Week 6 -- wrap up -- lifelong learner

Reflect on what you have learned in the class and how you will use it professionally as both a lifelong learner and an instructional systems professional (or whatever field you’re in).

I am constantly admonishing my discussion board students that there is more, there is always more. That is, it is impossible for us to exhaust a given topic in a week and students should avoid signing out or cutting off discussion with a quipped, "Thanks, that's great!" Instead, threads should be continually extended until time runs out and we turn our attention to another topic. More, always, more, dig deeper, broaden the topic, chase tangents, clarify, verify, rectify -- it is a never ending process.

Similarly, one of my favorite quotes is "Sixty years ago I knew everything; now I know nothing; education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance" (Will Durant). That is, the more I know, the more I am aware of what I don't know. Anyone who thinks he knows it all is ignorant -- or very young.

In the Web 2.0 environment the pace of change is relentless. Anyone who thinks he is master of all web 2.0 tools is probably unaware of the diversity and persistent proliferation of available tools. That said, however, the more you know the easier it is to acquire more knowledge. Even in the Web 2.0 environment, despite a significant learning curve, the more you know, the more knowledge transfers to a new environment and the easier it is to acquire new knowledge and skills.

This course alone provides a life time of learning -- if I were to tackle on skill or tool per month, I would be busy for the rest of my days. Another favorite quote, "The Lord put me on earth to accomplish a certain number of things -- Right now, I'm so far behind I'll never die!"

Ah, so. The secret to eternal life. And yet, it is a secret to a quality of life. Recent studies demonstrate that cognitive activity prevents cognitive decline.

So, keep learning. Keep your mind active and limber. Lord knows, there is more to learn, more to know, more to practice. More always more.

Live long and prosper.