Future of Education Part 2 MOOC as an adaptive system and network ecology

In this era where we are living in and among a vast arrays of digital and learning networks, which are interconnected in the webs and internet, we might well consider how we could leverage them for our education and learning purpose.  Stephen provides a wonderful insight when he says:

It is not merely to create a network into which to situate episodic learning, but rather, to create a network that learns and thus adapts and reshapes itself based on those conversations and interactions. (Downes, 2007)

Indeed, it is often suggested that the best we can manage is to teach students how to learn, and to encourage them to manage their own learning thereafter. But even this principle is subject to changing affordances of technology and changing capabilities of students; how we learn itself is something that changes, and cannot be precisely taught. The way musicians learn, for example, changes as they grow from novice to expert. (Münte, Altenmüller, & Jäncke, 2002) For this reason, we need to see the educational system itself as adaptive rather than merely prescriptive.

I find it resonating, and I predict that our future educational system would turn out to be adaptive rather than merely prescriptive. MOOC is one such platform within the ecology exhibiting its adaptive and evolving nature.

Would the x MOOCs undergo similar fate?  May be.  George elaborates on MOOCs here in his latest post.

I think the new x MOOC have maintained the highly structured education system, whereas students are now exploring ways to learn based on emergent, self-organised learning.  Derek conceives MOOC as participatory culture. That seems to have followed similar pathways what connectivist MOOCs have gone through since their inception in 2008, through CCK08, then CCK09, 11, 12, PLENK, Change11, LAK12, DS106 and various other platforms.  Relating to participatory culture, here is my sharing.  I could also see some early signs of worries from HE, and concerns from many professors in the “disruptive nature” of education due to MOOCs.  This is understandable and to a great extent a challenge to the basic structure of higher education system.

To what extent are we able to engage with the netizens through these MOOCs (c MOOCs, x MOOCs)?  With millions of students enrolled into the xMOOCs, who would say no?

Photo: Google Image

May be a critical reflection of MOOCs would shed lights on what might be the future of education, with MOOCs.  I still recall my critical reflection here.

I think we are now involved in the gamification in education.  How about the concept of the LORD OF THE RING – or LORD OF THE MOOCs where alliance and partnership in the ring of MOOC keep evolving and emerging.  They who take reign rule and win it all!

Postscript: See this post Distance-learning-The-online-learning-revolution relating to MOOC.