MOOCs And What To Do With Them – From a MOOCer

December 1, 2015 · Filed under Online Learning · Tagged computers, FREE courses, free university courses, internet generation, Internet teaching, learn online, lifelong learning, Live Cheap in an Uncheap World, MOOCs, online course, online learning, teacher training, teaching online, The Future of Education, universities

MOOCs are what the internet is all about. They epitomize the internet as it is – a library at your fingertips. And they are amazing. They say the half life of information is getting very short. By the time you have finished four years at university, half of what you have learned is already obsolete. Now MOOCs come in to keep you up to date. Since the MOOCs are so new they are very up to date. I was on one MOOC about archaeology and the videos were taken on a archaeological dig nearly in real time. If MOOCs evolve to instant information you’ll be getting live cams in real time. Now that is education.

Anyway what is a MOOC what do you do with them?

MOOCs are the future, but with the internet some fads are just passing phases that don’t last very long, One minute they are all the rage, and the next they have been replaced with the next major fad. I hope MOOCs don’t go the way of the dinosaur, then I’ll have nothing to do in my spare time. I’m really selfish.

Doing a MOOC is about you and your time management skills, your ability to juggle –
job,
wife,
kids,
time
and whatever else makes up your life.

And setting short term goals that last about a week, so you do everything you have to complete the MOOC.

It also means reading instructions
and interpreting them correctly,
so you know what you are doing,
and what has to be completed,
and when it has to be handed in,
so as to speak.

Just like being at school except it is all up to you. No one is breathing down your neck.

Just the thought of getting a “Certificate of Accomplishment”
That could be all you do a MOOC for.
And or the satisfaction of learning something new or old.
Or you are into life long learning, and need something to show for it.
Or you are sick of MMOGs and now what to try the next best thing.
Or you need a few extra papers to put on your CV, just to add a bit of color to your CV.

And the “Certificate of Accomplishment” is an impressive looking piece of paper, as long as you have a half way decent color printer. It has the name of the university in big letters, so it looks like you have done some serious study. And to be honest you have.

You have to set aside at least 2 to 4 hours each week just to cover the workload. But if you get trapped in the forums you could spend a lot more time on the paper. Forums are really fun and you meet many new people, but they come under the virtual friend category. Once the class is over that is goodbye to your classmates, same as in real life. Anyway you can have some wonderful discussions when in the class.

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