And what they tell us about learning and academia. Mashups

John Krutsch Twitter: johnkrutsch

Objectives Think about your teaching Think about your own personal learning Achieved through mashups

What is a mashup?...a website or web application that seamlessly combines content from more than one source into an integrated experience

Examples Viral videos

Examples Customized music videos

Examples Popular songs

Examples Movie trailers or TV show intros

This is nothing new As early as 1969 Simon and Garfunkel Silent night and the 7 o’clock news

Real Educational Value? Teachers have been doing this for years Thematic units Picture book rewrites Movie Madness

Real Educational Value?

David Warlick As academics what we need to realize and embrace is that how students learn is as important as what they learn -- perhaps even more important.

Rob Reynolds...we talk about mashups, when we talk about not just one application, but taking pieces of all kinds of things and putting them together in new and creative ways…

Rob Reynolds it really parallels what we're talking about in education. Instead of just a standard curriculum, start with a core, but a flexible core, to which we can add things of personal interest, creative ideas, etc…

Which technologies are available? Open API Application Programming Interface Amazon Google Earth / Google Maps Social Networking Sites –Twitter - johnkrutsch –MySpace –Facebook - John Krutsch

Which technologies are available? Flickr: Google maps –Flickr Vision: –Twitter Vision: –Client Map:

Which technologies are available?

Susan Cline … young people today are so over stimulated with information that we can't even take our songs, maps, programs one at a time but instead have to mash them together for the biggest bang.

Granularity Biggest bang Granular nature of mashups Students participate in the creation of: –Lessons –Courses –Degrees

Clearance Fisher This new era is also creating a realm of endless mix and match: Anyone with a browser can access vast stores of information, mash it up, and serve it in new ways, to a few people or a few million.

The lesson level Collective wisdom Deeply collaborative Rapidly tweaked Objective based Student ownership

George Siemens We can now acquire our information in any manner that we desire. Learning, seen as content consumption, doesn't fit this model anymore. Learners piece together various content and conversation elements to create an integrated network of issues and concerns. Our learning and information acquisition is a mashup.

George Siemens We take pieces, add pieces, dialogue, reframe, rethink, connect, and ultimately, we end up with some type of pattern that symbolizes what's happening ‘out there’ and what it means to us. And it changes daily.

George Siemens Instead of a CD with the songs of only one artist, we have iPods with a full range of music, video, audio files/books, images, etc. Our classrooms, instead of the pre-packaged views of an instructor or designers should include similar diverse elements.

The course level Breakout of the textbook mold Choices to construct a more relevant and interesting experience Student mashups add to those choices Embrace for change Academia is not immune

David Warlick Rather than graduating finished students, who are ready for the world, it is important that we produce people who are raw material, capable of not only adapting to a rapidly changing world, but also able to continue to learn, unlearn, and relearn, so that they can shape that world into something that is better.

Charles Halton College students are not brand loyal to their universities and are taking classes from multiple institutions to create their own experience. Students are often transferring to 4-5 different universities before they earn their bachelors degree.

Charles Halton A student may take summer classes from a college while they are back home on summer break, they might take a class at another institution in the same city as their ‘home-base’ university, or they take online classes as they simultaneously take ‘live-format’ classes.

Charles Halton It’s all about students taking the lead and designing their own education instead of just receiving what a central administrator hands them. This is the education of the future

The degree level Successful programs will offer: –compelling and rewarding educational content and experiences –teachers as DJs –provide wise guidance and help for students as they form their mashups –provide incredible mentor experiences

Conclusion Think about your teaching Allow your students to take more ownership of their education Reuse, remix, and resubmit Alternative form of assessment Provide models and mentors

Questions? John Krutsch Twitter: johnkrutsch