Feeling as though I should "practice what I preach," I read the required material for week 1, taking notes of thoughts and excerpts which tugged at my brain...more on those later.
When I finally allowed myself to go and play on the Twitter feed and blog feed, I was surprised to find that several of MY favorite bits were already commented on. I've decided that's to be expected with 17,000 students and I will focus my blog on what I find relevant, even if it is not original.
This video which I found on a Fb post made by fellow MOOCer, Ary Aranguiz, was very insightful and ties in well with the whole concept of digital culture. How true that we are often the last to see the value of our own contributions.
From the week 1 reading, here are a few quotes which caught my eye:
"A serious concern of the critics of technological determinism is that a belief in the autonomy of technology may deter those who feel helpless from intervening in technological development. The stance of technological autonomy could then be seen as something of a self-fulfilling prophecy."
-Daniel Chandler
I have long believed in self-fulfilling prophecy--the reason to never use negative discipline; the reason prisons are an abysmal failure. But perhaps also the reason we have faculty who teach online yet feel slaves to the LMS which they are mandated to use. Discontent from being handed an endless stream of new expectations leads to a lack of involvement which results in disenfranchisement. LMS Autonomy.
"Critics such as Henry Thoreau (d. 1862) noted that improvements in our technical means are no guarantee of improved ends, and may lead to a mechanistic and fatalistic outlook. He declared in his book, Walden, that 'we do not ride upon the railroad; it rides upon us.'"
-Daniel Chandler
Was this not written about distance education?? And the last quote from Chandler's work speaks for itself:
The Polish-American writer Isaac Bashevis Singer declared that,
'We have to believe in free will. We've got no choice.'
Hi Linda,
ReplyDeleteYou've watched the videos, completed readings, set up a great blog, tweeted your blog and familiarized yourself with Google communities and more! Sounds like you're way ahead of the game and on your way to creating your personal cyber-infrastructure, a term coined by Gardener Campbell, who we'll learn more about in the weeks ahead. EDC was my first MOOC, and any new experience is always a bit overwhelming. Keep connecting and sharing your thoughts in all the edcmooc spaces! Hope to continue reading, and all the best to you on this journey!
Thank you, Ary. Every time I find a new space, I see that you have been there! I appreciate your experience and wisdom. :)
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