MOOCS are an exciting development in the story of distance learning. However, massive open online courses are part of a long tradition in the history of learning technologies. 

Learning both in the classroom and outside the classroom is generally approached in a linear fashion.

In the early 1990’s, I taught a course entitled, Introduction to Film at McGill University, that had six hundred registered students in it.

I will call him Anthony. He arrived in Vancouver with a trunk full of DVD's. He uses SMS and a variety of social networking tools to communicate with friends and family.

This short piece is adapted from a lecture I gave some years ago about the way disciplines, in particular film studies, develop into departments within universities.

My point here is that although computers are designed by humans, programmed by humans and then used by humans, this tells us only part of the story.

So why explore the intersections of human thought and computer programming?

Deep Blue is emblematic of a whole class of emerging computer systems that combine ultrafast processing with analytical software.

The notion of learning communities needs to be deepened through an analysis of institutions and how they function.

There is a simple definition of learning community that says, “This phrase describes a vision and model where a community's stakeholders come together and share resources.