Counting Down...

As I count down the days until our Winter Break with anticipation, I can't help but think of our students who are counting down the days with far less enthusiasm. For some of my kids, Winter Break means no hot breakfast and lunch for two weeks, and maybe no breakfast or lunch at all. For some it means the stress of being in a home with too many people, and not enough places to sit or sleep. For several, it means no warmth - physical, emotional, or both.

For many of my students, school is their place of safety, security and routine. Here's wishing them all the joy and relaxation I will be fortunate enough to have this holiday season.

Making MOOCs Personal

While writing a paper for one of my courses, I became fascinated by the lengths to which people will go to make personal connections, particularly face-to-face connections. The fascination comes from the fact that my paper is about MOOCs - massive open ONLINE courses. As of today, there are 3444 Coursera communities within Meetup. Yes, you read that right - Meetup groups organized around online courses. All over the world, people are looking for others to join them to complete learning activities, explore assignments, or just study. In 2876 different cities around the world, people are trying to make those connections.

It's not just Meetup. People enrolled in MOOCs are taking the initiative to create study groups using Google+ and/or Google Hangouts. They are connecting in Second Life. And they are connecting face-to-face at universities and cybercafes.

I've taken 3 MOOCs so far, none of which I have completed. I wonder if I had a study group to meet with to bounce ideas off of and to hold me accountable if I would have had more success. Certainly, if I was leading a MOOC I'd want to try to set up opportunities for my students to connect in as many ways possible.