Ok, so I’m totally into this ‘learning ruby on rails’ thing. And for me part of the learning process means creating a total immersion learning environment. Well, maybe not total, but enough to have a couple of learning streams running at the same time which help reinforce each other.
This personal learning environment I’m creating includes the traditional book, web sites, podcasts and videos. And with a video iPod I can study the audio content in the car, the video content on the train, read the book in bed, and utilize the web sites when I’m working on my computer. (If I could just find a local class or user group then I’d have the social angle covered too — I’m sure there is some sort of facebook Rails group, maybe I’ll look there…) Some of these elements have a cost, some don’t, but all are under my control. If something isn’t working for me the cost of switching is pretty low, and several alternatives exist. And no educational institution is controlling what I do…
Not that some institution wouldn’t be helpful (I can always use a good institution!) It would be nice to have some guidance on my learning path, some dedicated resource to go to when I have questions, and someone to give me some credential at periodic points to show my progress to the world. But from the institutional standpoint it is important to recognize that our students have these types of resources available to them — we’re not the gatekeepers to knowledge that we once were — and they are starting to expect this type of active learning environment.
I have two faculty members who are interested in adding video content to the audio content that their students access via iPods. This year we’ll require them to have video-capable units. There is a lot of work to do to get this up and running. But do we have a choice?
Garrett Dimon and Sifter | the Ruby on Rails Podcast
The Pragmatic Bookshelf | Everyday Active Record
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Randall Rode's online home for thoughts, notes, and experiments with a wide range of technology topics. Visit the about page for info on my recent projects and professional background. I welcome your comments!
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