I loved the idea of the Between the Chapters conversations and found them really valuable alongside Weller’s (2020) chapters. I wish more books did something like this! Connectivism, in particular, made me think about the difference between sharing information and sharing experience. Organizations have many ways to distribute information. But some knowledge comes from actually doing the work.
Working in Learning and Development within a national organization, this got me thinking about my own work. I see a real strength in the amount of experience that exists across different teams and roles. At the same time, our national reach can make it harder for those experiences to travel. I think there is an interesting tension there. How do we learn from what others have tried and what they would recreate or do differently?
The Between the Chapters conversation about Second Life also caught my attention, especially the focus on role-playing, play and experimentation. These are things I have been thinking more about in relation to experiential learning. In L&D, we can share information about what happened or what someone learned, but that is different from giving people an opportunity to work through a situation themselves. That distinction really stuck with me. Sharing information is important, especially when learning needs to reach people across a national organization, but sometimes people also need a chance to practise. Practice gives people a chance to make decisions, see what happens and reflect on the experience. It makes me think about where, within L&D, we could create more opportunities for people to practise and learn through experience.
AI Transparency Statement: I used AI to support editing, sentence structure, and clarity. The reflections and final choices are my own.
References
Weller, M. (2020). 25 years of ed tech. Athabasca University Press. https://doi.org/10.15215/aupress/9781771993050.01
13 September 2026 at 3:47 pm
Hi Renata!
Your distinction between sharing information and sharing experience really stood out to me. I teach employment-readiness programs for adult learners, and I see this difference all the time. I can explain how to handle a difficult customer or answer an interview question, but understanding the information is very different from actually having to respond in the moment.
This is why I find role-playing and practice so valuable. Learners have a chance to try something, make mistakes, adjust their approach, and try again in a safe environment. Your post made me think that technology may be most useful in experiential learning when it creates opportunities to practise rather than simply providing more information.
It also made me wonder how organizations can create those kinds of practice opportunities when learners are spread across different locations. Could simulations or virtual role-playing help bridge some of that gap?