Open course in Sustainable Development

I have been reading Curtis J. Bonk’s The World Is Open which covers the definition, application and implication of Open Education. If you believe in and advocate for Open Education he requests that you participate in 10 things as a call to action, while I won’t cover all of those in this entry today I do intend to follow through with one of his requests. Bonk asked that we find and index fee online courses in our areas of expertise. Following that request I have provided one such outline below. My dissertation research and interest was in Sustainable Development, therefore I found the following resources for informal/open education listed below. Some of the resources listed below may not be from accredited institutions of higher learning but may serve as resrouces/text materials.

Technology and Global Development (WM0903TU)

Companies and governments have to decide upon technological strategies, i.e. which products are to be developed and which processes and infrastructures are required for the future. Several tools to consider technological strategies are dealt with in this course.

Technics and Future (WM0908TU)

Companies and governments have to decide upon technological strategies, i.e. which products are to be developed and which processes and infrastructures are required for the future. Several tools to consider technological strategies are dealt with in this course.

Technology in Sustainable Development (WM0922TU)

Next to their master all TU Delft students can specialise in sustainable development. This course is one of the requirements for the specialisation. It consists of a full-time week of guest lectures and workshops which takes place on a boat, and a group assignment to solve sustainable problems.

Technology Dynamics for Sustainable Innovation (MOT1410

Conducting innovative research is working on the edge of the known and the unknown. In creating new technology the result is never guaranteed. Society faces a tremendous challenge in order to develop in a more sustainable way. What role is there for technology in this process of change? How could we stimulate innovations in technological systems?

Sustainable Energy

This course assesses current and potential future energy systems, covers resources, extraction, conversion, and end-use, and emphasizes meeting regional and global energy needs in the 21st century in a sustainable manner. Different renewable and conventional energy technologies will be presented including biomass energy, fossil fuels, geothermal energy, nuclear power, wind power, solar energy, hydrogen fuel, and fusion energy and their attributes described within a framework that aids in evaluation and analysis of energy technology systems in the context of political, social, economic, and environmental goals.

Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit

The “Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit” is based on the idea that communities and educational systems within communities need to dovetail their sustainability efforts. It includes action plans on which to base educational change and develop sustainability goals.

Cities in Space, Place, and Time:

Welcome to the UEP 252 web site. This course will introduce students to the history of cities and metropolitan regions, focusing specifically on the actions of planners and policy-makers and how these actions shape our communities. The course is required for UEP MA students.

Environment and Sustainable Development, Spring 2007

This course will examine policy responses to environmental problems caused by economic development with special attention to innovation. The central topic of the course is innovation for the environment, which is explored through a number of lectures and discussion meetings.

Sustainable Development: Theory, Research and Policy

This course examines alternative conceptions and theoretical underpinnings of the notion of "sustainable development." It focuses on the sustainability problems of industrial countries (i.e., aging of populations, sustainable consumption, institutional adjustments, etc.); and of developing states and economies in transition (i.e., managing growth, sustainability of production patterns, pressures of population change, etc.). It also explores the sociology of knowledge around sustainability, the economic and technological dimensions and institutional

The Sustainable Development Education (SDE) Network

The Sustainable Development Education (SDE) Network is the Scottish network for organisations and individuals involved in sustainable development education. Members are committed to enabling people to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to build a fair, just and equitable society that is living within the environmental limits of our planet.

INDIA e3.0 Prospectus -- Building India's Educational Future at EDUITorg on Klatcher.com

INDIA e3.0 Prospectus -- Building India's Educational Future at EDUITorg on Klatcher.com

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The Second Life Learning Environment

At a recent class for Imagilearn SLemester, lead by John Jamison or Virtual Bacon (http://imagilearn.com/ ) in Second Life, Madddyyy Schnook ( Second Life name) was the presenter. Madddyyy made the following statement, “Why have we got a floor, why are we sitting down, why do we have a roof? and a fire? we live in a world that is not bound by real life constraints, remove all of the comfort zones and then you bring (people) out of their comfort zones—then you have a product (an) educational product to work with---outside the box thinking.”

