I’m getting a slow start to the day. Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays are a bit intense this quarter, and I needed some time to do something else other than work. Dogs needed longer walks, clothes needed washing, crossword puzzles needed solving, coffee needed to be sipped slowly, and the trails around Lake Padden needed me to run around them twice. So, I’m getting a late start to work, but I’ll get everything done on my list. The rain will fall while I finish the day.

I got caught up with some reading, and it made me think of ETMOOC’s current topic on The Open Movement. I haven’t attended any talks, read any Slideshares, but I have checked in on the Diigo group. That’s the easiest connection for me because they send me updates via email. I have, however, been thinking about the Open Movement. On the one hand, it’s amazing how much I can access about my various interests with just a few clicks. I can browse reading for later on my phone while I wait for the mister to go into a bike shop. Amazing.

On the other hand, it’s amazing how much disappears. We’ve all been there as a teacher. You find something that’s perfect for your class. You give your students the link. You build content in your OL class about that link. You embed the link into an announcement that you send a face-to-face class. The link is there for years.

And then it’s gone. Panicked emails from students ensue. Annoyed “Me too” posts on the discussion board. Just like that, it’s gone.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/irisheyes/25394024/

This brings me back to the Open Movement. Sure, things are getting better, but we still have a long way to go. I can’t take the chance on content that might disappear. A student of mine said he liked paper textbooks because he never “has to wait for the page to download.” I laughed, but his comment made me think about my paper-free classroom. A slow internet connection can really slow down your reading. Waiting for a file to open can delay a thought. 

 Will I ever get away from the notebooks?  Do I want to?

A colleague blogged about Oliver Jeffers, and he delighted me with his short film. His words rang true about why we need to write things down. He reminds us to always carry a pencil and paper. Even better, I discovered this video through a blog after reading “On Keeping a Notebook in the Digital Age” by Elizabeth Spiers.

All of the reading listed above: Free. Open. A good thing for the movement of my pen, for sure.

Spiers’ best quote: “Writing things down enforces slowness, and by extension, thoughtfulness.”

I’ve given up my paper calendar this quarter, but I’m on my third notebook since December.