WEEK 9-BLOG 5

The World is Open: How Web Technology is Revolutionizing Education

Webinar with Curtis Bonk December 3, 2009, The Future of Education

I know this webinar is a little dated, but I searched the Future of Education website for any archived webinars with Curtis Bonk, since we are reading two of his books.  I found a webinar in which Curtis Bonk discusses his The World is Open book when it was first released.  I thought it would be a good webinar to view to supplement and enhance my understanding of his ideas.  

First of all, Curtis Bonk is quite a character!  The moderator of the webinar even asked if he had interests in drama since he is very animated and used props during his interview.  He was quite entertaining to watch and listen to!

            Curtis Bonk started the interview with mentioning The World is Open book is available on his website, worldisopen.com, for free as an e-book, but is titled The World is More Open. He states that there is more content in the e-book.  I was wondering this as I was reading his book, “why aren’t I reading this book as an e-book?”  So, it looks as though it is possible to read the book for free online and perhaps it would provide more information that the print book.  It would definitely be worth looking into for more resources and information.

            Curtis Bonk explained that his 10 Openers are a way of opening up education for anyone to learn anything from anyone at anytime.  He says he is not trying to reform or restructure schools, but rather explain what is possible.  He talked about how there are thousands of ways one can learn from a seventeen-year old, for instance, and that people should not be overwhelmed with all the different ways, but instead, focus on understanding at least of few of these options.  If people understand and use the few options, then they can get excited about learning, find new information on their own, be self-directed in learning, and learn in informal settings.

            Curtis Bonk elaborated on how people and companies are moving towards sharing content and collaborating with others.  In his experience, some of his best work has been with collaborating on projects.  He used the example of Best Buy, Intel, and IBM, major companies that were once secretive, but are now fostering collaboration and sharing information and content to attract workers and bring people into the company.  Now, many companies rely on systems such as Google Documents, Ning, WikiSpaces, and PBWiki to share and collaborate.  During 1999-2001 many companies used language like “smart,” “knowledge,” and “collaboration,” but were unable to define these terms and what it meant to learn.  Companies during this time would just throw out terminology to sell a product, but in reality, there was nothing to sell because they did not know what these terms actually meant and entailed.  Bonk stated that he found it “depressing” that many companies use “virtual world” or “social networking,” and they don’t know how to define or use it.

            Bonk also talked about Free Learning Zones, characterized by Opener #10, Networks of Personalized Learning.  He states that the webinar we are participating in now is a Free Learning Zone and the reason why he participates in them is because he likes doing it, builds reputation, builds a brand, and is a way to expand the audience.  He talks about Worldbridges, which provides free Webcasts to connect people in learning forums that want to discuss, interact, and collaborate with diverse people from around the world.  Jeff Lebow started Worldbridges after quitting his job because he wanted people to use the Internet to create global Webcasting, not for monetary gains.  Also, something Bonk said really stuck with me, “you do not need the Internet to be impacted by the Internet.”  How true is that?!  He gave the example of the 1KG Program where kids without Internet access make connections and new careers just from people that visit.

            Bonk states that innovation (dissemination and sharing of ideas) and technology is changing so fast that many people tend to opt-out due to fear.  The WE-ALL-LEARN and R2D2 models are so important because they pull in a new announcement that happens and people are able to find new technology.  Many educators fear what it taking place (technology) but then many think, “heck lets try it and see what happens.”

            Bonk very quickly reviewed some of the 10 Openers (time was running out) and I thought it was interesting that he hesitated even putting the first opener into the book because he thought it was the least important.  He stated he was shocked that it had taken-off (e-books), and in fact, Openers 1,4, and 10 have really taken off since the release of his book, which he didn’t expect.  In discussion of Opener 4, he stated he was surprised when President Obama put $50 million aside for free high school and community college courses.  He thinks this is a smart direction for the country to go because there are so many children, especially males ages 16-22, that are dropping out of high school and college that this is a great way to help prevent students from dropping out.

            Bonk talked briefly about the macro trends: the piping, the pages and participatory culture.  He stated that these trends are converging and if any of the Openers were to happen it would be a revolution and the fact that all 10 Openers are happening is phenomenal.  He thinks this will be a “learning century.”

            During the question and answer session, someone had asked how we deal with the enormous amount of content available.  Bonk stated that it is important to look at the quality of the information and he uses sites that have peer evaluation embedded within the content.  He also thinks that you should provide a guide for yourself, like he provides to his students.  He gives them 10 resources, but gives them the option of choosing 4-5 to focus on; that way they are not overwhelmed and receive a palette of options in which some may be text, video, etc.

            Finally, a question, which I often wondered as well, is how one gets Administrators on board with technological changes in the classroom?  Bonk says that there are four levels the Administrators go through: awareness, resistance, understanding, and usage.  He recommends having the Administrators try the technology out for themselves; have them use WikiSpaces and “feel” the benefits of the technology.  We should show the Administrators what is possible and give them real-world experience in collaborating in order for them to get on board and try something different.

            I really enjoyed this webinar and even though it is from 2009, the information is still relevant and supplements the book well.  I recommend that you check out this webinar; Bonk is pretty entertaining!  I have learned a significant amount from reading his book and now can further tie the elements together after watching this webinar.