Media literacy is an expanded information and communication skill that is responsive to the changing nature of information in our society. It addresses the skills students need to be taught in school, the competencies citizens must have as we consume information in our homes and living rooms, and the abilities workers must have as we move toward the 21st century and the challenges of a global economy. (Source: Telemedium)

Photo credit: Tag Crowd

Inside this Media Literacy Digest:

• Will Higher Education Be The Next Bubble To Burst? - According to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, over the past 25 years, average college tuition and fees have risen by 440 percent
• Rapid Internet Justice - We are re-creating our physical societal rules for the online environment. The ideals that should serve as a foundation are not yet defined…
• Technology For Teaching and Learning Transformation - George Siemens conducted with Kathleen Matheos a two-day workshop on Technology for teaching and learning transformation
• Challenges Faced by African Universities In Technology Integration - ...thoughts / comments from a workshop and discussion session with leaders in education and ICT from African universities
• African Elections - Technology, reflected in sites like African Elections, provides individuals with access to needed information and conversations. Controlling this information is increasingly difficult.

This weekly digest takes you to places, facts and resources that help you make greater sense of the increasing relevance that new technologies and media are having on the way you learn.

Here all the details:

eLearning Resources and News

learning, networks, knowledge, technology, trends

by George Siemens

Will Higher Education Be The Next Bubble To Burst?

Will Higher Education Be the Next Bubble to Burst? asks:

According to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, over the past 25 years, average college tuition and fees have risen by 440 percent - more than four times the rate of inflation and almost twice the rate of medical care. Patrick M. Callan, the center’s president, has warned that low-income students will find college unaffordable.

Laying aside the obvious point that education is already unaffordable for much of the work, this article explores challenges education faces in light of recent “bubble bursts”.

I’m interested in the new value point for higher education.

The system currently serves three dominant roles:

• content / research,
• teaching / learning,
• and accreditation.

Why don’t we split them up? We could serve each function better in this model. And less expensively.

A large system that tries to do too much is incapable of adapting rapidly to changing external conditions.

Rapid Internet Justice

An interesting thread about Rapid Internet Justice.

Short version: someone uses online forums to target people to steal auto parts. The community serves as detective and solves the case. In this instance, it appears the right person is identified, but I’ve also seen online communities exhibit “mob mentality”.

This story has a strong positive message - the ability of a community to do the detective work police were not able to do (or interested in doing).

On the negative side: the checks (or is it cheques? :)) and balances that form established societies are lacking.

We are re-creating our physical societal rules for the online environment. The ideals that should serve as a foundation are not yet defined…

Technology For Teaching and Learning Transformation

If you’ve been following my twitter feeds (and personal tag for travelling - #whine09), you’re aware that I’m in Senegal (minus luggage).

I conducted - with Kathleen Matheos - a two-day workshop on Technology for teaching and learning transformation.

I’ve posted the slides from day 2 of the workshop.

Challenges Faced by African Universities In Technology Integration

I’ve captured a few thoughts / comments from a workshop and discussion session with leaders in education and ICT from African universities: Challenges faced by African Universities in technology integration.

I’m continuing my quest to use more images. But, as the post reveals, visuals truly are not my strength :).

African Elections

Ideologies are embedded into technology. Ideologies, of course, are about power, control, and ways of looking at the world. As such, it’s fair to say that technology is about power - who can create? Who has access?

Today, in a conversation with an African colleague - Ben Akoh - I was introduced to the African Elections site. The site tracks and shares election news / conversation in various social media (Twitter, SMS, blogs, etc.) and traditional media sites.

I recall watching an election for the premier of Manitoba in early 2000’s. I didn’t have access to a television, but watched a postage stamp-sized jittery newscast. It was terrible by today’s online video standards. But it gave me what I wanted most: timely access to information that I found important.

Technology, reflected in sites like African Elections, provides individuals with access to needed information and conversations. Controlling this information is increasingly difficult.

A daily newspaper is much easier to shut down than a distributed conversation. Yes, I know countries can block sites and restrict traffic. But democracy is far more secure when subject to the input of many commentators than to a select few mainstream media sources.

Originally written by George Siemens for elearnspace and first published on May 30th 2009 in his newsletter eLearning Resources and News.

About the author

To learn more about George Siemens and to access extensive information and resources on elearning check out www.elearnspace.org. Explore also George Siemens connectivism site for resources on the changing nature of learning and check out his new book "Knowing Knowledge".

Photo credits:
Will Higher Education Be The Next Bubble To Burst? - Paul Fleet
Rapid Internet Justice - Tom Schmucker
Challenges Faced by African Universities In Technology Integration - Pop!Tech