A Wider View of Learning

I toss in my two cents on a question that's got everyone talking: what is learning? When we take a wide view and consider the desired results, then "what" is just as critical as "how" we teach.

Click here for the podcast.

Meme from Steve Dembo ...

Steve Dembo (Teach42) sent a meme invitation to me. Here's my contribution:

First 5 Songs in Music Library Shuffle

"Alive and Kicking" (Simple Minds)
"Suddenly Not Alone" (Tammany Hall)
"Come Out Ye Black and Tans" (Wolfe Tones)
"Ragnaroek" (Sequentia)
"Awaken" (Yes)

I'm glad the Irish worked its way in, and really glad that my guilty 80's pleasures remained hidden--mostly.

Current Book You Are Reading

2 books, one for the nerdy history buff in me, and one for the very, very strange person hiding behind the history buff:

Boudica: The British Revolt Against Rome (Webster)
The Best of H. P. Lovecraft

Last Movie You Saw / Where

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (Regal Cinema, Burlington NJ)

I enjoyed it. I had such a whistful feeling at the end that I regretted having sold my collection of Star Wars figures (collected 1976-1982) on eBay.

Five People To Whom You'll Send This ...

Hmmm. I'll have to think on that. Watch this space for an update!

Creating Community and Communicating Expectations

After a brief word or two about streaming video, I continue last week's discussion on strategies for creating community and communicating expectations in a web-enabled learning environment.

Click here for the podcast.

Cooperation != Cheating

Or, better yet:

if($cooperation==$cheating) {

$result = a_handbasket($Hell);

}

Sorry. I've been coding all day.

In this episode, I complain about kneejerk reactions to plagiarism and "cheating" at the dawn of the Conceptual Age. I don't take students completely off-the-hook, but teachers have some work to do.

One addition/correction: I talk about setting and even assessing student understanding of the rules and regulations of an online classroom. What would be even better, of course, is if the students had a hand in the creation of those rules and regulations.

Also, I answer some questions about Moodle.

Oh ... and a spooky intro., suitable for Friday the 13th.

Click here for the podcast.

The Teaching Machine

In this podcast, I comment on an article from BBC News and break a bottle on the bow of LAMS. My apologies for the car's air conditioner, which was apparently blowing on the microphone.

Links:

• Teach-yourself computing for kids
• LAMS Foundation
• a direct link to the podcast