JISC - Distributed e-Learning Strand

It is often difficult to keep up with the number of JISC projects being undertaken. Terry(?) referred to the Ramble project on BLOGS being undertaken by Oxford University and documented at Ramble . However this is only one of many programmes within a wider Distributed e-Learning Strand .

The list as always strikes me as interesting in that may seem to be 'seed-corn' initiatives providing localised rather than national benefits. For example several are associated with bodington common the MOO/MUD type VLE used at Leeds and Oxford. Given that 'Ramble' project is trying to integrate weblogs into the bodington common VLE has a couple of implications:

- Firstly how will the commercial proprietary VLEs react
- Secondly what is the reason for doing this

On the first point can a product like WebCT be opened up / organised to either integrate with existing tools or utilise the existing tools that exists. One drawback with WebCT seems to be that as a community tool it seems to be fairly closed and restrictive. This fact was emphaisised in Mike Blamires opening comments at the ESCalate VLE conference in which he mentioned that the VLEs are effectively virtual walled gardens without doors or corridors for access elsewhere.

I don't see why this is so given that it could be opened up at a higher level to allow community building at award level. One could imagine a much more open environment upto including students having their own diary areas with invited access . It would be intereting to see 'development' plans for some of these tools. For example some see The weblog as the model for a new type of virtual learning environment . Other similar comments have been raised by James Farmer

On the second point are Oxford simply re-inventing the wheel. Tools for communication and reflection seem to sit more comfortably within their own stream rather than within the VLEs, Communication is part of a bigger process and should not necessarily be seen to be solely a part of the learning, teaching and assessment process. Oxfords on comment on personal reflections and VLEs seems to be a autonomous part of the process.There seem to be masses of these around including VLEs with this as their main aim e.g. First class .

I note that some university elearning area are beginning to use blogs e.g. Bath University elearning seem to have a blog called Auricle