The Final Pie

October 18, 2020

Over the course of a few weeks, I have expanded my art of baking. I set a goal to learn how to make an apple pie. I used only online resources to make my pie. First, I looked at affinity spaces such as Reddit to find pie recipes. Using Reddit was odd as comments were vague and not very helpful. However, I stumbled upon Homemade Caramel Apple Pie. This was helpful as it linked me to a video on Youtube for an apple pie recipe. I decided to use this for my first attempt, yet the video did not give me all the details of making a pie. I needed information on making a crust. To do this, I used another video that showed me how to make the crust from scratch. Little did I know, the crust was going to give me lots of difficulty.

These platforms taught me how to make everything. I learned to make a good apple filling that had a great caramel taste. Also, I learned to make a great crust. However, to make the crust I needed to use a food processor. When I first used the food processor, I was not quite sure what to do with it and had difficulty. I almost destroyed my attempt at the crust because of bloodshed. Through my first pie, I learned the basics of peeling apples, making a pie filling, and how to make a crust.

Over the next couple of weeks, I decided to spend some time getting help. First, I tried my luck with help forums. I found a help forum about homemade pie crusts. This was helpful as it gave me tips about making sure the butter and water was cold (Hagest, 2016).Then, I remembered that there is not one correct way to make a pie, so I stumbled upon a Dutch Apple Pie and a Caramel Streusel Apple Pie where I checked out this help forum that showed me the differences between a regular apple pie and a streusel apple pie. Using these sites helped me learn the basics for baking an apple pie, and taught me multiple ways of how to make a pie.

Overall, I learned much through network learning. This process showed me that anything is possible through just using an online resource. Through the past few weeks, I have aspired to be an expert of apple pie, but know that, “Experts have varying levels of flexibility in their approach to new situations, “ (Bransford et al. 2000). During the project, I had to be flexible in my approach to making a crust. Some pies had both a crust on top and on bottom, where others had one crust. I realize that these past four weeks have not made me an expert, however with these few recipes, I could teach someone else the process.

A few weeks ago in my Master’s in Educational Technology class, we focused on 21st century learning. Through this project, I used 21st century skills such as creativity, collaboration, and communication (Stauffer, 2020). Through network learning, I have been able to use creativity in the way I present information through help forums, affinity spaces, videos, and social media. Each presents information in a unique and creative way. Network learning includes collaboration and communication. These are presented through videos, discussion boards, or how-to sites. There are multiple digital platforms for finding what you would like to achieve.

With COVID-19 and virtual teaching, I feel that network learning will play a big part in my career. Within the past year, I have talked to teachers I have never met on multiple platforms to share ideas through my professional learning network(PLN). My PLN has allowed me to get connected, get inspired, and give back by sharing with others (Common Sense Education, 2017). One thing that has stood out about my network is the ability to share resources. These shared resources will allow others and myself to become better educators through networked learning. Through the power of network learning, I can learn how to do anything.