E-Learning - Creating a Culture of Learning If we accept how new and different e-learning can be, we can start to give the learner a set of tips and advice. I would even stop calling the offerings "classes," since it may keep reminding me of what they are not, instead of what they are.
from Elliott Masie
e-learning Magazine

Capstone Planning - Entry 5
This supports what we are doing in my capstone at UVM, where we are creating three "spaces", rather than courses. the Technology Intergration (TI) space, the Electronic Portfolio space (EP) as well as the Mentor Space. The TI and EP spaces will be comprised of modules, or courselets. In the TI space, students will be able to choose the modules that they want or need to take, based on whatever interest or problem they are trying to solve.

I take a very McLuhanian approach to technology. While on the one hand I recognize that technology is a tool, in many cases merely a tool, on the other hand, thechnology is more than just a tool: it is an environment in which we live, it is an extension of our capacities, our personalities, our selves. The use and selection of technology shapes learning (just as it shapes language, media and (perhaps even?) logic).

This again from Stephen Downes, and it reminds me of the use of blogs. There is something about the form of a blog that just makes one want to put something into it and see the results posted on the Internet a moment later.

SCPD - Courselets

Capstone Planning - Entry 4
After reading about this approach that Stanford is using, I forwarded this to Jim and asked if he thought we might also incorporate this design strategy at UVM. With our attempting to make the Ed Tech course learner-centered, and based on just-in-time training, we could design a number of individual "courselets" that are topic related that faculty can pick and chooose from. We presented this as part of the overall strategy to the UVM team at the first meeting which I attended on Feb 11, and it looks like it will be a "go" to use this as part of the approach. Oddly enough, they objected more to the term "courselets" than the pedagogy behins the approach, and want to call them "modules". A little traditional, but if we get to use this idea, that's OK.