During the last online class in a breakout session I had a chance to voice my frustration that I felt like there was pressure to accept the concept of openness wholeheartedly – a position I am not convinced of taking. I stated that open education was not my bandwagon, perhaps because I have been teaching for over twenty years and I am set in my ways, or perhaps (also because I have been teaching for quite some time) I am skeptical of new fads and think critically and patiently about ideas and concepts before devoting significant time, attention and emotion to them.
When I began reading When inclusion excludes: a counter narrative of open online education I was relieved and thankful to read a scholarly piece that reflected my thinking on the subject of openness. I have struggled with feeling pressure to accept the ideology of openness as a political statement, belief or philosophical foundation for my teaching practice. And quite frankly, I don’t accept the ideology of openness without significant skepticism. In my experience, there is very little black and white and openness is no exception.
Although the article is quite philosophical and wordy (but what scholarly article isn’t?) I found it beneficial to read some thoughtful opposition and critiquing of the open movement. It was eye-opening to listen to Haidt’s lecture and to read about the battle between social justice and truth, and inclusion versus logic. Fascinating. The inventory of social media interactional patterns and the discussion column had me laughing out loud as I imagined an argumentative and judgmental mother-in-law making those comments, or watching a cleverly written dialogue on a TV show. Very entertaining, indeed!
The next reading, “What does the Postdigital’ Mean for Education?” also took a critical look at technology, and questioned whether technology enhances our existance and promotes social equality or perhaps it disconnects us from one another and our natural environment. After discussing two prominent definitions of postdigital, Knox investigates the economic impacts of technology, the development of educational policy regarding technology, and technology’s impact on the environment.
My mind wandered while reading this article, considering how dependent education is on technology, whether education should become dependent on technology or if we should be deliberate in keeping education more relational and a tool or supplement to the curriculum and the learning experience (unless, of course, you teach technology!) I have been purposeful in making sure that I can do my job in the absence of technology, as it is not always available or reliable in my school. I am once again wondering about the stakeholders (ie. google) and the economics of technology in education, and the personal rights and freedoms of both teacher and student to resist technology. Once again, I am reminded how removed the researcher can be from the practice.
Finally, I wish the reading Education before Regulation: Empowering Students to Question Their Data Privacy would give some examples of the types of information that can get student in trouble. What specific information should we be warning students about sharing? As an adult, I often think my life is rather uninteresting and my data of little consequence. I don’t worry about sharing my age, gender, or even checking a box indicating range of household income. I believe the collection of common data is important for business and allows them to meet the needs of their customers better. I don’t believe that I am specifically being targeted because of my information (the only risk I can think of is using my credit card online and the potential for fraud – for which I am completely covered by my credit card. I know this because it has happened twice in the past 5 years!) Without specific examples that I can use to warn my students the data privacy statement given in this article is likely to be of little consequence to teenagers. And, quite frankly, to me. You’ll need to convince me that sharing generic personal information is a bad idea in order for me to change my ways, and this article did not.
My final thoughts after this week’s readings are that I enjoy the availability of open resources, however I still value some of the ‘old’ ways of accessing information. I do not feel the need to defend or promote one over the other when both currently exist and seem to offer unique benefits and advantages. I respect that people believe strongly in open education, and I appreciate their passion, however it just is not a passion for me. That being said, I am glad to learn more about it and I am please to be able to present and discuss this information with my students. Finally, I am aware that data collection and sharing is a hot topic, however I need more detailed examples to either confirm that my current practices are conservative enough or whether I need to be more careful online. Then, I will be better equipped to have impactful discussions with my students.
