The Streaming March Madness Class Button

You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.

I had 3 reaction when I saw the "Class" button on the streaming March Madness site.

This button quickly switches the streaming basketball game to a fake learning management system (LMS). The Class button is now one of the options for the “Boss Button” - with other options being “Work” (a pretend PowerPoint) and “Home” (a fake search box).

First, I was Appalled: Do we need another reason for professors to ban laptops in class? Will the presence of fake online learning call into question, in some existential way, the true value of real online learning? Will we always need to be on the lookout for pretend online courses and made up edtech software?

Next, I was Honored: Have fake online learning platforms become as visible as fake spreadsheets and fake PowerPoint presentations? Does this mean that online education is so mainstream that it can be counterfeited? Is the NCAA going to send March Madness royalty checks to our edtech community? Will college basketball coaches start coming to EDUCAUSE?

Finally, I was Intrigued: Hmm … could I watch March Madness games at work and get away with it? Would there be any point to having a fake MOOC button? What if the NCAA actually ran an open online class on the economics of big time college sports launched from the March Madness website? Would this encourage or discourage MOOC participation?