Aldridge/Tollbar Online Learning

[Slides][Audio] In this presentation I explore two related questions: first, what is the role of models and simulations both in delivering learning, and in learning about learning; and second, what is the relation between adaptive courseware, and the social network approach to learning based on creativity and communication? The Elluminate recording is available here.
Technology Enhanced Knowledge Research Institute (TEKRI) at Athabasca University, Edmonton, Alberta (Seminar) June 23, 2010 [Comment]

Description of RPML, and then demo of an RPML application and sample code.
Atlantic Workshop on Semantics and Services, Fredericton, NB (Lecture) June 14, 2010 [Comment]

[Slides][Audio] Slides, audio and video from my talk in Toronto. This is a presentation of some recent work I've been involved in, including Synergic3, PLE and Plearn, the connectivism course, and the critical literacies course. Also some content on how to learn, which was not actually presented during the talk. There's also a UStream video available of the talk, here.
DeLC Forum, Toronto, Ontario (Keynote) June 3, 2010 [Comment]

[Audio] Three-way discussion, from widely different perspectives on open educational resources. I recorded audio and Grant Potter recorded a UStream video of the panel presentations here (go to 5:45 to get to the actual starting point) and a second part here and a third part here


Summary
Two things

1. OERs and commercialization
- not just the thing about CC NV licenses, but relevant
- there's "free" and there's "free with conditions" and commercial access always involves ‘free with conditions'
- most common condition is that you have to pay money – which violates any sense of free
- but as recent kerfuffle's over Facebook show, conditions can be non-monetary
- don't want to define ‘free' as "without conditions" but do want to suggest that payments & conditions impose an encumbrance on free, and that I'm generally in support of mechanisms that remove these encumbrances
- ‘for profit' is not always evil – but they have a history of protecting their turf – and a history of promoting a consumerist model of learning & OERs

2. OERs and consumerism
- discussion of OERs typically leads to questions of sustainability
- based on the ‘publisher' model of OERs
- the various ‘sustainability models' are usually based on the idea of raising money (through foundationsm, through governments, through upselling, through advertising) and then paying ‘content creators'
- has resulted in the odd scenario of money destined for international development ending up at MIT, Stanford, Harvard
- also raises concerns about the difficulty of localization, cultural imperialism
- we need to consider models where producer and consumer are not separate entities
- it is in the production of these resources that the greatest learning occurs
- production not only teaches, it empowers and emancipates
- which to me is th more fundamental meaning of ‘free'

Canadian Network for Innovation in Edication, Saint John, NB (Panel) May 18, 2010 [Comment]