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1.1. what did you find interesting about the article? As trite as this may seem, I liked the cartoons and diagrams. I tend to be a more visual learner and illustrations can help, especially for something so abstract. Also, for me several quotes and topics were relevant and interesting to me because of my current workplace. I liked your discussion on "Learning as a New Form of Labor", especially your comment "Professional work can no longer simply proceed from a fixed educational background; rather, education must be smoothly incorporated as part of work activities fostering growth and exploration." Most companies are not very comprehensive in providing education for their employees. They provide training about their products - how to market, sell, and use them. But they fall short in providing education that builds on the skills of their employees. It is up to the employee to get this type of learning on their own. I also enjoyed the quote: "Design is an argumentative process, involving ongoing negotiations and trade-offs; it is also a collaborative process making increasing use of new social structures brought about by the advent of computer networks and 'virtual communities.'". The people I work with only see Design as the first part of the quote - an argumentative process with negotiations and trade-offs. Design discussions frequently turn into arguments. They fail to understand the collaboration part of design. It is a constant struggle. 1.2. what did you find not interesting about the article? Nothing. 2. what do you consider the main message of the article? To me the article discussed life-long learning and the impact of computer technology on that process. For learning to be relevant throughout our lives, we need to expand our use of technology tools. 3.1. click on one of the words in blue and see what happens. is this feature useful? I prefer that the information be incorporated in the article itself. For me using hyperlinks distracts from the flow of the information. Also, I usually read from a printed copy. I do not like to read from computer screen for two reasons: A. I consider reading to be a function separate from those provided by a computer; B. I seldom have the time or opportunity to read anything in one sitting, so I carry the information with me and read it whenever I have the opportunity. 3.2. in which other situations have you encountered this feature? Much of the information presented on the WWW utilizes hyperlinks. Whether a website is educational or commercial, hyperlinks are the most commonly used tool for linking information. 4.1. do you know any of the people mentioned in the diagrams: I have never heard of any of the people mentioned. The study of design, learning and collaboration is new to me and I have not been exposed to any of the people mentioned. 4.2.2. in case you do not know something, find out something about her/him – write a paragraph what she/he has contributed to a deeper understanding of learning? I investigated Jean Piaget by going to the website www.piaget.org. Piaget was a brilliant scientist skilled in the areas of psychology, sociology, and genetic epistemology. His primary field of interest was the development of the human mind and how we acquire knowledge. He believed that "the growth of knowledge is a progressive construction of logically embedded structures superseding one another by a process of inclusion of lower less powerful logical means into higher and more powerful ones up to adulthood". Basically, the knowledge that children have is different from the knowledge that adults have. NOTE: The website mentioned above provided a little humor and irony about learning from the web. It contains a special notice to students: "If you are looking for material on Piaget's work, you may be disappointed by this site. But please try the Student page, the biography of Piaget, or the Links page for some suggested readings and other resources." This page recommends various textbooks and suggested readings. At the bottom of the Student Page, it further comments: "If you still insist on getting something about Piaget from the web, try this link: Time Magazine's 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century." This website discourages learning from the web. 5. identify one website (and mention the URL) which you consider interesting and relevant for "learning." Write a one paragraph justification! http://java.sun.com As a java programmer, I use this website a lot and I think it does a good job of providing for continuing education, especially in the workplace. It gives detailed information about Java API; every method, field and constructor provided in the Java language by SUN is described. If you have forgotten what construct does or if you are unfamiliar with a construct, you can easily access the information. Also, this website provides excellent tutorials and articles on its technology. Whether you are new to a particular Java functionality or a seasoned Java programmer, there is relevant and useful information provided on this site. Every Java programmer I know has spent time at this website. |
