Wow! This week’s readings unpacked a lot of new concepts and ideas. I spent a lot of time doing further research on all three of the readings, and have a lot I could write about. For my post, to keep it shorter, I will just reflect on reading 1’s topic of open pedagogy, as I found some great resources I’d like to share. I’ll start off with a quote:
“We recognize a hope that human connections facilitated by technologies can help learners engage more fully with the knowledge and ideas that shape our world”
I decided to add this quote in as I think it really sums up the purposeful intent of online education. Before this reading, I had heard of OERS but was, and still is a bit of an unclear area for me. I did a bit of further research on it through videos and found an interesting one that some of my pod members might find useful:
One concept that was mentioned that caught my attention was disposable assignments. I read further about it on David Wileys post, which really shed light on an issue I had never considered before. It kind of reminded me of garbage vs recycling. Why design, say a container for food, that can only be thrown out into the garbage when you could reinvent it in a new purposeful way where it can be reused. I enjoyed reading his outlook on open education, so I looked him up on YouTube as well. I found a Ted Talk of his which I believe reflects a lot of the ideals I am currently learning in the education program at UVic. I think we are headed into a progressive future in the education world, where technology plays a huge role. One quote that stuck out for me in Wileys Ted talk was : “The best educators are the ones who share the most completely, with the most students”
Throughout the readings in the course, my understanding of open and distributed learning has been evolving immensely, especially considering my initial understanding of it. One clear message I take from all this is how important it is to be educated on open education as a future educator. Some questions I have going forward:
-In the coming years, will we be able to mostly eliminate textbooks? The more I think about it, with each year of post secondary I feel like I have purchased less and less textbooks. They are so costly, and make affording education that much more difficult.
-I understand open learning for post secondary fairly well, but what about at an elementary level? What does that look like for students or myself as a teacher?
References:
TEDxNYED – David Wiley – 03/06/10. (2010, April 13). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb0syrgsH6M
Mays, E. (Ed.). (2017). A guide to making open textbooks with students. Rebus Community.
Kayla Krug
August 17, 2021 — 10:16 am
Hi Kiana,
Thank you for your post, and sharing so many wonderful resources that you found. The first video that you shared is great and I am so happy I got the opportunity to watch it. It reiterated many important concepts and gave me further ideas of where I can access beneficial resources for myself as a learner and a teacher.
In regards to the first question you asked I am also curious. I have had the same impression, that recently I have been purchasing less textbooks for my university courses; which is amazing! I hope this continues, as it truly makes a big impact and allows for me to save some money. In the past I have been in courses that require multiple textbooks, which can lead me to spending hundreds of extra dollars on a course when I am already paying over $600, to enrol in that course. I know some university students who cannot afford textbooks, so they will choose not to buy them. I think we will continue to see me open online resources, like we have had in this course.
Thanks again,
Kayla
Hannah Rochford
August 17, 2021 — 10:25 am
Hi Kiana, thank you for including the video.
I knew quite a bit about open ended resources before this class but I didn’t know that assessment tools, apps and images are considered OERs. I really just thought it was videos and textbooks that were open to use fro anyone.
It is interesting you asked if we will eventually be able to eliminate the use of textbooks completely. This morning, I actually took a look at the UVIC bookstore to see what textbooks we would need for this fall semester and we only need 1 out of our 5 classes and the book is so affordable. That is awesome and saves me and I am sure you and all the others in our cohort some stress.
I have also had the question about what open education would look like in an elementary classroom. I wonder if we’ll learn more about it in a future class in our program.
emilytrelford
August 18, 2021 — 3:23 pm
Hi Kiana!
Thanks for your post this week. I agree, there was a lot to unpack here!
I’m glad you included a lot of external references, this is something that I need to do better at! I too felt that my understanding on open and distributed learning has changed a lot. I thought that I knew a lot about it, but after doing the readings and talking with our group in the Mattermost chat, a lot has changed.
I also had the same questions as you, especially about the textbooks. In this day and age, it really seems so unnecessary to have to pay these huge fees for information we can access in an open way. My hope is that professors will gear towards finding resources for students that have open access and minimal fees – That would be a dream!
Thanks Kiana, well done this week!
rianneyuen
August 19, 2021 — 8:20 am
Hi Kiana,
Thanks for finding great outside sources! Your findings shows how beneficial open learning is. Without this, you may have not been able to find these videos to help support your blog.
In regards to your question, I believe that eventually, more professors will stop requiring expensive textbooks. Many textbooks are now available online for free, with a student ID. This gives students the opportunity to read the textbook, without having to spend extra money on the class material.
In my last few semesters, I did not have to purchase a textbook for any classes. In sociology, the required 100, 210, 211 classes had required textbooks. But, soci 300 level classes did not have required textbooks. Instead, there were readings provided.
Overall, I hope eventually professors can use open learning and save students money.
Thanks for sharing!