The future of online learning networks.

Stephen Downes' powerpoint presentation on "The future of online learning and knowledge networks" is spot-on and easy to follow even it doesn't have audio (yet). The presentation points to key flaws in the emerging consensus on how learning resources (or objects) should be collected together and made available, mainly that it is based on a library metaphor where content is produced by authors, categorized and stored by librarians and then searched for and used by consumers. In fact, however, "comsumers are becoming producers [and] marketplaces are becoming conversations". Stephen's vision is that in addition to "first party" metadata (such as authorship information), a resource will also gather second and third party metadata over time as others use, comment on, evaluate and rate it and the resource acquires a reputation just as individuals now do. So the idea is to get away from "static, course-based resources assembled and delivered by institutions" and to have instead a "dynamic, unstructured stream of learning resources obtained and organized by learners". And it does not require heavy duty, expensive enterprise-level "solutions", but runs as a robust and loosely-joined network of smallpieces.

By Martin Terre Blanche 30 Sept 2004 [Collaborative Learning]
7:58:53 AM    

Computers 'do not boost learning'. Internet access does not make adults more likely to take part in formal education, research suggests. [BBC News | Technology | UK Edition]
7:56:45 AM