#25YearsOfEdTech @YearsEd

25 Years of Ed Tech: The Audio Version of the book by Martin Weller

Between the Chapters: The End

This 25 Years of Ed Tech Audio Project has been a blast! Thanks to all of the community:
  • Readers of the chapters
  • Guests for the “Between the Chapters” book club episodes
  • The community of listeners
  • Martin Weller — who let us remix his book!
We appreciate ALL of you and are grateful for your contributions in this @YearsEd audiobook project. Thanks y’all!
In this episode, you’ll hear Clint Lalonde and Laura Pasquini give their 4 L Retrospective — the things they loved, loathed, longed for, and Learned + what’s next on the horizon of audio works.Did you miss this BONUS episode?: #OERxDomains21 Panel: OER & the @YearsEd Project

We want to hear from you, dear @YearsEd listener! Submit your audio reflections by May 15th to add your voice to the community audiobook project! #25YearsOfEdTech: Call for Audio Reflections When recorded, send a message or tweet. If/When we receive these audio reflections, you might see a few extra episodes in this podcast feed. 🙂

Podcast episode art: X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licensed under CC-BY-SA. Remix by Laura Pasquini.

Next

Between The Chapters: MOOC

For this episode of @YearsEd Between the Chapters, Laura chats about almost everything related to the acronym MOOC: Massive Open Online Course with Sukaina Walji, Dave Cormier, and Rolin Moe. We dive into The Year of the MOOC (2012) and Chapter 19 of Martin’s book to share how we stumbled upon MOOCs in our work, research, teaching, and learning life.
Questions for the listening community:
  • What is student engagement and what is the value add for higher education?
  • How do you sustain and influence the conversation about online/digital learning beyond the pandemic times?
  • What are the levers we might have to promote better student learning in multiple modes?
  • What advice do you have for others who explain either MOOCs & this book means for others just joining this conversation?
  • What does it mean to be truly accessible in our global world of learning in online education?
Beyond MOOCs, these guests do a few other things so you should connect and find them at:
What does the world of MOOCs mean to you? What have you learned about MOOCs after all the fury died down in 2012?Let us know. Send us a message or tweet. Podcast episode art: -Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licensed under CC-BY-SA. Remix by Laura Pasquini.
Next

Between the Chapters: Personal Learning Environments

In this Between the Chapters episode, Laura talks to the co-directors of Virtually Connecting — Maha Bali, Autumm Caines, Helen DeWaard, Christian Friedrich, and Rebecca Hogue about all the things related to networked learning. This group unpacks the differences between personal learning environments (PLEs) and personal learning networks (PLNs), to reflect on how these spaces, places, and more importantly the people in these communities mean to them. We dig into what is in and beyond Chapter 18 related to learning environments, revolutions, online communities, and more!
Questions for Martin & the listening community:
  • How do you define a learning environment?
  • What does it mean to model intentional community building online?
  • What mistakes have we learned from being in a PLN on certain platforms?
  • How can we look at the past to improve where we go in the future?
Connect to the @vconnecting co-directors on Twitter & their blog or website:
PLE or PLN — what do these letters mean to you? Tell us about it! Send us a message or tweet. Podcast episode art: -Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licensed under CC-BY-SA. Remix by Laura Pasquini.
Next

Chapter 18: 2011 Personal Learning Environments

Personal Learning Environments (PLE) were an outcome of the proliferation of services that suddenly became available following the Web 2.0 boom, combined with the thinking around distributed learning that we looked at in the previous chapter. Learners and educators began to gather a set of tools to realize a number of functions. The collection of these learning-support tools, both formally and informally, began to be referred to as a Personal Learning Environments or PLE. Educause (2009) defined them as “tools, communities, and services that constitute the individual educational platforms that learners use to direct their own learning and pursue educational goals” (p.1). They could be viewed as a useful term for what people were doing with the tools, a framework for educators in how to approach social media in education, or a technical solution that sought to integrate tools. Chapter read by Clint Lalonde.

Read the chapter online or view the book references.

Next

Between the Chapter: Connectivism

For this Between the Chapters, Laura connects the dots to all things connectivism with Tannis Morgan. In reflecting on how Connectivism (Chapter 17) showed up in 2010, they reflect on the disconnects and missed opportunities, plus what it means to deal with a “pedagogy of abundance” today. This mega theory/framework/ideology/whatever you want to call it impacted teaching, learning, and research in higher ed — we try to unpack what this means then and share what was missing from the connectivism conversations.
P.s. Get yourself connected to Tanis Morgan: http://homonym.ca/
Questions for Martin & the community:
  • How did you land in 2010 for connectivism year, Martin?
  • What’s your experience with connectivism and how did it actually influence your work?
  • Who’s going to be the one to clean up the pedagogy of abundance?
  • What do we do with all the stuff shared online and across these domains from connectivism experiences?
How did connectivism show up in your work? Get yourself connected
 the writings on the [insert social media platform] wall. Send us a message or tweet. Podcast episode art: -Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licensed under CC-BY-SA. Remix by Rajiv Jhangiani.
Next

Chapter 17: 2010 Connectivism

As we saw earlier, the initial enthusiasm for e-learning led to several pedagogies being resurrected or adopted to meet the new potential of the digital, networked context. Constructivism, problem-based learning, and resource-based learning all saw renewed interest as educators sought to harness the possibility of abundant content and networked learners.

