Learning From Those Around You=Learning Exponentially

http://www.screencast.com/users/drawart/folders/Default/media/15196ace-d285-4ba9-b3ee-5c20582e414d
Here is a short Jing video I made which expresses my thoughts on learning, whether it be face-to-face, or online. Whether you meet your classmates online by Skype, WIZIQ chat, or actually in the classroom... MEET them! Interact with them, and learn from them. Project -centered learning, webquests, blogging, wikis, collaborative mindmaps, video creation, etc. (I could go on!):all of these allow the flow of information from one student to another.

The whole idea of learning from your own inner drive is what idealized education is. If you know that others are awaiting your contribution, you are more likely to pursue information that helps everyone produce quality work. The act of seeking information in itself leads the student around the internet in pursuit of more knowledge.

Learning from the facilitators: Students and facilitators alike add their comments and suggestions for the group's edification and knowledge sharing. I feel like the instructors are there to learn along with us.
Barbara

It's NOT a Vicious Circle of Learning, it's a Vivacious Circle..

This blog post is in reply to Tom, who took the time to write a thoughtful comment on this blog: You wrote so beautifully. I agree with all that you've said, and I still think that this is the way to learn.

Fumbling around creates answers, and interaction creates more answers. But more questions, too!It's a vicious cycle, but instead of using that word, I'll substitute "vivacious". So, its a "vivacious learning circle" that we are part of.  The learning is coming at you from all different sides during this course. It feels disjointed. Yet it all is part of the plan to learn as much as you can as well as you can. Though I'm not even sure how I'll use the knowledge, I am very happy to be expanding and pushing the envelope.

I've been reading the book that Nellie recommended, and it is very clear that the author believes that all good things come to those who think and act positively. Well, I am trying!

Week Zero-Great Discovery!

We had our first class meeting this morning, which was illuminating. Class started at 11 am, and I did not get off the computer doing work related to the course until 3:30. It is completely addictive.  I am so glad to have my fellow students around, be they Skype buddies, Moodle course chatters, or forum fiddlers.

I'd like to share a simple collaborative act that Ruth and I shared while continuing the Skype chat after class. We were trying to figure out just how you share a screen on Skype, and we began stumbling around and playing with the software. Didn't take long for us to figure out how to do that. And we were able to see immediately the amazing possibilities of the Skype screenshare. We were so happy! Such a thrill! Techno-geeks or something- who else would get it?

 I'd like to be able to transmit this knowledge to others. More importantly perhaps, I'd like to be able to transmit the joy of learning a new technology, and its applications, to others. This is the reason that I enrolled in this course (series of courses). That's my goal. And to see the possibilities unfolding week after week is really something I look forward to. Thank you all.

Week One- Daunting Class Ahead-Ready to Learn

 A slight sense of anticipated discomfort with the knowledge that I currently possess is what I feel. Yet along with that I feel a sense of real excitement at the prospect of knowing so much more than I do now in a few short weeks. It's very interesting to read the personal statements of the other individuals who are in this advanced Moodle course. I know that I will learn so much from the processes that we go through while we collaborate, and I don't just mean that in terms of the information that I will take in. It is applying the information in real- life situations where the learning takes place.

The idea of writing this blog is a good one. It gives me empathy for the learner, and provides me a trail so I can recall the process I went through (we went through) as we put together our knowledge. No tests! Real, practical activities show how much one learns.

Engaged Learning is Powerful Learning

There are different ways to educate yourself, as I am finding out during my journey as a doctoral student. The most powerful way to be educated is to have the fortitude and the inner desire to investigate what it is possible to know. Why stop at "I have completed and submitted this assignment and I await my grade and feedback in order to continue following the syllabus"? It doesn't make sense to me anymore to limit my learning in this way.

As an adendum to this post, here is a link to an excellent video which tells you how to create a Blog on this site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnploFsS_tY