wikilearner.org

[kru...@gmail.com]

Leigh Blackall mentioned that wikilearner.org has been registered by
Brent in the 'Can you help refine our Learning Design process on
WikiEducator?' post.

I think wikilearner.org is a fantastic idea.

Any thoughts on using it to develop half-baked ideas until it gains
enough traction?

Cheers

Rob

[mackiwg]

Hey Rob -

Wikilearner.org is a great idea - however, at the time of starting
WikiEducator the domain was not available under all three domains -
i.e. .net, .org and .com. We were reluctant to start an international
wiki development where the .com domain was already taken.

That's history.

I hope Brent gets a Wikilearner.org site running and lets promote free
content development for all. WikiEducator can't do this alone - a free
curriculum by 2015 is a tall ask. We need all the help we can get.

I do hope that other sites contributing to the ideals of a free
curriculum will choose their licenses carefully - so as to avoid
compatibility issues on the licensing front.

I realise that this is a sensitive issue - but we should be working
together in achieving these ideals.

Cheers
Wayne

[Leigh Blackall]

I don't think Brent has any intentions at this point other than to hold wikilearner.org

http://leighblackall.wikispaces.org/

[Brent]

I've been conspicuously quiet on this one... particularly on my 'intentions' ... which are mostly good ;-)

I am / we are thinking about how, or why a wikilearner.org card might be played out. It seems to me that there is definitely a black hole appearing here ... which is something along the lines of,  "can you 'learn' on this platform' and if so, how? (Which, of course, implies .. can you teach? should you teach?) It also reminds me of the age old question posed by Freud: What do women want?, well.. replace women with learners and you'll get it from the perspective of a bunch of educators and technologists running around with good idea, tools, and desires. What those learners really want may tell me more about my own psychologies/philosophies/pedagogies than i'm willing to admit.

I'm very appreciative of the benevolent goals of Wikieducator, it's focus on the Free Culture movement and developing societies. Personally, I see it as a site for "educating the educators", developing robust "content" in the more classical sense - the result of which is essentially a print based model, stemming from the lessons of distance education but replacing the printing presses with distributed, collaborative authoring tools. I don't see anything 'wrong' with that, and I'm more than happy to partake in that vision. But the truth of it for me is that I co-exist with a very very very digital-native (even though I hate that term) - so native in fact that the terminology doesn't even apply to him. "There was something before digital, Daddy?" And, to tell you the truth, I want make something that might end up contributing towards how he and his buddies learn and teach. Fortunately, i've got some time (he's only 2.75 yrs old.)

I don't know how and if "curriculum" applies to him.

I also spend a great deal of time lingering on the IRC chanell for Wikiversity as well, and engaging in conversation with that group as well, as do some others on this list. What Wikiversity is ... is mostly "what Wikiversity is about" ... a great struggle for self-identity. If my psychology was more up-to-date i'd probably have a great term to explain this in tems of some evolving stage of development. It's kind of painful to watch sometimes, but it's also a wonderful space full of some cutting edge thoughts and ideas about using the platform for learning in a networked world, (see: http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/WCR), etc. The problem with Wikiversity is that it's a 'versity' and it scares the pants off of people ... i'd never try to "learn" there. It's also currently stuck on the same MediaWiki software that runs Wikipedia ... that's a serious drawback at the moment, because what's good for the goose is not, in this case, what's necessarily good for the goslings. How they will break this bond and fly away from the nest is yet to be seen. Some smart guys over there though, and backed by some heavyweights in the wiki game.

So it seems to me that between these two .. there is a grey area that should really be a very colourful area. Think of it as the little brother or sister of it's parents WikiEducator (the Mom/Mum/Id) and Wikiversity (the Dad/Superego). I think that this is the area that a  wikilearner.org might fill, a space that is carefully oriented towards learners in a networked world, that balances content with creativity, an online learners mirror stage (excuse all the psychology references please!). It still needs it's parents for the most part but it may not need all the baggage they bring with them.

