Week 2: WE-ALL-LEARN

Monday, September 6, 2010

Week 2

Last week we ended with the unanswered question of: What is "Open World?" This week, I hope to answer this question. First we started with quotes from Wedemeyer and Bush. For a very quick statement, Bush contributed to digital media back in the mid-forties while Wedemeyer contributed to distance education in the early 80s. As a side note, overwhelmingly, the majority of class liked the quotes of Wedemeyer.

I found out that the Web is a learning tool but how much of the web should one believe and trust? The term Web 2.0 has been tossed around and like H20. It is a term that everyone knows what it means without a need for a definition. Just to be clear, "Web 2.0 is commonly associated with web applications that facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web" (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0 20, September 2010).

Dr. Bonk states that WE-ALL-LEARN! This is an acronym that states that there are 10 forces that opened the learning world. W: Web Searching in the World of e-Books, E: e-Learning and Blended Learning, and A: Availability of Open Source and Free Software such as Moodle just to name the first 3. (Note: Please see Week 2 PowerPoint for all 10). Going back to week one, we learned bout triple Learning Technology Convergence and in terms of WE-ALL-LEARN, this term combines pipes: the availability of tools and infrastructure for learning, pages: the availability of free educational content and resources, and participatory learning culture: a move towards a culture of open access to information, international collaboration, and global sharing (Digital Learning Skills and General Learning ppt. Bonk, 2010).

In my opinion, WE-ALL-LEARN is a perfect acronym to encompass these 10 openers. I personally feel like some parts of the acronym are better than others in terms of Digital Learning Skills. Opener #1, Web Searching, is a great tool however it depends on where the information is coming from. We live in a society where we Google something if we do not know it. For example, I have conversations with my friends such as how may pints are in a gallon. If no one knows, we simple say, google it! That is great and dandy but what if the first answer is incorrect or what if there are 10 answers but all of them are different? There are so many opinions and ideas out there, how do we know which one is correct? Opener #6, Learner Participation in Open Information Communities which includes Wikipedia. This is a great idea that has expanded to Wikibooks and being in many languages, but now everyone thinks they are a teacher. How do we know which information is the correct one? Opener #9, Real-Time Mobility and Portability that makes information availability to any and everyone in their purse, pocket, or on their hip with a simple touch of a button.

All of these concepts are great tools in WE-ALL-LEARN however I am unsure about the extent of the information. How can we verify what we get on the web through google, wikipedia, our phone are accurate? To me, I do agree with Dr. Bonk over the ideas of Friedman, Smick, and Florida in the sense that the world is open. The World is Open but because it is open, does it mean it is accurate? No! How do we ensure what we get is the correct information? This is something that I as a person, a student need to know!