Nancy Riffer

Let's celebrate every step!  Everyone is welcome to a piece.

I have another thought about how to involve adult online learners who are used to a teach-to-the-test environment.

Give students/participants a number of models of types of informal learners -- in our debriefing session there was discussion of people who focused on reading everything lightly, others who read what "grabbed them." Christie identified herself as a butterfly. Could we provide role models of choices of ways to behave that participants have. The information sharer, the questioner, the social soother, the one who challenges, the one who crosses disciplines to bring in new ideas.

My example list may not be the one that is useful. I am thinking about Sarah et. al.'s book on Facilitation. It describes different ways of facilitating and what they are helpful for. There might be a comparable list for participants. What if we provide new informal learners with alternative ways of getting hold of this kind of learning by describing what we have seen exciting participants do. Then they would have something to focus on doing rather than be blocked by what they can't do.

http://www.enlightenedpartners.com/articles/sharingpower.html
I found this paper had a list of thirteen guidelines for community-- near the end.  I think some subset of these might help me orient to the spirit of this group more quickly.  I think these particular agreements deepen trust and community.  (David Millar, do these have any relevance for your community building project?)

1. Christie's discussion of chaos and the idea that Amazon, Google and Dell are primary examples of e-learning. Chaos led to talk about finding the cutting edge of our or our students learning and maintaining in that narrow space. I've picked up books on Emergence and Connectivity that I've owned but not been drawn to enough to read them.

2. The ideas that were set off in me when I read about Chris wanting to help his nine year old daughter find mentors and the center of a network. Before I read how Chris spelled this out on his website, I was excited at the thought of using the web (and/or Amazon or Google) as a banquet table and finding one's life work (at nine or at any age) by taking from the table those things that most excite one. Add to this the experience of having online mentors and friends in diverse places who share your values and interests.

3. Susanne Nyrop's story about skype and a special visitor in the classroom she visited. I liked how Susanne used storytelling to communicate with us and her flexibility in taking advantage of the learning opportunity for all involved. I am becoming involved in new intercultural projects similar to the one that follows:
www.brookenya.org
All kinds of intercultural communication are going on.

I'm losing my voice. Is it possible to get hoarse from writing too much?

David,
I was intrigued to see how you take notes. My notes that were for myself were cut and paste quotes of ideas I found interesting in the seminar.

I found your previous list overwhelming and difficult to use because I didn't know what things were. This document, though formidable in length, was closer to an annotated bibliography so I found connections between several things that I hadn't seen before. For example, I picked up on Mathemagenic and Lilia Efimova -- you used the label "layers of culture." I will read more.

I also found the Personal Learning Environments (group) Blog which I will surely revisit.

I appreciate that you have distinguished which Nancy you are refering to throughout your notes.