Teacher as DJ, Learning as Energy

How often do we miss the obvious? David Wiley compares the teacher to the DJ, and notes that they face similar challenegs. When obvious restlessness sets in, how can you keep the beat going? Teachers learn to shift gears, change their approach, to keep the class with them. Teachers infuse the learners with the “beat”, the passion, the intensity of their own energy and the learners give off their energy. But how can we express that energy through online education? As David says we have to

“pay attention to the social component of these experiences is so much more critical in online learning. We must set up channels through which people can exchange this energy, and those serving as teachers must be ready and willing to respond to that energy.”

Uploading and presenting static content sure isn’t the answer. We have to work at creating a social learning experience that can be delivered online and/or offline. Of course that means we have to get out of the box of the LMS.