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Tuesday, September 03, 2002


I happened across this page while stumbling around at OISE/UT looking for an e-mail address for the registrar.

Seems they'd sooner you'd visit in person rather than "electronically." Full rundown of "office" hours for the month of September, but nary so much as a phone number, let alone e-mail, for those Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC)/"distance[ed?!]" students.

Classes begin next Monday, so I'm hoping to get a seat in a course sooner vs later.

I've also had difficulties getting registered for online courses in the past. I'm sure this helps to explain why so many CMC courses have a face-to-face (F2F) component. In fact, there is often a F2F "initiation" where students learn about software applications, form study groups and generally get acquainted with people and process.

That said, I like being able to work and live 2000+ km away from the physical campus as I complete degree requirements -- it adds to my learning of CMC-based pedagogy. The "medium is the message" -- if I may.

There is considerable debate regarding the merits of a "CMC-only" education. The only thing I know for sure is that I'm happy to be completing my Master's of Education degree entirely online. The opportunity to attend graduate school at a Canadian "ivy league" university -- completely via CMC -- provides a context for learning and research into the connection and literacy issues germane to CMC-based education.

Monday, September 02, 2002


I ran into this link while researching online learning. It's a great presentation by Philip C. Candy I found on the Events in Oxford page. It speaks to my "self-directed" view of 'net-based learning:

Putting the 'learning' back into eLearning
Kellogg Seminar, 24 April 2002
Prof. Philip C. Candy's talk is available as a PowerPoint presentation.

Abstract: Self-directed adult learners attempt to navigate in an
information landscape without landmarks, and to make sense of (and impose order on) the profusion of stimuli they encounter in cyberspace. This presentation develops a model for designing software and creating structures to support lifelong learning through formal, non-formal and informal means.


Sunday, September 01, 2002


Last week I was back in California -- this time to the San Francisco Bay Area -- to conduct SMART Board(TM) interactive whiteboard (SBIW) Master's Program On-site sessions.

On Wednesday morning at Eden Area Regional Occupation Program (ROP), in Hayward, CA., I worked with beginning to advanced users who provided some great classroom curriculum-integration suggestions. In the afternoon at Oliver Worldclass Labs, Inc., in Benicia, CA., I brainstormed with a group of "super" users who kept me "dancing as fast as I can!"

For me the real key is to use these sessions to define a group of participants -- "SBIW Stakeholders" -- and then offer the online self-organizing social system (OSOSS)-based SMART Education object (SMARTEO) as a framework or "scaffold" to guide, develop and maintain the construction of a knowledge base to meet the needs of all stakeholders.