I'm rereading threads from our time together and as I read this one again, i wondered if some of our interaction has been on that interesting edge of chaos. Of feeling in the flow and slipping out. Of being clear of where we are and lost all at the same time.
How do we use this edge productively in informal learning?
Nancy White
Posts made by Nancy White
These days I'm embarassed by the untouched riches on my bookshelf. I have taken to reading novels and travel books, cookbooks and picture books, instead of all the good stuff in my field. I have felt the urge to paint instead of read.
I think another part of my informal learning urge is coming out. I look to my reading peers to keep me in the loop and I offer my lending library to anyone who needs a book to read! :-)
I think another part of my informal learning urge is coming out. I look to my reading peers to keep me in the loop and I offer my lending library to anyone who needs a book to read! :-)
I decided to capture my outward facing reflections in audio, attached. Just in case it a) doesn't work or b) some folks can' listen to audio, I've tried to recap the points below in text. If you can hear audios, you might want to listen before you read further...
- There were no set structures to how this set of conversations unfolded, so we all added discussions as we felt moved. This offered openess, but possibly some fractured attention and caused some conversations to die off before they ripened. More structure might have allowed those conversations to unfold, but it might have strangled the new ones before birth. So for the future, how do you decide how much structure to balance with emergence?
- We were in the land of heavy text. I was amazed at people's reaction to the camp fire image. In 20/20 hindsight, as a facilitator, I could have paid more attention to that because the clues were there that we had visual thinkers in the group. This also causes me to reflect on tools in general. I've yet to have a nice fluid experience of having a variety of tools that we can flit across, cross link with, that pull sound, images and texts into our field of vision.
- I was struck by our enthusiasm for the topic. We must be scouts, stewards and clarion-callers for informal learning. I'm surprised we barely touched on the dark sides of the issue (and to me, everything has a dark side.)
- Technology mirrors: I'm still getting used to moodle, and it reminds me that once we get very comfortable with one tool, hopping to another generates a LOT of informal learning. And it helps me realize my patterns -- some of which could stand updating! :-) So one thing I got out of this conversation as a nice little hit of tool preference self awareness.
- Wondering about the invisible: I have not looked at the moodle logs, but it would be interesting to look at reading patterns as compared to posting. I'm a strong believer that we do learn through reading so what we, the vocal post, may reflect only a portion of the overall experiences of the rest of the group. And that always makes me curious.
- Guilt and Letting Go: I feel a bit guilty because the past weeks have been too full of work, so my attention here has been fragmentary and my facilitation almost non existent! That said, I'm happy to say I don't think that made any difference, which is again, a testement to informal interaction as a mode of informal learning. So I guess I'll let go of that.
- Greatful: For the people I met, the friends I bumped into, the styles I encountered and the (informal) learning that these all catalyzed for me. I come with few expectations except of my own choices and behaviors. I have tons of online experience so I think I have the luxury of sliding comfortably into many situations. As I read others comments, I need to remember that this is not everyone's experience>
I learn to let go of that which either I'm not ready for or unwilling to connect with, and pursue that which I need and connections to nurture. Does that show a lack of critical thinking? Perhaps. I'm ok with that, because this is the one of the joys of informal learning. I can do it informally. There are so many places in my life that are structured, I have no desire to create more.
I wanted to wait a while until I shared why I started the Just Three Words thread.
The game has been very useful for me. Like Nick and Bronwyn noted, it is an "easy entry" or rentry point that does not require as much investment as entering into a full discussion thread. So it may pull some folks who were on the periphery closer to the center.
For me the distillation into a few words also helps me see what is really juicy for someone. It asks us to get to something essential. It can be challenging.
I also like to see how people riff or improvise off of each other, giving me a feeling of connection.
It also supports discovery. (See the conversation emerging here)
Finally, it is light. If you skipped the thread, it is not a huge loss. Oline there is so much we CAN read, sometimes it is exhausting. So if I peek into a game and it is not for me, I can rest a little easier when I walk away. That might seem contradictory to what I just wrote before, but that's how I feel. :-)
The game has been very useful for me. Like Nick and Bronwyn noted, it is an "easy entry" or rentry point that does not require as much investment as entering into a full discussion thread. So it may pull some folks who were on the periphery closer to the center.
For me the distillation into a few words also helps me see what is really juicy for someone. It asks us to get to something essential. It can be challenging.
I also like to see how people riff or improvise off of each other, giving me a feeling of connection.
It also supports discovery. (See the conversation emerging here)
Finally, it is light. If you skipped the thread, it is not a huge loss. Oline there is so much we CAN read, sometimes it is exhausting. So if I peek into a game and it is not for me, I can rest a little easier when I walk away. That might seem contradictory to what I just wrote before, but that's how I feel. :-)