CC auiinsperation

Our society is big into measuring – the moment we’re born, the sports we play or watch, earnings, number of friends on Facebook, followers on Twitter, even stats on stats, and in education, learning.  Dave Cormier facilitated a lively dialogue during an #etmooc webinar, Rhizomatic Learning.  It was a bit philosophical  as we explored the purpose of learning, open syllabus and assessment –   which led us to measuring learning.

I find our #etmooc community insightful and reflective.  A number of good points were shared.  As the purpose of learning opened up dialogue, the need to teach students for a future that is largely unknown and uncertain, Lorraine Boulos commented on essential learning in a broad sense: “not of being afraid of uncertainty, know that we have the skills to cope.” Skills.  Skills in the future will be the high school diploma of the sixties.

Kristen Swanson’s response to, “When do we learn?” –  “For me, the learning happens after the session when I process it with others”, reminds me so much of Michael Fullan’s leadership ideas. Fullan suggests workshops as an effective professional development strategy is weak; rather what happens between workshops is the learning.  Processing it with others, reflecting – whether in the form of a blog or a tweet, is when we learn.

At this point the membership is hyped about learning and the “A-word” surfaces: assessment.  If someone is out making money, count on the tax man being nearby and likewise, if there’s learning happening, count on someone to start measuring.  Some people say the best things can’t be measured, others suggest it is merely a fanciful belief to be able to measure learning.  I agreed with Fred Haas who frequently tells his students, “ the only assessment that ultimately matters is self-assessment”.  We are so caught up on measuring and certificates and numbers.  As MOOCs take off, or perhaps they are already in mid-flight, perhaps the life-long learners among us will stand true and be satisfied with self-assessment.

My favorite quote (and I apologize for not knowing the author):  Think of MOOC as a gathering place – collaboration can’t happen alone – we all decided to walk through the same door on the internet so we could think together.

Tagged: assessment, Dave Cormier, etmooc, Fred Hass, Kristen Swanson, leadership, Lorraine Boulos, measure measuring, mooc