An instrument like the marimba is only useful when it interacts with its environment similarly to a learner. Although it has the potential to be interesting sounding, if it is not played by someone, no one can really understand what it sounds like or what can be done with it.
Everyone is a learner. Everyone picks up some sort of information from the environment and stores it. Each of these bars are tuned to a specific note. Different parts of the instrument help it sound a certain way. Therefore, we all are programmed to receive information.
This is only part of the learning process.
We need to be able to respond to this information. The instrument needs to be played and this can only come from interacting with the environment. The learner needs to speak or write to demonstrate that she or he has acquired information.
This is quite related to the quotes from the videos this week.
“content really leads into the ability to talk to one another…”
Essentially, communicating with one another through social networks has affected our world tremendously. In my small area, I might have only been able to talk to five or six people about the marimba. With social networking, I can find thousands that may teach me how to play the marimba in a slightly different way. Also, I may synthesize many different people's remarks in order to play the marimba in a new way. The reason why this is important is because...
“many learners will move into a variety of different, possibly unrelated fields over the course of their lifetime” (Siemens, 2005).
In Siemen's "Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age", he describes how people will be using their knowledge in a variety of ways. Not only does the learner need to learn effective expression of ideas, he needs to learn multiple methods of application. A learner may find different styles of writing a paper through taking courses in the liberal arts. If the learner is tenacious in learning, he or she may discover a different interesting subject. Exploring the ideas of "interdisciplinary" learning may unearth something new that creates a new area of discipline.
Therefore, in order to thrive in this world, learners must acquire, express, and apply information into their everyday lives.
Interesting analogy. I would have never thought of it but I liked the way you used something that was special to you to make the connection to the lesson. Students will do the same things in your classes so it will always be interesting to see where they take things with their individual past experiences or interests.
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