Image CC by Rob