Mr. Brown expresses a truth that I'd not realized until well out of my undergraduate education, "learning is a remarkably social process." It was only after thinking about this quote that I saw the truth in it. I *actually do* learn the most when I'm in conversation or debate with my friends over politics, sustainable living, privacy issues and a myriad of other topics. This small realization made me reconsider my attitude towards blogs, wikis, etc. etc., maybe there really is value to things... it isn't simply a form of exhibitionism. If so, then these tools can be great mediums through which to inform, educate and unite people.
Unlike my undergraduate days where learning was a passive experience only made active through constructed laboratories - of which many times I didn't even know what I was supposed to be learning (I was simply going through the steps), learning in the digital age has become active. This idea that learning is an active experience is underscored by his assertion that, "we must move far beyond the traditional view of teaching as a delivery of information" and "knowledge is inextricably situated in the physical and social context of its acquisition and use." I agree with this assertion that learning is most effective when it is made relevant by placing it in a physical and social context that draws upon individuals prior experiences, but I do wonder if this is more appropriate to older learners (10-12, undergraduate, graduate, and life-long learning students) due to their already established critical thinking skills. Later on in the article he uses examples, all of which are based in the university setting.
This active approach to learning is also expressed through the concept of Legitimate Peripheral Participation defined by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger. By a learner participating in communities, deep and relevant learning can occur. It is due to the application of information through communication that debate and vicarious learning can occur. The example is given that people don't become physicists by memorizing the explicits such as formulas, it's the implicits of the practice which reveal questions, sensibilities and aesthetics of the community that create a physicist. Knowledge is in the doing and indoctrination into the community. Some of the mechanisms by which this sort of learning can be fostered include:
- Studio and lab experiences
Another jewel uncovered by the article is the idea that Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences theory can be met through technology. "The Internet and other technologies honor multiple forms of intelligence - be they abstract, textual, visual, musical, social, or kinesthetic - and therein present tremendous opportunities to design new learning environments that enhance the natural ways that humans learn." Finally, I've found a document that expresses a long held belief of mine. Some of the mechanisms by which this sort of learning can be fostered include:
- Persistent Online Worlds (such as Second Life and There)
- Virtual Universities (remote learning)
