Edupunk: let the beast free

Steve Wheeler (Learning with 'e's) seems to have kicked off something interesting in the ALT-C fringe event this year with talk of 'anarchy' and 'no quarter' whilst mooting the concept of Edupunk - self-organised learning!

While we all struggle with the incoherence, inconsistency, chaos and downright stupidity that abounds in our institutional support of 'e-learning', there is a rumble in the jungle that might be the beast rising against the tide of over-constrained, bloated, expensive and often not fit for purpose services we're expected to work with.

Edupunk, maybe not a new phenomenon, but certainly the breaking out into the open of the idea of going outside the box, breaking the convention of using institutionally controlled facilities, letting students (and teachers) have more freedom and control in their e-learning endeavours: self-organised learning. I like it.

So where is this rumbling coming from? Well, there have for some time now been educators and students working together outside the confines of their universities' online facility, often in small, quiet and pretty successful ways. They have kept their heads down, who needs the aggro (and possible contractual worries) of standing up and saying, 'Hey, I'm doing this outside of your control, in a way that doesn't fit how you think, and it works'?

Now it seems that the time has arisen to give this 'out of control' e-learning a name, and to stand up and be counted if you're in for the ride. It will not suit all, that goes for teachers and learners alike, but lets go with it, let the creativity be exposed, see what might come of it.

Edupunk - I like it...