By the late 2000s though, with the advent of greater connectivity, user-generated content, and social media, a number of educators began to explore the possibilities of education in a more networked, connected model that had these new developments as core assumptions. The theory of connectivism, as proposed by George Siemens and Stephen Downes in 2004–2005, could lay claim to being the first Internet-native learning theory. Chapter read by Terry Greene.

Read the book chapter & view all book references at the AU Press site.

Next

Between the Chapters Twitter & social media

For this Between the Chapters, Laura welcomes Sue Beckingham and Chrissi Nerantzi to talk about all things related to Twitter and Social Media from Chapter 16. Reflecting back to our use of the mediums to be social and talk with educators, learners, researchers, and more — we see how these public, open spaces have changed and challenged us over the last 10+ years. Twitter has brought about community and connection through hashtags; however, it is not the same as it once was — or is it?
Questions for the community about Twitter and Social Media:
  • How can we move beyond social media to study more around social learning?
  • What are the interesting communities, interactions, and lessons learned in social media to enhance teaching and learning?
  • What is the work of the moderators and facilitators in this social media space? What is the hidden work behind these communities online?
  • What is the real value and opportunities in these social media spaces?
  • What are the learners and students interested in now? Do they want to engage in social media spaces for teaching, learning, or research?
  • Is the default of being open, public the norm for the next generation of learners and educators?
Connect with the guests on Twitter and find their work at:
What social media platforms and online communities are relevant to you, dear educator? How are you engaging with Twitter or other social spaces these days? Send us a message or tweet. Podcast episode art: X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licenced under CC-BY-SA & Remix by Erika Smith, PhD.
Next

Between the Chapters: E-Portfolios

In this episode of Between the Chapters of @YearsEd, Laura dives deep into the land of e-portfolios with Orna Farrell and David Wicks. We chat about sharing standards/competencies, reflecting on learning, and thinking about how to share practical inquiries in portfolio format for the topics of 2008 & Chapter 15: E-Portfolios. We define what e-portfolios are and aren’t, discuss the affordances of sharing publicly, being open about our failures, building personal learning networks with portfolios, and upack what it means to share & showcase with digital portfolios now.
Questions to reflect on from this chapter:
  • How can portfolios provide a better form of assessment of learning?
  • What ways can we think about using the standards, practices, and ways of curating learning experiences in Eportfolios for understanding our work and knowledge?
  • Are your learners using their portfolios (or blogs) beyond your course? If so, how?
  • What is the balance to engage learners to contribute to adding to their portfolio for professional practice?
  • How are you pausing to reflect on the work you do? E.g. the why and what of our practice of teaching, learning, and research
Learning more about guests of this episode at:
Do you want to share your thoughts about e-portfolios or how you curate & reflect on your work? Do you have comments or questions about this podcast? Send us a message or tweet. Podcast episode art: X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licenced under CC-BY-SA & Remix by Alan Levine.
Next

Chapter 16: 2009 Twitter & Social Media

If the Learning Management System (LMS) represents the dominant educational technology, then Twitter is the behemoth of third-party tech that has been adopted in education. There’s too much that can be said about Twitter to do the subject justice in a short chapter, and most people will have their own views on its role in education, but it would be remiss to leave it out of any historical account. Read by Simon Horrocks.

This chapter contains an illustration of a typical review process (Figure 1). The illustration is described in the chapter. View the illustration.

Read the chapter online
View the complete reference list for the book.

Next

Chapter 15: 2008 E-Portfolios

E-portfolios provide a digital means of gathering together a range of outputs, assessments, and resources for a student. The argument for e-portfolios is a compelling one — they provide a place to store all the evidence a learner gathers to exhibit learning, both formal and informal, in order to support lifelong learning and career development. It is an idea that has significant impact for education — instead of recognizing education at the level of qualification, such as a degree in a particular subject, it allows a more granular recognition of specific skills, linked to evidence. This chapter is read by Julian Prior.

Read the full chapter text and find the book references on the Athabasca University Press site.

Next

Between the Chapters: Second Life & Virtual Worlds

Welcome to the rabbit hole of virtual worlds, gaming communities, Second Life and more… buckle up, this episode is going to take us on a virtual journey back to 2007 and Chapter 14.

