This week has been a challenging one for me in that I was getting so wrapped up in the myriad of resources that I had to regroup. I did manage to regroup, somewhat and was able to narrow down my findings to two resources that I found to be of particular interest to me. The two sites are "Open Tapestry" (retrieved from: http://www.opentapestry.com) and, thanks to Jean, "19 Pencils" (retrieved from: http://www.19pencils.com)
I really like the way "Open Tapestry" is set up. I like its similarity to "Pinterest"(http://pinterest.com). It is easy to navigate and use. You can drop and drag resources and others can clip to your Tapestry. You can create your own page to add to resources and you can "harvest" content from various other avenues, such as; Rss feeds, YouTube, Flickr, Vimeo, and others. You can also upload straight to your "Canvas" (https://canvas.instructure.com) site. You can also create different tabs for different subject areas.
"19 Pencils" is a great site for finding and saving searches of resources. It is much like "Open Tapestry" in the way the resources are set up to view. It is also easy to navigate. There are tabs for "websites", "quizzes", and "games". The resources you find will automatically go under the appropriate tab. You can also create content to share. You can set up a webpage that you can add students to and resources for them to view and use. I don't like how there are only the three tabs to add resources. There is no option to make sub-tabs to put in different subject areas. All of the website resources are combined on one "page" so you will have to either move them around so that they are in some kind of order or spend time searching within the tab for the item you want.
What I love the most about the two sites is the ease of use. I can find resources quickly and easily. With both sites you can create your own material to share. I prefer the organization of resources in "Open Tapestry" over "19 Pencils". I like having choices for organizing my "stuff" under different headings. I also prefer the "Open Tapestry" search options. It gives you a wider range of search options with "YouTube" and the others mentioned above. What I like about "19 Pencils" over "Open Tapestry" is the ability to post resources on a "19 Pencils" webpage for my students (with a premium account of course) to view and use as well as a blog space on the website. If I had to choose between the two resource sites right now I think I would go with "19 Pencils", only because I like the idea of students being able to readily access the resources that I have put on the "19 Pencils" site. I also like the blog option right on the site as well.
Both of these resources are great for me as I am focused on the primary aged students, however I know there are many more OERs "out there" to discover. For now, I have a springboard upon which to build, and that I have already started to build and use.
I am going to digress from comparing OERs and talk about something that attracted my attention about the future of OERs. I read an article from the Ontario Online Learning Portal for Faculty & Instructors (retrieved from: http://www.contactnorth.ca/trends-directions/open-educational-resources) The article, "How Really Relevant and Practical are Open Educational Resources?: A case for a little humility about the potential" describes how MOOCs are a "push" in that they push the instructor's or institution's content on the students who are involved in the MOOC. There is a fairly high non-completion rate and there is, as of right now, no formal degree attached to it unless you are already attached with that particular institution. My question about this is, is it really that open if you may not be able to achieve a degree? Hmmm, food for thought.
The other end of the spectrum, according to the article, is the "pull" instead of the "push". This is more along the lines of a more individualized learning where the instructor is the facilitator and resources are "pulled" into the learning environment to best enhance and facilitate the students' learning. I can't help but be reminded of our last course, OLTD 504, where we were to build our own LMS and NON LMS. The NON LMS build would be an amazing avenue for the "pull" method of delivering courses. The students could have their own websites, as we do, and be able to pull from different resources to show their learning of the content and have their websites be their eportfolios. This kind of learning can make learning more meaningful to the learner because it is their choice of what materials and resources work best for them. Does it really matter what the resources and tools are that are used to achieve deeper learning, or is it the process and end result that has meaning? I know that I have chosen many different "roads" to my learning through the OLTD program than others in my cohort. Does that mean that I have not learned what I needed to learn? No, it means that we all learned in a different way. Some of my cohorts have taught online already, I have not. My path to learning about LMSs and NON LMSs took a different road than theirs as I was not at the same juncture as they were. Did Avi make us all do the same stuff at the same time? No, learning was tailored to encompass each person's level of knowledge. Some of us needed to start at the beginning and other's were able to use their expertise to mentor others. Also, when I look at what we are doing right now with Alec, I see the same type of pattern of learning. We are not all doing or learning one narrow topic, but being allowed to spread our wings and "discover" what resonates with us. Is this a less structured way to learn? In some ways, yes, we have freedom to explore. However, in other ways, no, we still have to "learn" the content within the parameters of the topic, but have the freedom to focus on and use resources we want to use to find what we think is important to us. For example, for this week's topic about "OERs" , some have focused on MOOCs, some on perspectives of OERs, some on comparing OERs, some on open content, licensing, learning, and the list goes on. Without the chance to find what fits for us, our learning would not be as deep and may not be as valuable in the quest for life long learning.
In conclusion, I have come to the realization that our OLTD courses are cutting edge in the realm of online learning. We may not be in a MOOC, but I think we have developed beyond the MOOC in the sense that we are more in line with the "pull" of learning rather than the "push" of learning, thus we are helping to define the future of online education. It would be amazing if there were MOOCs that were truly open and you could receive a diploma upon completion without being affiliated with the institution that was running the MOOC AND they followed the "pull" method of learning! With the vast amount of OERs that are out there, there is no doubt in my mind that eventually we will be able to facilitate learning for all no matter where you live or who you are. The challenge will be to harness the resources out there to BEST facilitate learning for all. Maybe we need a "World University" that is separate from a "building" where we are not tied to a traditional environment. I can't wait to see what unfolds.
