While in graduate school, I had a professor who adhered to the following mantra: "Real learning is about making connections between seemingly unconnected ideas." For those of you who are looking to use the Internet as a resource, connecting seemingly unconnected ideas is an essential skill all of us should be cultivating. Note the following case in point.
A few weeks ago, having finished a technology presentation for parents, I was approached by one mother who suggested that I investigate an up-and-coming social networking site called NING. Always eager for a treasure hunt, I entered NING, only to have my enthusiasm immediately tainted by the number of adult oriented topics that splashed on the screen. Social networks focusing on topics like sex, love, or bizarre aspects of astrology were not on my radar screen. Being one who is usually looking for sites that are appropriate for children, teenagers and adults alike, my initial instinct was to shove off in search of some other island of information. Then I paused and reflected on those words: "making connections between seemingly unconnected ideas."
Gut instinct told me that the concept of NING, being a creation engine and library of social networks, seemed to make a lot sense. So, rather than giving it up for a lost cause, I decided to roam a bit further into the wilds of this information island, and I'm glad I did. It didn't take me long to find the Education link which was where the real treasure was buried. The first gold nugget I uncovered was a NING social network called Classroom 2.0 which is focusing on Web 2.0 resources available to teachers and students. (More about Classroom 2.0 in future postings.)
For now, I simply want to make the point that researching resources on the Internet requires more than the furious "point and click" mentality currently being incorporated into the psyche of students and adults alike. Nowadays, it's too easy to click away and redirect one's self to yet another "resource" when the going gets tough or when the apparent value of a site seem unobvious. At these times, remind yourself, “Real learning is about making connections between seemingly unconnected ideas," and “Real learning on the Internet requires patience, and fortitude, and curiousity.” Read more and dig deeper!
Posts
