Online learning

I am taking advantage of this stay at home time to enroll in a couple of online MOOCs.  EdX and Coursera are two that I have used before.  My favorite course was in 2013 through EdX Harvard.  It was Sandell's course on Justice.  I enjoyed the video lectures, additional readings and asynchronous discussions. 

Today I began an EdX course titled "Chasing Your Dream. How to End Procrastination and Get the Job You Love."  Sounds pertinent to my current situation. 

Another course I found is on Coursera, "Foundations of Teaching for Learning: Developing Relationships."

I haven't started them yet and it's a lot like judging a book by its cover, but I'm eager to find out more.  A lot has been written lately about this kind of education.  But no matter how I feel about technology and distance learning, what I like about this learning situation is that it is completely my choice.  And I have the choice not to finish them if they don't meet my needs. 

I don't believe there is anything inherently wrong about learning through lecturing or reading or watching videos.  More important than the actual activity is the choice, agency, and relevancy of it.  The learner needs to decide what needs to be learned and how to learn it in order to apply it to their own situation.

In my case, I am battling with procrastination and I would like to find a job that I love.  In order to do that, I might learn something from this course.  The assessment will be the degree to which I am able to put it into practice.  No need for a grade, not even pass/fail.

My goal for the Building Relationships course is to deepen my understanding of this topic so that I can incorporate it into my teaching practice.  I would also like to make a more concrete connection between meaningful learning and relationships .

Some schools are approaching online learning in this way.  Teachers are supporting students in exploring topics they are interested in.  Teachers are also helping students navigate the social and emotional aspects of the recent pandemic.  Parents are learning how to spend more time with their children and developing stronger relationships.

Some schools are trying to replicate all of the things they do at school - online.  Lots of standards, lots of worksheets, lots of quizzes, lots of busy work, and none of it by choice.  I don't think the online nature of this is the troubling aspect.  The most troubling aspect is that it is going on in schools to begin with.

I do believe that some are discovering the joy of learning outside of school using the online experience to enhance this process.  But if schooling is happening just like it did in school - only at home - then the online experience is likely horrible.