My Learning

Yesterday marked 3 years of being a blogger. What a wonderful journey it has been!

I may be over exaggerating when saying my blog is my Phd, after all people like Stephen Downes have done this much work and still don’t have one. Furthermore, the focus and intent of my writing has been far from such a standard, and sure to be rejected as a dissertation… BUT…

I know a few people that have a PhD and they have all shared comments like, “I’m never going to school again!”, and “What a painful experience”, and “I’m sooo glad that’s over!”, and even “I’m Done with learning!”

Meanwhile, I’ve never been so excited about learning. and I’m far from done, I’m continuing my journey and 3 years of ‘work’, of reflective learning, has done nothing but broaden my horizons and make me excited about what’s to come.

Personalized Recognition

So for the fun of it, I’ve personalized my journey with a PhB: A Blogtorate of Philosophy.

So what’s this worth? Personally it means the world to me, I wouldn’t trade my blogging/learning experience for any other, but what would this document get me in the ‘real’ world? We are now throwing (very deserving) accolades to DIY / Edupunk – Leaders… yet we don’t really ‘credit’ them in a quantifiable way.

Accreditation

So how do we credit all this very real, very meaningful learning? How do we credential-ize the learning that people are sharing online… Things happening outside of classrooms and credits and courses? Who does the next big company want to hire, the Harvard Graduate or one of these ‘candidates’?

What is my blog worth in the world of academia?

Does it really matter that what I’ve done hasn’t been for marks? What’s the big deal if this ‘work’ isn’t counted toward some (archaic) institution?

After all, it has been shared with colleagues around the world;

It has been peer reviewed, and quoted, commented on, and even presented… furthermore, it has an extensive bibliography.

Does this count for anything? Should it?

The real value…

This blog has provided me with an opportunity to share my learning, and more than anything else it has challenged me to be accountable in a way that no other professional development ever has. It has reminded me that I love to learn and it is part of a learning process that I truly love. My blog may not get me any more letters after my name but more than anything else, it has set me on a journey I’m going to continue, not for some external reward, but rather for the intrinsic value and for the love of learning.

Appreciation

And now having said all this, I’d like to thank you!

Thanks for being a part of my Personal Learning Network; Thanks for joining me on this journey; And/or thank you for contributing to my learning!

[Move your mouse to the right side of the cartoon to see the 3rd cell]

This has been floating around in my head for a while, but Scott McLeod’s ‘Banning Student Computers’ slide and Sonya’s ‘The New Teacher’ inspired me to finally express it visually.
The last time he was in town, Alan November spoke of just how silly it would be to ban pencils like we do cell phones because someone passed a nasty note… It isn’t really about the tools now, is it?

Click the image below to see this full sized on ToonDoo or here for flickr.

Related posts:

Opportunities, Access & Obstacles

ASK [for help] and Ye Shall Receive, SEEK [the right questions] and Ye Shall Find [the right answers].

Digital Teachers

This was written on a scrap piece of paper while doing some ‘big thinking’ with Heidi Hass Gable. I’m sharing it exactly as it was written, but adding links to some of my other posts to liven it up a bit… Feedback, as always, is appreciated.

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Students Today

-> relate differently to toys, digital tools and each other, compared to just a few years ago.

-> are not digitally competent in the same way as each other.

-> connect, learn and socialize in online communities that are richer in content and engagement than traditional ways of classroom learning.

Relevance to Teachers

-> Students and teachers have different digital competencies and there is not an intentional  roadmap for students or teachers to follow in order to improve their digital literacy skills.