reading in a rhizome

When form meets content, the heavenly chorus meets in perfect harmony.

This week has been about making my edumecation work for me.  After posting my shout-out video to University of Mary-Washington and getting amazing response from those fine folks, I decided to tackle the ECI831 googledoc.  Personally, I prefer having the suggested readings available before our guest speakers arrive in class so that I can more actively engage in the presentation, so I decided to take the blank page as an open invitation to share my reading journey.  I decided to start with Dave Cormier’s 2008 post on Rhizomatic Learning.  As I began reading, my ears alerted me to the fact that the autodj was ruling the#ds106radio stream (likely through some kind of punk or a discussion on the ontology of screaming).  I realized that I had not done my duty in killing the autodj and decided to take a page from @DrGarcia‘s study manual and put out a broadcast monologuing the thoughts swirling in my head.

“	hey there #eci831, I’m going to read @cormier ‘s post on Rhizomatic learning on #ds106radio tune in if you’re game http://bit.ly/flo4OG
	onepercentyello October 19, 2011

Sure enough, that little signal tweaked another rhizome….

“	@davecormier really? everyone’s reading about your rhizomes. @onepercentyello publicly reading and reflecting /LIVE on #ds106radio rules!
	giuliaforsythe October 19, 2011

“	@onepercentyello You were doing some talky talky about my paper today? What it rhizome stuff? is there a recording? I’m working on that now.
	davecormier October 19, 2011

“	@davecormier bah!! no recording. thought of it after the fact. read out your paper on #ds106radio and commented when ideas struck me.
	onepercentyello October 19, 2011

“	@onepercentyello I have a weird blog post that i’m turning into a better article (hopefully) http://bit.ly/o9u0ZW how does that look?
	davecormier October 19, 2011

“	@giuliaforsythe @onepercentyello it’s the choice of reading material that i find particularly noteworthy
	davecormier October 19, 2011

“	@giuliaforsythe no. i meant it proved she was awesome.
	davecormier October 19, 2011

“	@davecormier ah. yes. agreed. @onepercentyello is awesome. Have you seen her #eci831 reflection video for this week? http://is.gd/uhfs0B
	giuliaforsythe October 19, 2011

“	@davecormier @giuliaforsythe I think it proves that @courosa is awesome for #eci831, you’re awesome forthe article and #ds106radio justrules
	onepercentyello October 19, 2011

“	psssttt….. #eci831 I’m talking to @davecormier before he comes to class next week #howcoolisthat?
	onepercentyello October 19, 2011

(side note!! I just went into the HTML to figure out how to end the table and go back to full left justify! Geekin’ out moment… I’m so easily excited!)

From there, I read Dave’s other post on Community as Curriculum and one on the importance of having a philosophy of education, both at his suggestion, and shared that with the ECI831 googledoc in progress.  I made a bunch of reading notes and took the amazing @giuliaforsythe‘s suggestion of recording my reading/thinking out loud on #ds106radio.  She then pushed me that one step further and asked me to post the recording on my blog with the meta-reflection to go along with it.

This was my first time archiving a #ds106radio cast.  It was super easy (in nicecast it’s just window-archive) and there’s only about 15 minutes of my talking on there (only! jeez! How long will I ramble on!?).  From there I put out a couple songs by independent Alberta artists – Scott Cook, Jesse D and Jacquie B, and Wool on Wolves.

As for the meta-reflection, the process of writing this blog post and creating a storify (thanks to Tannis Emman for boldly going before me) has made me realize that this entire process has happened because of a rhizomatic learning environment.  I need not remind you that in other circumstances, I would have been shut up in my little room with my little books thinking of all this on my own – waiting for my weekly class for the chance to engage fully.  Instead I put out my first reading, get directed by the author to two other salient posts and get pulled along on his journey of rethinking the theory.  Dave even put up his most recent post on our googledoc – giving me yet another opportunity to connect and share in the thinking.  While the comments after mine show that I have missed the context of the “nomad” learner (and given me more to read up on), the process has pushed me to grow just that much more.  Another great link about the possible ways trees communicate, sent by the one and only @jimgroom gave me such a beautiful image to meditate on – those tall trees in the forest are all connected.  When you’re looking up to those who have grown before you, realize that they’ve got the resources, the stuff of life and learning, to share with you.  All you’ve got to do is get back to your roots.

eci 831 week 5 reflection – a proposal in participation

It has been one of those interesting weeks…

P.S. Oh yeah… and Jim Groom rocks <—- this is not bait… ok, maybe it is! Here Jimmy jimmy jimmy….

What does it mean to change the world?

In this week’s reflection, I felt it necessary to address this notion of change in education.  Wanting to change the world is a common call of the vocation, but is changing our students really what we want to do?  Again, I find myself drawn to Freire’s critique of the banking model of education, and this post that I wrote after meeting Alec for the first time at Learning 2.010.  Pushing students to think outside the prescribed reality takes courage; in doing so we are asking them to challenge everything, including our own authority.  I know that one day I will meet myself in a class and I will be pushed to the limits of my patience, but I look forward to those days of frustration.  When I reflect on them at the end of the day, I hope to remember that I am also a learner and that my students have a valid reality to share with me.

I must also thank @murphi30 for the link that brought me to this outstanding TED talk by Adora Svitak.  What an eloquent call to educators and adults to LEARN from KIDS!

Redefining reality – a journey of trust and sharing

This post has been very difficult to edit.  There are a couple reasons for this.  My lack of voice has complicated my final editing which would have included a voiceover or some connecting shots to bring out my ideas.  In addition, so many things have happened this week that it’s been nearly impossible to capture it all on film.

Some quick recaps:

• I had the chance to watch Micheal Apple speak on Critical Pedagogy at the University of Regina.  A renowned scholar dealing with my deep belief in the need for a liberating education, Apple reminded me of my respect for the work of Paulo Freire.  It was also really cool when I realized that I had used Apple’s work in defense of Freire in a course last year!
• Response to last week’s video made me think that it may be time to be up-front about my own educational philosophy.  (Interesting enough, others felt the need to put that out there!)  In addition to Freire’s work, I have great respect for George Siemens and Stephen Downes’ theory of connectivism.
• The footage from my cross-country trip lent itself to a bit of digital scrapbooking.  I had a lot of fun on the way!
• Great conversations with fellow masters and PhD students alongside global response to exploitative systems pushed me to question the ways we are all succeptible to prescribed realities.
• Constant and consistent questions about my safety and sanity reinforced the entire circle.  To those who asked if I was afraid, I replied: “I tend to believe that the majority of people are good.  Besides, if the bad guys are going to get me, they can get me anywhere!  On the street, in my home, or anywhere else.  If we continue to live in fear, think of all the great things we miss out on!”