Wednesday, November 09, 2005

 
One way to start reflecting on learning and technology is to read the blogs on the subject. Obvious, right? But blogs are not the equivalent of reading manuals for programs or journal articles on the use of technology in learning. Blogs are closer to conversation. Thoughts are formulated but they do not bear the burden (or presumption) of being final words on a subject. Blogs worth repeated visits are blogs that are serious AND exploratory. The blog writers invite response in one of two forms: 1) add a comment or 2) refer to the blog in your own blog, telling your readers why you think the post is worth noting (with in agreement or disagreement). The comments and cross linking creates a conversation that is retrievable and creates a network of inquirers.

George Siemens is a blogger I would commend to any educator. His essays and annotated references are windows into the world of learning -- online or hybrid or face-to-face. In one recent post
(November 9, 2005) he comments: "[T]ools like blogs, wikis, iPods were not developed for learning. They were developed for communication and content creation/sharing. We simply adopted them for learning purposes. As a result, we misread what's really going on if we don't take time to see what people are using for communication and personal learning.... We have also failed to grasp the effectiveness of peer-created content (we focus on learners dialoguing about our content, but we rarely involve them in the creation stage)." There is enough there for a full faculty seminar. What happens when students are content creators in their learning? What would it take for us to center our work on assisting students to create their own content? Perhaps online teaching and learning would not seem to be such a big step if we were less insistent on focusing on our content.

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

 
Let's explore some technology resources for good seminary teaching and learning.

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