Lagniappe for Learning

Most educators (for that matter most professionals and other workers) spend a certain amount of time doing some kind of learning. For most of us, that learning process comes with a certain amount of expected success - after all as educators, learning comes easily, right? Well, not necessarily - even if you think it will be fairly intuitive!

This past week, many of us in the edutech world have been experimenting with Plurk, a microblogging/social networking site. Popularized by a combination of NECC 2008 participation (both f2f and virtual) and the continued presence of the Twitter whale or other Twitter errors, Plurk is gaining some attention! It is similar to Twitter, but it is different enough that most of us need to banish any expectations and keep our minds open to what this new platform can provide.

Experiencing the learning curve and facilitating others through the process of learning is a great reminder for our role as teachers. Thinking about the Plurk process, I immediately called upon the KWL strategy as a reflection point:

• K - What did I know (or think I did) about Plurk? (Most would likely respond that ‘it is similar to Twitter’)
  
• W - What did I want to know about Plurk? (Is it collaborative? social? How does it work? Will I be able to develop/keep others in my networks? Why would I want ot learn/use Plurk?)
• L - So what did I learn about Plurk? (Learning Plurk is a process and it involved an ‘unlearning’ of Twitter to some degree…Unlike Twitter, Plurk is designed to encourage threaded conversations,
  which allows for a depth of discussion revolving around the original posting/comment/question. With Twitter, the focal point seems to revolve around the ‘twit’ (person posting). Digging deep is an important goal and Plurk may offer a viable infrastructure for developing that interactive manipulation. Though connections certainly occur, the interactions on Plurk are much less focused on individuals.)

Reading new Plurkers’ (and experienced edutechers) initial posts, one remembers

• the importance of understanding the ‘learning curve‘ (patience, persistence, and hands-on exploration),
  
• the frustration and confusion that often accompanies the learning of a new skill or content,
  
• the pay-off of guidance, support and encouragement in the learning process, and
  
• the amazing synergy that can occur when learning is social!

So, as I reflect on the improvement of my own teaching, I’m constantly reminded of what it’s like to be a learner - how about you?

Photo credits to bella lago for self-p and Cayusa for Rainbow Ts