Although Week Ten was labeled as “Pulling it All Together”, I find myself bewildered and grasping at week’s end for a coherent focus for the final assignment. I felt that we had collectively thoroughly and critically interrogated algorithms during Week Nine and the Tweetorial. I personally felt however, that I had not put enough time and thought into learning analytics and educational data mining (EDM). Although I had read Dr. Jeremy Knox’s essay and spent some time reviewing commenting on the Ben Williamson video, there were other areas that peers highlighted in their blogs that I have not explored enough. Perhaps I can try to tease out these areas a bit more cogently in the remaining weeks.

The Google Hangout was engaging and instructive, but I wish that I had refreshed my memory immediately beforehand by re-reviewing peers’ recent blog posts. There were many creative artefacts and salient points that I had read on their blogs, but after work on Friday evening (in my timezone) when I was logged onto the Hangout, I could not readily recall and distinguish between everyone’s blogs to comment lucidly, in an obviously informed and constructive manner. Fortunately, our mentors artfully sorted it out and provided clear context and synthesis.

As mentioned during the Hangout, I am exploring some readings on the theme of ‘invisibility’ which has illuminated some interesting manifestations for online learning. For example, Michael F. Beaudoin has done research on tracking the “invisible” online learner (e.g., are they lurking or learning). Other aspects that might considered are the time is spent in On- and Off-line activities, different learning styles, different uses of various platforms, etc… Also, related to our Hangouts, is the nature of ‘online silence,’ issues of non-participation and unresponsiveness, and response latencies in asynchronous computer mediated communications. It seems that, in EDC as with other MScDSE coursework, there is invariably one or two ‘pregnant’ pauses during these group online sessions. I find this phenomenon quite fascinating. Is that a collective ‘learning moment’? or perhaps there is another clever pedagogical phrase for it?

My outing on Sunday to two museum exhibitions, which I blogged about below, was an attempt to get some fresh air and fresh insights. I am still ‘marinating’ on those excursions hoping that they will foment some profound revelations that will enable me to assemble the recent EDC course themes, and magically and materially “pull it all together.”