This is a project to learn about something you are passionate or curious about involving distributed and open learning. That said, if you have overlapping interests (and wish to collaborate), you may work in pairs. You will design a learning plan for yourself and carry out weekly task analysis and curating and reporting of progress. Please consult inquiry tools found on the PSII website to assist you. The purpose of this assignment is to learn how to use a variety of distributed and open learning technologies throughout the learning process, from finding resources and people, to documenting, curating, and reflecting on your learning through a topic of interest to you.

A WordPress blog, using a template hosted on opened.ca, is recommended to document your progress, identifying and evaluating any resources you found, and documenting, curating, and reflecting on your progress. If you have a pre-existing WordPress blog, it may be used with specific categories to mimic the template. You are also expected to share your weekly posts with your learning pod. Each post should provide sufficient details on learning progress (through success or failure), links to resources, and relevant creative commons-licensed or copyright-free images. You should provide enough detail so that another learner aspiring to pursue the same learning goal could follow your journey. Your posts should include multimedia throughout. This summary should provide a clear and complete narrative of the progression of learning, showing evidence of deep engagement, and understanding.

You should use the category “free inquiry” on your blog for this assignment. You should use a category as per the naming convention provided on the website to add more detail to each post as it relates to a competency or competencies (e.g., “open educational resources”) and then tags for additional detail (e.g., “open textbooks,” “accessibility,” “sharability,” etc.). Public blog posts with categories matching the naming conventions provided will be copied/aggregated into our EDCI 339 Blog Feed.

You must also have your learning planning visible for your instructor. You may choose to make a Trello board can be used for an open inquiry learning plan documentation with input restricted to the instructor and other collaborators/mentors for input (such as learning pod members). Alternatives to Trello can be supported based on privacy preferences.

 

Open Inquiry Topics for Inspiration Involving Distributed and Open Learning (just to get you thinking, and this is not prescriptive or exhaustive – just to provide you a starting point for your own creativity):

  • The Future of Work: How will automation and AI redefine traditional careers?
  • Digital Identity & Privacy: What are the ethical implications of personal data collection?
  • Globalization & Local Culture: Does increased connectivity erode or enrich local traditions?
  • Sustainable Innovations: How can technology help combat climate change?
  • Decolonizing Education: What does an inclusive, decolonized curriculum look like?
  • Bias in Algorithms: How do AI and machine learning perpetuate systemic biases?
  • Power & Influence of Social Media: Does social media amplify meaningful discourse or fuel misinformation?
  • The Psychology of Motivation: How do intrinsic and extrinsic factors shape lifelong learning?
  • Community-driven Solutions: What role does grassroots activism play in solving global issues?
  • Ethics in Scientific Breakthroughs: How should society regulate controversial discoveries like gene editing?
  • Equity & Access in Online Education: How do socioeconomic factors shape digital learning experiences?
  • The Psychology of Remote Learning: Does studying in isolation impact motivation and cognitive development?
  • Gamification & Engagement: Can game-based learning improve knowledge retention in online courses?
  • The Future of Virtual Reality in Education: Will immersive VR environments redefine how we learn?
  • Self-Regulated Learning: What strategies help students stay motivated and disciplined in an asynchronous format?
  • The Role of AI in Personalized Learning: Can adaptive algorithms replace traditional instructors?
  • Open Educational Resources (OER): Does free access to learning materials democratize education?
  • Building Online Learning Communities: How do virtual collaborations compare to in-person interactions?
  • Privacy & Surveillance in Digital Education: Are students’ learning behaviors being monitored, and should they be?
  • The Changing Role of Educators: Are instructors becoming facilitators rather than traditional lecturers?