Quote: “Each of these stories illustrates how the new culture of learning is taking root and transforming the way we think about information, imagination, and play. They also reveal many motivations for learning across generations, platforms, purposes, and goals. We can see that learning is taking place in day-to-day life through the fusion of vast informational resources with very personal, speci fic needs and actions. The new culture of learning gives us the freedom to make the general personal and then share our personal experience in a way that, in turn, adds to the general flo w of knowledge” (Thomas and Seely Brown).
I chose this long quote because of the way it summarizes the new culture of learning Thomas and Seely Brown discuss. I believe it really does describe the current culture of learning I have experienced in my schools where students want to make their learning personal and then to share their learning with others when it is exciting.
Question: How can I connect students so that they both are learning from each other and learning the required content for my courses?
Connection: Learning about the “new culture of learning” reminded me Wagner’s analysis of student motivation in chapter 5 of his book “The Global Achievement Gap.” The change in motivation is part of the transformation of how we think about information and learning.
Epiphany/Aha: I had my “aha” moment actually several days after reading this chapter. I teach piano lessons in the afternoons after school. One of my piano students who is in 6th grade has been telling me about a game he plays where he gets to create things. This week he was excited to share that he had been successful in using Scratch to create a 3D working keyboard. I did not know the game he has been playing is Scratch… and I definitely did not know he could use it to build such a sophisticated model. I asked him about how he overcame obstacles and the experience and collaboration he described was very similar to that of Sam. It made me realize that the implications of this “new culture of learning” is real. If I can build in opportunities for students to participate in learning experiences where they are able to participate in this new culture I will be able to build a classroom culture of learning.
CHAPTER 2
Quote: “In the new culture of learning the point is to embrace what we don’t know, come up with better questions about it, and continue asking those questions in order to learn more and more, both incrementally and exponentially” (Thomas and Seely Brown).
I chose this quote because I love this end goal of learning: to identify what we don’t know, what types of questions we can and then should ask, and how to find answers to questions to clarify what learning we must do or what better questions to ask would be.
Question: How can I ensure that my boundaries nudge and guide students’ learning by guiding change? How can I help my students to see boundaries in this way?
Connection: The connection I made is actually to my methods class. One of my ongoing projects this semester has been an action research plan focusing on student questions. My goal is to get students to ask deeper questions and to use low level questions to develop high level questions.
Epiphany/Aha: I loved this chapter! As a biology teacher, my goal oftentimes is simply to get students to ask questions about things they don’t know. That has been the focus of an action research project of mine this semester. I have found that, while this is the goal of the new culture, students often do not apply (either because they do not want to or actually can’t figure out how to) this concept of asking questions in school.
CHAPTER 3
Quote: “Historically, the pattern has been that as children grow up and become more proficient at making sense of the environment in which they live, their world seems to become more stable. Thus, as a child grows and becomes accustomed to the world, the perceived need for play diminishes. Today, however, children and adults alike must continue to deal with an ever-changing, expanding world. A child playing with a new toy and an adult logging onto the Internet, for example, both wonder, “What do I do now? How do I handle this new situation, process this new information, and make sense of this new world?” This alters the formula: In a world of near-constant flux, play becomes a strategy for embracing change, rather than a way for growing out of it” (Thomas and Seely Brown).
I chose this quote because it beautifully speaks to the nature of how culture has changed in light of the every-advancing nature of technology.
Question: How can I equip my students to effectively use current and future technology? I want to use technology in the classroom but I want to make sure it is used effectively and actually adds to student learning experience and their understanding of what it means to be a digital citizen.
Connection: The connection I made with this chapter is with my personal learning network. Develop a personal learning network has given me an avenue to explore how other teachers are addressing this concept in their class as well as a means of which to keep up to date with change.
Epiphany/Aha: I couldn’t help thinking about my own education. I think realizing my learning only brought about more questions and that technology was changing constantly made me uncomfortable with change until I reconciled to the fact that we live in a world where certain aspects of life will constantly be shifting. I want students to come to address this in my class and to realize that is ok. And to develop a sense of play about life.