Toward a Transparent & Transformational Learning Ecosystem
1. Toward a Transparent &
Transformational
Learning Ecosystem
The Vision of the IMS App Store
IMS Global Impact 2013 | San Diego CA
Jon Mott
Chief Learning Officer
Learning Objects, Inc.
5. “There’s no buy button for education.”
Mike Sharkey, Apollo Group
6. The original design of the LMS was transactional and largely
administrative in nature, hence the “M” in “LMS.” The function of the
traditional LMS is to simplify how learning is scheduled, deployed, and
tracked as a means to organize curricula and manage learning
materials.
15. “Unfortunately the large suppliers to the consumer market don’t have much
interest in the special requirements of educational institutions … However,
the educational segment is more than capable of guiding its own
destiny with respect to making digital resources ‘work’ for the needs of
their stakeholders. By working together to solve this problem, institutions
reap huge savings by not becoming dependent on closed solutions.”
- Dr. Rob Abel, Chief Executive of IMS Global (emphasis added)
More fluid Uncertain Not the full spectrum of thousands of tool & content providers that can enable and enrich engaging learning experiences. On the front lines—how do we seamlessly integrate? TRANSPARENCY & TRANSFORMATION
Vertically integrated technology stack with uneven integration with other tools in the learning ecosystem. What is wrong? Where is the student? Focused on INSTITUTIONAL efficiency, not learning. Transparent & Transformational Institutional Tension *** The LMS is not the center of the learning universe!
What is the status of enterprise edtech today? Teachers are frustrated because they can't do what they want to do. Student problem is multiplied—they have multiple teachers with this same problem. How do we get to BYO LMS/Content/Data? Institutions are frustrated because every tool / content provider requires a different custom integration (and mostly don't surface actionable data) Teachers / departments / colleges end up doing their own things. Ultimately it's a bumpy experience for students (they are managed not empowered) No real actionable data across the enterprise for LO process, ratings services, etc. Any one organization / tech provider having central control of the app store is not beneficial for teachers & students (as we're seeing from anti-competitive practices of Apple & Google) From IMS App Store Doc: “ The emergence of a wide array of new learning tools and learning content (as well as larger content catalogs) opens the door for even more learning-centered applications of technology to enhance student learning. However, the lack of consistent standards for integrating such tools and content into a given consumer results in frustrating barriers for teachers and students to overcome. In the face of such complexities, teachers are either required to enter into (sometimes) protracted partnership / negotiation with consumer administrators and IT personnel at their institutions OR left to fend for themselves, launching “ shadow ” portals for their students to access the tools or content they need. ” IMAGE: IMS Global Video (http://youtu.be/R-SCdBaF-WY)
IMS Global Impact Panel, 5/14/13 San Diego
Has also become a rigid, inflexible vertical technology stack at institutions of higher ed … Centralized management with costly integrations make instructor-level, course-level, and student-level customization costly, complicated and often more trouble than it’s worth.
“ We don’t just think outside the box … We transform the box into a robot and then think outside the robot.” Image Source: http://gregd.com & Dr. Chuck’s presentation: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~csev/talks/2009/2009-11-10-pearson.pdf
See Brown, J. S., and Adler, R. (2009). “ Minds on Fire: Open Education, the Long Tail, and Learning 2.0 . ” Educause Review , January/February (16-32). Focus should be on enabling powerful, impactful learning interactions between teachers & students, students & students … and less on “managing” learners
Rob Abel’s vision, presented at IMS Global Impact 2013, 5/13/13
The Web is “a world of pure connection, free of the arbitrary constraints of matter, distance and time.” - Small Pieces Loosely Joined by David Weinberger Image Source: “ legos ” http://www.flickr.com/photos/12160152@N03/3541965667/
SOLUTION An IMS Standard for fast, easy content & tool discovery and deployment inside an LMS/VLE The “App Store” Model DOUBLE-EDGE Sword Simplicity, uniformity Rejection of open standards
Standards based solution Simple integration of tools / content stores Decentralized Control Federated Service (eg DoE LR) Store-of-Stores Federated Service like the DoE’s Learning Registry “ Store of Stores”
Instructure has laudably ventured into this space.
SOLUTION Standards-based approach to: - Content / tool discoverability - Content / tool implementation (including integration into LMS/VLE) - Content / tool usage, interaction & ratings data IMAGE: IMS Global Video (http://youtu.be/R-SCdBaF-WY)
LTI + ? LO, UCLA, Framingham State Very early Gap Analysis - What's missing - How do we close the gap? Seed normal process ,spark interest, call to action We’re committed to participating in the broader “real” process with all of you.