Open and Learning: Open Content Beyond Fear
**This post is affiliated with my current MOOC Course: Introduction to Openness in Education.
I am enlightened tonight as I switch back and forth between student in a MOOC and professor for a traditional in-residence class. The intersection of the topics is helpful, also. I am teaching Leading Christian Communities and am required to load the course on CANVAS (LMS). Normally, my online LMS is for student-eyes only, yet CANVAS has a built in feature where anyone can view my course by way of a Creative Commons License.
There is fear in moving toward free and public work. Much like students feel about their own writing and assignments, I do not always want everyone looking at my stuff. I just want a few committed students to use-what-I-create. Yet my fear needs to be defeated, especially because I espouse to have a reflective drive to make my teaching and learning even better. Therefore, by persuasion of my MOOC and by possibility of Canvas, I am embodying my MOOC learning and have turned my course over to you.
I am feeling empowered today that I have let go of what I want to keep private and have submitted my professorial creativity over to the public. Only time will tell if this was a worthwhile, destructive, or neutral decision.
Open Course Content does press for an ecclesial comment. In the midst of the supposed division between church and academy, making courses free and available redefines the critical position that too often exists between God's school and God's congregation. I invite the church to "come and see" what is being taught in my course, and if at any point there is a question, criticism, or affirmation, I will be grateful to receive it. I think the mutual sharing will benefit the students, who are the future leaders of the church. Open Content is one way to build bridges between the classroom and congregation; may our spirit of engagement be from the One who has given both classroom and congregation life (Philippians 2).
I am enlightened tonight as I switch back and forth between student in a MOOC and professor for a traditional in-residence class. The intersection of the topics is helpful, also. I am teaching Leading Christian Communities and am required to load the course on CANVAS (LMS). Normally, my online LMS is for student-eyes only, yet CANVAS has a built in feature where anyone can view my course by way of a Creative Commons License.
There is fear in moving toward free and public work. Much like students feel about their own writing and assignments, I do not always want everyone looking at my stuff. I just want a few committed students to use-what-I-create. Yet my fear needs to be defeated, especially because I espouse to have a reflective drive to make my teaching and learning even better. Therefore, by persuasion of my MOOC and by possibility of Canvas, I am embodying my MOOC learning and have turned my course over to you.
I am feeling empowered today that I have let go of what I want to keep private and have submitted my professorial creativity over to the public. Only time will tell if this was a worthwhile, destructive, or neutral decision.
Open Course Content does press for an ecclesial comment. In the midst of the supposed division between church and academy, making courses free and available redefines the critical position that too often exists between God's school and God's congregation. I invite the church to "come and see" what is being taught in my course, and if at any point there is a question, criticism, or affirmation, I will be grateful to receive it. I think the mutual sharing will benefit the students, who are the future leaders of the church. Open Content is one way to build bridges between the classroom and congregation; may our spirit of engagement be from the One who has given both classroom and congregation life (Philippians 2).
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