Response to Alyssa Lloyd's Blog Post #2

Photo from Alyssa Lloyd's Blog

Feedback on Alyssa Lloyd's blog post #2 regarding topic #2 questions: How would you describe the historical and theoretical trends in k-12 online and distributed learning? What did you already know, what do you know now based on the course readings and activities, what do you hope to learn?

Alyssa, you provide a well written blog post! Your opening statement is very thought provoking. I believe our education system has adapted and changed a lot over the years, especially during the 2016 British Columbia curriculum update which includes a framework based off inquiry. I like that you acknowledge some things really haven’t change as well. I am curious to know what parts of the K-12 learning you believe really haven’t changed, do you think those components should be different or stay as they are?

I agree with your idea that education follows trends, and the system is based on a pendulum which swings back and forth between the different ideals. Education used to be a strict, teacher directed, routine based structure, where now we are moving to an open design, where teachers are a guide and children are the primary leaders of their learning through inquiry. I believe there is a happy medium that combines aspects from both sides. This lends itself to the idea of blended learning, which includes face-to-face instruction but has components of e-learning and open design to enhance the educational experience.

I like that you provide the new definition of open learning from topic two’s readings. This description describes open learning as flexible and asynchronous. When COVID-19 first struct and classes rapidly shifted to online learning, most of it was an open design, though there was synchronous meeting. Students typically had a weekly choice board of activities and it was their responsibility to choose a few to complete during the week. This model follows the concept of open learning.

I also would like to further research Open learning design and distributed learning. I would love to collaborate on this topic further and share resources. Thank you for sharing that simple, yet effective video on open learning. It perfectly depicts what the student process and benefit could look like with this type of learning design in place. I look forward to collaborating on assignment two together, and I am eager to read you blog post #3!