Pages

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

will this blog see tomorrow?

It's an open question.  Think about our first in-class discussion, ask yourself what you really want out of this semester, and then comment to this post with your decision and at least one reason for it.  (NOTE: As Benjamin Franklin famously observed, "We all hang together or we all hang separately." We won't move forward unless all of us participate.

I've created an approach to learning in which students use 2.0 tools to create their online identities, express themselves, and show the public what they can do. 

I call the model Open Source Learning and I define it with a mouthful: "A guided learning process that combines timeless best practices with today's tools in a way that empowers learners to create interdisciplinary paths of inquiry, communities of interest and critique, and a portfolio of knowledge capital that is directly transferable to the marketplace."

Students use Open Source Learning to create a wild variety of personal goals, Big Questions, Collaborative Working Groups, and online portfolios of work that they can use for personal curiosity, self-improvement, or as a competitive advantage in applying for jobs, scholarships, and admission to colleges and universities.  You can see a sample course blog here, some member blogs here, and sample masterpieces here and here

Several members of the first Open Source Learning cohort made this video about the experience:



In an era when it seems like all you hear about school is how much it sucks, it's nice to see student achievement make positive waves.  Check out this Open Source Learning interview with students and Howard Rheingold, the man who literally wrote the book on The Virtual Community 20 years ago. 

The defining characteristic of Open Source Learning is that there is no chief; all of us are members of a network that is constantly evolving.  Another key element is transparency.  What we learn and how well we learn it, how we respond to setbacks, and even some of our favorite inspirations and habits of mind are right out there in public for everyone to see.  Readers will rightly perceive what we curate as the best we have to offer.

And all this is Open.  In thermodynamics, an open system exchanges substance, not just light and heat.  To us, the important idea is that the network can change in composition and purpose.  Every time you meet someone new and exchange ideas, you're not only enriching each other, you're changing your minds and contributing opportunities for others to do the same.  In other words, you're learning and teaching* (*one of the most effective ways to learn).

We're not limited to one source for curriculum or instruction.  We have a full slate of online conferences scheduled this year including authors, authorities on the Internet and social media, entrepreneurs, and others.  A few years ago a mother/daughter team presented a lesson on class distinctions in Dickens & Dr. Seuss online.  Ricky Luna invited a champion drummer to talk with students online about music and its connections to literature and life.  If we read something that makes an impression we can reach out to the author.    As you get the hang of this you'll come up with your own ideas.  Testing them will give you a better sense of how to use the experience to your greatest advantage.

No one knows how learning actually works--what IS that little voice that tells you what you should've said 15 minutes after you should've said it?  How does a subneuronal lightning storm somehow account for our experience of being conscious?  We are not sure how to account for the individual experience and demonstration of learning.  We are also not sure what exactly the individual should be learning about at a time when factoids are a search click away and the economy, the environment, and the future are all increasingly complex and uncertain.

Maybe this is why learning still seems magical.  Maybe it shouldn't be.  Maybe if we learned more about how we think we'd be better off.  After all, how we think is a powerful influence on how we act.  If you think of your blog work as a list of traditional school assignments/chores, you will treat it that way and it will show.   Your friends will miss your posts and worry that you've moved to The House Beyond the Internet-- or that you're still at your place but trapped under something heavy.  At any rate you'll be missing the whole point.  This work should help you connect the dots between the interests that drive you, an academic course that derives its title from words hardly anyone uses in casual conversation, and practical tasks like applying for scholarships and college admissions.  The general idea is for you to: do your best at something personally meaningful; learn about how you and others learn while you're in the act; and fine-tune your life accordingly.  In addition to mastering the core curriculum, improving your own mind is the highest form of success in this course of study.

As you well know (Put that phone away or I'll confiscate it!), many people are worried about the use of technology in education.  They are rightly concerned about safety, propriety, and focus: will learners benefit or will they put themselves at risk?  The only way to conclusively prove that the benefits far outweigh the risks is to establish your identities and show yourselves great, both online and in meatspace.  As we move forward you will learn how the Internet works, how you can be an effective online citizen, and how you can use 2.0 and 3.0 tools to achieve your personal and professional goals.  You'll also learn a lot about writing and the habits of mind that make readers and writers successful communicators. 

Because Open Source Learning is a team sport, this is all your call.  You have to decide if you want to pursue this new direction, or if you want to invent another possibility with or without digital and social media, or if you prefer the familiarity of the traditional approach.  There is admittedly something comforting about the smell of an old book, even if it's a thirty-pound textbook that spent the summer in a pile of lost-and-found P.E. clothes.  My perspective may be obvious but I'm just one voice.  Please add yours with a comment below. 

