by Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown
Chapter 7
Quote: “Reaching that greater understanding and finding the meaning could not happen without the playfulness of mind.”
This chapter is about the facets of learning: knowing, making, and playing. I chose this quote because learners seek to understand and find meaning in a variety of ways. They engage their minds to know facts and create items. The most interesting and novel dimension to me is the element of play. It is intriguing to think that even in the midst of objective scientific observations, there may be an element of play involved.
Question:
Is my mind playful because I seek to understand deeper, or do I need to allow my mind to be playful in order to find the meaning in what I seek to understand?
Connection:
The research for my 20% project is not just a compilation of content or transfer of information to one list in Diigo. The information is contextual because it is based on my personal understanding about coding. It is a depiction of a personalized learning path, and not merely a reference manual for someone who wants to learn how to code.
Epiphany:
Learning involves more than just knowledge about a topic or even verbal expression of that topic. While that is not a completely new concept to me, I do wonder how to intertwine knowledge with making and playing. How much structure is needed in a lesson for students, and what kind of structure supports them rather than restricts them? I want to continue to give my students opportunities to play, make, and gain knowledge. I also know that they need some structure to know where and how to focus their energies. I have already experienced them having too little structure, and perhaps too many distractions, that prevent them from reaching the intended goal.
Chapter 8
Quote: “Geeking out asks the question: How can I utilize the available resources, both social and technological, for deep exploration?”
Mizuko Ito quantifies the social media use by youth in terms of hanging out, messing around, and geeking out. It is definitely an intriguing path to learning, and is a method already used by students today. It just is not used as often in formal learning yet. There is great potential for educators to assist students in geeking out. Within the context of a topic or general subject, students should have the chance to explore their own specific interests. They can discover information from articles and other people, and personally put their thoughts into a digital space such as a website, blog, or threaded discussion. As they continue to utilize the variety of resources they have, there is amazing potential for authentic exploration of the studied topic.
Question:
How could I use the framework of “hanging around, messing around, and geeking out” to provide an authentic learning experience within a science course?
Connection:
For me, Twitter began as a social experience where I would read tweets, favorite occasionally, and retweet if I felt the quote or information was relevant or meaningful. I have now personally been a part of several Twitter chats and even been part of several Twitter conversations with fellow educators. I am not quite constructing a Twitter chat, but I do feel like this type of involvement in a collective is valuable. My tacit knowledge is worth more than just watching videos about Twitter or remaining a visitor or observer.
Epiphany:
I had not truly considered how much learning is involved in a youth’s investment into social media. They are motivated to partake in social media by observing, viewing, posting, and commenting. Their method of gradually or quickly becoming involved is relevant to their learning processes in terms of formal learning. I am just not sure educators are even aware of the potential this holds. I am willing to continue to ponder how student involvement in social media can be used as a springboard to create authentic, successful learning environments for all students.
Chapter 9
Quote: “Only when we care about experimentation, play, and questions more than efficiency, outcomes, and answers do we have a space that is truly open to the imagination. And where imaginations play, learning happens.”
This will definitely take awhile for me to fully wrap my head around. I am a scientist and used to looking for answers and wanting things to be structured an efficient. Yet, as I learn more and more about technology and ways that technology is shaping learning, the less I am narrowly focused on the end result. At the same time, I have colleagues and administrators still concerned about the end result. There needs to be evidence.
Question:
After pondering that quote, how will I help imaginations to play in the midst of an evidenced-based educational system?
Connection:
Questions are often more important than the answers. (World of Warcraft, Thomas and Brown write, does not have answers.) This reminds me of critical thinking and curiosity - parts of two of the survival skills from Dr. Tony Wagner’s The Global Achievement Gap. In my adapted version of the survival skills, one skill is asking questions and being curious. I am glad asking questions is part of learning because I am realizing I have a lot of questions.
Epiphany:
I now understand a bit more how a guild within World of Warcraft can evolve to be an example of collective indwelling. From the social aspects to the personal involvement and then the collaborative strategies to complete raids, there is learning that is happening. I need to reflect on this “collective indwelling” model more and hope that I can use elements of this for my students. The concern I have is - collective indwelling cannot be forced. So, what will it take for my students to find collectives they want to truly be a part of?