Winterlude continues, quick browse for Guardian , Haymarket

I will have another look later in the week. This is still fairly relaxed. But my guess is still  that digital media have developed an edge. On Saturday the print Guardian reported strong sales for printed books. There is specualtion that tablets sold better than e-readers but no numbers yet. If it is reported by the Guardian online eventually it may take a while.

I think they will do more with sound. There are several accounts on Soundcloud but not much content. 

Printweek not in print till next week I think. I have found tweets from Haymarket Media. They retweeted Louise Ridley -

Cool infographic: How social media is changing events 


Infographic is all about the effect of social media on events, mostly positive. So what will happen with the pace of print industry events such as IPEX every four years? Cross Media Live may be more sensible every year. Maybe last year is still worth thinking about.


So the out of time feeling I get may be caused by a slower pace or it may continue. The Winterlude definitely includes BETT and this has real dates.

Open Quality update - OPAL EFQUEL , is this to do with MOOC , #FutureLearn ? #CloudWorks

http://qualityoer.pbworks.com/w/page/11925719/FrontPage

Email alerts me that a page has been updated.

But this is another thing to come back to. Can't remember how this was before.

However I still think the #FutureLearn announcement has shifted things a bit. Maybe this is just a UK thing or for readers of the Guardian in print.

Meanwhile my attempt to start a FutureLEarn cloud on Cloudworks is not going very well. I only put in a sketch and a comment.

There must be people who actually know something about this. Maybe they have all gone home to plan some cooking.

To be continued.

Guardian, mooc, newspapers #mtw3 #mosocoop #FutureLearn

This post is mostly notes to be returned to.

Guardian reasonable today in the Education pages with a long text from Clay Shirky. I can't see actual news about FutureLearn but it may be connected with the decision to repeat this blog post from November

I have found a blog from Ian Bogost, mentioned as suggesting MOOCs are marketing for "elite schools" .

One thing strikes me from the comments

I wish that more instructors cared about quality. Too many just go with the proprietary text (rarely an open text) with little consideration of the price to students. The cost to students is one aspect of quality. An important one in my opinion that is all too often ignored by instructors who choose them. There are a growing number of excellent quality controlled open texts. Instructors should keep their eyes open. Like proprietary texts some of the open texts lack quality. If that is, the case then do like Peter and pick another one, but don't just presume that the costly text is better. Quite often it isn't. Also, there are growing open online open alternatives to texts. At least check the open texts out before stiffing the students for a high priced text that may be unnecessary.

So this relates to the Knowledge Unlatched project on academic publishing based at the Work Foundation. The forms of content will alter with the structures.
"Can online education ever be education of the best sort?" question from Mark Edmundson quoted by Clay Shirky as "the issue of quality".
I sometimes find that quality management is not that welcome as a topic for academics. Quality can just mean leaving alone something already assumed to be a ok.
Meanwhile the EU is funding a series of meetings for people working on quality in HE.
Can a formal quality system work with change? Depends on the nature of system review.
Is English the only language for a MOOC? Or is mooc a made up word for something that is happening anyway and may be called something else ?
Questions to return to. 
I am now concentrating on emergency supplies of food in case the shops close down. But there may be some posts occasionally.
Bookseller tells me that the Guardian is launching free podcasts on a weekly basis. This would work as marketing for a weekly publication with the rest mostly online. I have done a Follow on Soundcvloud but no actual content at the moment.

Guardian on newspapers in 2013 , to be continued

Not sure what to make of this.

Still no mention of citizen journalism or involving the readers in forms of reporting.

The savings from redundancies do not add up to enough to cover the losses.

But this is now a season of relaxation. So something to return to in the new year.

I will carry on looking for clues about FutureLearn. If the OU and others are launching in mid December they are on some ohter kind of time scale.

Should the Guardian report BETT or the Consumer Electronics Show in any detail there may be an implication for journalism and print. You may need to read about it somewhere else though. 

Disruption from MOOC is for Open Universites, maybe #BETT #FutureLearn

Disrupt

From what I can make out from the slides it is possible that a MOOC is more disruptive for existing Open Universities than for some other universities. This could be why the UK Open University is investing in a new venture.

