The suggested themes for
reflection in Blog 2 encompassed very wide areas (what openness means for your own practice, how to find and use openly
licensed resources, advantages and disadvantages of open and closed
technologies, implications of different open course and MOOC formats in
relation to your learning experience on this course) of which I have
definitely gained more understanding through Topic 2 materials, webinars and
zoom discussions.

However, due to the given time
frame per blog post, I will mainly narrow down my reflection here on the first
suggested theme. This is the most salient one for my personal growth now as it
was already mentioned in my Blog 1 for this course (why should I be open to the idea of establishing online networks if I
already have well-functioning networks in place in the real world?). While
reading Topic 2 materials about the benefits and challenges of openness in
education and learning, I have gained some new insights into what openness should also mean for my own
practice.

As clearly explained in Kay Oddone’s (2016) slide set and presentation ‘Develop your Professional Learning Network with Social Media’ , Personal/ Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) are “teacher-driven, global support networks that decrease isolation and promote interdependence”. Oddone gives many examples from people saying that the best learning occurs in and through networks. To amplify the advantage of being interconnected, Oddone also refers to George Siemens who claims that “We can no longer personally experience and acquire all the learning that we need. We derive our competence from forming connections”. These statements, together with the image ‘The Networked Teacher’ below made me realize why I should establish/ maintain more online networks. A practical tip I gained from Oddone’s slides included starting to receive some kind of research/ blog feed to my Outlook on research articles or blog posts in my professional interest areas. Growing my PLN simply makes sense and should help me perform better! The question is though how to find the time for following all this? Personally, I was positively challenged by Oddone’s concluding question: “Where will your PLN take you? Take me with you on your journey!” This remains to be seen, but thank you Kay for challenging me like this, basically to be more open to the idea that this is what ‘openness’ should also mean in my practice!

The Networked Teacher (cc
licenced (by-nc-sa) Flicker photo shared by Courosa)

About the second theme (how to use openly licensed resources) I found e.g. the intro video Openness and sharing in education by Kay Oddone and Alastair Creelman and their webinar on Openness in education very useful. I realized that I need to become acquainted with how to use Creative Commons licensed materials as well as how to produce such materials myself. Being open about my materials and doings may potentially lead to many unexpected opportunities. Yes, there are fears involved but they can be overcome through trial and error and sharing. Teachers who share openly online can be known worldwide and their popularity and impact may explode (not that I would need this! ;-)). One myth was clearly busted: open resources are not necessarily of less quality than databases since there is still a peer review process in place with OER as well and the universities need to consider their reputation regarding these resources.

What surprised me a bit about Kay Oddone’s (2019) materials on open pedagogies: Transforming and empowering learning was that it sounded like it was the first time:

…we are seeing the need to transform our understanding of learning. Open pedagogy recognises students as fellow learners, and education as richer than a simple transactional process where students are consumers and teachers are the producers or holders of that knowledge. It values the humanity within education.This transformation also challenges us to reflect upon the way we relate to and understand the role and identity of the student. If we are all learners together, then a pedagogy of kindness such as the one Catherine Denial describes makes perfect sense.

Since open pedagogy, as also defined by Oddone (2019), is learner driven and considers “how students can exercise greater agency and autonomy in their learning and learn through creation as much as (or more than) consumption”, it should not perhaps be presented as anything new, as should not the pedagogy of kindness by Catherine Denial mentioned above. They are an inherent part of student autonomy, which has been around and researched already for decades (e.g. Little (1995),  Little (2007) and many others). As such, I agree with all the guidelines given by Oddone for this type of pedagogy:

• Student negotiated/directed
  curriculum – allow students to contribute their thoughts and ideas as to
  what areas of curriculum to focus upon
• Production centred learning –
  not all learning must be through consumption; active, constructionist
  learning opportunities are often richer and more authentic!
• Student curated resources –
  challenge students to contribute resources which the cohort will learn
  through – an exercise in information literacy as well as content
  knowledge.
• Kill the ‘disposable
  assignment’ : “assignments that add no value to the world – after a
  student spends three hours creating it, a teacher spends 30 minutes
  grading it, and then the student throws it away.” David Wiley

Creelman, A.
& Oddone, K. (2019). Openness and
sharing in education, online webinar, accessed 14 October 2019, https://play.lnu.se/media/t/0_o3kepcds

Creelman, A.
& Oddone, K. (2019). Openness in
education, online webinar on 18 October 2019, https://play.lnu.se/media/t/0_oshgd4j8/

Little, D. (1995). Learning as
dialogue: The dependence of learner autonomy on teacher autonomy, accessed 28
October 2019, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0346251X95000066

Little, D. (2007). Language Learner Autonomy: Some Fundamental
Considerations Revisited. Innovation in
Language Learning and Teaching 1 (1), 14–29, accessed 28 October 2019, https://ppli.ie/images/Language_Learner_Autonomy.pdf

Oddone, K. (2016). Linking
Learning, The Professional Portfolio of Kay Oddone, accessed on 28 October
2019, http://www.linkinglearning.com.au/ple-or-pln-or-lms-or-oln/

Oddone, K. (2019). Linking
Learning The Professional Portfolio of Kay Oddone, accessed on 28 October 2019,
http://www.linkinglearning.com.au/open-pedagogies/

Siemens, G. (2004). http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm  (accessed on 12 October 2019, but seems like
this is no longer available)

Wiley, D. iterating toward
openness pragmatism before zeal, https://opencontent.org/blog/archives/2975