Topic: How to Build a Natural Swimming Pond
As an exploration of the implications of abundant content for lifelong learners, we were asked to partner up with a classmate and research a topic of interest. Upon completing our first meeting, reviewing a variety of different subjects of interest, we decided to research how to build a natural swimming pond. Neither of us has experience in the construction of natural swimming ponds. Environmental awareness is a hot topic, both in education and in everyday life. Building a natural swimming pond follows the theme of environmental awareness and is an alternative to the creation of a traditional swimming pool.
Sources of Digital Content
- Websites (personal)
- Blogs (personal)
- Commercial pool installers (opinion, FAQs and tips articles)
- Communities of practice websites
- Complete PDF manuals (communities of practice websites)
- Social media (Facebook, Reddit)
- Photographs (Google images, Pinterest)
- Youtube, Vimeo
- Wikipedia
- E-books
- Online university libraries (Royal Roads, Carleton)
Level of Abundance
In our original discussion, based on our assessment of environmental awareness as a hot topic in today’s world, we predicted that there would more than likely be a large quantity of material available on the web. This conclusion was accurate, as we culminated a collection of hundreds of sources on how to build a natural swimming pond.This collection included a multitude of do-it-yourself articles, videos, photographs, and documents. We also found several opinion-based articles on natural swimming ponds. However, these were mostly supplied by commercial pool companies.
The results from our searches, within Google.com and Bing.com, showed that the majority of the resource-based learning (RBL) (Weller, 2011) material on building natural swimming ponds originated from the general public. While the RBL material does come from a variety of individuals, it is the amount of material that gives the learner ability to compare with the different instructions made available. As Weller (2011) states “the ability to construct appropriate and rigorous knowledge from a range of sources is even more relevant” (p.8). Some articles and videos were found within communities of practice that involve environmental awareness or the building and maintenance of pools. While not directly related to pedagogy, these communities of practice, as outlined by Weller (2011), do promote “self-direction, user-generated content and social aspect” (p. 9).
Equipped for Use
Weller (2011) suggests that a pedagogy of abundance be based on some assumptions, one of which is a generative system. Weller cites Zittrain’s (as cited by Weller, 2008) argument that unpredictability and freedom, essential characteristics of the internet, create innovative developments. We found this to be true in the user-generated content outlining various designs and systems for natural swimming pools. There were many competing systems and opinions on best practices and safety concerns. Making use of this abundance of online material requires the learner to be equipped with methods for the dissemination of such a large body of information. George Siemens (as cited by Weller, 2011) proposed the theory of connectivism in that “learning takes place within a network” (p. 9). Siemen’s principles of connectivism outline the tools necessary for the learner to make use of the abundant content on the web. Anderson (n.d.) summarized these methods as the ability to “access, process, filter, recommend, and apply information with the aid of machines, peers, and experts within the learning network” (p. 43).Learners also can also locate field-related professionals on the web. As Weller states “it is not only content that is accessible” on the web, the learner now has “access to social networks of peers, experts, and learners” (p. 5). Instruction can be shared and delivered from a variety of individual sources. As with the abundance of learning material, there are more field-related experts who are readily available to share their thoughts and ideas in blogs and on forums (Weller, 2011).
Teaching the Content
Without the first-hand experience of building a natural swimming pond, we both came to the same conclusion; we would not be confident enough to teach a course on the construction of a natural swimming pond without the experience. However, we could comfortably aggregate enough available information and instruction from the abundance of digital content available on the web to create an online step-by-step course. This online course would have to include a disclaimer as the learner would be responsible for the construct of their natural swimming pond.
References
Anderson, T. (2016). Chapter 3: Theories of Learning with Emerging Technologies. In Veletsianos, G. (Ed). Emergence and Innovation in Digital Learning: Foundations and Applications. Edmonton, AB: Athabasca University Press.
Weller, M. (2011). A pedagogy of abundance. Spanish Journal of Pedagogy, 249, 223–236.
September 28, 2017 at 8:50 am
Thank you for the insightful post Darin and Mary Ellis!
I am left wondering: Do you feel that you learned how to build a natural swimming pond after engaging in this exercise? If so, what does that tell you about the learning theories we studied? If not, what do you think is missing?
P.S. I posted this comment on both of your blogs, but feel free to respond individually
October 9, 2017 at 3:16 pm
Hi George, one of the most interesting experiences in this research for me involved an offline coincidence. I spoke to my neighbor about my interest in the subject during my research and he mentioned that he had built many of them for clients in our area. The resonance of his personal experience with the material online meant more to me on an emotional level than any, one source I found online. For me, everything online *felt* very theoretical in comparison to the personal account of an acquaintance. Both Darin and I felt that there was more than enough information online to create a step by step guide, but lacked confidence without personal experience. This experience of talking with my neighbor and the increased confidence this gave me in the material I was finding online reinforces the role of social connectedness in learning.
October 1, 2017 at 12:37 pm
Hi Mary and Darin,
very interesting topic and very informative. You stated that you don’t feel confident enough to teach the course without the experience but could create an online course. It is hard for me to separate the two. From my personal experience, I believe creating a course ( even an online one) requires more expertise that teaching. What factor gives you the confidence to be able to create the course?
Thank you!
May
October 9, 2017 at 3:05 pm
Hi May, good point! We did mention that any online material we might create would have a caveat. I can speak for myself when I say that I would feel comfortable synthesizing a step by step guide based on existing online resources.
In an ironic coincidence, I spoke to my neighbor who had built “tons of them” for his clients. The interesting thing to me in this was that his personal endorsement of these pools was more meaningful to me, on an emotional level, than any other research I conducted.
October 9, 2017 at 3:23 pm
Hello May, good question! Both Darin and I felt that if we were to create a step by step guide based on our research it would need a caveat that the information was based on research and not personal experience. I think the assertion that we would not feel confident to teach is based on the amount of time we spent researching and comparing sources. It was evident from a cursory glance that the information was there should we want to pursue creating a tutorial based on the online content.
October 3, 2017 at 6:16 pm
Hello Mary and Darin,
Your topic is totally original! I find the idea quite unexpected, and the research for information you did reveals how -almost for anything that comes to mind, there is always somebody else walking the path ahead of us.
I wonder… what kind of information that you find at a commercial swimming pools business might be of use for a natural swimming pond?
Nice job!
Alfonso
PS. Darin, I miss the photos!
October 9, 2017 at 2:59 pm
Hi Alfonso, sorry for the late approval and reply! I see you made the comment on the 3rd. I did find a local outdoor landscaping and pond store listed as a great resource for making a natural swimming pool. I imagine there are some liability issues around proving services for such things.:)