The Learning Space - new ways of knowing

It's funny, I've tried to write this entry three times over the last two months - each time it comes out sort of stale... new ways of knowing using new ways of communicating? There is a lot that is new, but old ways prevail often in terms of comfort, reliability (ie. better the devil you know!), habit...all those things!

I've decided NOW to post this - gotta get the prickly fuzzies out! ;o) It was while reading this post at Weblogs in Higher Education, that I thought well, this is kind of saying how I'm feeling right now... a little frustrated, perhaps even a little jaded? Maybe jaded isn't the right word - more 'challenged' and not knowing exactly what the best tool(s) is/are to get into the swing of dealing with it! [Hmmm, sounds like a Gemini trait to me!]...

Source: Regina Russell

...bloggers stretch their own job descriptions, making new things normal a bit at a time...

The same goes for those of us hoping to push the bounds of our job descriptions, particularly in academia. What will the millenial academic be like? What will drive them? What will they strive for? Who will they look to? History? The future? The here and now?

I think, with this second, more considered, wave of e-learning particularly, we have a great opportunity to explore new ground in light of our pedagogies and practices in teaching and learning. We're on the verge of new discoveried... that's if we don't drown under the growing weight of administrative tasks and job descriptions which read more like video player instructions!

OK, maybe it's not that bad, but managing these frustrations is important if we are all to perform our duties and still feel creative and enthusiastic about our work/professions. As an ed designer, it's important to transcend these frustrations to be able to work with teaching academics on developing possibilities that can enhance their students' learning. I'm all for opening the curtains and sliding the window open a little to let in the fresh air, rather than saying don't open the window the fumes will come in!