Open Source Learning

The Open Source website that I chose was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Open Course: A free and open educational resource for educators, students, and self-learners around the world. http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html

Within the website, I looked at a few of the courses in the literature and theatre arts department but finally settle on a course titled, “Computer Games and Simulations for Investigation and Education.” What drew me to this course was the fact that not only am I a 6th grade teacher, but I am also the mother of a 6-year old video game addict. If he had his way, he would play his Wii or DS from morning to night. I try and counter this addiction by purchasing active games like Wii Fit and educational games like Learn to Spell. Naturally, he prefers any game with “Mario” in the title. So, the challenge becomes making the games he would rather play educational. That’s where this course comes in handy by offering tips and resources for doing just that.

The course seems to be carefully pre-planned and designed for a distance learning environment. The home page describes the course and includes links to the syllabus, resources, assignments, readings, and projects. All the materials are easy to access by clicking on a link to either go to a website or download a pdf file. The articles and video links that I looked at were interesting and fun to watch. I watched a YouTube video that discussed “Tangential Learning,” which was incorporating learning into fun video games with pop-up encyclopedias and wikipedia pop-ups. It was in cartoon format but very informative at the same time. “Taking the time to develop good visual media will enhance the quality of the learning experience” (Simonson, 2009). This definitely enhanced the content for me, and even though it wasn’t a video I was required to watch, I viewed the entire 7 minutes and 40 seconds. The only thing that was missing for me was the interaction component. I know that this is because of its solitary and independent nature. If it was offered at a cost, then a facilitator would be used and discussions could take place. As a free course though, this is not available.

Many of the recommendations for online instruction are followed in this course. The ones that are not being followed have to do with collaboration, which isn’t available because of the fact that the course is an independent study type course. The text gives several recommendations in chapter 5 on teaching an online course. One recommendation is to make sure that all materials are available before the course begins so that students don’t have to wait for them. This course has a readings tab and a related resources tab that provides all the materials. The second recommendation related to the communication framework and is irrelevant for this course. The only communication available is a feedback form about the quality of the course and not to offer support for the students. Recommendation number three relates to developing a calendar to let students know when assignments are due and rubrics to show students how grading will be conducted. The assignments are listed with the general timeline of the week that they are due and instructions for how to do them, but there aren’t any rubrics available. Finally, the instructor should advise students on setting aside specific times to complete assignments and should check in with them if the students are falling behind. Again, since this course is independent study, there isn’t any instructor interaction. There also aren’t any recommendations or guidelines for setting a pace and completing assignments. It just has a general timeline for assignment completion. I assume that if a student enrolled in the official “paid” course, these recommendations would be met.

The course designer definitely incorporated active course activities to maximize learning. The projects in the course have the students designing an educational board game from the planning stage to the final presentation and evaluation stage. “The key to active learning is to keep the learners involved in their own learning, not just keeping them busy” (Simonson, 2009). The learners doing the research, creating the game, deciding on a target audience for the game, and finally developing it, accomplish this. “Activities should provide ample opportunities for online learners to explore on their own” (Piskurich, ND). Because of the independent nature of the course and the activity, that is definitely achieved. The videos and resources are interesting and fun to read and watch. There are games and simulations students can access as examples, which helps to further assist them in creating their own games.

In summary, this seems to be a very enjoyable and engaging course. Although it is solitary in nature and lacks the ability to interact with others, it would provide learners with great information and resources for improving learning by students in a classroom setting. As a 6th grade English/History teacher, I would gain a great deal of knowledge on how to improve the learning of my students with fun, interactive activities and educational games if I chose to take this course.

Piskurich, G. (ND): Planning and Designing Online Courses. Laureate Online Education. (Video)

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.