Network Learning – Creating a Learning Community

I mentioned this is my summary of learning post, but one of my biggest takeaways from this course is the value of a learning community. I started out the semester with a lot of eye-rolling (sorry, Katia!) because I just didn’t see how some of the required work was relevant. I clearly didn’t know what I didn’t know, and thought I had everything figured out. Well, I can absolutely admit when I was wrong, and this is another one of those moments.

Being asked to comment on 3-5 of my classmates’ blogs every week seemed pointless to me. “What do they care what I think about their chosen learning project? I just want to do the assignment and move on”. I missed the point. Engaging in learning WITH someone or a group holds much more value than engaging in learning ALONGSIDE someone or a group. Creating a learning community encourages creativity and collaboration. It is comforting to know that others are failing when you’re failing, and it invigorates you to keep trying when you see others succeeding. Seeing the different tools and resources other classmates are using inspired me to try new (and sometimes scary) things. The collaboration and support that was present in so many of the comment sections reminded me that technology doesn’t have to remove humanity from the learning equation. Connection through technology is possible if we make space for it.

Here is the link to the comments I made on classmates’ fantastic learning projects.