References
(2013). How really relevant and practical are open educational resources?:
A case for a little humility about the potential . Ontario Online Learning
Portal for Faculty & Instructors, Retrieved from
http://www.contactnorth.ca/trends-directions/open-educational-resources
I really like the way "Open Tapestry" is set up. I like its similarity to "Pinterest"(http://pinterest.com). It is easy to navigate and use. You can drop and drag resources and others can clip to your Tapestry. You can create your own page to add to resources and you can "harvest" content from various other avenues, such as; Rss feeds, YouTube, Flickr, Vimeo, and others. You can also upload straight to your "Canvas" (https://canvas.instructure.com) site. You can also create different tabs for different subject areas.
"19 Pencils" is a great site for finding and saving searches of resources. It is much like "Open Tapestry" in the way the resources are set up to view. It is also easy to navigate. There are tabs for "websites", "quizzes", and "games". The resources you find will automatically go under the appropriate tab. You can also create content to share. You can set up a webpage that you can add students to and resources for them to view and use. I don't like how there are only the three tabs to add resources. There is no option to make sub-tabs to put in different subject areas. All of the website resources are combined on one "page" so you will have to either move them around so that they are in some kind of order or spend time searching within the tab for the item you want.
What I love the most about the two sites is the ease of use. I can find resources quickly and easily. With both sites you can create your own material to share. I prefer the organization of resources in "Open Tapestry" over "19 Pencils". I like having choices for organizing my "stuff" under different headings. I also prefer the "Open Tapestry" search options. It gives you a wider range of search options with "YouTube" and the others mentioned above. What I like about "19 Pencils" over "Open Tapestry" is the ability to post resources on a "19 Pencils" webpage for my students (with a premium account of course) to view and use as well as a blog space on the website. If I had to choose between the two resource sites right now I think I would go with "19 Pencils", only because I like the idea of students being able to readily access the resources that I have put on the "19 Pencils" site. I also like the blog option right on the site as well.
Both of these resources are great for me as I am focused on the primary aged students, however I know there are many more OERs "out there" to discover. For now, I have a springboard upon which to build, and that I have already started to build and use.
I am going to digress from comparing OERs and talk about something that attracted my attention about the future of OERs. I read an article from the Ontario Online Learning Portal for Faculty & Instructors (retrieved from: http://www.contactnorth.ca/trends-directions/open-educational-resources) The article, "How Really Relevant and Practical are Open Educational Resources?: A case for a little humility about the potential" describes how MOOCs are a "push" in that they push the instructor's or institution's content on the students who are involved in the MOOC. There is a fairly high non-completion rate and there is, as of right now, no formal degree attached to it unless you are already attached with that particular institution. My question about this is, is it really that open if you may not be able to achieve a degree? Hmmm, food for thought.
The other end of the spectrum, according to the article, is the "pull" instead of the "push". This is more along the lines of a more individualized learning where the instructor is the facilitator and resources are "pulled" into the learning environment to best enhance and facilitate the students' learning. I can't help but be reminded of our last course, OLTD 504, where we were to build our own LMS and NON LMS. The NON LMS build would be an amazing avenue for the "pull" method of delivering courses. The students could have their own websites, as we do, and be able to pull from different resources to show their learning of the content and have their websites be their eportfolios. This kind of learning can make learning more meaningful to the learner because it is their choice of what materials and resources work best for them. Does it really matter what the resources and tools are that are used to achieve deeper learning, or is it the process and end result that has meaning? I know that I have chosen many different "roads" to my learning through the OLTD program than others in my cohort. Does that mean that I have not learned what I needed to learn? No, it means that we all learned in a different way. Some of my cohorts have taught online already, I have not. My path to learning about LMSs and NON LMSs took a different road than theirs as I was not at the same juncture as they were. Did Avi make us all do the same stuff at the same time? No, learning was tailored to encompass each person's level of knowledge. Some of us needed to start at the beginning and other's were able to use their expertise to mentor others. Also, when I look at what we are doing right now with Alec, I see the same type of pattern of learning. We are not all doing or learning one narrow topic, but being allowed to spread our wings and "discover" what resonates with us. Is this a less structured way to learn? In some ways, yes, we have freedom to explore. However, in other ways, no, we still have to "learn" the content within the parameters of the topic, but have the freedom to focus on and use resources we want to use to find what we think is important to us. For example, for this week's topic about "OERs" , some have focused on MOOCs, some on perspectives of OERs, some on comparing OERs, some on open content, licensing, learning, and the list goes on. Without the chance to find what fits for us, our learning would not be as deep and may not be as valuable in the quest for life long learning.
In conclusion, I have come to the realization that our OLTD courses are cutting edge in the realm of online learning. We may not be in a MOOC, but I think we have developed beyond the MOOC in the sense that we are more in line with the "pull" of learning rather than the "push" of learning, thus we are helping to define the future of online education. It would be amazing if there were MOOCs that were truly open and you could receive a diploma upon completion without being affiliated with the institution that was running the MOOC AND they followed the "pull" method of learning! With the vast amount of OERs that are out there, there is no doubt in my mind that eventually we will be able to facilitate learning for all no matter where you live or who you are. The challenge will be to harness the resources out there to BEST facilitate learning for all. Maybe we need a "World University" that is separate from a "building" where we are not tied to a traditional environment. I can't wait to see what unfolds.
References
(2013). How really relevant and practical are open educational resources?:
A case for a little humility about the potential . Ontario Online Learning
Portal for Faculty & Instructors, Retrieved from
http://www.contactnorth.ca/trends-directions/open-educational-resources