This wiki platform isn't the be-all-and-end-all but it's the best manifestation of Berners-Lee's original intent we've got; it's the second half of his dream come true, but it's probably just one bit, one skill, in something larger. So maybe we are nearing the need for another experimental space here ... and maybe a wikilearner.org is it. It wouldn't/shouldn't be about content development though.. that's what WikiEducator and WikiBooks do best. It should be about the activities of living and learning online. Not about all the worlds knowledge in one place, but about the subtleties of discovery, the moments of clarity, and the power of peer-produced creativity; it should be about harnessing the spaces in between teaching and learning (and it shouldn't be anything near a varsity), it should be equally about teaching/learning how to navigate the metaverse, as how to sharpen a chainsaw; how to manipulate a mesh-network, as how to manipulate a solar cooker. So, there's my 0.10 c worth.

brent.

[mackiwg]

Brent,

Wikilearner.org is a great vision - go for it! We need a space for
learners and learning - after all all this free content must translate
into learning :-)

> cooker <http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page>. So, there's my 0.10 c
> worth.
>
> brent.

>
> On 5/14/07, Leigh Blackall <leighblack...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > I don't think Brent has any intentions at this point other than to hold
> > wikilearner.org
>

[Leigh Blackall]

Excellent post Brent. I have nothing to add to the list discussion other than to say I am sufficiently inspired by your vision, agree with all the relationships to established/ing projects, and would like to work in a wikilearner.org context as well! I think you should keep sitting on the domain and watch how the Wikieducator develops for a while longer. We talked about the need for a development space - somewhere we could try out the range of "mashup" potentials and stuff.. perhaps you open it up a little for that. Eventually it will need backing I suppose - no idea yet how that might happen except to say that I hope it is supported by many rather than one entity.

On 5/14/07, mackiwg <WMack...@col.org> wrote:

--
--
Leigh Blackall
+64(0)21736539
skype - leigh_blackall
http://leighblackall.wikispaces.org/

[Robert Kruhlak]

Hi Brent,

 Bravo! Hard to add to that and Leigh has already added what little I could  think to add.

Cheers

Rob

On 5/14/07, Leigh Blackall <leighb...@gmail.com> wrote:

> world, (see:http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/WCR ), etc. The problem with

--

--
Leigh Blackall
+64(0)21736539
skype - leigh_blackall

http://leighblackall.wikispaces.org/

--
Robert Kruhlak
#14 6878 Southpoint Dr.
Burnaby, BC
CANADA V3N 5E4
(M) +1 778 230 1875
(E) kru...@gmail.com

[Peter]

Ok, I'll attempt to put my cognitive dissonance to rest. I'm an
educator, have been for over 12 years, I'm also a kinesthetic learner,
so Brent is right I am seeing the world through my glasses for wanting
to create self directed learning environments. I suffer dissonance for
I believe educators should go away and become facilitators / mentors /
masters (as in subject mastery and apprenticeship way). All this said,
I also believe that tradional approaches (and I still teach in a
tradional environment) are not going to go away, cause they work, have
worked and will continue to work. I want to offer something different,
and I believe WikiEducator is the place to do it.

First I want to deal with the issue of access, I like to say access to
what? (See Gurstein; http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue8_12/gurstein/)
A euro-centric (predominantly english) approach to education. I
include north americans in this mix. In Canada I see the huge dis-
service our education system has done and is still doing to our
aboriginal population. Do we really think that we know the correct way
to educate people living in sub-sahara africa? Unless of course we are
sub-saraha africans... fortunately, COL is wise enough to have many
people from many places involved in their amazing work! Still, access
to what? Now, I don't want to speak for others but I believe we should
leave education / curriculum development in the hands of those trying
to educate themselves (in a freirian kind of way) I really think we
need to consider if it is appropriate that we develop curriculum for
anyone but ourselves and have it OER / CC-BY-SA so it can be
customized by others for themselves. I believe WikiEducator is already
doing this. If you really want to get a better sense of where I am
coming from read my paper on Community Knowledge Management System for
Development (http://www.rawsthorne.org/docs/
PeterRawsthorne.CKMS4D.pdf, I believe this also offers an alternative
to MobileEd)... Anyhow... This CKMS4D is why I lobbied hard for the
MediaWiki ability to export a subset or category or subject area... of
materials to a CD, DVD, HD... I believe we should be able to export
all the CCNC (and other) modules to be available and alterable
offline... fortunately, this feature is now in progress, or at least
on the MediaWiki roadmap.

This is how I want to use wikilearner.org with the CCNC course I am
developing; http://wikieducator.org/CCNC/CCNC_Module_5
I would like wikilearner to be like wikispaces only targeted toward
learning and course development. Every student can set up their own
wiki (on the internet), or their own wiki within thier CKMS. Keep in
mind that the socio-constructivist activity assumes internet or local
peer-to-peer CKMS access. If access is not available the course can
progress fine (like a traditional course, in fact it should still be
complete) without access and the socio-constructivist activities would
not be engaged.

Step 1) I create a new WikiEducator iDevice called a Socio-
Constructivist Activity. It's purpose is to direct (through
facilitation / mentorship / mastery and peer review) learners toward
developing their own course. In my situation on the subject of
databases (CCNC Module 5 is about database design).
Step 2) Students would write a scenario they are familiar and is
within a context they understand. The scenario describes a situation
where a databse is required. They have an example of this from the
CCNC Module 5 course.
Step 3) They publish their scenario on thier wikilearner space and
register it within a dedicated page in the CCNC Module 5 course.
Step 4) Students active within the Module 5 course at the same time
become a cohort. They know they are a cohort for they registered thier
scenarios at close to the same point in time. This assumes some level
of activity within the module so a cohort can form.
Step 5) As they work through CCNC Module 5 they learn about database
design and development. They are prompted to build thier own database.
At one point they have to start authoring their own course describing
their databse, how it was normalized and how it will be used... The
course becomes a companion to their database. It also becomes a
localized course on database design.
Step 6) they work within their cohort to develop peer review
assessments at certain points of the CCNC MOD5 course (i've already
requested a Peer Assessment iDevice). They use these assessment events
to critique each others database designs, deepening their own
learning...

As this continues we end up with an inventory of database design
courses that are localized and in a scenario that has a context. This
is how I see us meeting our 2015 goal. Have every student that uses
WikiEducator develop another course, yet it is localized! It becomes a
part of the WikiEducator culture...

Or something like that...

My $0.02...

Peter

[Leigh Blackall]

Great Peter - I see that fitting my model as well.. in the diagram I had "activity sheets" and these plural even infinate.. students creating activities, even courses around a "module" or "unit of competency" and saving them to the related activity sheets index.

Here is an example.
This link will show you the page for a copy of the New Zealand competency standard for Maintain Handtools. This document is used in assessment, acreditations and eventually to award qualifications...

Now, at the bottom of this document is a section called resources...
Under it are links to a resource library and activity sheets.
No activities there yet, but I can see several activities being developed and many by the learner themselves...

Sorry to harp on about my structural idea.. so far I'm not seeing holes in it.. it seems like it could work both for teachers and for learners.

--
--
Leigh Blackall
+64(0)21736539

[Leigh Blackall]

http://learnonline.wordpress.com/2007/05/15/sustainability-at-otago-polytechnic/

[Leigh Blackall]

Ah shoot! wrong link on the clip board!
http://wikieducator.org/Maintain_hand_tools_and_service_small_engines_used_in_horticulture

[Chris]

Peter, thanks for sharing your paper. The focus on storytelling is
critical and useful - and I think is the key difference, at first
glance, between your approach to your Module 5 and Leigh's approach to
his tools/engines example.