Show Notes

In this episode of Between the Chapters of @YearsEd, Laura talks to Sarah Frick and Grant Potter about Second Life, Virtual Words, role-playing and more! In reflecting back to 2007 in Chapter 14, we talk about how these virtual spaces impacted our working, teaching, learning, and personal lives. This chapter pokes at ways we can play, create, and experiment to share teaching and learning practices in these virtual worlds, games, and more! We can learn so much from digital online environments and think more about virtual communities online today.
Questions asked for the ed tech community:
  • What’s the point of the virtual world, if we’re just going to replicate the same thing digitally? How can we do better?
  • What is the disconnect between higher ed & industry, with regards to gaming or ed tech software development for teaching & learning?
  • Where did we lose the “play” in teaching and learning?
  • Were you in Second Life or in another virtual world? What was your name & experience?
Connect and learn more about the guests on this episode at:
Do you want to share your thoughts about a virtual world, game community, or SL? Do you have comments or questions about this podcast? Send us a message or tweet. Podcast episode art: X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licenced under CC-BY-SA & Remix by @AULibArchives.
Next

Chapter 14: 2007 Second Life

While Virtual Worlds had been around for a number of years, 2007 marked a peak in interest by educators to the environments and, specifically, Second Life. While much of the experimentation in education within Second Life often failed to do more than recreate existing structures and pedagogies that occurred in the “real world”, Second Life has paved the way for larger social acceptance and use of augmented reality platforms and may still see a number of applications for education emerge in the future. The chapter is read by Grant Potter.

Next

Chapter 19: 2012 MOOC

Inevitably, the selection for 2012 is massive open online courses, or MOOC, with The New York Times declaring it “the year of the MOOC” (Pappano, 2012). We have looked at the roots of MOOC in the explorations of connectivist approaches, but more broadly the MOOC phenomenon can be viewed as the combination of several preceding technologies: some of the open approach of OER, the application of video, and the revolutionary hype of Web 2.0. The MOOC were an idea waiting to happen. This chapter is read by Laura Czerniewicz.

Read the chapter online or view the book references.

Next

Chapter 20: 2013 Open Textbooks

If MOOC were the glamorous side of open education, claiming all the headlines and sweeping predictions, then open textbooks were the practical, even dowdy, application. An extension of the OER movement, and particularly pertinent in the United States and Canada, open textbooks provided openly licensed versions of bespoke written textbooks, with the digital version being free and printed versions at low cost. Read by Rajiv Jhangiani.

Read the book chapter online & see the complete book reference list.

Next

Between the Chapters: Open Textbooks

In this episode of @YearsEd Between the Chapters, Laura chats with Amanda Coolidge about open educational resources (OERs) and the open textbooks. Listen to this book club chat about Chapter 20 (2013): Open Textbooks as we talk about localization of OERs for all teaching and learning classrooms around the world. It’s more than just digital or a platform, there’s such a great ability to see how grassroots initiatives offer ways to provide open textbooks & OERs multiple formats that are not digital to empower educators and learners’ ways to co-create knowledge. Listen in as we get to the root of why open textbooks matter: access for learning! P.s. We love the library.
Pro-Tip: Meet instructors, faculty, and administrators where they are with their teaching and learning practice to build the relationship around open textbooks and OERs.
Questions for the community to ponder about open textbooks & access:
  • Why are we creating those walls for education and textbooks?
  • Where are the spaces and places for the commons in learning to come together?
  • What are the pedagogical positives behind an open textbook?
  • What does access mean to you, your institution, and how you are providing that access, when you think about learning resources?
Are you meeting your learners/educators where they are? What does access mean to you for teaching & learning? Tell us about it. Send us a message or tweet. Podcast episode art: X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licensed under CC-BY-SA. Remix by Karyn Wisselink.
Next

Conclusions: Reclaiming Ed Tech

Having surveyed one particular take on 25 years of ed tech, it is now possible to synthesize some generalities. In this chapter, several themes arising from the analysis of this history will be proposed, and then some suggestions regarding what this means for the next 25 years of ed tech will be proffered. Read by Martin Weller.

