I teach high school web design and have so many of the same issues. What can I require as a “prerequisite” to succeed in the class (esp. when so many of my kids have serious language issues)? How do I teach “community building” on 45 minutes per day? How do I get out of the way (and still look like I’m teaching)?

I find the less I “teach” the more engaged the kids are getting and the quality of their work is rising.

I am pushing process so much that I worry about losing sight of product. Do you have similar worries? What is the “product” for this class?

the instructors were going to allow the students to form whatever groups they might be interested in and they would provide the communication stream but not the organizational scaffolding.

… and very interesting it is too.

I’m not sure that totally agree about the Moodle forums. There is one thread this week which would be a good exemplar for the worst of online communication.

I have heard lots of criticism of Elluminate in the past and last week attended a disastrous session at another institution, so I have been impressed at how well it has worked on this course.

Like you – I’m a community freak. I am slowly making connections, but I do not feel part of a group, never mind a community. I feel as though I am slowly finding my identity here, but as yet have no sense of a recognisable network identity.

I didn’t realise that the wiki was there for anyone to edit. Is that really what is expected?

I completely agree with

i think the grace with which S and D have accepted critiques speaks well for them and open courses generally

Like you I am amazed at how they manage to keep in touch with so many people through blogs, Moodle, SL etc and like you I can’t imagine that this could be sustainable – but the numbers actively participating do seem to be dropping.

For me the most important aspect of all this is how it will affect education, teaching and learning in practice. I’m sure it has to, but I’m also wondering whether – apart from the technology – there is really anything startlingly new. I’m still thinking, watching and hopefully learning. I can think of loads of possible research papers that could come out of the data!!!

Many congratulations on the new addition to your family. How you have time for this as well I really don’t know!

Jenny

Thank you for this thought-provoking post. I found it via OLDaily.

It is interesting to learn about backstage and your views of the first quarter. Perhaps it is because I have been away for formal education for so long that I have been very relaxed about the openness of the CCK08 course. I did not expect a description of the pre-requisite literacies as I thought I made a voluntary assumption of risk when I joined.

Babyland is a great place to be. It transforms your relationship to everyone. I wonder if the wonderful smile and glow of parenthood can be expressed in communities so that the local becomes global?

Keith

My feed reader runneth over. What are you trying to do? I can’t handle this much Daveness in one day