Are you a Dadamac Learner? January 8, 2011

Hi Dadamac Learners and potential Dadamac Learners

More about the Dadamac Learners

"Dadamac Learners" is an emergent group - made up of people who:

• learn in a self-directed kind on way
• are learning about things relevant to Dadamac

There is no formal membership or anything at present

Why I started to use the term Dadamac Learner

I have coined the term Dadamac Learner  to describe the kind of learning that I do through my Dadamac activities. In the past I have variously described myself as a Life Long Learner, a Self Directed Learner, an On-line Learner, a Social Learner and so on. The problem with such descriptions is that people already have their own understanding of what those terms mean - and we don't always mean the same thing. This leads to confusion. My solution, for 2011 onwards, is to describe myself as a Dadamac Learner - and exactly what a Dadamac Learner is will gradually become clear. 

Some more characteristics of a Dadamac Learner 

A Dadamac Learner

• sees continual learning as a natural part of life (i.e. a fulfilling life is not "intellectually stuck in a rut" it is an ongoing learning experience - a life-long "learning-journey")
• values the educational opportunities of online networks for sharing ideas, discussing things, and generally "thinking-aloud"
• is driven by personal interests and a need-to-know - not by some externally devised curriculum or accreditation system
• is interested in sharing what is being learned with others, so that we are learning from each other
• is ready to share questions and ignorance as well as answers and knowledge
• shares useful resources with other Dadamac Learners
• accepts that "doing set courses and gaining certificates" may be a part of a learning journey - but it is not the actual learning journey
• uses the internet as a key part of their personal "learning journey" (this can include using resources that are seen as "online learning"- but the networking aspect is more important)

I see many of my online friends and contacts as "ticking all the boxes" of being a Dadamac Learner - but I do not have any right to call you a "Dadamac Learner" unless you also choose to adopt that description for yourself.

I hope that as 2011 goes by I will see more people "joining me" and describing themselves as Dadamac Learners.

Sharing the idea

I will post this on dadamac's posterous, and to the learningfromeachother (LFEO) group. (I hope to also blog about it later on www.dadamac.net). I hope people will pass the idea on. As time goes by, as the Dadamac Learners emerge, we will decide the best ways to meet up with each other. Perhaps it will be in an existing online space - like the LFEO group, or through comments on Posterous, or in some new online space over at dadamac.net or whatever suits people. We might even arrange some Face-to-Face Dadamac Learner Meet-ups sometimes if any Dadamac Learners happen to be geographically close enough to meet.

You can email me about Dadamac Learners if you like - but I would prefer you to write in a public space so I know I have  permission to share what you have told me.

So - am I the only Dadamac Learner - or will you bring your learning journey alongside mine and be a Dadamac Learner too?

Update - the second Dadamac Learner

While I was writing the above I was greeted on yahoo by Fola - http://www.dadamac.net/network/folabi-sunday-folarin. We have discussed something about our shared learning journeys before. In fact earlier this week we were joking about both being part of the "Ago-Are learning group". His connection dropped before he could respond to everything I have written above, but he had agreed that he is a Dadamac Learner and said that he wants to participate in the group. Yess! 

So now there are two Dadamac Learners - one in SE London and one in rural Nigeria. Both of us are teachers and learners. We have learned from each other. (We have also both taught in rural primary schools - but Fola is still doing so in rural Nigeria, and I did so when I lived in Cornwall - back when Computers were first coming into schools in the UK). Who will join us next?  

Are you a Dadamac Learner?

If you have read this far then you are probably a potential Dadamac Learner - and you may already by one without realising it.

My previous post was the first where I used the greeting "Dadamac Learners". I needed a "group name" for the people I had in mind as interested in that post.  Having written the salutation I decided to define "Dadamac Learners" more clearly - to myself and others - hence this post and the emerging group of Dadamac Learners

I look forward to discovering who will be next to join us. Will it be you?

Update October 2011

Latest dadamac learner is Mark.J  - who joined Dadamac Meetups on October 5, 2011 saying: