This week’s topic in #edcmooc is “reasserting the human” – a look at various responses to the apparent threat to humanity posed by the ever-increasing presence (intrusion?) of technology. It’s an interesting setup; forcing a debate on what, in fact, does it mean to be human? What are the most fundamental, essential elements that make us human? And for educators – what does it mean as we look at technology and learning?

Of interest to me are two ideas that emerge from this consideration: 1) identity and 2) embodied knowledge. I am struggling to find a proper understanding of both in hopes that it will lead to a deeper synthesis of ideas in relation to my own work in technology and learning.

Digital identity has been on my mind of late (see Personal brand and digital identity: Which I am I? for example). And it came to mind again in…

Sometimes I think the experience of learning is rather more like putting on your eyeglasses, or getting a new set of prescription lenses. You see things that you have seen all along but perhaps now a bit more clearly. Or with more definition. That certainly has been my experience during the first two weeks of #edcmooc.

It was quite a pleasure to find the instructional team behind #edcmooc providing a well-needed bit of relief from my normal world by taking me on an exploration of utopias and dystopias. The educational and professional world I live in revolves around understanding business. My professional background is in business. I now teach about business: learning, organizational change, and knowledge sharing in the context of business organizations. Not the places you typically find serious looks at utopian vs. dystopian perspectives.

Through the readings, videos and discussions of the past two weeks it has…