Professional Learning Network

"We shape our tools and then our tools shape us" - Marshal McMluhan
Open Thinking, Open Learning

This statement couldn't be more true for the society that we live in. We are living in a device  controlled world that is always connected, plugged in and searching. Shaping your tools is important because that determines which manor in which you will use them.  Most people either use their tools in a negative or positive way. By using them in a positive way we are able to share our resources and knowledge in an "Open Educational Resource" environment. With this type of environment we are able to connect with people that may not have the resources for furthering their education.

To capture the Spirit of open networking we must be willing to share our work. By sharing our work with others we are transforming the way people learn by giving them access to things they may not have had access to previously. With is type of sharing and learning we are able to get ideas from people all over the world. Participatory cultures are becoming a widely used resource by people all over the world. In a participatory culture anyone and everyone is able to connect and participate. "21st century learning networks have tons of tools and a number of people that you can connect to, with tons of ideas from all over the world." - David Wiley (Open Education and The Future) With this type of open network an educator is able to get ideas and tools that they can then expand further for the education of their students.

Open access in a classroom is having the resources and tools available to you at any time.  With the information that is available on the Internet expanding by the minute, students have access to just about anything at the tips of their fingers. Open access in the classroom is not just having access to the information that you are teaching, but having access to others information. I thought this video was very interesting; Open Education Matters . Is showed how quickly and effectively information spread throughout the world on one simple subject that is taught daily. I didn't realize just how easy it is to access things like that until I watched that video. It is so interesting to me that climate change was taught all over the world because this one guy shared his video. I hope to have this kind of open connectivity in my future classroom!

I am so excited for the future learners that will have access to things everywhere and anywhere! David Wiley said this in his video Open Education in the Future, "Successful Educators are those who share most thoroughly with the most students." This statement stood out the most to me because it isn't just about the students in your class anymore. It is about the number of people that you can reach with the information you are teaching. Not all kids have access to education like we do in America. But by sharing and making it available anytime, anywhere and to anyone it makes education available to those who previously did not have access. 

I live by the motto "you learn something new everyday." That is exactly what happened to me while watching these videos. These have been my favorite set of videos so far because I am all about reaching out to those that do not have the resources to reach out to us. In the video Open Education Matters, I learned that with Open Education Resources students can save over $900 on textbooks! That may not seem like a ton of money, but for a struggling college student that is tremendous! Having access to books and resources online can change the way students learn by completely getting rid of all textbooks. This will save students money and they will have access to tons of resources online that they may not have had access to previously.

At the end of the day sharing truly is caring. But it is important to remember to do it in a safe, conscious way and to always make sure you are aware of what you are posting and the audience in which you are posting it to! Remember, there are people in the world that do not have access to the things we take for granted, so by sharing our knowledge and resources they can become the educated citizens they have dreamed of becoming.