In 2012 while I was studying in UCONN Health Center, I was asked to record a 50 min video which would be part of a class Flipped Classroom in Oral Microbiology. My knowledge about Flipped Classrooms or MOOCS in general was null at that time and I was very reluctant on leaving a class in video that will remain for free access to students taking that course. I was worried about my material of course.
But it is not until I started ONL171, where I have learned how truly amazing are all these new teaching opportunities and capabilities we have in the digital era. I am very grateful about this. To get to know facts such as that the first massive MOOC was done in 2011 when a professor in Stanford University uploaded a MOOC in Artificial Intelligence and got 150k participants from 109 countries! Since then digital courses have just grown exponentially.
After having experienced myself and researched on MOOCS, I agree with many promoters of MOOCS that the main advantages are based on interactivity. The possibility to interact with other students that are perhaps at your same level of enthusiasm to research topics in a specific subject and that will promote your research in the topic. The it is also the possibility of using webcams and see the teacher or other members of your classroom. Video conferences are providing great opportunities to break with the barrier of distance by face to face conversations such as in platforms like Adobe Connect, Google Hangouts, etc. Expanding the possibility to add unlimited number of participants and share with people around the world is simply amazing.
From my almost naïve experience with Flipped Classrooms back in 2012, I have been investigating about this. I must say that it is impressive how students may have the possibility to see the class at home and do more interactive learning physically in the school. I am no longer reluctant to this and I want to apply this in undergraduate education! I really think this is the next step in education as we teacher would be able to monitor the individual progress of students and what topics they struggle more with.
However, one of the main concerns regarding MOOCs is the legal aspects behind sharing copyright material. I understand that the research libraries have worked hard in order to confound and establish ways to avoid legal problems implied in sharing copyright material. The pressure of online learning has triggered that the old-fashioned physical library settings needed to get digital and ready to provide researchers from all over the globe access to educational material without infringing copyright laws.
In summary, I must say that after my own experience and initial reluctance, I have dramatically changed my view on MOOCs. I am extremely positive now that traditional classrooms are suddenly going to be changed to digital. If we get the opportunity to experience the advantages that online teaching brings to our teaching experiences, our reluctances and insecurities will be easily overcome.
Luis Chávez de Paz Blog 
Hello Luis. Thanks for sharing your experience. I also feel very lucky to use the digital tools for cut off the distances. I had the experience to attending one course online with colleague from four countries in two different time zones, at that time I was in Latin america. From my own experience we should take advantages of the digitization and take into account also some of the “cautions” (e.g. copyright) .
p.s. podria haberte escrito en nuestro idioma?
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Hi Luis
Thank you for sharing your experience about MOOC. I a have experience of using ICT for teaching, learning, and administration as a user and developer but I also first time explored to MOOC from this course.
I think, one of the main issues is peoples are standing in extreme and indefensible polar positions of ICT in education. One group think That ICT is a substitute for all kind of learning and teaching activities and others think ICT can do nothing. I have heard arguments for and against MOOC. I agree with you and my opinion is if we properly integrate MOOC also can play a key role as a method using latest technologies.
Thanks
Ranil
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I couldn’t agree with Ranil more!!! It is seen as a very all or nothing concept by many institutes, as either a completely secondary tool that can or cannot be used with very little difference in outcome, or a wide-sweeping transformation of educational offering. I’ve only ever seen organisations absolutely in love with MOOCs, and organisations that have never heard of them or make no mention of them.
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Hi Luis
I had a similar experience when I was asked to have a presentation and was given a microphone and that my presentation would be filmed to use for the students of that course only, which I actually had to sign a consent paper before that I do agree.
I think we work too hard with our material that we become too possive about it but the reality is by the mere fact that we are teachers we started sharing, just it was a simple sharing with boundries and with this open learning the boundries start to disappear and it scares us.
I like your reflections a lot and I like you, is very encouraged to dive in this but I will probably do it in steps until I feel safe and confident to go all the way.
Thank you very much for sharing.
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Hello Luis and thank you for being so open about your reservations and subsequent findings when using technology to this extent in the classroom. I am really interested in the practical aspects of a flipped classroom model and would love to contact you to better understand how you are implementing this and the development towards this model. If you are open to discussing please let me know what would be the best way to get in touch. Have a great evening there!
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Hi Luis. I also found myself understanding MOOCS much better on this this course. It has really opened up my mind to perhaps incorporating a MOOC within a module so as to encourage blended learning with face to face learning in the traditional sense. If the two are blended well enough, it could really encourage students to take accountability and ownership of their learning. Thank you for your post.
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