I like the way that #etmooc (Educational Technology & Media Massive Open Online Course) organisers have opted for a “bazaar” model rather than a “cathedral” model to structure the experience. As explained on the orientation page:
A learning management system (LMS) will not be used. Rather, an array of ‘small tools, loosely joined’ will be adopted as to provide participants with an authentic, networked-learning experience.
So thankfully the MOOC data won’t be locked up in some clunky monstrosity of an LMS and we’ll all be able to get involved using the normal sorts of tools we use every day.
On a bit of a tangent, I also like the way that memes (am I using that word correctly?) from Unix hacker culture are now going more mainstream. One example above is the cathedral/bazaar distinction which derives from a book about approaches to software development, open source and Unix/Linux culture by Eric S Raymond (The Cathedral and the Bazaar). Another example is the use of the venerable Unix philosophy of small tools:
One of the fundamental concepts of Unix (and therefore Linux) is creating new tools from a wide range of smaller, dedicated tools.
Rather than large monolithic tools that attempt to solve every problem, Unix supplies a broad collection of simple tools that do a limited number of tasks very well. From those simple tools, sophisticated solutions can be assembled on the run.
The disadvantage? A steep learning curve while users familiarise themselves with the various commands, options and combinations.
The advantage? Flexible solutions to difficult problems, quick solutions to trivial problems.
Rather than large monolithic tools that attempt to solve every problem, Unix supplies a broad collection of simple tools that do a limited number of tasks very well. From those simple tools, sophisticated solutions can be assembled on the run.
The disadvantage? A steep learning curve while users familiarise themselves with the various commands, options and combinations.
The advantage? Flexible solutions to difficult problems, quick solutions to trivial problems.
So anyway, #etmooc starts on January 13 2013. Register now at http://etmooc.org. See you there.