apcampbell

I find Sebastian’s recent post on webogs and self-directed learning to
be timely, as I am currently exploring the related concepts of autonomy
and ‘deep learning’ with the view that personal webpublishing
practices are well suited for encouraging meaningful learning
strategies, especially for those studying in
institutionalized settings.  In response to a quote from Phillip Candy
(1991) on the value of ownership, Sebastian says:

I am sure that some of you will see immediate parallels to aspects of
personal Webpublishing here. After all, “ownership” has been identified
by numerous people as an (maybe “the”…?) important variable for
prolonged and satisfying engagements in Weblog authoring. While a lot
of people have a hard time to see what is so special about personal
Webpublishing practices for learning, I still have to find an
educational technology that would offer the same potential to develop a
strong sense of ownership and control over content and tools in
relatively short periods of time. And this is why I continue to explore
its value for self-study and autodidaxy… and a potential transition
from one mind-set to the other.  [Sebastian Fiedler]

I recognize that a sense of ownership is indeed important for a
‘prolonged and
satisfying engagement’ with the medium.  Equally important is not
only the ‘control over content and tools’ but also contol over the direction of
the learning process.  Crucial, though, for some learners, is the
sense of “authenticity” that comes from the practice of
webpublishing.  Ownership alone isn’t sufficient to sustain
their prolonged interest.  For example, students own the essays they write
in a
college course and have control over some or most of the content, but
since the professor is the only one who might
read them, most of the students only continue the practice until the semester
is
over.  Once the learning experience successfully transcends
the formal boundaries of the classroom through personal webpublishing
and is recognized as valid, might the likelihood of a move towards
autodidaxic behaviours in
learners be hightened?  Might the experience of having more
control over one’s learning in an authentic space be more
enjoyable?