@Astrid, My apologies for the tardy response, a few reminder emails have ended up in spam by mistake and I have just become aware of it.

I would have no objection on the inclusion of such a list of tools, although I would find it hard to see it as representative of the experience of all or even most of the participants in the course. Welcome to the long tail. For a good discussion of tools and how well they were received in CCK08 see Fini (2009).

The problem with focussing on a number of specific tools for inclusion in a list is it fails to recognise a diversity of approaches and learning styles. Fini does seem to suggest that outlining pedagogical approaches associated with each tool, and warning future participants that they don’t have to use every one might help mitigate the overwhelm that some feel in a MOOC. I feel however that would detract from personal sense-making that needs to happen, and diminish the choices available to people by “anointing” a select few.

Perhaps the gardening analogy wasn’t the best fit. Enjoy the smorgasbord that is this MOOC. I’m resisting (unsuccessfully I might add) the temptation to sign off with yet another metaphor.

Fini, A. (2009). The Technological Dimension of a Massive Open Online Course: The Case of the CCK08 Course Tools. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 10(5), Article–10. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/viewArticle/643/1402