APerez_NYU

Spots upon a map (aka. Small pieces loosely joined)

I am faced with this task:

Considering what you already know about using "small pieces loosely joined" - [...] - and your own time-management skills, reflect on what you think is needed to effectively conduct a class using "loosely joined" media and programs - and also while trying to keep up with the pace of knowledge in this field (in case you're wondering, the article we're talking about is here: article ).

I've read the article a number of times, and the daunting warning keeps ringing in my head: The crafting of a well-considered response is the most important criterion for success in this assignment.

I am expected to craft a well-thought-out response. Unfortunately, I've already read what some of my classmates have said (I vow never to do that again before starting to post), one of them reminded me of my own inadequacies while writing, the other one made me think about what life would be like if I was that intelligent.

Alright, let me clean out the mental clutter and begin with my well-thought out response...

When trying to deliver a class, I think that part of the 'magic' of an instructor, is to find that silver thread that manages to link all of those small pieces, so that in the mind of the participant (or learner, student, whatever you want to call them) there is a sense of 'completeness'. This 'complete picture' is created by what the participant knows before class, and by what the instructor can share with a group. When I (as an adult learner) can take information I already know, and add to it in order to discover new knowledge, I will probably remember and use the new information thatI have been given.

How do you create a full picture when you're using multiple pieces/types of media? This is where I think the instructor relies on the course design and the knowledge that there are multiple types of learners and understanding that it will be through the enticing of those diverse learner populations that the group as a whole will achieve a result. Basically, by appealing to diverse learning strategies (thereby using different types of media) and knowing that there will be a social element within the class (the establishment of a community of practice) a class will benefit from the correct use of multiple delivery media.

A-ha! notice the word correct... when diverse media is used for the sake of diversity, I think a class can go to waste fairly fast. I've had the opportunity to sit in classes where instructors were using all the bells and whistles available to them because they could, not because it was the right (or smart) thing to do, but because they were there. Needless to say, those classes were not as effective as they could have been if the designer had analyzed how the introduction of different media would impact the mesage being delivered. That's one of the reasons why I think analysis and design of a course are as important as the delivery of it.

Now, thinking of what Mr. Aldrich said, and considering if "at the heart, we are our own platform", Splindarella had some very interesting musings about this (her blog entry is here: Splindarella's Blog ) she is a much better writer than I am, and I agree with a lot of what she said, like here, I think I'm a couple of versions behind (could it be because I'm a result of foreign manufacturing?), and therefore, there cohesion between the pieces is not as tight as I would like it to be, there are very small pieces (and some not so small) that are lost, and then there are correlations that should be revisited.

You're probably wondering about the title of this blog entry... once a friend told me that when he was driving around a city, it was as if a piece of a map had been discovered, almost like an inkspot, and once all the inkspots touched each other, he would have understood everything the city represented. That image has stayed with me for a number of years, and to this date I consider anything I don't know as if it were a new small country. When you find a small piece, it's a small inkspot, as they start joining others, you will start to discover the geography of the country and start unveiling it's mysteries. Given my terrible time managment practices (or complete lack thereof) most of my discovery ends up happening at the end of a learning cycle, when Ive missed out on the chance to interact with others and learn through the social aspects. I am convinced that's one of the thinks I need to change if I am ever to be a better explorer, a more efficient charter of unknown territories.

posted by ap @ 12:46 PM