CogBlogged from ‘October, 2008’

I’m not quite ready to stake any big bets on it, but my ed tech radar is feeling like we are getting more blips about open education / open content / open learning… There is the grand experiment of Siemens and Downes on a Massively Open Online Course (acronym alert! MOOC) with their now running Connectivism and Connective Knowledge Course. If one goes beyond (what is to be a bit too much) over analysis, what I think ought to stand out what a fabulous effort this is to pry open the traditional course model. It’s not the first nor the last, but getting alot of participation. It’s not just MIT, okay? But hey, without their brave effort to go the OCW route, none of this might be happening. I am eager to dig a bit into the new new Carnegie Commons book on Open Up Education, itself sensibly being made [...]

Hey, these guys do their shtick in Japan! Wait, they are different! No, the same? Oh well, it’s a great ad in any language. However, no sign of Bill and Jerry and the butt scrunch thing. Whew.

In person, in reading, I’ve long been enamored ofBarbara Ganley‘s concept of “slow blogging” — rather than dashing off quarter-baked, unstructured stream of consciousness blogging, she suggests taking time to reflect, to actually re-read and revise in the blogging process. Barbara’s own lyrical writings, flowing like one of her tranquil Vermont creeks through red maple trees, thoughtfully illustrated with her own metaphorically rich photos, have long been inspirational to me and was capped even more by the chance to meet her in person at the May 2007 UMW Faculty Academy. I love the concept. I have never done such a crazy thing. My method might be termed “fast sloppy” blogging, writing at one end and not sure always where the end goes. I blog often directly from flickr based on a relevant (or not) photo. I do not spell well nor use words like “epistemology” without snickering at myself. No, [...]

Kids from Hiroshima by cogdogblog posted 1 Oct ’08, 10.04am MDT PST on flickr This cute group if school kids today asked me to help them practice their English while I was visiting Kinkakuji Temple in Kyoto. It went something like… "Excuse me! Excuse me" (little voices rang out). "Hello, My name is Miko" said one reading from his script. "What is your name?" "My name is Alan" I replied. "We are from Hiroshima," said Miko, "where do you live?" "I live in America, in Arizona" "Will you sign our book?" And there I was signing my name in 4 of their books, and then they gave me a present: flickr.com/photos/cogdog/2904163089/ flickr.com/photos/cogdog/2905009782/ flickr.com/photos/cogdog/2905012480/ It was such a sweet moment. I felt famous for 45 seconds.