Massive Online Open Course (MOOC)

Has anyone heard of or participated in a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) before? I had never heard of the term before this summer, when the University of Illinois announced a MOOC on Online Learning Today for this summer.

What’s a MOOC? Check out this YouTube video, explaining what it is.

The MOOC course from University of Illinois looked interesting, so I signed up, hoping to participate. Well, with classes and work, that became impossible, but I plan to look at the content later.

This past week, I ran across the article, “Explore a New Learning Frontier: MOOCs” in Learning Solutions Magazine. MOOCs still look to be a very new trend, but it will be interesting to see what comes of them. Their impact, especially for adult continuing education purposes could be quite interesting.

Libraries and Enchantment

My dear friend and colleague Buffy Hamilton gave a talk on Enchantment and Libraries at ISTE 2011 and the video is finally online! All librarians need to see this talk. It gets to the heart of our mission, regardless of our library size, type, location, or community served. May it challenge and move you as much as those who have seen it and heard it have been moved and challenged already.

In her blog post, Buffy also provides a link to her enchantment slidedeck and a quick overview video of Guy Kawasaki’s “Enchantment” book.

Managing Professional Information Overload (NEKLS Workshop)

“Struggling to keep track of all the content you need to read, watch, listen to, and share professionally to stay up-to-date, but can’t manage it all? Learn about five free, online tools, including Evernote and Diigo, that can help you manage professional information overload.”

These are the resources from a presentation I gave at the NEKLS Summer School Librarian Workshop on July 14, 2011.

The Future of Education (inspiration from RWW)

The question becomes: is the future of the news industry tied to the technology or is technology an enabler to creating human networks that spread information?

This quote comes from a ReadWriteWeb article about Andy Carvin’s work these past six months, as he has built an incredible network on Twitter to tell the story of the Middle East protests and revolution.

It’s an excellent article to read and if you haven’t heard of Andy Carvin’s ground-breaking and important work, check out one profile piece on him.

With that said, I read the quote above, and thought in light of yesterday’s Summer Institute sessions (notes Part 1,  Part 2, and Part 3), that the quote could be reworked to say

The question becomes: is the future of [education] tied to the technology or is technology an enabler to creating human networks that spread information?

OR

The question becomes: is the future of [libraries] tied to the technology or is technology an enabler to creating human networks that spread information?

(Emphasis and edits in bold are mine)

I find that quote even more powerful with my edits to both, especially in light of Milton Chen’s comments from yesterday. Three quotes from him:

“Imagine an ‘education nation,’ a learning society where education of children and adults is the highest national priority, on par with a strong economy, high employment, and national security. A nation is only good as its educational system.” –Milton Chen

“An educational system is only as good as its informational system. 21st Century school librarians are the managers of that system. And school leaders for “deeper, authentic learning.” –Milton Chen

A “ladder of learning” from pre-K thru “gray” blending formal and informal learning thru schools, universities, media, museums, libraries, companies, churches, youth groups, parks, and more. Schools and universities are only part of this model. –Milton Chen

Educators and librarians make up a human network, and technology has definitely enabled many of us to build networks and spread information quickly, learn and share with one another.

What about our professions? What could be the impact of utilizing technology to build human networks to spread information and learn from one another, across the globe? I know this happens already on a somewhat small scale, in pockets.

But, right now, education and learning traditionally, formally stops at the end of high school, college, or a degree. Learning should NEVER stop.

People who visit public libraries get this.

People who visit museums get this.

People who attend book clubs get this.

People who attend civic events get this.

People who attend public lectures or presentations get this.

People who visit public parks get this.

People who lead continuing education or professional development get this.

People who take continuing education or professional development get this.

And the list could continue on.

How can we make Milton Chen’s dream of a ladder of learning real?

How can librarians, libraries, educators, schools, universities, professors, journalists, news networks, businesses, business owners, policymakers, churches, pastors, civic leaders, civic organizations, park services, arts groups, musicians, and so on, come together to recreate learning? I don’t have an answer, necessarily, how this could happen or what it could look like. But I think it should.

I do think instead of fighting the same battles over school funding, tuition hikes, staff cuts, loss of innovators, only offering the basics, testing to death, and killing creativity (yeah, you can tell where i stand), we need to blow up the models and rethink learning models and the places and times and ages where it happens.

And the library, especially the public library, is the perfect place for this to start. It is present in most towns already, even some of the tiniest in America (this is at least the case in Kansas). It is open year round, although the hours vary. It serves all members of the community. Of all ages, backgrounds, and interests. And it already is educating your community.

