I was recently introduced to the name David Wiley
(@opencontent) by Rick Schwier (@schwier)
Dave Wiley is a strong proponent of open education, a discipline where
the belief is that there should be no obstacle to learning and that education should
be easily accessible. There is a strong focus on sharing. One would think that with the explosion and immediacy of the
internet and other technologies that we are open with our learning and have
access to endless opportunities. I
have learned that this isn’t necessarily the case, simply due to policy.
Education is mired in policy – often in ones that David Wiley
refers to as “Draconian” – that inhibit collaboration between learners, as well
as between learners and their instructors.
I have been in professional development meetings for the better part of
the week with groups of teachers more than willing to share knowledge,
resources, and skills. Is this an example of situated cognition? We sat, discussed, and shared for hours, and before we knew it the day was over. It was
great to hear them talk about posting our ideas to wikis, websites, and sharing
via email. I can see in our
profession that things, maybe even slowly, could be changing. The expression “why reinvent the wheel
if someone else here has done something effective” kept popping up. If it’s
suitable for us who are already in the
workplace to use sharing strategies to learn, is this shift occurring in higher
education? People just need to be
given the chance, and be allowed to collaborate and learn.
His presentation gave me much food for thought. Everything he says makes perfect sense. Why is there so much resistance? Take a look what he has to say:
LINK TO SLIDES ONLY:
Especially interesting are his views on the role of what he
refers to as “new media/Tech”. He
sees it as a way to increase our capacity to be generous. What good is there in hoarding your
knowledge?
I look forward to your responses about “outdated ways of
thinking”? What changes can be
made? How do these changes happen?
So, thanks David for sharing with us. Thank Rick for sharing with me. Now I am sharing with everyone
else. Feel free to share my blog
post!
Terrific post, and I'm so glad Dave's stuff resonated with you, and it is neat to see you sharing it with a new audience! Why the resistance to sharing? I love Dave's example -- he says it's partly because we are channelling our inner two year old. We scream "IT'S MINE. YOU CAN'T HAVE IT" ! I think he's onto something.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, a good friend of mine once said we are primarily motivated by two things: fear and love. Maybe our fear of sharing has to do with being afraid people will think our stuff isn't great, or use it and steal our own thunder. Perhaps love -- of our students, our colleagues, and even our profession and the humble nobility of teaching can counter the fear.
Great post Faron...thanks for sharing! I agree with you that a shift is happening in our profession and this shift is around sharing. People seem to be embracing opportunities to share, and collaborate with each other. I think this shift is coming from a realization that our job is tough, and together we are better.
ReplyDeleteFaron, I'm so glad you enjoyed the video. "Why is there so much resistance?" indeed! Let me know what thoughts YOU have about overcoming "outdated ways of thinking."
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting topic that has been brought to my attention! Thanks Rick and David!! I must admit that I was initially stuck in my undergrad ways (from 16 years ago) and this has made me think in a completely different way. I plan on exploring this further!
ReplyDeleteJennifer, I agree with you too - but - the biggest thing I hear teachers talk about with regards to sharing is the time factor!!