Yesterday 10/26/2010 we had another Elluminate session, it was about open network and learning. It was a great session and many quotes captured my attention:
1- ” A key to transformation is for the teaching profession to establish innovation networks that capture the spirit and culture of hackers -the passion, the can-do, collective sharing” ( Hargreveas, 2003)
I agree with this quote and I actually love it. A vital key to transforming teaching is innovation, but innovation is not everything. Within innovation passion, can-do, and collective sharing should come within. Innovation is to find an idea to gather people around, but it’s the above mentioned criteria which guarantee the continuity of this innovation. To find audience who believe in the importance of this innovation is what it matters.
2- ” If there is no sharing, there is no education” David Wiley
I like this quote and what it denotes of the importance of sharing knowlege. I second that because it does not have to be always about money and paying to get some information. I know that academic reources are expensive, but I think there should be more colloboration in the world to keep this chain of knowldge and just share things. Education for me means spreading information and knowledge and without that only certain persons in the world would have the access to reources. There would be no colloboration of great minds, spreading, communicating,, and discussing information .
3- The web is “a world of pure connection, free of the arbitrary constraints of the matter, distance and time” David Weinberger
It’s only through Internet that people know about each other. In many ways Internet has brought people together through different facets; web pages, social networks, online education, etc… having people from different nationalities in one room is not a riddle anymore. It takes a simple click on video conference and everything is set to go. I am Egyptian and I am doing my masters in Saskatchewan University in Canada. I successfully completed most of credits to my program. We are living in a revolutionary age where nothing is impossible.
4- “YouTube and other social media mitigate “connection without constraint”. Often this leads to development of “tremendously deep communities” Michael Wesch
YouTube is a tremendous tool that enables people to voice whatever they think of without any constraints. It’s just you are talking to the camera. Nobody is watching while you say what you want. I think YouTube develops great aspect of independence and audacity in just having an opinion in every aspect of life. Deep communities are the result of openness, casualness, connectedness, and honesty. Sometimes, the last element is suspected because many organizations in the world are using social networks to just publicize their thoughts not the “right” ones. I mean they falsify information to serve their needs. But, we have different other resources to browse and read and know the truth.
Olabakri's Blog 
Thanks, Ola, for taking some of these quotes and expanding your own thoughts on these matters.
missed the class last night because of travel and time changes..so I appreciated a sneak peak. Of these quotes that you shared the one that most spoke to me was the web is a world of pure connection….”. Having access to the web has literally changed my life…I have lived in the far northern parts of Canada for over 40 years. When I first came here we had no telephone connections with the outside world except through radio phones…no libraries, no TV and limited radio programs. Now I can research any topic to my hearts content, communicate with colleagues around the world and even see the people that I am communicating with. I can learn from other indigenous people how they are addressing their education and development needs and, and and the list of things that I can do now because of the web is endless. It has certainly changed my world and enabled me to be connected in ways that I had never dreamed about.
Yes, I totally agree with you Linda, web… this word opened many realms of the world. It gave us power over matters and at some point also weakened us. It really amazes me that we are Internet oriented. We are basically helpless without Internet.
A great reflection on our Elluminate session, Ola. Like you, a number of quotes grabbed my attention that evening too. I like the one you highlight by David Wiley stating “” If there is no sharing, there is no education”. This is so true. In fact, knowledge really only becomes valuable when it is shared and, especially, when learning occurs in multiple directions.
As educators, I think it is important we never lose sight of the fact that when there is no sharing or collaboration, there is no education. If knowledge transfer is a one-way street in which it is being transmitted by direct instruction only, learning is limited.
Also, your point about web access changing your life is something I agree with. It is so amazing to be able to collaborate with you – in Egypt and with Linda – in northern Canada for the purposes of this class. WOW! Living in a small rural community in Saskatchewan can be isolating at times. However, web access has expanded my network and I value these relationships.
Thanks for sharing.
Yes, that true. I agree on what you said about education that it’s not one ways. It’s both ways.
Sometimes, I cannot believe this. I am here in Egypt collaborating with different people from different parts in the world. Is not that amazing?
I think this is another channel of sharing and widening my horizons.