Over the past week, I have been able to watch some exciting presentations on several digital learning resources as part of LRNT 526 of the MALAT program. I have received information about LYNDA, TedEd and Open Educational Resources (OER). I was excited to learn about new possibilities to integrate some new resources into my online and face to face (F2F) classes. Early learning is an underrepresented field of study, and in the past, I have had difficulties in finding materials such as videos and open educational resources for this discipline. It was not surprising to me that when searching the database of LYNDA and TedEd, I could not find resources that focused on topics I would be teaching. I have run into the same problem with OER in the past. So, amidst the thousands of resources and materials, I am still left with the reality that instructors in my field of study have to create resources to create availability. This discovery brought me to reconsider my journey of inquiry in the field of early learning. I find myself continuously seeking new knowledge, adding to my experiences and knowledge, and at the same time feeling grounded in the process of discovery (Justice et al., 2009). This process of life long learning and researching has been an element of learning amongst most of the faculty I work with, and it certainly has been an approach in how we design and deliver our curriculum to students. We make inquiry-based learning a focus in most of our courses and have expectations on our students to be able to engage in this type of learning. Sitting on the other side of the table as a student myself, I experience the pros and cons of this pedagogy, and it has allowed me to create more space for my student’s reluctance to want to inquire. To engage in inquiry-based learning requires critical thinking and assimilation of knowledge that goes beyond the topic at hand (Justice et al., 2009). Inquiry-based learning does not supply easy solutions, nor does it always deliver answers to questions. Inquiry-based learning often leaves the student with more questions than they started with, and it does not supply a road map for learning, instead, it asks the student to draw their own map. This self-directed learning approach can be exhausting, and I have to admit just like my students, sometimes I want someone to just give me the answer! This cognitive exhaustion brings me back to my experience this past week. LYNDA, TedED and OER did not give me what I wanted and did not supply me with an easy answer. However, inquiry-based learning also means to collaborate (Justice et al., 2009) and to contribute to a community to make the collective better than it was before. I guess I better continue to create resources that can be shared with other instructors and can be added to LYNDA, TedEd and OER in the future, making each of them a better resource for instructors of my discipline. I am curious to hear from other instructors about their experiences with online resources or their own inquiry-based learning journeys.<\/p>\n
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