I see a lot of online courses that appear to have no application of any recognizable teaching methodology. I have asked a lot of designers the above question and the answer I usually get is “yes, well maybe, but I am not always sure.”
Have you ever jumped to end of a book and read how the whole things turns out before you read the rest of the book? I don’t normally do that but in this case I will jump to the end of George Siemens’ book Knowing Knowledge. I want to take a closer look at what George calls implementing.
Here is a direct quote from page 124:
“PATTERN RECOGNITION is the new critical skill. We need tools to socialize around knowledge. We need tools to store contextualized knowledge. We need tools to retrieve knowledge when needed (and in other cases, to bring it to our attention when we do not know it is needed). We need the skills of a master – where one look can reveal insights, patterns, and opportunities not available to those new to the field.”
For several months I have been reading and analyzing George Siemens book, Knowing Knowledge. The whole concept that learning is connecting and developing networks of knowledge is fascinating. I think that he is right on point with his concept of knowledge as something that you connect to and not something you memorize and store. The book is available online in wiki format here: http://ltc.umanitoba.ca/KnowingKnowledge/index.php/Main_Page.