Next

Between the Chapters: Ed Tech’s Dystopian Turn

For Between the Chapters episode, Laura is in conversation with Audrey Watters and sava saheli singh to navigate these troubling waters of educational technology. This episode swirls around the ed tech’s dystopian storm from Chapter 25; however, we all agreed there are many dark aspects from previous chapters and years prior to hit the fever pitch of 2018.  The issues and challenges of a number teaching and learning technologies have been brought up in previous bonus book club chats. Beyond avoiding the sci-fi plot being drafted by technology companies, we can find agency through refusal and doing more than just being critical of  ed tech. We need to return to a sense of “the commons” in higher ed, where care and compassion coexist with our practices — let’s pack up our values & build that space again, my friends.
Questions asked:
  • Where do the responsibilities lie for educational technology?
  • When was the last time you resisted technology? How do you use refusal in ed tech?
  • What should we refuse or resist more, in general?
  • Where did the common go in our shared institutions?
  • How can we build a better community to have reciprocity and responsibility for one another in ed tech/higher ed/life?
  • What if we do decide that ed tech makes things worse?
  • Where do we go if ed tech is actually a dystopian project?
  • What is it that we value that is not wrapped up in ed tech we want to take with us?
  • How do we reclaim some of the agency, hope, and good stuff we thought would come out of ed tech?
  • If there is a commons somewhere, where is it? Can we get an invite?
Continue learning from these guests of the pod:
We want to hear from you, dear @YearsEd listener! Submit your audio reflections by May 1st to add your voice to the community audiobook project! #25YearsOfEdTech: Call for Audio Reflections When recorded, send a message or tweet.

Do you have directions out of the ed tech wasteland? Are you building the commons somewhere? If so, tell us about it! Send a message or tweet. Podcast episode art: X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licensed under CC-BY-SA. Remix by kevin tsakuhhin.

Next

Chapter 25: 2018 Ed Tech’s Dystopian Turn

For this final year of the 25, a trend rather than a technology is the focus. There is in much of ed tech a growing divide, particularly in evidence at conferences. One camp is largely uncritical, seeing ed tech as a sort of Silicon Valley-inspired, technological utopia that will cure all of education’s problems. This is often a reflection-free zone, because the whole basis of this industry is built on selling perfect solutions, often to problems that have been artificially concocted. In contrast to this is a developing strand of criticality around the role of technology in society and in education in particular. This camp can sometimes be guilty of being overly critical, seeking reasons to refute every technology and dismiss any change. However, with the impact of social media on politics, Russian bots, disinformation, data surveillance, and numerous privacy scares, the need for a critical approach is apparent. Being skeptical about technology can no longer be seen as a specialist interest. Read by Anne-Marie Scott.

Next

Between the Chapters: Blockchain

For this Between the Chapter episode, Laura chats with David Kernohan about the blockchain and other odd things happening around the year 2017: Chapter 24. This episode will not explain what the blockchain is, but take a broad perspective about the times, questioning trust, and changing of systems. Spoiler Alert: We don’t want to crush your hopes and dreams about blockchains, but there’s no real lasting impact for it in higher ed.
Questions:
  • How can we create a set of ground rules that share trust and expertise in learning, credentials, and more? Will blockchain help?
  • How are you thinking about long term storage of digital artifacts, projects, and initiatives?
  • How do we decide which digital artifacts are given resources, time and money, to preserve these learning objects?
Are you interested in owning an NFT art piece of Martin Weller’s face? Are you using blockchain technology in higher ed? Send a message or tweet. Podcast episode art: X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licensed under CC-BY-SA. Remix by Laura Pasquni.

We want to hear from YOU, dear @YearsEd listener! Submit your audio reflections by May 1st to add your voice to the community audiobook project! #25YearsOfEdTech: Call for Audio Reflections

Next

Chapter 24: 2017 Blockchain

Of all the technologies covered in this book, blockchain is perhaps the most perplexing, both in how it works and in terms of its purpose in education. I include it because it received a lot of attention, but also because it is indicative of the type of hype that surrounds a new technology that does not seem to address a clear need. Read by Caroline Kuhn.

Next

Between the Chapters: Artificial Intelligence

In this episode of Between the Chapters, Laura chats with Chris Gilliard about artificial intelligence (A.I.) in educational technology from Chapter 23 of Martin’s book. If you don’t follow the prolific Twitter account of @hybervisible — you should. He’s been railing against the broad, sweeping claims ed tech vendors make about A.I. and outcomes of these software/systems in higher ed for a while. How does ed tech codify teaching, learning, and administration needs at our universities and colleges with a.i.? If things seem magical or improbable, we need to have more critical questions and understanding of how these “black boxes” work for our campus stakeholders. We talk about how robots may or may not be coming for our jobs, and what we need to understand about the technologies implemented for our work.
Questions and thoughts for the community:
Are you seeking a robot application for your job? What do you think about A.I. in higher ed? Let us know — send a message or tweet. Podcast episode art: X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licensed under CC-BY-SA. Remix by Franny French.
Next

Chapter 23: 2016 The Return of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an interesting case study in ed tech, combining several themes that have already arisen in this book: promise versus reality, the cyclical nature of ed tech, and the increasingly thorny ethical issues raised by its application. Read by Maha Bali.

Read the chapter and see a list of all the book references on the Athabasca Press site.

