As I write this I’m keenly aware that I have an unfinished bunny trail that I need to backtrack to. I find it interesting how “trail-like” blogging is, for me as a writer and a reader.
You start down one fascinating trail, reading somone else’s post, which gets you thinking about their topic. You investigate further, and write a post of your own. Your post is just opening the topic, you know you have more to read, think, and write about and so you leave the post open (Part I) and promise further exploration.
Next day, or next net session, you open bloglines and you’re faced with a new volly of targeted, engaging content that reveals a whole new set of really interesting trails to follow and ponder.
Your part I post is momentarily forgotten as you begin interacting with the new content.
This whole scenario just happened to me. Back on January 10, I started researching/reading/reflecting about portfolios, community, and professional development. Next day I found myself on an entirely different path.
Is this little story significant? To me, yes. To you - if you’re involved in web and teaching in a 2.0 environment - what do you think?
James over at Palimpsest redux explores this very issue and relates it to students. He says:
“My concern presents itself in the example of students interacting with texts and asking questions as to where the answer is without following through on reading the chapter or section in which the answer lies. The irony comes when students are not only interacting with text based materials, but when they are also used net-based materials. There seems to be a lack of follow through or engagement with the text (be it net or text based) in terms of reading for information. Students ask quickly for instruction, guidance, ‘the answer’, when the answer to their question lies within the text they are looking. I often find that my job is to point students back to the text/ web after glancing through myself and finding that, yes, the answer is there. Is this a reflection of the ‘digital native’s ’ compressed attention span? It seems that if some students don’t find the answer they seek within less than the time it takes for mtv to run a video (I would say more within the time of a typical commercial, approx. 30 sec.), they seem to give up.
The ‘hyperlink’ style of reading also seems to bring with it cognitive gaps , as students jump from skimming one topic to the next, in a style similar to ‘free association.’ The problem is, only students who are self motivated will come back on their own initiative to fill in those gaps. As a teacher, I find I am constantly pointing students back to topics or areas on the web/text that they should’ve covered in the first place. Hyperlink-style reading is great for keeping interest and for ‘specialised reading’ (read: reading only for what interests you personally), but seems to produce a pastiche style of understanding with a lot of gaps to fill in. Unfortunately, students who are not self motivated seem to turn to the teacher for the answers, instead of backtracking and filling in those cognitive gaps on their own.” (The risk of ‘tech savvy’ thinking and danger of opposing it…, James 2005)
“Hyperlink style reading.” I really like James’ take on this. How easy it is to just skim and not go deep. Or to leave some important stones unturned, and you as teacher needing to encourage your class to go back and fill in the blanks.
I wonder if there is a “hyperlink style learning” spin to this - both for students and teachers. Where what I was sharing above happens: getting hooked into following other lines of thought without first deeply exploring your first one.
Maybe there’s nothing wrong with getting lost in the jungle. Professional development is afterall done by the teacher, not TO them.
That “by the teacher” really should leave the door open for chaos - where the only goal is the “upgrading of one’s mindset” (Dirty Business, Bright Ideas. Gina Imperato, 1997)
But what about the gaps? Learning should never have a period after it in the sense that it is an ongoing experience. However, as James points out, hypertext often invites gap leaving - both for students and teachers. In my case, I left a gap in my exploration around portfolios and community which I really want to double back to.
James also points out the importance of learning the art of the double back. Of being disciplined enough, and passionate enough to actually return to check under those key stones that were left unturned in our excited passing.
“Unfortunately, students who are not self motivated seem to turn to the teacher for the answers, instead of backtracking and filling in those cognitive gaps on their own.” (The risk of ‘tech savvy’ thinking and danger of opposing it…, James 2005)
The self motivated backtrack, be they students or teachers. I must be purposefull as I wade through the bit of the blogsphere that touches me, or I risk an incomplete picture - a knee deep experience when I could go for full submersion.
