Don’t Get Too Comfortable –The Landscape of eLearning is

Changing

Lesley BlickerDirector of IMS Learning and Next Generation TechnologyAcademic Innovations

Wanted…

Visionaries looking towards the future of eLearning delivery models

Academics wanting to understand how interoperability, Web 2.0, and next generation technologies fit into the teaching and learning landscape

People interested in the state of learning management systems

Topics - Trends

What is Web 2.0 and Why Should We Care Next Generation Learning Management

Systems Personal Learning Environments Virtual Worlds Mobile Learning

eLearning Time Line

1. Internet courses, first and second iterations of LMS Home-grown course applications followed by

vendor-developed “enterprise-level” LMSs (D2L, Vista, BB)

Open Source Entrants (Moodle, Sakai)

Overarching web design?

1990s… 2004

Dot-com era

Primary Characteristics of

Browser-based content, with client-server relationship (information pushed out one direction)

Static pages

Centered on e-Commerce

Information organized through search engines and data bases

Content from individual pc’s uploaded to web pages (e.g., photos)

Why All the Fuss?2004…

A definition: "Web 2.0 is a knowledge-oriented environment where human interactions generate content that is published, managed and used through network applications

Coined by Tim O’Reilly in 2004

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0

Hallmarks of

Content is distributed, coming from everywhere

And it is dynamic - world of bits that can go in all different directions at the same time

Software applications run through browsers (Flickr, YouTube, Google Docs, Zentation)

Architecture of participation - where users contribute content or write back

Standard protocols (APIs)

More Characteristics of

No longer need to know HTML (built-in Flash, Ajax)

Collaboration (Google docs, Wikis)

Folksonomies and tag clouds

Mashups

Connectivity (Facebook, Twitter)

Folksonomies, Social Bookmarking Also called Social Bookmarking or

tagging– practice of collaboratively creating and managing tags to categorize content

Tag clouds can represent:Most popular tags applied to publicly

shared images – Flickr, orQuantity of content items in that

category My blog Del.icio.us

M. Wesch video, Information R/evolution

Everything is Miscellaneous, by David Weinberger

The New Organization of Information

Mashups

Web applications that combine data from more than one source into a single integrated tool

Eg: use of cartographic data from Google Maps to add location information to real-estate data from Craig’s List

Still in beta: Microsoft Popfly

Summary Web 1.0 vs Web 2.0

Web 1.0 = Linking to documents/static Web pages

Web 2.0 = Linking people

Socialization + Socialization + Applications +Applications +Technology =Technology =

Using Web 2.0 in Teaching

IdeasAn assignment for students to

create a mashupAn assignment to create their

own tag cloudWhat else?

Where are We Heading Next?

Learning Management SystemsIn the 3rd Phase of Add-Ons and Bundling

Adding more tools in general

Adding Web 2.0-like tools or proprietary mashups Going some measure towards integration with other

software or increasing interoperability via open APIs But may still lack sufficient agility for early adopters

who think the current IMS format is too limiting

Current IMS (CMS) – What’s the Beef?

Unilateral publication formats

Labeled as false start; replicated existing classrooms

Assumes more passive consumer of information

Monolithic and they don’t play well with others (API’s not truly open) – lack of interoperability

IMS (CMS) – Future

Will be a part of a mix of systems for tracking learning experiences

Will run side-by-side at institutions with other more flexible and interoperable approaches

Primarily will handle administrative functions

Will morph to an LMOS (Learning Management Operating System), backbone for layering

LMOSfrom The Nose, Blog by Al Essa

The learning platform of the future will The learning platform of the future will need a substrate that performs the need a substrate that performs the mundane but essential bookkeeping mundane but essential bookkeeping functions such as authentication, functions such as authentication, authorization, and integration with authorization, and integration with back-end systems. The LMOS should back-end systems. The LMOS should look more like the linux kernel: a lean, look more like the linux kernel: a lean, mean traffic cop that sits below the mean traffic cop that sits below the application layer and mediates access application layer and mediates access to common services. to common services. http://tatler.typepad.com/nose/2007/10/suns-project-da.html

PLEsVirtual or immersive environmentsMobile technologies as add-ons (field

based measurements, competency tracking, assessment)

The Offerings

Personal Learning Enviornments (PLEs)

A space at which the learner is at the center and can select or add resources without moving from that point

Carousel metaphor

http://elgg.org/

Contrary View – Leigh Blackall

Questioning the PLE:

Why do we need a PLE when we already Why do we need a PLE when we already have the Internet? The Internet is my have the Internet? The Internet is my PLE, ePortfolio, VLE what ever. Thanks to PLE, ePortfolio, VLE what ever. Thanks to blogger, bloglines, flickr, delicious, blogger, bloglines, flickr, delicious, wikispaces, our media, creative wikispaces, our media, creative commons, and what ever comes next in commons, and what ever comes next in this new Internet age, I have a strong this new Internet age, I have a strong online ID and very extensive and online ID and very extensive and personalised learning environment. personalised learning environment.

