Image used to publicise the Elearning & digital culture course
A couple of months ago I had no idea what a MOOC was. Now, I not only know what it means but I’m starting to wonder if this represents the future of education as we know it.
A MOOC is the somewhat ungainly acronym for the equally ungainly term Massive Open Online Course.
They are courses because you learn new stuff, they are available online, they are open because anyone can sign up free of charge and they are massive because they are very, very big.
My first MOOC starts at midnight (GMT). This is hosted by Coursera and provided by Edinburgh University. It’s called Elearning and digital cultures and “will explore how digital cultures and learning cultures connect, and what this means for e-learning theory and practice”. It’s safe to say it is already creating a buzz in cyberspace. Last night I participated in my first Twitter chat (#edcmchat) session in which I and other Moocers excitedly shared our collective hopes and dreams.You only have to Google ‘MOOC’ or consult the Mooc List to see how this thing is taking off big time. Continue reading
