This was my submission posted as part of the e-Learning and Digital Cultures MOOC run by the University of Edinburgh during 2013. It was peer assessed as part of the course.

1. Name: Andrew Moore
andryn@iafrica.com
I work closely with
academics in African
Higher Education
institutions and support
them to develop online
versions of their courses.
Technology is important
but I’ve always
championed sound
pedagogy.
Johannesburg, S
outh Africa

2. Take that Apple
fan boys!
Chandler’sTechnologicalDeterminism
Dahlberg
Dahlberg would categorise my Tech
perspective as falling into the ‘Uses
Determinism’ camp.
The implication is that I’ve always played
down the technological as well as the
social influences by emphasising the
user’s control and agency.
Awareness of this has opened up a
whole new way of looking at the
relationship between the three
components and identification of
potential barriers to success.
Personal Discovery
Utopias & Dystopias: Past

3. Utopias & Dystopias: Future
Loved Shirky’s provocative posturing and
side with Thrun that MOOCs are still
experimental and will need to be fine
tuned over time.
Critical of Bady’s belief that the old state
college system can be resurrected in a
country that is facing economic hardship
and enormous government debt. Also
for me his alternative is insular and does
not benefit global education.
But it’s Campbell’s reading of Bateson
and his call for trans-contextual learning
that has got me fired up.
Personal Discovery
Campbell

4. Being Human: Reasserting
Professionally I’m a Humanist. I want the
best for those students I come across in
the disadvantaged institutions I work.
But then Fuller identifies a movement
that believes ‘Humanity Not Good for
All’ that identifies the duplicity in some
of the motives and even questions
viability of universal access.
As an individual I’m NOT a Humanist at
heart and find the approach reactionary
and conservative.
I’m torn in two and not sure how to
resolve this schism. At least its out in the
open now waiting for me to investigate
further.
Personal Discovery
MEAT
Fukuyama
Post Humanism
gon’na kill us
off but that’s
OK ‘cos History
is dead!

5. Being Human: Redefining
Roll on the Trans-humanists Cant wait to
be ‘enhanced’. Think I’ll lose the glasses
first! The video, True Skin, was stunning.
Of significance though was my reading
of the TEL report. It highlights that while
Developed countries are way ahead of
many of the Developing nations in terms
of access to technology they still have
not really exploited it properly in the
area of Education. Many of the themes
that structure the report are the type of
things I’m trying to encourage with
those I work. Admittedly our attempts
are modest but it looks like we are on
the right track.
Personal Discovery
Bostrom
ELC