Source: http://learnonline.wordpress.com/2005/11/13/die-lms-die-you-too-ple/

Virtual Worlds

Current Technologies in Higher EdPresent – couple years out*

2nd phase learning management systems Plagiarism or citation management software Video streaming Podcasting Wikis, blogs, RSS feeds Simple games and simulations, and early use of ILEs Content authoring tools (lodeStar, Raptivity) Early use of content management software Web conferencing tools (WebEx, Elluminate) 3D imaging software (Autodesk) and spatial technologies (GIS) Learning Objects/Repositories and Emergence of federated search

capabilities Web 2.0/Social technologies (MySpace, You Tube), social

bookmarking, folksonomies, cloud tags

* Length of time to maturity/mainstream adoption/saturation

Nascent Technologies in Higher Ed2-4 years out

* Length of time to maturity/mainstream adoption/saturation

Increasing number of (free) Web 2.0 tools (Zoho, Popfly, Meebo, Zentation) http://www.webware.com/html/ww/100.html

Enterprise social networks Add ons and bundling of Web 2.0 tools inside present CMSs and

ePortfolios Leap-frogging of 3D game engines, ILEs (Second Life, Sun’s MPK20,

Croquet Consortium) Open Source scaling to “enterprise” level (Moodle, Sakai) More digital device software and advanced cell phone technologies

(iPhone and clones). Appearance of learning management systems for the mobile device

Ever increasing number of mashups Co-creation of learning content Increase in sims (Web and lab-based) and in sim authoring tools for

faculty Use of other technologies inside immersive worlds (i.e., GIS in SL)

Next Generation Technologies in Higher Ed5-10 years out

Ubiquity of always connected user expectations

Distinction between local and distance education very blurred; 95% of education predicted to be digitally enhanced by 2010

Technologies allowing users to build, tinker, learn, and share

Remixes and mashups for educational purposes

Morphs/expansion of “Notice me” self-publishing tools, public displays of identity (e.g., MySpace)

Extensions of digital social networks

Electronic textbooks, unbundled chapters

Digital libraries

Ubiquity of immersive learning environments (ILEs)

Predicted resurgence of MAC in higher ed

Richard Katz’ Edu@2020

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xni48_edu2020

Why are these Technologies Gaining Momentum in Academia?

To nurture education in STEM fields

Predicted to yield greatest potential for changing teaching and learning paradigms and capturing the attention of learners

Provide opportunities for real-world applications that support research, design, analysis, and communication, rather than basic skills

Stephen Downes Network Theory

http://www.slideshare.net/Downes/trends-and-impacts-of-elearning-20 (slides 20-28)

Dr. Michael Wesch’s You Tube Videos

The Machine is Us http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE

A Vision of Students Today http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o

The Information R/evolution http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4CV05HyAbM

Immersive Learning Environments

Ohio University Second Life Campus http://youtube.com/watch?v=aFuNFRie8wA

Sun Microsystems’ MPK20 http://research.sun.com/projects/mc/video/MPK20-ct2007.mov

Mobile Learning Resources (videos)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3ErSTu9E8M iPhone ESL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrbcKYFY-dQ&feature=related Athabasca ESL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRGaDteDQjw&feature=related MLearning Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GufAYWE0bmw&feature=related MLearning Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVYbaNBTL3A&feature=related MLearning Part 3

Other Good Resources

Emerging Technologies for Learning, Volume 2, 2007. http://partners.becta.org.uk/page_documents/research/emerging_technologies07.pdf (UK)

Mashing Up the Once and Future CMS, Malcolm Brown, Educause, 2007. http://connect.educause.edu/library/abstract/MashinguptheOnceandF/40696

Microsoft Popfly http://www.popfly.com/

One Final Recommendation

Video Piggy – to download videos from YouTube, Google video, and MetaCafe http://video-piggy.en.softonic.com/

Lesley BlickerDirector of IMS Learning and Next Generation TechnologyAcademic InnovationsW: 651-201-1413C: 651-269-0107lesley.blicker@csu.mnscu.edu

Website for Next Generation Technology in MnSCU www.nextgentech.mnscu.edu

Lesley’s Blog: http://lblicker.wordpress.com/