kBURST

Following decades of experience as a behavioral psychologist and instructional designer, my philosophy of learning in the 21st century has come to maturity. Observing digital natives engaged in learning activities reveals a different approach than the one to which we digital immigrants are accustomed. Traditionally, learning has taken a back seat to “topics.” If we were to explore the nature of Newtonian science, we might conclude that the world is a large mechanism - created with many functioning parts. However, this mechanistic perspective fails to explain “synergy” or the unpredictable impact of the interaction of the cumulative parts.

Einsteinian science acknowledged that there was something more than just the mass, there was energy. This energy was directly related to the mass, but there was more. In the 21st century, we have access to more information than has existed in any other time of human existence. Certainly, it is necessary to evaluate the credibility of ALL information before labeling it as “true.”

I remember the words of a wise Lakota man, who once said to me … “Everything I say to you is a lie, until YOU find it to be true”

More than just the simple platitude - if you want to understand someone, you must first walk a mile in their shoes - my friend was trying to remind me that everyone has their own unique perspective. Even someone who appears to be out of touch with reality, has a reality of their own. The problem is that we want to make our own reality the reality that other’s must accept. The truth is, the world is as YOU see it.

Arlene G. Taylor (1995) published the article “The information universe: will we have chaos or control?” and today, I think we are finding that digital learners understand how to bring control from the chaos. Knowledge bursts, knowledge bursting, rapid learning - is essential give the rate at which new information is being published every second, of every minute, of every single day!

I also want to mention that the idea for knowledge bursts evolved out of discussions with colleagues about compressed learning - so I would like to thank them for sharing their ideas and their vision for what online learning can become. I particularly want to acknowledge Sam Backert and recognize his “Biology Minute” for being an example of “one topic at a time” learning, which really help refine the idea of rapid learning/instruction. David

Reference: Taylor, A. G. (1995). The information universe: will we have chaos or control? American Libraries. 25(7), 629-631 http://www.pitt.edu/~agtaylor/articles/TaylorInfoUniv.pdf