In response Virtual Bacon observed, “That’s a great point---we’ve thought a lot about that here—and our floors and roofs are intentional because our primary goal here is bringing traditional education (educators) into Second Life—and we have found that familiar appearances helped a great deal during that initial period,”

Both of the people are right in their observations …Second Life, like the Wild West has had to “conform.” As I reviewed the above dialogue I realized here was my inspiration for this blog. I am fascinated with the architecture and traditionalism of a site like Caledon which covers many sims, however I immediately saw the point that Madddyyy Schnooks was making. Madddyyy developed the concept of and is the owner of Second Life guides. These guides are the how to/go to guides to living in Second Life. I found this blurb about Madddyyy on Amazon.com,

“Andy Sullivan (aka Madddyyy Schnook in Second Life) gave up a GBP 65,000-a-year sales and marketing job to work full-time in Second Life. He is successfully supporting his family through his inworld publishing activities. He has sold 100,000 e-copies of his SL guides and has become one of the top twenty recognized brands within Second Life.”

John Jamison, AKA Virtual Bacon in Second Life is known for his research, observations on the immersive learning environment and work with others to be successful in Second Life. These two are pioneers in Second Life as well as advocates for this environment in business and education.

I am not the expert, by any means, on anything in Second Life. I am an explorer, a land owner, a “wanna be” entrepreneur and teacher in Second Life. I have toured numerous universities and educational sites some are great..Sci Lands is an amazing collection of science themed sims that provide for labs, learning experiences and opportunities unparalleled in the “real world.” I have the good fortune to be able to learn about Second Life through their experiences.

In my tours of education/university sims I have found that doors, stairs, halls and lecture rooms do not tap into the potential of the immersive learning environment that Second Life provides. Not only this but an environment with too many constraints are very difficult for the newby avatar to move around in. On the other hand, those who are pushing on to make Second Life seen as a viable option for learning, provide a learning experience for students as well as a quality instructional experience for teachers/faculty must accept the traditional point of view.

Yes we have to take this seriously (in spite of the spontaneous fun moments that occur in Second Life) demonstrate that it can provide a quality learning experience, has the capacity to provide a means for students to achieve certain prescribed learning experiences, stay focused on the appropriate content, and stay engaged in their learning. But let’s not limit the potential that is available in this environment that we need to take advantage of to demonstrate to students that the experience is worth their learning the navigation, communication and other necessities of a successful Second Life. In Second Life the students can have a great deal of control over his/her learning experience.. The learning experience in worlds like Second Life can be self-created, co-created with other students, Second Life residents, and the instructor.

Traditional educational builds are beautiful as they replicate the college or university campus, however they are not necessarily successful in an instructional sense. Second Life is effective for learning in that it can be described (in my words as content versus content repository. Taking this further the student can also “self-create” their own learning if that creation is part of the learning outcomes of their course or program. Further content in Second Life as learning object may be a learning object, field trip, or experience that is relevant to their course or program. Of course it should be kept at the forefront of planning the Second Life part of the course that in order to engage the student they must be able to clearly see the connection between their Second Life experience, the activity and the learning outcomes of the course.

Because of the immersive learning environment (defined as a combination of virtual worlds, simulators, learning games and sophisticated digital media voice chat, game-based learning modules, audio/video, and so forth with collaborative online learning environments, study rooms, and classrooms. Immersive Education gives learners a sense of "being there,” retrieved from immersive.org 8/4/09) that is provided by Second Life and other virtual learning environments.

Learning in an immersive environment is effective, applied learning that is constructed. The student is immersed in and can experience the activity or event through the actions of his/her avatar. The students also experience the events with others, an opportunity to network, share and communicate with others while participating in a learning experience in virtual worlds.