Chapter 4: Learning in the Collective
Quote: “One no longer needs to own a television station, a printing press, or a broadcast transmitter to disseminate information, for example. With just a computer and access to the Internet, one can view or consume an almost unimaginably diverse array of information and points of view.” I think this quote represents chapter 4 because it points out how much choice a person with internet has. People no longer need to be mindlessly entertained with whatever is on the television. People have the power to choose what it is they view/learn.
Question: How can I help students navigate through the endless information that the internet has to offer?
Connection: Reading about the collective reminds me of all the blogging and tweeting that we’ve done for our PLNs. Brown and Thomas state that collectives are “defined by an active engagement with the process of learning” (52). I feel that I have learned a lot through being an active participant in a collective and would like to continue to be part of a collective with my peers after I am done with the credential program. Not only that, but I would like my own students to experience that kind of learning as well.
Epiphany: I had an epiphany when I read that collectives “are generally available to anyone who wishes to participate” (53). There is nothing more powerful than having the freedom to learn what you want, on your own terms, and to be able to do so with others who have the same goals as you.
Chapter 5: The Personal with the Collective
Quote: “Throughout life, people engage in a process of continuous learning about things in which they have a personal investment. Learning that occurs outside of schools or the workplace-- through hobbies, reading, the media, and so on--is almost always tied to their passions. Yet although they are constantly learning about the things that really interest them, those things are rarely acknowledged in educational environments.” This quote sums up the chapter for me because it shows just how powerful learning can be when it is meaningful to the individual.
Question: How can I incorporate the things my students are passionate about into my lessons?
Connection: I was able to make a connection when reading about group projects and how dreaded they are by many students. This is very true in my classroom. Many of my students actually grow quite anxious when asked to work in a group. What I find interesting is that these very students have no problem participating in group work that belongs to the online collective.
Epiphany: Thomas and Brown state that in the collective “people are not just learning from one another, they are learning with one another” (67). I would really like for me classroom to be the place where students feel comfortable learning with one another. I think this is an essential skill that goes far beyond the classroom.
Chapter 6: We Know More Than We Can Say
Quote: “Learning is transformed from a discrete, limited process--ask a question, find an answer--to a continuous one. Every answer serves as a starting point, not an end point. It invites us to ask more and better questions.” I chose this quote because, like Thomas and Brown, I think that questions and how you arrive at answers are more important than the answers themselves. No more worksheets!
Question: How can I, as an educator, prompt my students to become better questioners?
Connection: This chapter has been my favorite so far. I particularly enjoyed reading about inquiry and how the new culture of learning is less about finding answers and more about forming questions to guide learning. As a teacher I love it when students ask questions that are outside the box, even if I am initially left speechless. I know it’s important for teachers to have answers to all the questions that their students ask, but sometimes I think it’s okay not to give students all of the answers and let them find them on their own. Is this wrong of me?
Epiphany: I remember why I love my content area-- answers are not important and they can never be wrong. You can make anything work as long as there is evidence.
Douglas, T, Brown, J.S. (2011). A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change. Lexington, KY: CreateSpace?, 2011.