Closing down The Common Loon blog...

The semester is over, and it's time to close down The Common Loon blog. This Way of the Blog has been one of my most demanding and satisfying experiences in graduate course work, and one I highly recommend if you are so inclined. I can unequivocally say that I was steered in the direction of patterns as a way to design for lifelong learning because I used a public forum, and because others have done the same. Here and here too.

But while this blog is ending, pattern exploration continues. Design patterns will be one of the four topics to be probed in this Fall's MDDE 663: Emerging Issues In Distance Education Technologies, an optional course developed and facilitated by Terry Anderson in Athabasca U's MDE programme. And there's more. Rory McGreal lends his expertise to this issue of copyright and free education. I'm putting my best dress on if this is any indication of the tenor of discussion. The final two topics, the next-generation LMSs and podcasting and radio link the new to the past, evoking the developing field of distance education, and offering (to me) a welcome reminder amidst the hype of new technologies that emerging always implies an emerged from. It sounds like a great Fall, doesn't it? Time to get new shoes to match that dress, me thinks.

posted by: Shanta at 09:16 | link | comments
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