Alt-ED has linked to this from people at the OU Netherlands

This looks at the tradition of open universities so far, and MOOCs as coming mostly from online and the USA.

The detail I have selected is interesting. Some universities will not be disrupted because the research reputation is not dependant on education. I may have got this wrong, it can be dangerous to interpret slides without a sound tape. But just maybe research about learning and teaching online will have a better reputation if dome by people who actually try it.

BETT is looking even more interesting. The scope now includes universities and adult learning. There will be some indications as to what future students are expecting.

Memory from previous BETTS suggests there may be more support on the exhibits from the EU than from UK government. Can't find a stand for OU Netherlands but Twitter may find something around the same time. 

Playable City as in where is #FutureLearn ? #mtw3 @PlayableCity

My ideas for playing with the "city" are not on the shortlist but this is not surprising as they are not at all clear just at the moment. It was open to "creatives" as well as artists. I thought it was creative to apply for £30,000 and offer £5,000 to Volkhardt Mueller. I did explain we needed most of the budget for scanning. Maybe we will work out something for another city .

Proposal forms are on Scribd . Briefly, 2D Stills from Twinity are a possible start, mixed with other sources.

Official site
http://www.watershed.co.uk/news/playable-city-award-shortlist-is-live-and-ready-for-your-comments/

Meanwhile I am finding out more about FutureLearn. Supporting universities include Bristol, Exeter and Lancaster. Lancaster also based at the Work Foundation so it is a real question where FutureLearn exists for and blended user experience. Maybe in a city centre, maybe on a beach.

I once thought there could be a model of the Work Foundation in Twinity. But it could be easier to move the sculpture outside the building. Shape not too difficult if a scan is costly. Textures could be based on photo.

Return of the Design Science DJ, plans for 2013 #mtw3 #mosocoop

The pace is slowing down now so I don't expect much to happen during next week with #mtw3 or #mosocoop. Both will have a detailed look at design science in the new year though. The Wild Show will miss one week and also JD will not be with us on Thursday. So we are meeting on Wednesday and may briefly consider our plans. I have found these two clips from earlier this year so we have found a way to discuss design science that may fit in without much difficulty. Some time during 2013 the full Gibson Burrell book will be available. We may need to revise the model.

Stills from Twinity, cup cake and cake stand

Tests continue on Beach for You

I don't understand how to scale things in Sketchup. The cupcake is much too small but the cake stand is big enough to be seen, even in low light.

Cake stand could be like a base for an object, 3D printing suitable while an actual cake is hand crafted.

(download)

Phonic Christmas Party #PhonicParty sample YouTube

Here are some existing clips already on YouTube and Soundcloud

Suggest #PhonicParty as tag for any clips from the 22nd. If Creative Commons is selected in the advanced settings, then the remix button appears.

More samples please, also #PhonicParty to find them

maybe this will work, or try the link

Will David Willetts be speaking at BETT? @Future_learn #FutureLearn @Bett_show

There is strong support for FutureLearn, the new MOOC from the OU and others

http://www3.open.ac.uk/media/fullstory.aspx?id=24794

(MOOC by the way is an academic term for the web, massively open courses online )

Futurelearn has been warmly welcomed by UK government. The Minister for Universities and Science responsible for higher education in England, David Willetts, said:
"The UK must be at the forefront of developments in education technology. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS) present an opportunity for us to widen access to, and meet the global demand for, higher education. This is growing rapidly in emerging economies like Brazil, India and China.

“Futurelearn has the potential to put the UK at the heart of the technology for learning agenda by revolutionising conventional models of formal education. New online delivery tools will also create incredible opportunities for UK entrepreneurs to reach world markets by harnessing technology and innovation in the field of education."

Last time at BETT Michael Gove announced an end to the ICT curriculum as something centrally defined. I thought this could be quite interesting but it seems to mean that technology is not very important compared to the subjects that still are defined. What is this "revolution in conventional models of formal education" ? There could be more about this.

http://www.futurelearn.com/