10 Days to Learning

Email Update:

     I received an email from my Admissions Coordinator at Western Governor's University yesterday. Every person that I have dealt with at WGU has been very professional and friendly. This is email was to remind me that I am scheduled to begin my coursework on February 1st. It was also to make sure that I get all of my logistics taken care of before the cutoff date. I have been ready to go for weeks! I am chomping at the bit to get going on this.

     My first "class" is called Education Without Boundaries. From what I know, this is required of every student attending WGU for the first time and is a kind of tutorial. Every online school is different and it important to learn how each one works in terms of course structure and basic things like course access, submitting work, and grading. Education Without Boundaries is sure to provide me with the foundation I need to make a smooth transition to the world of online learning. I cannot WAIT!

Shane

Learn by Looking

“We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself.” - Lloyd Alexander

This quote is the inspiration behind the name of my blog but what does it mean? Quite simply, Alexander is saying that we learn from our mistakes. However, I believe that the phrase "learn by looking" tells us that our greatest educational advancements come from knowledge that is sought after, not that which is forced upon us.

I am about to begin a journey to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Special Education at Western Governors University. WGU is an online school that was founded by 19 state governors and uses what they call a "competency-based approach" to learning. In short, what this means is that once you can prove, through various assessments, that you really know that material in a given area then you can move on to the next area of study. But what has this to do with learning by looking?

Well, WGU also does not have teachers in the traditional sense. Much of a student's learning comes from the rigorous trek through a multitude of resources in which the they must ascertain what is relevant and what is not. In other words, students must LEARN by LOOKING. That is my quest and this is my blog: Learn by Looking.

Enjoy your stay!

Shane