Next

Between The Chapters: Digital Badges

For this Between the Chapters episode, Laura chats with Joyce Seitzinger about all things badged connected to Chapter 22: Digital Badges. In reflecting back to 2015, we have much to say about micro-credential, open badges, and what it means to get digital street cred based on a certificate, credential, course, or training. We share how we have been working to upskill with professional credentials as the world of work is changing, and how higher ed might consider what it means to embed badges, training, or certifications related to the skills needed for employment. Maybe badging and credentials offer ways for colleges and universities to have an ongoing, lifelong relationship with learners? Or perhaps we need more partnerships across sectors of work and education?
Questions to ponder from this open/digital badge conversation:
  • How can we collaborate and partner education and industry sectors for credentials?
  • What would it look like if particular sectors helped train and credential with badges?
  • What are the small pieces that you could break down or give recognition that X competency or skill be met (for a badge)?
  • What are the opportunities and limitations, within your own system, of how far digital credentials can actually go? How can we make connections to these credentials?
  • What are the systems you need to tap into or can you hook your current training/learning programs into that already offer credentials?
Connect to Joyce’s work at RMIT Online and maybe she’ll badge you.
Would you upskill if you could get a credential easily? How could open/digital badges offer credentials within your teaching/learning practice? Please share — send us a message or tweet. Podcast episode art: X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licensed under CC-BY-SA. Remix by philippe petitqueux.
Next

Chapter 22: 2015 Digital Badges

Digital badges are a good example of how ed tech evolves when several other technologies, such as those that we have seen in this book, make the environment favourable for their implementation. Badges allow for a more fine-grained representation of skills and experience gained in formal education than a degree classification. In this, they are an extension of the desire of e-portfolios to surface skills and competencies that are useful to employers. Read by Deb Baff.

Read the chapter online or view the book references.

Next

Between the Chapters: Learning Analytics

For Between the Chapters episode for Chapter #21 (2014), Laura is joined by Anne-Marie Scott and Dragan GaĆĄević to talk about learning analytics (LA). This conversation outlines a definition of LA, in terms of higher education — for practice, within products in ed tech, for online learning/teaching, and evidence-based research. There are so many interpretations as to what LA is, and we hope this episode unpacks the myths and misconceptions as to what metrics and data within learning and/or measurement science. For LA, it is important to talk about the use, ethics in data collection, and supporting learner agency talk about the use, ethics, and learner agency when examining learning, teaching, and design of both. Get your notebooks out for this master class in all things learning analytics!
Questions to reflect on from this chapter:
  • What does learner success look like? What’s the measure of learner success?
  • What are students here for? And what are our higher ed institutions for?
  • How can data be used as a form of feedback to develop towards their own goals?
  • What are the core values you want learning analytics to promote?
Connect to the episode guests:
How are you connecting your teaching, learning, and design to effective data measurement? Are you thinking differently about learning analytics after listening to this conversation? Let us know — send us a message or tweet. Podcast episode art: X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licensed under CC-BY-SA. Remix by Terry Elliot.
Next

Chapter 21: 2014 Learning Analytics

Data, data, data. It’s the new oil and the new driver of capitalism, war, and politics, so inevitably its role in education would come to the fore. Interest in analytics is driven by the increased amount of time that students spend in online learning environments, particularly LMS and MOOC, but also the increased data available across a university, including library usage, attendance, demographic data, and so on. This chapter is read by Brenna Clarke Gray.

Next

Between the Chapters: Web 2.0

For this Between the Chapters episode, Laura welcomes Bryan Alexander and Alexandra Pickett to discuss Chapter 13 (2006) web 2.0 and all the user-generated experiences this technology brought for teaching, learning, and more! We talk about the experimentation days of Web 2.0, the connections we made to peers, and the challenges we’re seeing over a decade later as things got social and scaled.
Questions to ask Martin & the community of @YearsEd listeners:
  • What does the sandbox of technologies and tools look like for others now when you first go online to explore?
  • How does AI and algorithms modify how we use these technologies?
  • How does copyright advance?
  • Where does the LMS go in the future related to these tools & technologies?
  • How does radicalization impact the use of these technologies? How does this impact the use of these mediums for education?
  • What insights/changes/ramifications might be seen for these technologies on the effect on higher ed, with regards to the granularity & microcredentials for education?
Want to learn more from the guests of this episode, be sure to connect to both:
Do you want to share your thoughts about video, media or more for learning? Do you have comments or questions about this podcast? Send us a message or tweet. Podcast episode art: X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licenced under CC-BY-SA & Remix by Laura Pasquini.
Next

Chapter 13: 2006 Web 2.0

In 2006, the hype about Web 2.0 reaches a fever pitch. Everything was suddenly “2.0” to indicate a new and improved version. Ed Tech and higher education were not immune, with 2.0 things becoming so ubiquitous that the term soon became irrelevant and a joke. So, for something that has become something of a joke, what lessons can educators take away from the time of Web 2.0? And how did the culture of Web 2.0 influence and change both technology and our institutions? This chapter is read by Sukaina Walji.

