Creating online training

This past week we have been working on creating our own lesson in Facebook and our PBWorks accounts.  I found the PBWorks wiki format much easier to work with.  In creating my Facebook account, I found myself spending most of the time trying to figure out how to create a group without having a list of email addresses to use.  I still haven't figured it out.  The rest of the time, I was searching for ways to do what I wanted to do.  It was frustrating and a non-productive use of my time. The wiki, on the other hand, was very easy for me to work with.  I got really into it and was encouraged throughout the process because it came together easily.  The program worked the way I wanted it to and I enjoyed it.

Our discussions this week involved reflecting on our experience creating the Facebook and PBWorks accounts and whether we thought that Facebook or PBWorks could be used to replace an existing LMS like eCollege or Moodle.  My thoughts on this is that a wiki could probably be used to create an LMS, but I don't see it being done in Facebook.  My first question is why would you want to do this when the existing products like Moodle already do such a nice job for free?  Why recreate the wheel?

Our second assignment this week was to read and reflect upon the article, Minds on Fire: Open Education, the Long Tail and Learning 2.0 by John Seely Brown and Richard P. Adler.  The article addresses and explains the evolution of the Web into education and how it is evolving still into a more participatory environment.  It was quite interesting to read how things evolved on the Web, especially since I am of an age when there was no Web.  My son just mentioned this morning how computers have existed his whole life and he has been taken along in the journey in a natural and matter-of-fact kind of way.  For people of my generation, we have had to seek out how to be involved, and more importantly, whether to be involved.  Most of the people I work with have either never attended college or it was quite some time ago.  They are either intrigued by the Web, or intimidated by it.  Access to information, and education in particular, has taken on a new direction and environment that is moving and evolving quickly.  At work, my focus is on those that do not want to be left behind, but do not know where to begin.  All of this occurs while I am new to it myself to a great extend.  But, that's what Learning 2.0 is all about - learning by participation, student from teacher and teacher from student.

Lastly, I am including a link to a couple of articles that I found interesting from Edutopia.  Hope you find them interesting, as well: http://www.edutopia.org/student-reflection-blogs-journals-technology 

As always...Happy Learning until next time.