CTE Web Coordinator
MOOC’s: What Are
They?
A Massive Open Online Course, commonly known as a MOOC,
provides open access to an educational event via the web. Typically a MOOC has structure,
goals, and opportunities for collaboration with other participants. Currently,
most MOOCs are free, but as MOOCs gain credibility and popularity, there are
movements to incorporate a fee.For more information on MOOCs, check out this You Tube video at http://youtu.be/mSxTw3pXCj4
The MOOC I am reviewing in this blog is Iversity’s “The
Future of Storytelling” an 8 week seminar presented by the University of
Hamburg. First of all, the content of this course is fascinating. I consider
myself relatively well-versed in current trends in technology, but this course
exposed me to many new (and not so new) methods for communicating a story.
I took this course to experience a MOOC first hand. I am
interested in eLearning structure and delivery methods. This MOOC delivers most
of its content through videotaped lectures and interviews. The creators overlay
supporting graphics on the videos that feature animation of hand drawings. The
content of the videos use well-known authors speaking to a variety of topics
from the history of storytelling to emerging trends.
Additionally, the course leverages discussion bulletin
boards and community shared content. It provides links to all the resources
mentioned and creates opportunities for participants to collaborate in story
creation and peer reviews. In considering how the course functions based on the
number of students it attracts and how the creators manage delivery, I found it
to be quite professional and user-friendly. As a student in the course I
learned a great deal and took away the desire to explore further the concepts
and trends introduced.
Transmedia is this year’s buzzword. This is the concept of
telling a story using two or more delivery methods or platforms to illustrate a
concept. The course describes the Star War’s franchise as a transmedia
marketing endeavor. Star Wars spans multiple movie episodes, electronic games,
comic books, cartoons, and live events such as Sci Fi conventions. Each user
interaction affords the franchise an opportunity to tell a different story
using the same characters or environment.
I found this course to be sufficiently thorough to grab and
hold my attention, yet broad enough in scope to spark the desire to explore
multiple avenues that I might not have easily discovered if I had conducted
research on this topic using traditional sources such as written materials or
lecture seminars. I am eager to incorporate some of the strategies and
technologies used in this MOOC in my own courses. I can only aspire to achieve
the level of finesse the creators of this MOOC use to engage their learners.
For a no cost, novel learning experience, try participating
in a MOOC. The MOOC reviewed here (The Future of Storytelling) is no longer
accepting participants. I suggest the following resources for a listing of
available MOOCs:- MOOC List http//www.mooc-list.com
- Corsera: http://www.corsera.org
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