Tomorrow is built on today’s education
I truly believe that tomorrow is built on todays education. If that is the case, open education is more important then ever before with the current state of the world. Sound education is one of the greatest gifts that a person can give or receive. The possibilities for giving that gift are ever increasing as technology becomes more accessible to the world. The thing that really excites me about open education is the idea that anyone can contribute, make a difference, and learn, if they but have the desire.
Education is intimately intertwined into every aspect of everyone’s life. The more I learn about open education the more I “geek out” about it. The concept of learning through service to others would have revolutionized my elementary education experience as it is now thrusting my learning forward and my thirst to learn and share deeper.
I would be honored and ecstatic to be able to attend the Open Education Conference for 2009 in Vancouver. I will bring excitement and enthusiasm for open education, plenty of questions, and an unquenchable desire to learn and contribute. I have been working with a professor at Brigham Young University Idaho on some testing ideas to make tests a better feedback tool for the student and the teacher. Also, throughout my higher education experience I have been frustrated with the use of technology in learning. This frustration comes both from forced web technology use that distracts from real learning and the disregard of web tools that could revolutionize outcomes of students learning and experience. I think the hardest thing is getting others to realize the potential of open education. Once that is understood and the fire is lit, the rest will happen naturally. I look forward to learning more about what I can do to make the world and my university a better place and how I can spread the fire for open education.