Tags

In 1987 to 1989, I kept a learning log (much like the one posted above); it was a requirement for my B. Ed. degree. Actually I need to be more specific; student teachers enrolled in the education program at the University of Alberta were required to keep a learning log that reflected their classroom experiences. With each practicum, we recorded  our highs and lows. The roller coaster ride was terrifying and thrilling. The learning curve was so great it seemed unmeasurable at the time. Of course, we were measuring this curve on a daily basis, and we used our logs to accomplish this. I still have mine. Once in awhile, I like to drag the book out, dust it off and read it–especially when no one else is around. Sometimes I am surprised by the frank tone used to capture my joys and sorrows; sometimes I am not. What I love most about this time capsule is how it enables me to witness the learning journey of my former self – my naive self. What a strange delight.

Fast forward to 2012. Once again I am keeping a learning log. Only this time most learners would call the learning log a blog. Even stranger is the fact that this blog is posted on-line,  using an electronic device (a desktop computer, a laptop, a smartphone), so that others may read and comment upon it, if they wish. Pen and paper are a thing of the past. Privacy seems like a long lost option.Yet there is something freeing about it. A learner can  post from anywhere, with the right device. A learner can hide a post, or a page, and keep it at the same time. A learner can still record and reflect upon terrifying and thrilling classroom adventures; but now he or she may use print, audio, and/or audiovisual images as forms of expression. A learner can upload files and store them; such documents can be displayed or not, it is up to the learner. A learner can track entries with ease thanks to categories and tags. A learner can share instructional materials and learning projects with a simple post.  More importantly, though, a learner is still able to learn. What a strange delight.

“The wisest mind has something yet to learn.”

 George Santayana 

Image found here: http://www.freeimageslive.co.uk/files/images008/open_notebook.jpg