Chapter 4
Quote: “In a collective, there is no sense of core or center. People are free to move in and out of the group at various time for various reasons, and their participation may vary based on topic, interest, experience, or need. Therefore, collectives scale in an almost unlimited way. In fact, they improve with size and diversity, providing access to an increasing number of resources managed by a technological infrastructure. Participation in a collective does not necessarily require a standard notion of contribution, such as explicitly creating content, but instead may be something as basic as following and rating post on a website.” Question: I understand the idea of a collective but I do not necessarily see the purpose of it being its own entity. It appears to be that it should just be referred as learning. If a collective is so “undefined” why does it need to be define as anything? What is the sense of community created through collectives? Connection: Peer-to-peer learning explores the idea of mentors instead of traditional student and teacher learning. In this departure from tradition roles anyone can be the mentor on a given topic. This idea is embodied through the Big Brother Big Sister organization. The success of this organization in positively influence trouble or at risk youth lives is profound. By presenting information in a mentor situation the willingness to learn the information shifts greatly. In this system each person is one other’s equal which makes people more willing to learn and take information to heart. Epiphany/aha: I struggled with this chapter. What's the point of collective if they can’t be defined, implemented, or understood!? Or is that the point…? Am I just a cog in a traditional world of test based learning?! The idea of no structure is really my worst nightmare." No definition" is my definition of hell (ok, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration). One true epiphany I did have through my discomfort was that this is an example of different learning styles that will occur, and does occur now, in my classroom. Although I enjoy structure and clear expectations that does not mean all people do. In a traditional school setting I must find a way to weave in some non traditional learning methods. Chapter 5 Quote: “Classrooms are predicated on the sense of the public and the private. Teachers stand before the group (the public) to lecture or guide discussions. Students sit in isolation, privately writing down notes, taking examinations, or listening to lectures. The goal is to transmit information in a public way to the private minds of the students. That’s why a student panics when she is called on in class, even if she knows the answer to the question. It’s because she is being asked to expose in public what has been until that moment a very private activity. Question: How do teachers (instructor or educator) and students that are raised in different ages of technology, social media, and information share and find a common ground? Connection: The discussion of “the public and the private” immediately commented to the video discussion done by Dave White on idea of visitor versus resident. This idea was in connection with an individual’s identity and presence online. Epiphany/aha: The discussion of “the public and the private” helped me to have words and ideas that I believe would resonate with students. Students today have such a different view of privacy than even I do and we are not that different in age. Students have grown up hearing “once it’s online it’s there forever” so it has lost its poignancy. The ideas presented in this chapter can help create a dialogue about public and private internet topics that I believe students would understand and be interested in. Chapter 6 Quote: “Because our minds, bodies, and senses are always learning, we pick up vast amounts of tacit knowledge just by going about our everyday activities - unlike learning through formal education, which takes place during specified, focused, brief period of time.” Question: How can tacit learning be best implemented in the classroom in regards to unstable information? Connection: The idea of environmental learning connected to the ways that babies learn. There was a statistic I heard about the amount of information that humans learn in their adolescents years compared to their older or more adult years of learning and it was depressing. The amount of information we learned, according to this studying, during the years that we are taking part in formal education was shockingly small. However, the amount of tacit learning that we carry out in connection with unstable information learning gives a more accurate picture of the learning that takes place in our adult life.. Epiphany/aha: The epiphany I had while reading this could be paired with an epiphany I seem to have on a regular basis as I grow older...my parent were always right. However, now I have a scientific idea to explain why I did not listen to them as often as I should have...I had to experience ideas through tacit learning. Although I present this idea somewhat comically it was a real “aha” moment for me. With the short amount of time I have spent interacting with high schoolers and the relatively few years older I am than them I already finding myself wanting to say things like, “trust me you should really…” or “you guys don’t even know how lucky you are! when I was in school…”. But I refrain because I know it will do little to change the behaviors or mindset of my students on certain topics. There is merit and importance to students learning life lessons "the hard way". Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Lexington, KY: CreateSpace?
1 Comment
2/4/2016 02:00:12 pm
Morgan,
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorFuture shaper of young minds. Archives
May 2016
Categories |