"Majority of the value of educational experiences comes from the vale added through interactions with human beings."

I couldn't think of a snappier title than that quote from the Wiley article.

I must start off with this post - my last?! - by apologizing for not posting until now (Saturday evening).  You would not believe the crazy week and past few days have been - and will continue to be tomorrow - if I told you about it.  Well, you might believe me, but you'd still think I was crazy with so many balls in the air at one time.

Anywho, back to the task at hand.  I have to admit - this week, a bit of a let down relatively considering.  I decided to tackle this weeks' readings with the ITT article and boy, was that a mistake.  I'm not really sure I can get there yet with Merrill, if you know what I mean.  From the get-go I wasn't really all that excited about a theory of learning/instruction that relates what I consider to be an artform as a transaction.  Like going to the ATM to withdraw me some ECON 101.  Check please.

And I really hate that I had this reaction because it took me two more articles to get my brain back in gear for learning objects - which I kind of dig.  While it took me quite awhile, I appreciated the Bannan-Ritland et al article - for nothing else other than helping to give me a "lay of the land" of sorts with regards to the constructivist lens and perspective.

The tongue-in-cheek note in the Wiley piece about libraries morphing into universities over time really caught me by surprise in a good way.  I'd never considered that evolution, but it fits right in with where I can place myself (philosophically, epistemologically).

I don't know of any other way to continue than to espouse for a moment on my on views with regards to education and technology.  So please, bear with me.

It's been awhile since I revised my educational/teaching philosophy - and maybe it's time for the next version.

I believe that - like the title of this post (quoting Wiley et al) - the greatest part, the most valuable, the most magical piece about teaching and learning is the relationship that exists between teacher, student, and content (whatever this may be).  [ Doesn't that sentence just feel different than a Merrill sentence about a transaction? ]

I believe that learning happens in context, and that there are ways of creating context such that learning can be supported when real-life experience is not an option.

I believe that knowledge, content, facts, truth, data (whatever you want to call it, really) is ultimately negotiable.  In conjunction, however, I do believe that there is such a thing as a "what's so" about every piece of content, every bit of knowledge. 

Take for example the Civil War.  What's so about the Civil War?  Well, it happened - there was a lot of fighting between people during a period of time.  But - and here's the fun part - when did the Civil War start?  How long did it last?  When did it end?  What were the causes?  The answers to these questions are hardly resolved, and they won't be.  I can go to one textbook and get one answer, an encyclopedia to get another, and finally speak to an expert and get an additional, totally different answer.  If I could travel back in time (oh, if wishing made it so...) I could go back and talk to the citizens of a variety of states in the Union and Confederacy who would each (most likely) provide me with their own version, their own story if you will, of what happened.

So - when a teacher and student approach "content" - they are approaching one version of it (if not a conglomeration/hybrid/watered down textbook version).  And this is a good thing!  This is all just wonderful and fabulous!  Ecologists tell us that diversity - more differents! - is the law of the land, how nature evolves.  The fact that there are multiple perspectives and differing opinions about domains/disciplines - that's what makes it exciting, and all of those varying perspectives get us even closer to actually, truly being able to know something.

But you don't "know" something when you can spit it back out at me.  (Wikipedia says that the Civil War started with some hostilities on April 12, 1861 by the way.)  I've lived with my husband for almost two years, and been with him for around five.  I still don't know him yet. ;)

This is where the relationship comes in - the teacher and student and the knowable.

As you can probably imagine if I haven't lost you yet that ITT doesn't jive with me.  I don't know if the best route for educators and instructional designers is towards a one-size-fits-all model demanded by economics and supply and demand.

Some will argue here that if you read between the lines (and correct me if I'm wrong) you'll note that eventually these bodies of learning objects that Merrill and others envision for the use of ITT will be employed by an artificial intelligence, helping to adjust the nature, structure, difficulty level, what not of the objects to the needs of the learner.  (Or - I really could have just made this up or confused this point with another article.)  I'm all for artificial intelligence helping us out with figuring out the best way to approach a subject.  I find that that is one of the most exciting parts of my job as an educator, figuring out how to make the connection, how to help build the relationship.

This is where I can jive with the learning objects that Wiley, Koppi, and Bannan-Ritland write about - learning objects are just that - objects to aid in learning.  Just like a textbook, or a website, or an expert.  If I approach and think about learning objects in this way, I'm all for it.  Bring it on.

A final thought.  I'm a huge Dead Poet's Society fan.  Love Robin Williams.  You know that scene in the very beginning when he's reading the introduction to the poetry anthology about how to "score" a poem?  That's what I had playing on a loop in my head as I was reading the Merrill piece.

In the film, Robin Williams - after the reading - says "We're not laying pipe, we're talking about poetry."

We're not laying pipe - we're talking about teaching!

I hope all of that makes sense.  If it doesn't, I know I'll hear about it in the comments.  Much love to all!