OCL4Ed Course Reflection 1

http://wikieducator.org/OCL4Ed

The concept of Open access to knowledge seems at first glance axiomatic and fitted well with my long belief that current practices of knowledge acquisition, are unsustainable and wasteful of human talent.

The question as to teaching being a vocation or profession raised some issues that I had not really thought about before, however. In an open source environment the idea that teachers are providers of knowledge is obviously seriously flawed and has been for some time. This did not surprise, but can I still even cling to the concept of a credentialed professional, as posited by Edgar Schein;

• An underlying discipline or basic science upon which practice rests or is developed 
• An applied science component from which many of the day-to-day diagnostic procedures and problem-solutions are derived. 
• A skills and attitudinal component that concerns the actual performance of services to the client, using the underlying basic and applied knowledge. 

as being useful. When the connection was made between this and another long held belief, that PLN’s (Personal Learning Networks) provide powerful learning environments.  PLN's are generally only very loosely controlled if at all. How should I view, as a “professional educator”, the Granny cloud organised by Sugarta Mitra, were Indian children are helped with their learning by English Grandmothers via the internet. Or his research on the "Limits of  Self Organised Learning Networks" .  

The conclusion has to be that if I support open access to knowledge then I have to also support, that the direction and organisation of that learning may also be open. Basically that heutagogy, is more appropriate in the development of individual capability, in the 21st century and that students may choose who to learn with.


There are also some interesting developments within NZQA (New Zealand Qualifications Authority) http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/about-us/news/spanz-speech-from-dr-karen-poutasi/  , that have come into sharper focus with the above in mind.