Source: created by the author and Copilot Designer
The final week is behind us, so I hesitated with my reflection because I did not want to end this great journey. Only when my academic year ends, will I be able to fully contemplate what we learnt and lived through together. So, what have I learnt?
Regarding my teaching practice, I will explore further how to engage my students more fully in collaborative activities and expand their digital literacy skills. My teaching context could be best described as blended, so some of the activities are done through LMS, which is complementary to what we do in face-to-face classes. In the future, I would like to develop more online material and even a fully online course, that would be based on OER principles, and it’s ONL241 that inspired me to really start planning it already.
AI in learning and teaching
As Alfred Korzybski (1879-1950) [2] said ‘the map is not the territory’, which means that it is only a representation of reality, a map is not the physical terrain itself. General semantics teaches us the difference between the word (i.e., a symbol) and the real object it refers to, which limits the human ability to think, i.e. it can be manipulative. I would extend this thought to AI – it is powerful, but we need to be able to critically evaluate its usefulness and applicability in learning and teaching, and not let it manipulate our way of thinking and impede our own creativity. I say yes to AI , but it is as useful as we make it/want it to be. Btw, I love what the copilot designer did with my prompts for the image in this post.
Community experience
Having participated in the great PBL05 ‘Take V’ group, made me think about how we all belong to shared humanity, regardless of the constraints that classify us into different categories. The entire experience had a profound impact on my personal and professional life. All our different backgrounds, interests, principles were put together, mixed and remixed and we would end up heading safely to the shore. It was really inspiring to engage with everyone, to challenge each other and to join forces. I learned a lot by seeing things from different angles and by finally trying out some of the digital tools and AI apps. I understand that community work can be frustrating on occasion, but isn’t it how children learn, to begin with? If frustration is turned into a challenge, by dealing with it we grow and learn.
What’s next?
As Daniel J. Boorstin [3] said ‘ The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance – it is the illusion of knowledge’. So don’t shy away from digging deeper and challenging yourself.
Thank you ‘Take V’ – Alexandra, Annee, Cvijeta, Jamile, Shashank and our great facilitators Filip and Suzana, and the entire ONL241 team.
References
[1] Leonardo da Vinci Quotes. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved May 10, 2024, from BrainyQuote.com Web site: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/leonardo_da_vinci_380288
[2] https://www.britannica.com/science/general-semantics
[3] https://www.britannica.com/biography/Daniel-J-Boorstin
I agree with you, Dragana! It was really inspiring to see everyone engaged and challenged!