Open Pedagogy- a semi reflection

I found a blog about open education written by David Wiley, a creative fellow and adjunct faculty at Brigham Young University. He discusses lots of topics surrounding the topic of open pedagogy, or OER (open educational resources). 

He gave a nice analogy in 2013 about how OER differs from traditional textbook-lecture class structure and how that should be celebrated. The analogy reads, "Using OER the same way we used commercial textbooks misses the point. It’s like driving an airplane down the road. Yes, the airplane has wheels and is capable of driving down on the road (provided the road is wide enough). But the point of an airplane is to fly at hundreds of miles per hour – not to drive. Driving an airplane around, simply because driving is how we always traveled in the past, squanders the huge potential of the airplane."

I like this analogy because it highlights application of material learned or researched. Yes, you can read a textbook or drive an airplane, but to learn (or fly) you must learn to apply, understand, question, and augment. This class is a lot like learning to fly an airplane. Not only does writing a primer, keeping a portfolio, and researching/presenting a topic help us learn and remember in a new way, but the self direction and forced accountability helps us 'take- off' professionally. As I've mentioned in a far past class, I go home and talk about what I learned that day, I apply it to my current relationships and projects, and I vividly remember lessons and activities that I found valuable. I cannot say that for most other classes.