Rants, Raves, and Rhetoric v4

Walled Gardens

Another one of those old articles I started but didn’t finish / publish at the time. This was originally composed April 12th.

Thinking about this article I read over the weekend, specifically this point.

Closed and proprietary systems are not about learning they are about management. If we want to engage students in learning on the web we need permeable membranes that connect, not walled gardens that contain. [Un]packing the Learning Management System

I’ve read claims for years the Learning Management System are more purchased for their management capabilities and less around the learning. LMSes are about providing the tools for the faculty and administrators to manage their online classes. The people who have to sign the contract and pay the bill are administrators. Some may have former careers as teachers or technicians. So they buy what they know: something which does a good managing.

There is a movement for the networked study model. The approach to school I saw my peers in the early days of the Internet take was not a single model but an amalgam of professor-to-student lecture, networked study, and independent study. Different students demonstrated preferences for models which they thought most beneficial per topic. Doesn’t seem like there is one right answer.

Where these discussions seem to fail is in arguing the scientific data around what is or is not effective. I hate how people mention The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Student and Information Technology in these discussions. Especially when they fail to mention students primarily use the technology for activities other than course work (page 8).


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