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| Leighblackall-64955397 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
As I move toward increased
participation in in an open and connected world, I do so with both excitement
and measured steps. The openness and connection I want is for sharing my thinking,
my understanding and most importantly, to have those challenged in order to
learn.
Randy concludes his writing
with a reference to Steven Johnson’s (author of “Where Good Ideas Come From”)
TED Talk tagline: “Chance favors the connected mind.” I like this notion. In
many ways, I see too many connections and get deep into the weeds in a heartbeat.
I jokingly compare myself to the image of John Nash (A Beautiful Mind), as I
could easily see myself in a room full of images, information and strings to
connect the ideas. Maybe I should be scared of that vision.
Randy breaks down
connections into two parts: first, making connections between things and
secondly, the sense of being socially networked. The first part is easy for me,
but the social aspect requires some work on my part. I need to think about the
word social. I think this word is not clearly defined and understood by many,
particularly as our use of words like “friends” or “circles” are transformed by
the use of technology and media. However, in the context of connecting ideas
across realms of experiences in various settings and with various groups or
individuals, I have long seen the connection of sharing ideas to the enhancement
of learning. In this light, I see and welcome thoughtful inclusion of
individual and collective experiences in learning design. Engagement with
others, commenting and discussion, collaborative creations, the use of
ePortfolios and community-based service projects are only a few things that
come to mind. Just as engaging in and observing the world about us informs our
learning from different perspectives, it is our learning that should impact the
world, sometimes in small but meaningful ways. As Mary PeaceMcRay said at the end of her
story The
Process of Science "in science, observation of small and insignificant
things, often leads to greatness."
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