Next

Between The Chapters: Video

On this episode of Between the Chapters, Laura talks with Lee Skallerup Bessette about how the video killed the teaching pedagogical star. Chapter 12: Videos (2005) brings up all the thoughts on how we weave media into teaching and learning. We talk about how we moved from film strips, TV, and videos 
 to the world of production and presentation we see now on Zoom. Listen to how we think about being purposeful with all the media (not just video) and how multimodal learning can be intentional as we design for digital engagement.
Questions for the ed tech community:
  • What sort of access and support do your faculty/instructors have with regard to technology?
  • How are we setting our educators up for success with technology? (e.g. time, resources, training, support, etc.)
  • How do you support all stakeholders at your university/college with technology for learning?
Connect to Lee on Twitter and listen to her podcast at: https://allthethingsadhd.com/

Do you want to share your thoughts about video, media or more for learning? Do you have comments or questions about this podcast? Send us a message or tweet. Podcast episode art: X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licenced under CC-BY-SA & Remix by kevin tsakuhhin.
Next

Chapter 5 1998 Wiki

Read by Ken Bauer

Next

Between the Chapter: Constructivism

In this Between the Chapters episode, Laura chats with Jesse Stommel about constructivism (Chapter 4) and everything in the universe of education. We work through Jesse’s detest of “scaffolding” and praise for the Dewey’s ideas from over a hundred years ago. You’ll hear what we’re thinking about being more student-centered to move us outside of current learning panopticons — by actually talking to students to figure out how we can learn today. We bat around ideas for a more nuanced conversation of what ed tech can look like now during a pandemic, and perhaps in the future if we think more critically about our digital pedagogy and listen to one another. Imagine that!
“In higher education, pedagogical thought just isn’t a thing — it doesn’t even actually exist as a thing.” ~ @jessifer
Here are a few things we discuss, rant, and praise in this episode of the pod:
Community Challenge: Let’s ask ourselves hard questions about what does and doesn’t work in our online learning spaces and places.
Question: How does Papert’s Constructionism learning theory fit in with constructivism and what is discussed in Chapter 4 and our conversation?
Connect with and learn more about Jesse’s work at:
https://www.jessestommel.com/
@HybridPed
@DigPedLab
https://urgencyofteachers.com/
—
Tell your friends/colleagues to subscribe to the podcast & connect to @YearsEd on Twitter. Do you have thoughts, comments, or questions about this podcast? Contact us! Podcast episode art: X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licenced under CC-BY-SA & Remixed by Rajiv Jhangiani.
Next

Chapter 4 1997 Constructivism

Read by Tim Carson, host of the Praxis Pedagogy podcast

Next

Between the Chapters: Computer Mediated Communication

In this Between the Chapters episode, Laura is joined by Clare Thomson and Mark Brown to get nostalgic for the things we were building and working on back in the mid-90s with computer-mediated communication (CMC)… and then some for Chapter 3. We dig into the pioneering practices and “cottage innovations” that were groundbreaking at the time, and offer us some sound learned lessons for today. What we did then, may still be relevant now for how we are thinking about online learning. Here are a few things we mentioned during this episode:
“Ed tech is not a game for the impatient.” ~ @mweller
How can we go back, to the things we learned then, to move us forward in the virtual learning environments?
How will our community be dialoguing about these ideas and issues related to CMC for how we teach and learn now?
Learn more about the guests in this episode:
Clare: https://www.lostandfoundinedtech.org/
Mark: https://www.dcu.ie/nidl/director-nidl
Follow on Twitter: @YearsEd
Do you have thoughts, comments, or questions about this podcast? Let us know at https://25years.opened.ca/contact-us/
Podcast episode art:
X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licenced under CC-BY-SA & Remixed by Clare Thomson.
Next

Chapter 3: 1996 CMC

Read by Laura Pasquini.

Next

Between the Chapters: The Web

In this episode, Laura Pasquini and Jim Groom reflect back to their OG Internet experiences as they get nostalgic about Chapter 2: The Web. The World Wide Web vs. the Internet as we know is discussed, specifically for what it means for learning, teaching, and more in higher education. The Web was a really powerful way to share educational resources, plus gave access and new avenues for how, where, and when people learn. We hope you enjoy this conversation as we talk about the affordances and tensions of the Web, and perhaps we will consider how this will impact education moving forward.
“The realization that anyone in the world could now see their page was a revelation. This act now seems like the mythical mudskipper crawling from the sea to the land: a symbolic evolutionary moment.” ~@mweller, Chapter 2: The Web
Here are a few of the many aspects of the Web threw back to in the episode:
Connect to Jim: https://bavatuesdays.com/

