Dialectical Notebook

We’ve been asked to keep a Dialectical Notebook for our Seminar course. I’ve decided to also include this in this educational experiment in openness. I like the approach and hope to use in in not only the Seminar course and the MALS program, but in my professional career as I read journals, whitepapers, articles, etc.

While we were given the directions to use a notebook, I am using a wiki for a couple of reasons. First, if its online I can access it anywhere to add to or reference. Second its search-able, indexable and contextual. I can enter a key term and search all of my readings to find specific references, I can sort my topic, course or date, allowing me to find relevant information beyond the specific search term and finally it will allow others to comment on my comments. If I mis-interpret or mis a point completely, I would be great to hear other perspectives. This final point, aligns with my interests in open education: potentially, the whole world is in my class.

I have added the link titled “Notes/Readings” to the tool bar on the right.

Course Schedule

My first semester has begun and I have enrolled in two courses:

• Models of Critical Inquiry: Landscapes of Learning
• Seminar in Liberal Studies

“Opening” My Masters

I have begun a masters program at The State University of New York, Empire State College. As my area of focus will be on “Openness” (although I have come to learn that many of those deeper into the program change, rather refine, their focus), I thought I would apply the same open practices that I am interested in exploring and understanding in my formal education, to my formal education. Therefore, I will be posting all of my activity within the program and each course here; everything from reading and class notes, to papers and the instructor’s responses.

My hope is to create a laboratory for practicing and assessing the ideas and issues with openness as well as harvest–what I believe at the start of this program–the benefits of openness. For example, I would be very interested to use this site, i.e. an open format, to learn from others regarding my readings, research, writing, etc., who are outside the traditional context of a course, my program, the college and even the academy.

I am not at all sure what this will provide me, but it just seems too interesting not to do.