Through the Looking Glass

This morning I felt a bit like Alice gazing down the rabbit-hole, wondering what was there, just before leaping into the unknown.  Now, I am falling rapidly into another world - for, my Friends, I have entered a strange new world, the world of MOOCs - specifically one titled "Elearning and Digital Cultures," and things are getting "curiouser and curiouser!"  Up until a year or so ago, I didn't even know what a MOOC was,  although of course I knew that there are a lot of "really big classes offered on the internet."   And, a few months ago at a professional meeting, I heard how MOOCs are affecting universities that charge for their courses, and how universities plan to identify and address the challenges.  Never mind that most MOOCs are offered by faculty who actually work at "for pay" universities - which seems to be a moot point - but I digress.

I've been an eLearning designer for years, and have counted myself as "reasonably" technically competent and "reasonably" with the times for quite awhile.  I  have and use all of the things most people in our fast-moving world have and use - a laptop, a smartphone, several portable media players, social media sites I like to visit.  I have participated in RPG's, and was actually one of the "early pioneers" in MMORPG's - developing adult education courses in SecondLife (even back in the Stone Age, before it had audio chat!).  But, I am not "immersed" in digital culture, because, frankly, I have other things to do with my time; like going for walks, working in my garden, quilting, reading actual books, watching birds, making wine and beer, cooking, and socializing with actual live people face-to-face!   Why did I sign up for this MOOC class?  It was free; it sounded interesting; I've never participated in one before, and because I'm an eLearning designer, and I should probably have a better understanding of these things!

But, now I'm beginning to feel like a hopelessly out of touch Luddite, or a Neanderthal!  Why?  Because in Day 1 of this course, I was confronted with a world of hashtags (which are apparently strings of characters linked to a "number"sign that sends whatever I say or do to lots of other people simultaneously), mashups (no idea what that is), tweets (know what it is; don't use Twitter), blogs, clouds, and something called "Synchtube" (allows you to watch a movie on YouTube with other people and comment on it in real-time), and expected to know how to use them.  I'm that person who takes my cell phone with me when I'm outside taking a walk for emergencies, to tell the time, and in case I need the GPS.  I really do prefer to enjoy Nature:  listen to the sounds of birds, look at the trees, feel the warmth of the sun on my body, and the earth beneath my feet; watch for lizards, squirrels, and other wildlife; ponder the mysteries of the universe; and even (gasp) say hello to other people and their dogs when I meet them on the trail.  And when my "Millennial generation" kids text me on my phone, I prefer to call them, rather than fumbling with a tiny little touch pad that is nearly impossible to use.  So sue me - I like to hear their voices, and share things with them "live" in real time!

But these modern times will apparently require me to understand a bit more about the technology, so down the rabbit hole I go!