Shifting Practices to Open
“The world does not care what about what you know. The world cares about what you can do with what you know”. Alec Couros used this powerful quote from Tony Wagner (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvDjh4l-VHo ) to exemplify the shift taking place in education, where we as educators are ”facilitators of content and educational experiences not deliverers of content”; where the future of learning in our technological world will see us connecting creatively and globally in open practises to solve problems and find innovations. After watching Alec Couros’#tietalk presentation, I am inspired to find ways to shift my practise to an open-learning arena and to find ways to answer Alec’s question, “How do we as Universities develop learners that allow us to connect more widely with others?” I will rephrase this question and broadly say, “How do we as educators develop learners that allow us to connect more widely with others?”
The most prominent aspect of Alec Couros’ #tietalk for me was the transformation of learning that took place with an open network of participants. The learning that took place in his courses was enhanced by “opening” up connections to others and creating a global network. Alec set the stage for an educational experience for his students that took them to unexpected places and had an impact on their learning and lives in some way. My Inquiry work with art and photography has been driven by the hopes that my students will have some form of transformation take place within themselves, but the students stayed within the high school walls and their small community. How can I widen my students’ learning experience by connecting them with others?
My search for examples of photography classrooms that successfully connected to others beyond their school walls led me to Erik Myers article: “Photography Education in a Web2.0 Classroom". (Knowledge Quest,v37n4 p36-39 2009) www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/recordDetail?accno=EJ86902 Myers created a classroom photography blog http://sphsdigital2.blogspot.ca/ , then linked that blog to eight other high schools teaching photography. He not only taught his students how to collaborate and plan with others, he also worked with teachers he had never met. Students began to work independently and created their own personal photography portfolio blogs. Myers used technology and social networks to get his students connected outside his classroom. In turn, students became more enthusiastic and professional with their work.
My ultimate goal through my learning journey is to create an online photography course. My exposures to educators who have “opened up” their courses and have made connections outside their institutional walls have instilled in me a pledge to do the same. I admire the courage it takes to shift your practise and embark on a path that is basically unknown. I see the rewards outweighing the educational risks. The greatest reward is being a facilitator of educational experiences that offer connections to others that, in turn, transform how they see themselves and their world around them.
“The world does not care what about what you know. The world cares about what you can do with what you know”. Alec Couros used this powerful quote from Tony Wagner (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvDjh4l-VHo ) to exemplify the shift taking place in education, where we as educators are ”facilitators of content and educational experiences not deliverers of content”; where the future of learning in our technological world will see us connecting creatively and globally in open practises to solve problems and find innovations. After watching Alec Couros’#tietalk presentation, I am inspired to find ways to shift my practise to an open-learning arena and to find ways to answer Alec’s question, “How do we as Universities develop learners that allow us to connect more widely with others?” I will rephrase this question and broadly say, “How do we as educators develop learners that allow us to connect more widely with others?”
The most prominent aspect of Alec Couros’ #tietalk for me was the transformation of learning that took place with an open network of participants. The learning that took place in his courses was enhanced by “opening” up connections to others and creating a global network. Alec set the stage for an educational experience for his students that took them to unexpected places and had an impact on their learning and lives in some way. My Inquiry work with art and photography has been driven by the hopes that my students will have some form of transformation take place within themselves, but the students stayed within the high school walls and their small community. How can I widen my students’ learning experience by connecting them with others?
My search for examples of photography classrooms that successfully connected to others beyond their school walls led me to Erik Myers article: “Photography Education in a Web2.0 Classroom". (Knowledge Quest,v37n4 p36-39 2009) www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/recordDetail?accno=EJ86902 Myers created a classroom photography blog http://sphsdigital2.blogspot.ca/ , then linked that blog to eight other high schools teaching photography. He not only taught his students how to collaborate and plan with others, he also worked with teachers he had never met. Students began to work independently and created their own personal photography portfolio blogs. Myers used technology and social networks to get his students connected outside his classroom. In turn, students became more enthusiastic and professional with their work.
My ultimate goal through my learning journey is to create an online photography course. My exposures to educators who have “opened up” their courses and have made connections outside their institutional walls have instilled in me a pledge to do the same. I admire the courage it takes to shift your practise and embark on a path that is basically unknown. I see the rewards outweighing the educational risks. The greatest reward is being a facilitator of educational experiences that offer connections to others that, in turn, transform how they see themselves and their world around them.
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