It is official, my MALAT journey has begun. What could be better to initiate this expedition of collaboration and higher learning then with a Virtual Symposium. Experts in the field of education and virtual learning were able to give arousing personal insight into their occupations and in turn, allowed for thoughtful reflection and learning to take place by the select watching. I consider myself humbled yet emboldened to start this excursion into learning, education, and technology.

     Nelson Mandela once said, “education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world” (Strauss, 2013, p. 1). Reflecting back to the symposium, a common theme brought up numerous sessions was the development of change through educational or learning leadership. A theme that not only intrigued me, but one that I was keen in learning about. One instructor stated it best during her webinar when stating, that the role of instructional designers (IDs) and learning designers is to be “agents of change” (Cleveland-Innes, 2019, 15:50). Ironically enough, my main reason for starting this program was to be that ‘agent of change’ with regards to air traffic control learning within the Canadian Armed Forces. Garrison & Vaughan (2013) when documenting change and leadership within higher education summarized that “transformational institutional change…is predicated upon committed collaborative leadership that engages all levels of the institution” (p. 28). Cleveland-Innes and Garrison & Vaughan (2019; 2013) indicate that leaders of change and the institution of education are not separate entities within educational and learning frameworks, a position I thoroughly support and agree with.

     Another overarching concept I was able to unravel this past week: collaborative learning. Gokhale (2012) describes collaborative learning as: “an instruction method in which students at various performance levels work together in small groups toward a common goal.” I learned from this Virtual Symposium that a key aspect to collaborative learning is teamwork. Gokhale (2012) went on to state that, “advances in technology and changes in the organizational infrastructure put an increased emphasis on teamwork.” Overall, putting these two big learning epiphanies together have led me to conclude that I want to be a leader of change by committing myself to be a team player within a collaborative learning environment. This further led me to ask how does one accomplish the above? The answer is not simplistic in nature, yet one part of the answer could lie in the concept of open educational practices. In one presentation during the symposium, openness was described “as a vehicle for educational change” (Childs, 2019, 9:34). If the above goal is to be a leader of change, then it is not unfair to say that open educational practices is one aspect that may aid in that realization. In my current field, the instructional aerospace control community may have to adopt more open educational principles and pedagogy in order for change to be realized. In conclusion, this Virtual Symposium has been a thought-provoking and collaborative experience. I have a renewed sense of inspiration and intrigue into learning and technology.

References

Childs, E. (2019, April 15). Openness and Networked Learning M.A. Degree (video webcast). Retrieved from http://ow.ly/fFHu50qnns9

Cleveland-Innes, M. (2019, April 18). The Role of ID in Higher Education Reform (video webcast). Retrieved from http://ow.ly/s79f50qR2iq

Garrison, D. R., & Vaughan, N. D. (2013). Institutional change and leadership associated with blended learning innovation: Two case studies. The Internet and Higher Education, 18, 24-28. doi:                                      10.1016/j.iheduc.2012.09.001

Gokhale, A. A. (2012). Collaborative learning and critical thinking. Encyclopedia of the sciences of learning. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_910

Strauss, V. (2013, December). Nelson Mandela on the power of education. Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2013/12/05/nelson-mandelas-famous-quote-on-education/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.dc303a39d4d8