Through summer reading.

Through storytime.

Through craftime.

Through programming.

Through meeting your reading, listening, watching, gaming needs.

Through discussions in the library.

Through book clubs.

Through museum passes.

Through book recommendations.

Through computer classes.

Through computer access.

Through wifi access.

Through eBooks.

Through information access.

Through gaming nights.

Through literacy support.

Through tutoring.

Education is already happening there. How can we take our public libraries, school libraries, academic libraries, and place them at the center of learning?

Some have done it, and as I wrote this post, I ran across a new post from In the Library with the Lead Pipe, Understanding Library Impacts on Student Learning. It’s from an academic library perspective, but definitely fits in with this post.

The Ending

Finally, why is even thinking about all of this so important? Why does it matter?

I’ll simply repost this quote from Milton Chen.

“Imagine an ‘education nation,’ a learning society where education of children and adults is the highest national priority, on par with a strong economy, high employment, and national security. A nation is only good as its educational system.” –Milton Chen

Librarians Know How to Find Stuff

Using Innovative Techniques to Promote Information Literacy and Student Buy-in

Matt Upson (formerly of Miller Library, McPherson College) and C. Michael Hall (who couldn’t be present)

Creators of Library of the Living Dead

http://blogs.mcpherson.edu/library/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Library-of-the-Living-Dead-Online-Edition.pdf

Guide can be printed from here

Downloaded 1.3 million times. Cited in LJ, SLJ, ALA journals.

This isn’t how to make a comic. It’s more to inspire the audience to do what works for their libraries & inspire creativity. The comic book worked for McPherson College.

Developing the relationships.

Quotes from Education Nation; one by George Lucas in the foreword & George Leonard quote on p21.

“We want students to know how to find information, how to assess the quality of information, and how tto creativiely and effectively use information to accomplish a goal.” –George Lucas, foreword to Education Nation

“We must consider the possibility that students are justified in being bored, that we have been too cautious and unimaginiative….Perhaps the moment has come to show our young people that school [or a library] is where the action is” p21 of Education Nation

 

Before Matt came to McPherson, the library was pretty deserted; didn’t come into study; didn’t even know the library existed. Handouts in in-class instruction were about as useful as a seatbelt in trying to reach students.


How to get the students in the building?

They published a comic book.

Mike was an illustrator, non-conventional student.

Introduction to the book explains the purpose of the comic book/guide.

Made it attention-grabbing, yet informative. Followed the ACRL standards.

It was a small college–they saw a need and tried to meet it.

In creating a unique guide, break stereotypes, poke fun at yourself.

12 page introduction to the library. Their attention was grabbed. Then the instructional handouts are then incorporated into the comic book.

Goals to do so…

  • Provide an excellent intro to library services
  • Be creative and a little irreverent
  • Save time
  • Encourage familiarity with the library
  • get students involved in the process
  • let the students know that the library cares about their academic success and is actively involved in their education
  • quality product
  • took the talents they had in-house to develop it

Unintended Results

  • Well over 1 million hits — provided great marketing for McPherson College
  • McPherson wants to hand these out at college fairs
  • Unique artifact that no other school has.
  • Advocacy tool. Unique resource that grabs the attention of your school board or board or leaders.
  • Other libraries are now using this tool; didn’t plan for it to be utilitarian.
  • It looks fantastic as a digital version on mobile devices and tablets.
  • Quickly got around library community, as a digital resource, thanks to social media.

Milton Chen comment: This is proving: A lot of the best curriculum can be taught through story.

Back to the comic.

They took cues from the real library, photographs, photos of people to build it. The characters are never named. It’s just a story in a familiar place. Students were transferred over into comic form.

Get your community involved

  • teaser poster of the cover
  • Facebook
  • Signing Party: 40 students showed up
  • QR Codes

He contacted LJ, American Libraries, pestered them to look at his resource. People finally did and wrote about it, and it took off.

He’s connected with many people all over the library community in the US and the world.

Anyone can use it and has, in their libraries.

What can you do?

  • Fun: The OH COOL Factor
  • Different: Make them (students, faculty, parents, admin) see the library in new ways
  • Quality: do something that can be done well
  • Involvement and Buy-in: include reps from all areas of your school. Who are the stakeholders? Can you find a sponsor or collaborator?

Can share your ideas and resources with the entire world, even unexpectedly.

They are working on comic guides for several other libraires.