I took at look at Mod 5, Tools, and our international business
structure (http://ibcertification.msu.edu/Task1.php) and here is how I
think they shape up using Leigh's model:

Tools: "standards" with links to what will be multiple "courses,"
"resources" and "activities."

Mod 5: "course" written for the learner with resources and activities
built in - it could potentially be unpacked (at least behind the
scenes) to have "resources" and "activities" sheets.

Business: "standards" with "resources" and "activities."

I think the model applies, in theory, to all three examples. It may be
improved by using something other than wiki pages for organizing and
relating resources - but pages seem to work.

Reactions?

On May 15, 3:06 am, "Leigh Blackall" <leighblack...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Ah shoot! wrong link on the clip board!http://wikieducator.org/Maintain_hand_tools_and_service_small_engines...
>
> On 5/15/07, Leigh Blackall <leighblack...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >http://learnonline.wordpress.com/2007/05/15/sustainability-at-otago-p...

>
> > On 5/15/07, Leigh Blackall <leighblack...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > Great Peter - I see that fitting my model as well.. in the diagram I had
> > > "activity sheets" and these plural even infinate.. students creating
> > > activities, even courses around a "module" or "unit of competency" and
> > > saving them to the related activity sheets index.
>
> > > Here is an example.
> > > This link will show you the page for a copy of the New Zealand
> > > competency standard for Maintain Handtools. This document is used in
> > > assessment, acreditations and eventually to award qualifications...
>
> > > Now, at the bottom of this document is a section called resources...
> > > Under it are links to a resource library and activity sheets.
> > > No activities there yet, but I can see several activities being
> > > developed and many by the learner themselves...
>
> > > Sorry to harp on about my structural idea.. so far I'm not seeing holes
> > > in it.. it seems like it could work both for teachers and for learners.
>

> skype - leigh_blackallhttp://leighblackall.wikispaces.org/- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[mackiwg]

Hi Peter,

Don't get me wrong here - I like and support your socio-
constructivist pedagogical approach. I also agree with the notions of
"access to what" referring to the knowledge biases of the
industrialised world.

My pressing concern is that the majority of learners who we are aiming
to help in the developing world will not have access to the Internet,
and if they did, its unlikely that they will be able to afford the
connectivity costs.

The reality in, for instance, in Africa, is that on average, more than
60% of the children of secondary school going age will never see the
walls of a classroom nor will their parents be able to afford the
costs of public funded education. We will not have the money to train
enough teachers to satisfy the demand for secondary education by
2015. Universal secondary education is just not going to happen by
2015. These learners will not have the privilege of joining wikispaces
or wikilearner.org to participate in the pedagogy we envisage. These
are the learners we are trying to help with WikiEducator's free
curriculum.

I'm not in anyway suggesting that we should drop the ideas of a
socially constructed learning experience - but I am saying that the
WikiEducator community has an obligation to innovate under these
challenging circumstances. After all - one of our community values is
a forward looking disposition <smile>. When we innovate we must also
be sensitive not to exclude those learners who do have connectivity
from our free curriculum. I think our learning design must be smart -
socio constructivist foundations that can function using multiple
delivery options (for example online, print-based learning resources
etc.)

I see a number of ways/ideas in which WikiEducator content can serve
learners who don't have connectivity or computers:

1. Automatic Mediawiki ==> pdf conversion, very similar to Pediapress
( http://pediapress.com/ )
2. Design learning activities in WikiEducator content that promote
social construction of knowledge without excluding learners who don't
have connectivity - these may be print based.
2. When we build this wiki ==> pdf capability - we must make sure that
we create an intermediary XML format as the foundation for this
conversion - this will enable
2.1 WikiEducator ==> Open Office imports for local teachers to
customise
2.2 WikiEducator ==> eXe formats so learners could reconstruct
materials on their own machines without connectivity
2.3 Intelligent exports ==> for example if packaged for online
delivery, multi-media is embedded or linked within the resource. If
the user opts for the pdf export - an ISO CD-ROM image is produced in
conjuction with the pdf study guide. When a multimedia activity is
signalled in the text - it will refer to something like: "Now watch
watch Video 2.2 on your CRROM" With regards to interactions, for
example feedback on multiple choice questions in the online version we
may use Javascript for the interactions, but in the print version
answers and feedback are printed at the end of the study guide.

