>From: Fred Bartels=20
>Subject: Re: Independent School Online Courses
>
>Chris,
>
>Thanks for sharing the links in your previous post and the
>information below.
>
>I skimmed through the Theory and Practice of Online Learning
(http://cde.athabascau.ca/online_book/contents.html) today.
>The following bullet point in the final chapter (by Nancy
>Parker) grabbed my attention.
>
>... education is best experienced within a community of
>learning where competent professionals are actively and
>cooperatively involved with creating, providing, and
>improving the instructional program;
>
>It is essentially the same issue you and Peter have been
>addressing. We know how to do this in our bricks and mortar
>schools but we don't yet have a model of how to do it
>collaboratively online. Perhaps some sort of virtual
>environment may be a significant part of a successful model.
>
>Fred
As others, I've been holding back getting involved with this
thread because my experience is limited. But, now this is
getting closer to what concerns me about on-line curriculum.
I have not seen a reference to Roger Schank's work in this
area. Maybe I missed it so please excuse me if this has been
covered. Roger is a friend of a professor at UC Berkeley
that has been my mentor while I do volunteer work on the
non-profit he founded. Roger has a lot of experience
constructing on-line classes, both via companies he founded
and in collaboration (he is/was Chief Educational Officer
for Carnegie Mellon West which has courseware on-line). He
gives great examples of constructing classes in hid book:
Designing World-class E-Learning, McGraw-Hill, 2003.
So with this intro, I remember reading his book and some
stuff he sent me (but what's in what I don't remember since
this was a few years ago). He has developed classes that
solve (supposedly) Fred's issue. I remember that Roger had
developed large databases that contained class materials,
assignments, documented key problem areas and common
mistakes and canned responses to users making them, and
more... He relied on humans reading e-mail/on-line stuff
submitted by students, replying by composing material that
they get from the database. I think that this part of the
solution is comparable to the classic 800-number help
center approach.
So, the problem?
I read somewhere that each of his classes costs roughly
a million dollars. Now, the on-line classes that he has
developed are really first-class, for customers like IBM,
GE, Columbia, ... Maybe with a wiki-like effort, classes
can be built for a nominal amount. I try to use some of
his techniques just to improve the stuff I have on-line.
I guess I need to go back and scan through Roger's book
and then get back to Disrupting Class. I started to read
this book over the holidays but got side-tracked on some
other stuff. I'm a fan of Christensen (especially The
Innovator's Dilemma), but I didn't find Disrupting Class
a fun/easy read - but maybe I didn't give it enough of
a chance.
In any case, this is an interesting thread, keep the
thoughts coming please,
guy
>Peter writes...
>" how do we teach these courses in a way that adds to the personal
>experience, personal grounding, personal perspective, personal =
growth,
>and personal values of the students?"
>
>Wonderful question and gets at the center of what most (but there are =
few
>in existence) good online programs can do. I along with several =
others at
>UNT (University of North Texas) are currently exploring alternate =
reality
>gaming as an effective learning environment (NOT a video game). By
>weaving the learning experiences into a narrative based in fantasy =
and
>centered on the essential questions of the course (core material) =
with
>learning experiences focused on the 6 facets of understanding =
(Wiggins),
>it might be possible to bring in much of what an independent school
>offers in the way of character development, personal growth and value
>development. ARG's incorporate constructivist learning through =
narrative
>driving environments where students engage collaboratively with other
>students and characters from the story to solve problems central to =
the
>discipline of study. This might be one way that independent schools =
can
>add some of the elements that makes them unique learning environments =
for
>our children.
>
>Chris Bigenho
>Director of Educational Technology
>Greenhill School
>4141 Spring Valley Road
>Addison, TX 75001
>Ph. 972-628-5479
>Fx. 972-628-5279
>bigenhoc@greenhill.org
>www.greenhill.org
>
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