Quote:
“The bridge between them-and what makes the concept of the new culture of learning so potent-is how the imagination was cultivated to harness the power of almost unlimited informational resources and create something personally meaningful.” (p. 31)
All of the stories presented in this chapter shared this bridge between the public, online world and a personal, structured world. Each story presented individuals with a thirst for knowledge, coupled with a vast library of resources. I feel that the structure aspect is key. We must find ways to harness the unlimited resources that can be overwhelming at times. Also, if the end goal is to “create something personally meaningful” I feel that this is when real learning occurs.
Question:
Has the type of learning discussed in these stories been attempted in a school. If so, what did it look like and what was the outcome?
Connection:
Like the computer programmer who googled error messages, I often use Google when I am unsure about something for this class. For example, I was unsure how to embed a Twitter feed on my Weebly and by googling my question I was presented with hundreds of results. I chose a Q&A forum in which one of the users provided step-by-step instructions on how to embed a Twitter feed.
Epiphany/Aha:
When I read, “Having diabetes is very different than living with diabetes,” (p. 30) my mind switched the sentence to “Doing mathematics is different than learning mathematics.” I don’t want my students to simply do math. I want them to discover it, question it, and explain it.
Chapter 2
Quote:
“The primary difference between the teaching-based approach to education and the learning-based approach is that in the first case the culture is the environment, while in the second case, the culture emerges from the environment-and grows along with it.” (p. 37)
Chapter 2 presented the new culture of learning by comparing a teacher-based approach to a learning-based approach. The learning-based approach is of course the one best suited for the new culture of learning. In the learning-based approach, the culture is created by all members of the community and is continually changing. This is unlike the teacher-based approach in which every teacher establishes their own culture within the four walls of their classroom.
Question:
If this type of culture is not being cultivated at a school site, where is the best place to go for assistance? Grade-level? Department? Admin?
Connection:
After reading, “encountering boundaries spurs the imagination to become more active in figuring out novel solutions within the constraints of the situation or context,” (p. 35) I was reminded of a pair of eighth grade math teachers. These math teachers described the way they teach math as allowing students to struggle with a situation until they realize the need for the mathematical tool. In doing so, the students have boundaries because there is information that they have not yet encountered and through exploration, their imagination begins to look for a solution.
Epiphany/Aha: The authors describe a mechanistic approach as one where students are learning like machines and following a specific set of steps. In my classroom, students work in groups most of the day. Students understand that we embrace different methods to solve a problem and have the freedom to choose. In this way, students are learning like humans with brains that can make choices based on their personal preferences and not as machines.
Chapter 3
Quote:
“Give a man a fish and feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime…It assumes that there will always be an endless supply of fish to catch and that the techniques for catching them will last a lifetime.” (p. 40)
Although I have always liked this quote, I understand where the authors are coming from in the context of technology and learning. This chapter discusses the constant flow of change and expresses that education must follow suit. We cannot guarantee that the knowledge we “transfer” to students is permanent and therefore, we must be willing to embrace change.
Question:
With the rapid changes in technology, I often wonder if companies such as Apple are holding out on the next best thing. Have they already created the next version of laptops and phones? If so, how do they decide when to release new technology?
Connection:
I have had to embrace change while cultivating my PLN. I was resistant to using Twitter and other forms of social media because I am not the biggest fan of these tools and how they are used most popularly. However, I have embraced social media from the perspective of an educator and am trying to learn how to implement these tools in a useful manner in my classroom.
Epiphany/Aha:
The last sentence of the chapter says it best; “the challenge is to find a way to marry structure and freedom to create something altogether new.” My aha is that I am not alone in the fact that I also find this to be challenging. My epiphany is that I need to allow my students to explore/play but I also need to give myself freedom as a teacher to explore/play using new methods to figure out what works.