One fundamental milestone in my learning toward connective thinking was my first personal learning report portfolio I completed in May 2004 when participating the last pilot course belonging to the European Union Socrates Programme Minerva Project "Intercultural Learning in the Internet". Holistic Cultural Competence Assessment (HCCA) Learning Model (Copyright Lic.Educ. Venla Varis) was built into the first protype level during that course.
An essential part of finalizing the HCCA Learning course was creating a Personal Development Plan. HCCA Learning Model is fully based on transformative learning. I was describing connectivism in my earlier Twitwall post that connectivism and connective learning equals transformative learning, added with the social elements created by the use of web 2.0 collaboration, network building and sharing.
Us participating the HCCA04 were like us participating the CCK08 this autumn. There were no previous courses - meaning no examples of previous outcomes of learning according to the emerging new model.
When creating my transformative personal development plan from scratch - it was as follows:
"My key areas of development (in May 2004, learning according to the HCCA Model): Self management – from the point of view of the group I collaborate with. Methods: Deepening my understanding of my impact by consciously paying attention to it, self-assessment tools. Development themes from around the world - Related with my studies I’ve recently familiarized with the development themes of the European Union: Europe to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based society in the world by the end of this decade. – I intend to learn the corresponding themes regarding the Asia-Pacific, the Americas, Africa. Method: Collecting and analyzing information from the media. The meaning of the spirit - Learning more about, what was the theme of the chapter 8 of the module 1.2 of the HCCA Model: Harmony exists in many collective cultures - Holy Spirit in Christian cultures - Internal energy. Method: Collecting and analyzing information from books."
And this is what I called KEY AREAS...?!! Realizing my personal development plan was tightly bound with my further learning, project work - and especially with a heavy and long bureaucratic fight in order to arrange for proper care for my differently abled son. I really truly was fully learning all the above areas - non stop.
Reflections originated by the CCK08 course have made me realize that I've managed to follow my personal development plan quite thoroughly, no exceptions on the way. Now I realize as well that us CCK08 participants - quite many of us I believe - face the same situation as us when completing the HCCA04. Loading more and more objectives for further learning - and no previous practical examples existing of how to start to complete it?!
When I compare HCCA04 and CCK08 - there's one significant difference. And that's the successfulness of the network building during the course. The network with whom to proceed was lacking after HCCA04 - although it otherwise included a convincing amount of connective elements. Writing this post is an evidence of a supporting learning network existing - increasing my self-confidence enough for continuing. Day by day.
I realize I've been somewhat afraid of facing - what's waiting after starting the real emergent learning phase after the scheduled theme weeks of the CCK08 course. I just couldn't have taken another four years of the kind of learning HCCA04 caused - no matter if the transformation started by it was for me a point of no return in a most positive sense. Two weeks of sharing my personal learning node construction has clarified the case - this time my emergent learning is / will be different. (Micro/photo)blogging cuts it into manageable pieces. And there's always someone who - if not already created a solution - struggles/creates/enjoys/innovates/wins/looses => learns facing similar occasions. My today's visualization (CC my Flickr):
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