I wanted anyone reading this blog to think about what really works in education. Self-directed and self-assessing learning is really possible in our lifetime. As I struggled to understand what we were suppose to think about and learn during this module, I began to think we may have reached a point in eLearning that might make possible the autonomy of students in deciding what they will learn about and create with Web 2.0 technologies. In fact they may reach far beyond anything we could direct them toward.
Along with self-directed learning is self assessment. The students takes responsibility for their learning and self-assesses what they have learned and where they need to go to accomplish the goals they have set for themselves. The instructor becomes the facilitator for their learning and helps direct them in their learning only by asking them how they are going to go about learning what they want to learn. Most of what the facilitatior does is formative assessment; as the first film shows us. Both elements of summative and formative assessment are found in this type of learning, since there is usually a project that is developing as the students reach for the goals they have set.
Watching the film, I think the thing that I thought the most about was how creative and driven the students were. Their final product was very high quality. They were able to take delight in the project and did not seem to care much about a grade; but rather they seemed to want to create something of value for everyone, including themselves to enjoy and share. I am not certain whether this type of learning will make a facilitator or instructor obsolete; but is much like the work of Sugata Mitra.
Sugata Mitra’s research is intriguing. It shows how students are involved in their own learning when teachers are not in the picture or in control of the learning process. The video on self-directed learning helps us understand that natural curiosity and wanting to learn drives not just young people but all people. As educators, we must help them on this journey by allowing them more freedom to make decisions about their learning and what they want to learn. It may even help us more fully understand why giving them assessment tools helps them to grow into self-directed and self-assessing intellectuals. Acceptance and autonomy or helping them believe they can do it seems to fire the passion they have to learn; while Web 2.0 gives them the tools to accomplish their goals.
JOYSTECHTOOL 
I am struck by your love of learning. It is such a positive and wonderful extension of how life should be led. In fact, as I think about it, its what is the challenge for most people – how do you realistically see and learn things in your life, so you can expand? To me, this is what true self-assessment is.
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Thanks you for your observant comments. Yes, I do love to learn! More importantly, I want to help those who want to learn to achieve their learning goals and move them toward self-directed learning. Incidently, I know what your credentials are and I am impressed! I know you are a teacher and wish you had taught me math. I still stumble on Algebra and can’t even imagine calculus, although my youngest daughter received a scholarship in math from the US Air Force. She turned it down to study in the language department and became an EMT with a fire depratment. My husband has trig skills and how he “gets it” I will never know.
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