Coursera - Free Online Courses From Top Universities | Coursera

MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are a wonderful way to further your own knowledge in an area in which you already have interest or expertise, or to explore other interests that are more hobby related, such as an introduction to classical music, or art, or computer programming, or history.  There are many MOOCs out there, but Coursera strikes me as one that is particularly impressive because of it's open source access to some of the worlds top universities.

The main difference between taking MOOCs and other traditional courses whether face to face or online, is the al la carte way you can select courses.  Rather than being degree based, you can select learning specifically related to a topic of interest, even if it is not exactly in your line of work.  For example, one course I'm interested in is related to "learning how to learn" by University of California, San Diego.  It is taught by a Professor of Engineering and a Professor of Biological Studies which is terrific, since most of the professors in my education degrees have backgrounds in education.  The exposure to thinking about learning in different disciplines is a rarity.

With a wide range of topics from all over the world, and in a variety of languages, MOOCs like Coursera make learning accessible.  Since Coursera is obviously a college level course, High School educators may be able to integrate some of the courses into their curriculum as extension work, or even as a unit of work.  It would depend on how flexible the curriculum could be.  For all levels of K-12 education MOOCs can be a great professional development tool.  I see them as a great way to train teachers at a relatively low cost, in a flexible environment. The quality of the content is credible, and MOOCs could initiate some very rich collaborative learning experiences for educators, and they select topics that are meaningful.

With Coursea, there are some fees, but there is also Financial Aid available.  Perhaps schools could plan to compensate teachers for one MOOCs training each year so long as it is justifiably connected to their professional context.

Take a look at this video from Dave Corrnier (shared with my by my professor Ashley Shaw at Royal Roads University).  It will provide some interesting insights into the way MOOCs can be a viable way to further our studies and encourage students to take ownership of their own development.

Technology for an outdoor learning environment

I may not be a teaching practitioner at this time, however, I still consider myself an educator invested in high quality practices the provide students with innovative ways to explore the world they live in and expand their thinking.  

ADVANCEMENT FOR LEARNING

Technology in the classroom is a debated topic since while students are early adopters, often knowing how to connect, how to process and how to learn new technology skill rapidly, some educational providers struggle to know how to integrate advanced technologies into the learning at a level that is engaging and relevant to the level of proficiency that students already possess. But perhaps teachers do not have to have mastered technology to the same degree as their students.  It would be terrific if we could see this as a resource or tool problem to be solved together.  We can think in terms of the outcomes from learning that we desire students to master, and then involve them in finding the apps and tools to solve the problem.  Apple Education often showcase incredible and innovative uses of their devices for learning.  Yes, these videos are for promotional value for Apple, but it is so wonderful to see the vast way that technology can be used to make learning real world, and rigorous.  In this promotional video, you will see the way that students in Singapore are using an iPad to predict, measure and graph results: Apple Stories: Nanyung Girls' School, Singapore.

TECHNOLOGY USE OUTDOORS

In Isleboro, Maine, a school district has thought very hard about how to bring students out of the walled classroom to engage in the natural world, bringing the 21st century tools they enjoy using with them.  They say that the art of authentic technological integration is to get them doing,  Teachers bridge their teaching with technology so that students make their own connections.  We know enough about the brain to know that this is required to develop higher order thinking. Students collaborate to create a resource that becomes a document available to the community and the world.  Teachers say that students don't see the writing and drafting and re-writing as a chore when there is a purpose. Video: Using Technology to Connect Students and the Environment. 

This video was featured on the User Generated Education blog, which is a terrific resource for teachers to expand their awareness of the possibilities that technology can provide for their students.  It features top Apps used in the classroom, website links to other resources, and also some very practical theory to assist schools in developing a common language to support the growth of technology integration.

For example: the blog also presents the SAMR model, developed by Dr Ruben Puentendura:

Here is a chart that presents the model of technology integration developed by Dr Puentendura:

The IB Community Blog

Yes, I work at for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Americas office. But I applied to work with the IB because I believe in the philosophy of Education for a Better World.  Having taught in IB World Schools for a number of years and seen the way the programmes not only developed students capacity as critical and creative thinkers, but opened their minds to new perspectives while affirming them to dig deep into their own cultural heritages and be proud of who they are, and where they come from.

The IB Community Blog provides programme updates, research reports, philosophy and practice of student centred education as well as showcases the incredible work of students and teachers within a global context.  From the inside, IB staff contribute and also spend time sourcing the voices of the IB community, which has reached more than 6,000 programmes world wide, with 2,608 IB World Schools in the Americas, alone.  1.3 Million students access a globally directed education, across the world.

You may like to take a look at the way the new Career-related programme is contributing to future pathways, or read about how IB alumni believe their education helped them to become a life-long learner.  Reading this blog inspires me because it literally consists of student, parent, teacher, leader, curriculum designer, researcher, advocate and alumni contributions.  While I have a rich experience in the IB, this blog inspires me and helps me to develop a greater knowledge of programme impact, and new perspectives about international education.

Someone once said, we are not learning, we are not growing, if we aren't growing, we aren't living; and if we aren't living....