Follow on Twitter: @YearsEd
Do you have thoughts, comments, or questions about this podcast? Let us know at https://25years.opened.ca/contact-us/
Podcast episode art: X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licenced under CC-BY-SA & Remixed by Katy Jordhal
Next

Chapter 2: 1995 The Web

Read by Jeffery Saddoris

Next

Between the Chapters: Bulletin Board Systems

In this episode, Laura Pasquini chats with Alan Levine about Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) and what was going on in the land of learning online in 1994. We reflect back to the time of dial-up internet, the start community interest groups, and the beginnings of how these technologies would have impacted educational technology. What we learned then, that maybe we could be reminded of nowadays.
Questions from the chapter: What else is going on in this BBS space in the 1990s? What have we learned from these early days of BBS, for the things that came next?
Connect to Alan: http://cog.dog/

Follow on Twitter: @YearsEd
Do you have thoughts, comments, or questions about this podcast? Let us know at https://25years.opened.ca/contact-us/
Podcast episode art: X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licenced under CC-BY-SA & Remixed by Laura Pasquini
Next

Chapter 1: Bulletin Board Systems

Read by Bonni Stachowiak host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.

Next

Between the Chapters: Introduction

With author Martin Weller and host Laura Pasquini

Next

Bonus: About the 25 Years Audio Project

How did the 25 Years & Between the Chapters audio projects come about? Host Laura Pasquini talks with book author Martin Weller and project coordinator Clint Lalonde to find out in this bonus episode.

Next

Between the Chapters: Wikis

This episode is targeted at Chapter 5: Wikis, but really we talk even more about how we create collaborative learning experiences, empower learners to contribute to their own courses, and how knowledge can be co-created in our educational spaces. Here are a few things we mentioned in the episode – enjoy:
Questions:
  • How do you create a culture of collaborative learning that is valued by your students?
  • How can we better meet teaching and student needs with the ed tech tools, platforms, and spaces? (Imagine!)
  • Martin: How is the Open U using some of these technologies, and what can other institutions learn from your institution’s experiments and innovations?
Connect to Mark’s work at: https://computinged.wordpress.com/
Do you have thoughts, comments, or questions about this podcast? Let us know at https://25years.opened.ca/contact-us/
Podcast episode art:
X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licenced under CC-BY-SA & Remixed by texto digital.
Next

Chapter 6 1999 E-Learning

Read by Angela Gunder

Next

Between the Chapters: e-learning

In this week’s Between the Chapters episode, Laura chats with Kelvin Bentley about all things e-Learning based on Martin’s Chapter 6: e-Learning. These reflections discuss how far e-Learning has and hasn’t come now that many higher ed institutions are being challenged during the pandemic, and what distance education will continue to look like post-COVID-19. More importantly, we discuss what we can learn from 1999 and take these building blocks for how we want learning to look like in the future at our colleges and universities.
Questions for the community:
  • What skills are you putting into your own practice or toolkit to support online learning now and for the future?
  • How are we preparing ourselves for this evolving future for digital learning?
  • What are people thinking about the future of professional organizations? Can we stay engaged in an “unconference” way to stay engaged with our colleagues/peers/professionals in the field?
  • How will we chart the future of our own professional development?
  • What ways are you planning post-pandemic learning at your university or college?
Connect with Kelvin and follow his work on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Do you have thoughts, comments, or questions about this podcast? Send us a message or tweet. Podcast episode art: X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licenced under CC-BY-SA & Remix by Dr Maren Deepwell.
Next

Between the Chapters: OER

For this Between the Chapters episode, I have a 2-part conversation about open educational resources (OER) with Part I Judith Pete and Catherine Cronin, and then Part II with Virginia Rodés and Maren Deepwell. This extended episode dives into topics from Chapter 11 and beyond as we talk about practices, tensions, and context for OER around the world. We move beyond content and licensing to talk about what OER means now with the pivot to online and how it transforms the work we do for teaching, learning, and research. I hope you enjoy hearing about these opportunities and advances being made in open work from these scholars and practitioners.
“Enacting openness and engaging in open educational practices is always complex, personal, contextual, and continually negotiated. What will you do now?” ~ Catherine
“That tension between content and practice in education is quite important
 but that is a continuum within the curriculum.” ~ Virginia
Questions for Martin, the OER community, Ed Tech friends, etc.:
  • How can I convince my colleagues to share their content to transform?
  • What can we learn from other OER institutions, e.g. MIT OCW?
  • What will you do now?
  • How are you thinking about “open” in the work you do for teaching, research, and learning practices?
  • How will you lead in an open, authentic way as an administrator?
Connect to and learn more about work from guests of this episode at:
Do you want to share your thoughts about OER? Do you have comments or questions about this podcast? Send us a message or tweet. Podcast episode art: X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licenced under CC-BY-SA & Remix by Karyn Wisselink.
Next

Chapter 12: 2005 Video

Read by Chad Flinn

Next

Chapter 11: 2004 OER

Read by Catherine Cronin

Next

Between the Chapters: Blogging

In this episode of Between the Chapters Laura chats with Bonnie Stewart and Clint Lalonde about their blogging journey. We reflect on the posts we’ve written, the community of bloggers, and what it means related to Chapter 10: Blogs. Initially the affinity of “bloggers” connected a number of educators and academics to meet up at conferences and make connections with others in higher ed. Additionally, we saw how these personal blogs morphed towards commodification and commercial — with the goals for putting out content or creating a brand. We miss the candid, vulnerable spaces of what edu blogs were back in 2003 and what it means to still be blogging today.
Thanks for blogging, Martin. Keep on keepin’ on with your blog. We’re grateful for your words that have morphed into this book.
Find these bloggers and connect with these peers of mine online at:
Do you have thoughts, comments, or questions about this podcast? Send us a message or tweet. Podcast episode art: X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licenced under CC-BY-SA & Remix by Deb Baff.
Next

Chapter 10: 2003 Blogs

Read by Lee Skallerup Bassette

Next

Between the Chapters: The LMS

Show Notes

In this Between the Chapters episode Laura talks with Laura Gibbs, Brenna Clarke Gray, and Caroline Kuhn about Chapter 9: The Learning Management System (LMS). The panel of this episode rejects how the LMS is not “linky” and how closed LMS constrains both the learner and educator from engaging online. But we also caution against how this LMS hub has grown since 2002 in its role for digital teaching and learning for higher ed institutions to also expand into a repository for data collection, learning analytics, and surveillance. Listen to our metaphors and meanderings about the LMS, and what we’ve been thinking about thanks to Martin’s chapter #9:
Questions for Martin & the community:
  • Where do we put the resources needed to actually use the LMS?
  • What are the metaphors should we collect and dissect around teaching & learning?
  • Do you think the LMS is a best practice? Or how do you push against that idea?
Be sure to connect and follow the guests of this episode at:
Laura Gibbs: http://mythfolklore.net/
Brenna Clarke Gray: https://blog.communityofpraxis.ca/
Caroline Kuhn: https://carolinekuhn.net/
Next

Chapter 9: 2002 The LMS

Read by Tom Farrelly

Next

Between the Chapters: eLearning Standards

Show Notes

For this Between the Chapters book club episode, Laura is joined by Lorna Campbell and Phil Barker to talk about E-Learning Standards from Chapter 8 of Martin’s book. They discuss how learning resources were a challenge to define and became a challenge to standardize, as Phil said:
“We have to remember that learning is not something that’s delivered. Learning is an activity. Learning is not content. Learning is a verb and not a noun.”
“The [learning] resources themselves would be self-describing.” ~ @KavuBob
Questions for Martin & the community:
What were the challenges we encountered when considering standards of learning? Why will this be important in the future?
Are you interested in connecting to guests from this episode? Find their work at:
Lorna Campbell: https://lornamcampbell.org/
Phil Barker: https://blogs.pjjk.net/phil/
Next

Chapter 8 2001 eLearning Standards

Read by Lorna Campbell and Phil Barker

Next

Between the Chapters: Learning Objects

 

Show Notes

In this Between the Chapters episode Laura talks with Brian Lamb, D’Arcy Norman, and John Robertson about Chapter 7: Learning Objects. We learn about Brian and D’Arcy’s “meet cute” over moveable objects requests for repositories, and how John and others see learning objects as OERs with an open license. And see how some of these early tools, platforms, and ideas from learning objects helped to evolve into other useful learning spaces (e.g. blogs and wikis), attribution + open licensing (Creative Commons), and more!
“What do people do with all this stuff?… And, what do you actually do with all these things?” D’Arcy Norman, digital hoarding and reusability of the Learning Objects
Questions for Martin & Friends:
  • Do you think that, in terms of the time, money, and effort spent on repositories and learning objects, we are having better conversations about our teaching and learning?
  • How would we approach a similar type of project now with cross-institutional sharing?
  • What would have we learned from learning objects from the past that can apply to a project like this in the future?
Connect and learn with these lads at:
Brian Lamb: https://abject.ca/
D’Arcy Norman: https://darcynorman.net/
John Robertson: http://kavubob.com/

Do you have thoughts, comments, or questions about this podcast? Send us a message or tweet. Podcast episode art: X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licenced under CC-BY-SA & Remix by KevinHodgson.
Next

Chapter 7 2000 Learning Objects

Read by Brian Lamb

Next

Episode 1: Acknowledgements & Introduction

Read by: Martin Weller

Top