One of today's keynotes at Open Education Conference 2011 was one of the most avant-garde, engaging presentations I've ever seen. It was more performance art than lecture.

Jim Groom, Instructional Technology Specialist and adjunct professor at the University of Mary Washington, used his podium time to demonstrate the effectiveness of open and fluid learning. He showed how he experimented with a digital storytelling course that took on a life of its own.

The course uses an online live streaming station (ds106 Radio) as the base camp for the class. The self-directed and creative work of the students, however, adds such depth and richness that it's difficult to identify exactly where the course "lives" in its entirety-and that's the beauty.

Part of Groom's message was that some educators are waiting for an open educational resource "silver bullet" but, in reality, that may never materialize. Instead, he believes the tools already exist to draw students into the learning experience in new and effective ways. It just takes creativity.

One part of the talk that will stick with me was his mention of "drive by assignments." He showed that, given the right medium, students can manifest a desire to learn in sometimes unexpected ways. The example provided was a student that created a poetry exercise using their iTunes play lists. It grabbed the attention of other students to a degree that surprised even Groom.

The only downside of the presentation was that it made me bemoan the fact that I never had professors like Groom. Of course, it would have been difficult being creative with clay tablets and cuneiform.