There is a global, biennial World Conference on Online Learning and the next iteration will be in Dublin in November. A colleague attend the most recent one held in Toronto in 2017 and found it very useful. Several months ago I submitted an abstract, which is related to this blog site:
Te Whakapaipai, Dílárúchán: Towards Decolonisation via the Digital Self-Directed Study of Indigenous Languages
In this paper I reflect on the praxis of being a self-directed (Knowles, 1975) second language learning in two Indigenous languages—one as a settler and one as a diasporic community member. Using action research methods (McNiff, Lomax and Whitehead, 1996) I examine my own practice as a non-traditional student managing two different modalities of self-directed language learning using the self-regulating learning tools I encourage my students to use. In learning Indigenous languages I endeavour to read the world by reading the word (Freire, 1985, p.18; Freire, 1970). I further look at the role social media plays in inculcating digital communities of practice (Lave and Wenger, 1991).
One aspect of academia with which I still struggle is peer review. Not the principle of peer review, or even its purpose: rather it’s how some reviewers apply criteria wholly outside any sense of rigour (usually hypercritically) and many reviewers seem to have limited capacity for collegiality. Reviews can be rather shreddy. So while I was pleased to see the “congratulations” email, I waited several days before clicking through to get the feedback. In this instance the feedback was essentially “cool; sounds good.”
How about that then? Dublin in November sounds grand…
Gaelige mo scéal 