In the vlog I posted below I finish by stating that I think we can’t just forget about content and the value of content expertise, we need to figure out what role it plays in a connected learning environment.  I plan on posting the following question to the #ETMOOC Google plus group soon, but wanted to try and flush out a few ideas here first.

What is the value of content expertise (especially in Math and Science) in a connected learning model?

My response to this question is very much influenced by the book ‘So Good They Can’t Ignore You‘ by Cal Newport.  I recently wrote a blog post about some of the ideas in this book because I found them quite compelling.  One idea that I liked was the notion of building ‘career capital’ that can then be leveraged to pursue passions and live a happy, fulfilling life.  I see ‘career capital’ as being a bit like ‘content’; it is not always fun to learn, and takes dedication and hard work to get good at.

So, if learning is really about conversations, then maybe content is the key to being engaged in deeper and more meaningful conversations.  In a connected environment anyone can join in a conversation, but to be truly engaged and feel like you are contributing you need to have put in some time learning about the content on which the conversation is based.

Does this make sense?