Edited by Jonathan Vernon, Wednesday, 6 Feb 2019, 11:46
Each decade of my life has followed a similar chaotic pattern in which enthusiasms come and go. Not only have I gone on to gain my MAODE from the OU but I also have an MA in history. Since 2011 I ought to have gained a Senior Swim Coaching qualification too. This is something I am working on to complete right now using Recognition of Prior Learning.
In turn I have three modest jobs out of this: learning technologist in an FE/ HE college, digital editor for a WW1 Educational Charity and a Swim teacher Andrew coach.
I do wonder if the qualifications, certain,y at MA level have any value to these roles. By dividing myself into bits I am holding myself back. But having ADHD this is meant to be: thriving on variety.
I can spend too long reflecting and nit enough time doing and challenging myself. I am a diarist at heart and a blogger by default. I started a Learwning Technilogist blog for my new role from end of March 2018 and post most days. I blog less often in eLearning in Mindbursts and on,y occasionally add to blogs on the First World War and on Swim Coaching & Teaching.
The explosion of content available is astounding. It generally is a cas of Google it and someone, some many will have an answer.
I am making progress at llast learning French courtesy of Lingvist and Tandem.
I have failed to progress with my guitar or life drawing as both require a lot of time doing and frankly the digital learning I have tried has failed to engage me in any way. I will play the guitar again when I commit to a gig ! And my life drawing will pick up again when I start regularly appearing at classes again
And there are reasons to have sports like sailing - because you do ditch a lot of the digital. Dinghy sailing you are it being controlled by GPS and an autopilot either.
I fancied myself as a Digital Scholar 7 years back. Martin Weller suggested these would take a decade to emerge. Surely the likes of the Oxford Internet Institue attract and produce these. I went along thinking of adding to my MAs but as ever considered also the kngoing need to be earning at the same time.
9 years on I started an OU Student Blog