Okay… scratch my last post. What if the browser was your LMS? Think about it – what is the biggest problems with most social networking sites? Privacy and ownership of content. Huge battles are being fought over who owns what when you upload it and issues like “how private is your stuff anyways?” Opera released a new product today called Opera Unite. The basic idea is that you take control of what you share online because your browser is a web server.
Interesting concept. You retain all rights and controls over everything you want to share, because it is served up from your computer. What a crazy thought.
So, what if the browser itself becomes the LMS? What if the instructor created a bunch of activities that students worked on and then shared back with the class through something like Opera Unite? The technical details would be crazy to make it work right, but think if it could get to work right? You would have to authenticate all students and instructors through an official school database, of course.
But this could take our New Vision for Online Learning in a whole new direction. Just some crazy thoughts.
Also think of combining this idea with Google Wave?
My head hurts from the possibilities….
Matt is currently an Instructional Designer II at Orbis Education and a Part-Time Instructor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Previously he worked as a Learning Innovation Researcher with the UT Arlington LINK Research Lab. His work focuses on learning theory, Heutagogy, and learner agency. Matt holds a Ph.D. in Learning Technologies from the University of North Texas, a Master of Education in Educational Technology from UT Brownsville, and a Bachelors of Science in Education from Baylor University. His research interests include instructional design, learning pathways, sociocultural theory, heutagogy, virtual reality, and open networked learning. He has a background in instructional design and teaching at both the secondary and university levels and has been an active blogger and conference presenter. He also enjoys networking and collaborative efforts involving faculty, students, administration, and anyone involved in the education process.