I like the ideas you are developing in Module 5 of the CCNC. In some
respects, the CCNC will be easier than other course materials because
we know that the learner will have access to a computer - but not
necessarily internet connectivity. So in this example, we could
package the materials as a self-contained website using a free
software tool like eXe. So I envisage a WikiEducator ==> eXe cut &
paste exercise until we get a reasonable import/export functionality
between eXe and Mediawiki software.

So my question is - how do we build a cohort of learners resulting in
a range of customised database courses when the learners do not have
connectivity?

Its a very tough question - but if we can crack this nut, WikiEducator
is doing something meaningful.

Cheers
Wayne

[mackiwg]

Chris,

Smart thinking on resources and activity sheets - this is something
that can easily be incorporated into a print-based design without
compromising the pedagogy.

Our pedagogy in WikiEducator should think about ways of multi-tracking
- for example, if you have connectivity go to Wikilearner.org or if
you don't have connectivity use this resource or activity sheet.

Cheers
Wayne

[Leigh Blackall]

Can CoL or any of its networks facilitate the audio cassettes to be digitised onto wikieducator, and then to analogue the digital recordings back so that communities with access to audio cassette players can listen (not read) socially networked media...

http://leighblackall.wikispaces.org/

[mackiwg]

Leigh -

I like this suggestion. We could build a rather neat community project
where the community assists with conversion of analogue to digital.

What do we need?

1. A howto tutorial on the conversion process showing how to use
Audacity to convert the audio
2. A stock of analogue audio that is relevant and useful for education
3. A methodology of getting audio cassettes to the folk that will help
us with the conversion.

Once the audio is in digital format - delivery using multiple systems
becomes possible, for example:

1. Community radio projects - COL is involved with a number of
Community FM radio stations
2. The spoke and hub model where we use statelite for data broadcast
to local hubs and then FM community radio for last mile delivery. In
the coming year I know of two projects being planned with the
Commonwealth Education Media Centre for Asia where me might pilot some
of these ideas.

I'd suggest that we work closely with Wikicommons and will follow up
on the range of possibilities. Upcomming developments in the Instant
Commons which will effectively enable any media in the Wikicommons to
be copied into a Mediawiki installation. At the same time, I feel that
we have an obligation to contribute free media back into the commons.

Good thinking Leigh - lets explore further. COL is keen to work on
this idea.

Cheers
Wayne

On May 15, 7:53 pm, "Leigh Blackall" <leighblack...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Can CoL or any of its networks facilitate the audio cassettes to be
> digitised onto wikieducator, and then to analogue the digital recordings
> back so that communities with access to audio cassette players can listen
> (not read) socially networked media...
>

> On 5/16/07, mackiwg <WMackint...@col.org> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > Chris,
>
> > Smart thinking on resources and activity sheets - this is something
> > that can easily be incorporated into a print-based design without
> > compromising the pedagogy.
>
> > Our pedagogy in WikiEducator should think about ways of multi-tracking
> > - for example, if you have connectivity go to Wikilearner.org or if
> > you don't have connectivity use this resource or activity sheet.
>
> > Cheers
> > Wayne
>

[Leigh Blackall]

Wikicommons... cool, but I think http://archive.org could digitise all CoL distance learning resources for you.. or others you can get your hands on.

That would be a start, but what would be really interesting would be projects where people recording their own stories and instructions.. socially networked media..

You could have a little voting card in the cassette's box that you would also add to the recording's digital version. Basically replicating all the social media and web2 stuff, but in the analogue world.

On 5/16/07, mackiwg <WMack...@col.org> wrote: