LightintheWoods

I have been asked to create a short (5-8min) video on the potential of online spaces as learning environments. The audience for this piece is, of course, the world, but more directly it will be presented to Faculty at the University of Regina next week.

Some of the ideas floating around

• Online identity & presence is just an extension of one’s self. Each of us will use networking tools to do many things. There is not just one way to use a tool, each individual uses tools as they are useful or offer benefit to their unique situation.
• New emerging environments encourage new connections and fascinating behaviors.
• Learning is no longer confined to classrooms.  We can open the door to people from around the world or just folks in our own province, city, even our own class. Online spaces allow for us to connect & collaborate.
• Fewer constraints than real life spaces. Time & Place are no longer issue. Many of us can learn & work anytime, anywhere.
• Online spaces have the ability to bring people together synchronously for online events, instant communication. or asynchronously, allowing learners independence in their learning while connecting with other folks that share interests, at any time, all over the world.

I will highlight examples of online spaces

• much untapped/unrealized potential for directed personalized learning & support.
• Mainly seen as a place for entertainment – celebrity gossip, sports, fantasy leagues, gambling, downloading, socializing with friends.
• I plan to show snippets of blogs, Ning, Second Life, Ustream, EdtechTalk & maybe even Facebook.

Finally, I want to touch on how educators and learners use these online environments. You can help with this. I hope to piece together educators from around the world speaking about how they use online spaces (very short, just a couple sentences). This could be done a number of ways, perhaps a response to my youtube video, or maybe just a quick Skype call that I could screen capture, or you could email me a short blurb.  The purpose for this experiment is to drive home the fact that people exist in online spaces all over the world and have the intention to promote learning.

I have created this short recording as a plea for help and example of how I use online spaces. Not all these videos have to look the same. Maybe you’ll be outside, maybe you will just hold a piece of paper, maybe the more talented would sing or something. Ok, I am getting silly, but you get the point.

Disclaimer: I am open to suggestions from readers on all of this. What am I missing?