My last blog post was 2 months ago – I certainly slipped on the regular sessions and my interaction slipped.

However, I am pleased to say that I read enough of Kaufman to understand what living on the edge of chaos means. I have been able to reflect on what that means for knowledge management and decision making through the Cynefin framework and more generally to project management monitoring and evaluation in general.

My attempt to dive deeper into IEML didn’t go very far, as I couldn’t find access to reading the remainder of the IEML vol 1 book without paying approx 80pounds. I certainly pondered whether or not it would be worth it but thought it a bit excessive in the end. I will certainly keep an eye on it though. However, the IEML and Cynefin remain the most exciting elements right to the end and really set off a chain of further learning.

So what about influence and benefit to creating language learning experiences:

learning networks and MOOCs in general have helped me look at the potential peer to peer interaction in a new light. The inspiration from engagement felt during my time in the MOOC was new and exciting. The session by Terry Anderson talked about how getting the SS interaction element right can have a greater impact on learning than greater T-S interaction. This seemed to be the case here. I have envisioned how a online language learning site for supplementary learning could involve creative media and interaction, for teenagers  or adults. This could be integrated into the students social media and aggregated to the site for the students to add comments on each others work. It could utilise the social network sites they already use in the same way a MOOC does. The possibilities are immense – it makes the ‘Having a French pen friend’ to exchange a few letters with seem victorian. Imagine students posting media of video/audio/cartoons/images/ prezi (integrated)/ just text and exchanging comments and ideas with each other to learn language and exchange cultural experiences. This is something I would love to try out as a supplementary learning experience for classes from different countries.

reflecting on autonomy has also been useful to identify on what level the language learning experiences developed (www.cityandguildsenglish.com) are allowing for deeper learning and how much autonomy should be sacrificed given that there is no teacher to bring students round. How does language learning differ in this respect to ‘content’ based courses? Reflecting on the Interaction Equivalency in the final MOOC session – do the students of a language based course need a greater mix of TS SS or SC? I think a self-study language course had better have good quality content for good SC (as that’s all it’s got, right?). Then teacher classes on top, but then the social  peer2peer interaction has so much to offer – sparking the interaction with a creative task could be the key… (I’m joining ds106 to find out more about this and I’m looking forward to it.)

In addition, the MOOC has led me to revise my differentiation, read the cognitive linguistics and culture book that I was meaning to read for 2 years and led me back into the classroom/coffee shop to learn more Chinese after  more than a year off.

I think I’ll try to reflect on what a possible creative task would be to supplement my own learning of Chinese on the coming weeks. As far as online learning goes for languages at least, there’s no getting around speaking to a real person in real time to practice speaking and the skills of communicating synchronously. (There was mention of the possibility of a Language Learning MOOC in Jan I think – if anyone has any updates or knows of one happening – please leave the link – thanks very much!)

A quick reflection on my online identity: a extension of myself, perhaps my avid checking of site hits for the blog and trying to tell everyone on fb and twitter every time I wrote a blog was a need for attention – and hoping that I was interacting and it was acceptable interaction. The anxiety felt at first subsided and I enjoyed having the interactions that I did (not much but thanks to those participants who left comments of responded to my comments.) It was certainly true that the more comments I left on others blogs the more I received on my own blog, and I sense that over time the interaction could aggregate exponentially for some committed bloggers. I have a more confident identity online as a result of the experience of the MOOC.

a very fulfilling experience!