John Mak Blogs versus forum. Interesting finding. Wasn’t it similar to what we have found in our research of CCK08? Do people prefer blogs over forum in open courses/learning networks?
tv.unsw.edu.au
Steve Mackenzie John – you have to have reason to go to a blackboard forum. At least in MOOC’s people have more of a reason to participate in forum debates as they have shown an initial interest in developing their learning. I think blogs are best for personal learning, but forums in MOOC’S have their place (i.e. quick discussion and not so much work and deliberation as when writing a blog and weaving others viewpoints into your own blog.
Hope you are well, as ever your facebook postings are great. look forward to interacting more in PLENK2010
John Mak Thanks for your comments. I am well. Hope you are well too.
Yes, I share your views. There seems to be a pattern for many MOOCs and OOCs that initial interests in developing their learning could be sparked by forum debates and induction, with quick exchange & discussion leading to more ideas sharing & deliberation. Once people (participants) are accustomed to the networked learning experience, they would start to build their own learning networks via blogs, and transference of “new skills & connections” from one to another media space/tools – microblogs twitter, facebook links, amplify it, Youtubes, Myspace, friend feeds, RSS, Google Reader, Delicious, Google doc, wikispaces, pbworks (pbwikis), Flickr, Slideshare, Second Life (SL), Netvibes, Skype, Elluminate, UStream, Dimdim, Diigo, Drupal, Ning etc. Such modalities of learning are based on individual learning needs, and so the personal aggregation is a “decentralised” practice from the LMS intention.
This pattern of interaction and engagement in MOOC seems to also follow an exponential curve with slowing down in participation near the middle of the course, and a rapid decline in the participation in the forum. For CCK08, we have attempted to explain the reasons behind the pattern, and for CCK09, EduFuture and CritLit2010, the reasons for the changes in participation in the forums were somewhat different from the CCK08. Would it be due to the initial momentum brought about by CCK08 that have led to the intense debates?
This was especially evident with CCK09. With CCK09, Edufuture, CritLit2010 people had also got some experience in such connective learning and would be expecting slightly more extensive learning, with more extensive learning spaces/media/tools, whilst others who were new to it were still trying to see how it worked. So, would the “process” of such connective open course be equally important in the “content” part of an open course?
I have the intention of researching all the CCK09, EduFuture and CritLit2010, as compared with CCK08. I realised that Stephen and Rita have done the research on CritLit2010.
It is a challenge to conduct research in comparing the MOOCs, whereas objectivity and action research are both needed, in order to avoid research biasing.
John
Photo: Flickr
Postscript: Refer to this Teaching in Social and Technological Networks by George Siemens on CCK08 & CCK09
Learner Weblog 