- Quote: “The power of a blog, for example, rests in part with the author or authors who start it; in part with the readers who leave comments; in part with those who link to, cite, reference, or respond to it; and in part with the readers, who may do nothing more than have their presence recorded by a web server” (Thomas and Brown, 53-54).
- I feel this quote exemplifies the chapter by showing that learning is now very accessible and does not come from some central figure, but instead can be processed by anyone in various ways.
- Question: Is there now too much information for people to keep track of, or does a simple search and peer guidance suffice in this day and age?
- Connection: This chapter reminds me of my PLN in general. I have found that simply by making a blog, or tweeting a discovery that I made, or blogs and tweets of others, can contribute to the knowledge and thoughts of others. Learning and enlightening others is easier than ever before in this new culture of learning.
- Epiphany/Aha: The “aha” moment I had come from the last line of the chapter, which stated that we cannot define collectives of learning communities, because they are too “unique and innovative” (Thomas and Brown, 54). Essentially, I came to the conclusion that we as a society are finally coming to the conclusion, that there is no one right answer because that very thinking kills the creativity that makes learning possible for so many people today.
- Quote: “The learning that happens through blogs, social networks, and other media may be deeply grounded in experience and personal expression, but it also arises from the contributions of multiple people and voices” (Thomas and Brown, 71).
- This whole chapter is about how learning happens through these collective groups, but is now easily highly personalized as well, thus this quote fits.
- Question: Can collectives have a negative impact on learning diversity?
- Connection: I have found from social media, such as Facebook, that indeed there is much potential to form collectives, often directed specifically at a particular sphere of thinking. Yet since the individual can open themselves to several collectives, and since there are discussion boards (most the time), often there is a highly individualized element.
- Epiphany/Aha: Tied into my question and connection, plus the idea of collectives via social media, I began to question if they are more often beneficial or constricting. For instance, some people connect to various collectives and greatly broaden their views and perspectives; on the other hand, some people grasp to one collective and mindset, limiting their perspectives.
- Quote: “It is not about being taught knowledge; it is about absorbing it” (Thomas and Brown, 77).
- This quote is consistent with the chapter’s theme of “absorbing” knowledge through experiences and interests, which sparks imagination and inspiration to learn.
- Question: Is our society hardwired to view learning while having fun as an invalid form of learning?
- Connection: As seen with Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory, this chapter mentions how different people learn in various ways, but goes one step further by acknowledging how even “when presented with exactly the same information in exactly the same way” individuals “will learn different things” (Thomas and Brown, 79).
- Epiphany/Aha: This chapter really opened my eyes to just how beneficial online gaming communities can be in terms of learning true skills, and how they can make someone feel rewarded. They can give you an identity, engage cooperative learning, teach flexibility, inspire fun for learning, and provide satisfaction for learning.
Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change. Lexington, KY: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.