Chapters 4-6 Reflection in QQEC format
Chapter 4- Learning in the Collective
Quote: "...one might be tempted to ask how we might harness the power of these peer-to-peer collectives to meet some learning objective. But that would be falling into the same old twentieth-century trap. Any effort to define or direct collectives would destroy the very thing that is unique and innovative about them." I chose this quote because it embodies the chapter, but it was also the cause of my question and epiphany. This quote explains that trying to harness the collective in its true freeform model would negate its organic nature and its effectiveness. This is what leads me to my question.
Question: So I can't do this true collaborative until the entire educational system goes through with the major transition and ditches all the standards and learning objectives?
Connection: My connection is my personal blog. It is different to wrap my head around anyone really wanting to read my blog. Currently there are only a few comments from mandated peers on my blog posts. But then I think about my Pinterest account. This online self proclaimed "book marking tool" is in its own right a collective. People are tagging these resources, "pinning" on to their theme/ interest boards. People can follow specific boards of other people or follow the person in entirety. It is in this collective that I have followers and people that contribute to my resources as well. It is powerful to have a voice. I think my generation is the one that straddles both sides of the fence on this new way of connecting with people.
Epiphany: As I was trying to figure out how I could possibly add this into my classroom and why the authors would offer this information and then take it away in the very same chapter I actually did have an epiphany. The authors have brought up that this new culture of learning happens within confines and requires structure just like a garden or a farm field. If I opened up an online forum for my student to discuss class issues, content, materials, projects, etc. I would be giving them the freedom, but with confines and structure. I believe this would qualify as a true collective where students are allowed to discuss as necessary the material or questions that they have or ideally any further investigations they have made. This would still allow me to cover the topic we have to cover for state standards, but give some additional freedom in learning from each other. This would be in addition to all the group projects and students centered learning I usually try to implement into my classroom. I never thought I would want an online forum until now.
Chapter 5
Question: How can I make sure that my students in this collective aren't being mislead and just reinvigorating false information?
Quote/ "aha": The following quote answered my question so I would say it is my "aha" and my quote. "Information put out in the blogosphere is investigated, challenged, and debated [by the collective]. If a statement of fact is wrong, someone will highlight it—and probably correct it. Institutional branding or a high-profile name alone is not enough to instill a sense of credibility today." I chose this quote because it explains how the voice of many can be more powerful, less biased, and more correct than the more traditional power that be.
Connection: As mentioned before one of my main goals as a science teacher is to transform my students into critical thinkers. I constantly remind them that I am not Google and I do not have all the answers. I try to make sure they back up their evidence and findings with multiple resources. An online collaborative setting, or a collective has great strength in that it utilizes many brains, many thought processes, and many points of view.
Chapter 6
Quote:
"But by reversing the question and the answer, as inquiry does, something that started as a liability—the radical differences among students and their dispositions—becomes an advantage. When the idea is to ask questions, diversity is a good thing."
Connection: This is what I tell my students in my class as we start to get to know the expectations in the class. I celebrate diversity in the classroom. Especially in science, if we all thought the same and had the same beliefs and backgrounds we wouldn't challenge science, we wouldn't advance ourselves. It the new that progresses us, not the same old stuff we already know or do.
Epiphany: NGSS just might have it right! Maybe we are on the path to educational redemption. The Next Generation Science Standards are steeped in inquiry based lessons. Yay science!
Question:The question that I had while reading this was why inquiry based learning has taken so long to start becoming the main stream. Interests and Passions drive students so why not put those to work and get the students prepared for their future. Let them inquire about what they are interested or passionate about.
Thomas, Douglas; Seely Brown, John (2011-03-12). A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change (Kindle Locations 1222-1223). CreateSpace. Kindle Edition.
Thomas, Douglas; Seely Brown, John (2011-03-12). A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change (Kindle Locations 651-653). CreateSpace. Kindle Edition.
Quote: "...one might be tempted to ask how we might harness the power of these peer-to-peer collectives to meet some learning objective. But that would be falling into the same old twentieth-century trap. Any effort to define or direct collectives would destroy the very thing that is unique and innovative about them." I chose this quote because it embodies the chapter, but it was also the cause of my question and epiphany. This quote explains that trying to harness the collective in its true freeform model would negate its organic nature and its effectiveness. This is what leads me to my question.
Question: So I can't do this true collaborative until the entire educational system goes through with the major transition and ditches all the standards and learning objectives?
Connection: My connection is my personal blog. It is different to wrap my head around anyone really wanting to read my blog. Currently there are only a few comments from mandated peers on my blog posts. But then I think about my Pinterest account. This online self proclaimed "book marking tool" is in its own right a collective. People are tagging these resources, "pinning" on to their theme/ interest boards. People can follow specific boards of other people or follow the person in entirety. It is in this collective that I have followers and people that contribute to my resources as well. It is powerful to have a voice. I think my generation is the one that straddles both sides of the fence on this new way of connecting with people.
Epiphany: As I was trying to figure out how I could possibly add this into my classroom and why the authors would offer this information and then take it away in the very same chapter I actually did have an epiphany. The authors have brought up that this new culture of learning happens within confines and requires structure just like a garden or a farm field. If I opened up an online forum for my student to discuss class issues, content, materials, projects, etc. I would be giving them the freedom, but with confines and structure. I believe this would qualify as a true collective where students are allowed to discuss as necessary the material or questions that they have or ideally any further investigations they have made. This would still allow me to cover the topic we have to cover for state standards, but give some additional freedom in learning from each other. This would be in addition to all the group projects and students centered learning I usually try to implement into my classroom. I never thought I would want an online forum until now.
Chapter 5
Question: How can I make sure that my students in this collective aren't being mislead and just reinvigorating false information?
Quote/ "aha": The following quote answered my question so I would say it is my "aha" and my quote. "Information put out in the blogosphere is investigated, challenged, and debated [by the collective]. If a statement of fact is wrong, someone will highlight it—and probably correct it. Institutional branding or a high-profile name alone is not enough to instill a sense of credibility today." I chose this quote because it explains how the voice of many can be more powerful, less biased, and more correct than the more traditional power that be.
Connection: As mentioned before one of my main goals as a science teacher is to transform my students into critical thinkers. I constantly remind them that I am not Google and I do not have all the answers. I try to make sure they back up their evidence and findings with multiple resources. An online collaborative setting, or a collective has great strength in that it utilizes many brains, many thought processes, and many points of view.
Chapter 6
Quote:
"But by reversing the question and the answer, as inquiry does, something that started as a liability—the radical differences among students and their dispositions—becomes an advantage. When the idea is to ask questions, diversity is a good thing."
Connection: This is what I tell my students in my class as we start to get to know the expectations in the class. I celebrate diversity in the classroom. Especially in science, if we all thought the same and had the same beliefs and backgrounds we wouldn't challenge science, we wouldn't advance ourselves. It the new that progresses us, not the same old stuff we already know or do.
Epiphany: NGSS just might have it right! Maybe we are on the path to educational redemption. The Next Generation Science Standards are steeped in inquiry based lessons. Yay science!
Question:The question that I had while reading this was why inquiry based learning has taken so long to start becoming the main stream. Interests and Passions drive students so why not put those to work and get the students prepared for their future. Let them inquire about what they are interested or passionate about.
Thomas, Douglas; Seely Brown, John (2011-03-12). A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change (Kindle Locations 1222-1223). CreateSpace. Kindle Edition.
Thomas, Douglas; Seely Brown, John (2011-03-12). A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change (Kindle Locations 651-653). CreateSpace. Kindle Edition.