MOOC ( Massive Open Online Courses)

Started two weeks ago, I am participating in a massive online course: #PLENK2010: Personal Learning Environments, Networks, and Knowledge sponsored and organized by the Technology Enhanced Knowledge Research Institute (TEKRI) at Athabasca University. Stephen Downes and Rita Kop from the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) Learning and Collaborative technologies group, Dave Cormier from University of Prince Edward Island, and George Siemens (Connectivism Theory: a learning theory for digital age!) from TEKRI are course facilitators.  

It is based on connectivist approach and a great open learning environment which promotes collaboration with more tham a thousand of participants from all around the world exploring the nature of distributed networked knowledge and social learning by immersing in different social media and web 2.0 tools. 

The way it is run is absolutely great; it is less structured unlike other courses, #PLENK2010 is an unusual course which does not consist of a body of content participants are supposed to remember rather, the learning in the course results from the activities participants undertake, and will be different for each person.

In addition, this course is not conducted in a single place or environment. It is distributed across the web and  participants are expected to do activities taking place all over the internet using different social media such as Twitter, Blogs, Wikis, Moodle, delicious, discussion forums.... . Participants are asked to visit other people's web pages, and  to create their own. 

Everyday, all participants receive ' The Daily' consists of some readings, information regarding the course and the aggregated contents from participants' blogs and twitters. There are also live sessions mediated by Elluminate where the topic of the week is discussed with facilitators.