ORMS MOOC
The Online Research and Media Skills (ORMS) MOOC was an open, free online course built around the ORMS Model — a framework for integrating new literacies into K-12 instruction. The course ran in 2014 under the title Digital Text & Tools for Lifelong Learning, using Google+ Communities, Mozilla Open Badges, and Creative Commons-licensed resources. No enrollment required, no cost, no institutional affiliation needed.
Course assets: 
The ORMS Model
The ORMS Model focuses on the nature of information on the Internet and its implications for how teachers think about reading comprehension, critical thinking, and learning in a digital age. Three cornerstones:
Online Collaborative Inquiry (OCI)
A group of local or global learners who arrive at a common outcome via multiple pathways of knowledge. Inquiry-driven, not content-delivery-driven.
Online Reading Comprehension (ORC)
The skills, strategies, practices, and dispositions students need to locate, evaluate, and synthesize information during problem-based inquiry tasks. Reading online is not the same as reading print.
Online Content Construction (OCC)
A process by which students construct and redesign knowledge by actively encoding and decoding meaning through multimodal tools. Moving from consumers to constructors.
The Five Modules
- Multimodal Tutorial — Orientation to the tools and practices of the course; introduction to working with digital texts across modes
- Online Collaborative Inquiry — How learners arrive at shared understanding through multiple pathways; inquiry-based approaches to digital learning
- Online Content Construction — Building, remixing, and publishing multimodal content; CC licensing; sharing openly
- Online Reading Comprehension — Strategies for reading critically across digital spaces; evaluating sources; synthesizing across modalities
- Digital Identity — Understanding and building your online presence as an educator; cyberinfrastructure basics; connecting personal and professional identity online
Badge System
Each module completion earned a Mozilla Open Badge. Badges required:
- Completing all module readings
- Posting a reflection to the Google+ Community
- Building and publishing a unit or lesson plan integrating the module's focus (CC licensed, shared openly)
- Completing a pledge form and submitting for mentor review
Completing all five modules earned full ORMS Participant status. Mentors in the community reviewed submissions and provided evaluations — making the assessment process open and transparent, not just credential-issuing.
Week-by-Week Blog Posts
- Week One - Online Research & Media Skills in Today's Classroom ORMSMOOC
- Week Three - Multimodal Tutorials ORMSMOOC
- Week Four - Module One - Multimodal Tutorials Digital Badge ORMSMOOC
- Week Five - Online Collaborative Inquiry -ORMSMOOC
- Come join us for the Online Research and Media Skills (ORMS) MOOC
- Digital Badges and Online Research & Media Skills ORMSMOOC
Related Publications
- OByrne2014 - Empowering learners readerwriter nature digital — introduces the ORMS model
- McVerry2015 - guiding Students they Explore, Build, — JAAL Web Literacy column, builds on ORMS framework
- IanOByrne2015 - Digital BadgesRecognizing, Assessing, — badges as assessment and motivation