Comments on: Parsing the box http://teleogistic.net/2009/03/parsing-the-box/ Wed, 16 May 2012 17:57:41 -0400 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Matt http://teleogistic.net/2009/03/parsing-the-box/comment-page-1/#comment-224 Matt Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:09:42 +0000 http://teleogistic.net/?p=122#comment-224 Great post, Boone. I love your delineation of various types of LMS boxes, and I agree with your last point -- the ways in which boxes can function to gather together similar objects (or similar learners) is an important function that my "get rid of all LMS's" conveniently ignores. However, I'd make two points about that: First, it seems to me that one of the best aspects of the small-pieces-loosely-joined approach is that it takes full advantage of RSS feeds to allow classrooms to be configured, reconfigured, and distributed in different ways. One can still gather blog RSS feeds from a classroom into a box; but one can also reconfigure that box as one chooses. Thus, a SPLJ (small-pieces-loosely-joined) box is akin to a box with holes in it, a box that can be endlessly remade, on the fly, according to the student or teacher's wishes. It is a box that is flexible in a way that most LMS's are not. Second, what bothers me most about LMS's is that they pre-define what online learning is. In an LMS, learning activities are those that can be completed within the parameters of the LMS system that is being used. And, in an age in which so many different kinds of applications and learning experiences are appearing every day, I see no reason to limit online learning to the old blogs, wikis, DB formula. Great post, Boone. I love your delineation of various types of LMS boxes, and I agree with your last point — the ways in which boxes can function to gather together similar objects (or similar learners) is an important function that my “get rid of all LMS’s” conveniently ignores.

However, I’d make two points about that:

First, it seems to me that one of the best aspects of the small-pieces-loosely-joined approach is that it takes full advantage of RSS feeds to allow classrooms to be configured, reconfigured, and distributed in different ways. One can still gather blog RSS feeds from a classroom into a box; but one can also reconfigure that box as one chooses. Thus, a SPLJ (small-pieces-loosely-joined) box is akin to a box with holes in it, a box that can be endlessly remade, on the fly, according to the student or teacher’s wishes. It is a box that is flexible in a way that most LMS’s are not.

Second, what bothers me most about LMS’s is that they pre-define what online learning is. In an LMS, learning activities are those that can be completed within the parameters of the LMS system that is being used. And, in an age in which so many different kinds of applications and learning experiences are appearing every day, I see no reason to limit online learning to the old blogs, wikis, DB formula.

]]> By: Patrick Murray-John http://teleogistic.net/2009/03/parsing-the-box/comment-page-1/#comment-216 Patrick Murray-John Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:20:33 +0000 http://teleogistic.net/?p=122#comment-216 I actually think about that walled garden for copyrighted materials from the opposite direction, especially since in many cases that's just concealing a copyright violation, not preventing it, and so doesn't quite fall under fair use (it often still fails the 'right to make money' consideration). So, both for better fair use practices, and to encourage more creation and use of public or Creative Commons material, I lean toward wanting to see that use of the box go away, too. Not entirely sure about the last variety of 'box' you look at. Maybe here's a place where we can take the good and bad from an LMS and find a better way to create those sets? I actually think about that walled garden for copyrighted materials from the opposite direction, especially since in many cases that’s just concealing a copyright violation, not preventing it, and so doesn’t quite fall under fair use (it often still fails the ‘right to make money’ consideration). So, both for better fair use practices, and to encourage more creation and use of public or Creative Commons material, I lean toward wanting to see that use of the box go away, too.

Not entirely sure about the last variety of ‘box’ you look at. Maybe here’s a place where we can take the good and bad from an LMS and find a better way to create those sets?

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