62 comments:

  1. I think this a good way to teach and it's going to help students become better at English

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would like to use open source learning because it helps students how to use the web more wisely and can help us in the future as well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think this a a great way to learn

    ReplyDelete
  4. Seems like a new and better path for education so Yeah, let's give it a shot

    ReplyDelete
  5. It's a new way of learning and I'm liking it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I like this way of teaching better.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This way of teaching is easier and more chill

    ReplyDelete
  8. I really like this new way of teaching. I think we're going to actually get something out if this.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I think is better to use open source learning than a textbook and it's going to be more interesting to work with technology in class.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Open source learning seems way better than learning from a textbook. I am looking forward to this!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Open source learning seems like a bether way to teach. I am excited!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is a different way of teaching and it seems like it is going to be more effective than the traditional way of learning

    ReplyDelete
  14. Open source learning seems like a better way of learning rather than using a textbook and it can get us to open up more about what we think.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I like this method and will give better learning results

    ReplyDelete
  16. This open source learning is a better way of teaching and seems to be a more effective way of learning

    ReplyDelete
  17. Open source learning seems to be an different way of learning and also fun at the same time

    ReplyDelete
  18. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  19. This would be a good way of teaching and would be more easier.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Seems like a good way to learn.

    ReplyDelete
  21. This way of teaching opens up diffrent styles learning and would be more easier

    ReplyDelete
  22. What I think is this is more of a good way to learn and let people know how we learn the way we would like to.

    ReplyDelete
  23. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Sounds like a good way to learn

    ReplyDelete
  25. I think this a good way of teaching. Its a modern way of teaching that's using electronics and the internet.

    ReplyDelete
  26. This is an easier way to learn than doing book work

    ReplyDelete
  27. It sounds like a better way to learn with electronics

    ReplyDelete
  28. I really appreciate Dr.Preston taking in consideration the improvement of technology especially for our generation. Taking technology in our benefit is the best way of learning in my opinion.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I think its a new way to teach, but it could be a struggle to the students.I think we should give it a chance since its different from what other teachers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jose, I think you're right-- doing anything new/different can be a struggle. Doing something important is almost always a struggle (think about Civil Rights!). I don't want anyone to suffer, so let's collaborate along the way to decrease the pain and increase the learning. I look forward to working with you!

      Delete
  30. It could be a fun an interesting way of learning something new we haven't learned before. I for one think the new way of teaching is a great idea and a way of trying something different for a change.

    ReplyDelete
  31. This new way of learning sounds fun

    ReplyDelete
  32. Yes I chose to do a blog because I have never done this before and trying something new doesn't hurt even though it may be a struggle at first to learn something new.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I would rather use technology than use our textbook try something new

    ReplyDelete
  34. I think it will be interesting and fun to do Open Source Learning.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I think it's better doing it as a blog because we have a chance to do something new.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I think that this is a good change to the daily textbook learning. Also think it's a good idea because the world is changing and so should our learning.

    ReplyDelete
  37. I'm Carlos from your fifth and this class seems intersting

    ReplyDelete
  38. I think it's a different type of way of teaching and it seems really cool . It would be awesome to do something new and different

    ReplyDelete
  39. I think this will help improve our learning

    ReplyDelete
  40. I think that this will help many students. Open source will make it easier and will be interesting to do. Using technology will help many students.

    ReplyDelete
  41. This type way of learning may be more effective in a positive way for us students.

    ReplyDelete
  42. I would prefer tech learning because books are heavy and boring

    ReplyDelete
  43. new interesting way to learn

    ReplyDelete
  44. This way of teaching sounds perfect, the students will be able to do their work without having to open those big boring books!! But this way of teaching can also ruin someone school life. Like for example if that student doesn't have internet access then that's going to be really hard. But I hope that the teacher can also understand that not everyone have internet access. That's it from me, thank you!!😊😊

    ReplyDelete
  45. It seems like a very different way and intresting way as well

    ReplyDelete
  46. I think this is a new way of learning is intresting

    ReplyDelete
  47. I personally think it's a good way to learn rather then a textbook since we always use the Internet! But the downfall about this is what if the students have problems with WiFi or what if the internet shuts down what will we do? Over all its a GREAT IDEA !!!

    ReplyDelete
  48. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  49. I think using the internet wont be a problem for those who dislike to use textbooks. It'll be easier to use technology than a book its a faster way to get information. After all I would like to try it

    ReplyDelete
  50. Yes blog tomorrow because I want to learn new stuff

    ReplyDelete
  51. Sound like fun...A new experience for a new year...I haven't use this before which would obviously be something new for me...but I like trying new things. I hope I like it.

    ReplyDelete
  52. I think it's great because it gives us a head start on you using technology in the future.

    ReplyDelete