Reading Response- Chapter 3
For this week’s reading of Lankshear & Knobel the chapter discusses how new literacies are constantly changing. As I finished the chapter I kept thinking about MOOCs and how they related to this chapter. What stood out to me at first was how the chapter discussed new literacy as ever changing and what was new one day became old the next. However, what I found interesting was not the change in what information was being taught but how information distribution has changed. The access to education has changed, individuals can learn in a variety of ways as the internet has blossomed. In this chapter Lanksher & Knobel discuss new ethos, new technical skills, and web 2.0. What I took from this is how education and learning is no longer about reading and writing but instead about creating, reflecting, and sharing. The access to the internet has allowed individuals to create and share their work across a new platform and to receive critique which can be reflected upon. How I found MOOCs to be tied into all of this is how MOOCs are gathering spaces for learning. MOOCs provide individuals a space to teach and learn from one another much like an affinity space. With access to the internet, learning is no longer about being in the classroom. Web 2.0 has given individuals a chance to be part in the creation of learning. However, then the issue becomes who gains credit for this online work and what is the online work worth? As I believe copyright laws to be important, with information being constantly distributed across the internet I do not know how all the information can be tracked. To be honest, most of this information is over my head especially the copyright laws.
The video below is an introduction to MOOCs by the The New York Times, a statement I found interesting from this video is the importance of building your user base first and then creating a way to monetize it. This statement did not feel right to me and as I was writing this reflection, I am still at a loss for words. Let me know what you all think!
