“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”
― Zen Proverb
We think of this book as a reference tool for learners who are being introduced to the themes and materials of PLE and ONLE for the first time and wish to engage more deeply with the book. For these learners, each chapter is intended to serve as an "extended reading." Extended reading refers to using longer materials designed for native users (those already familiar with a topic, in this case instructional designers, distance faculty, etc.) to introduce new materials to learners. So, those already familiar with these topics may choose to skim the chapters, but for those seeing this for the first time, the chapters are meant to be engaged with on a deeper level, providing a platform for in-depth introductions.
As technology has improved, extended readings have become augmented with direct links to secondary sources which will aid in comprehension of the primary materials and provide "guided discovery" of appropriate secondary sources related to primary materials. In this sense, this ebook provides a blend of instructivist learning theory (ebook) with connectivist learning theory (learner-content connections). There are also be links built in where students can engage in constructivist learning theory (learner-learner) through the companion website with social tagging architecture, diigo and Twitter feeds, etc.
For educators already familiar with these themes, this book could be used as more of a handbook type of resource. In this sense, the ebook can be skimmed for content, teaching aides, further readings, learning activities, and the like. In addition, throughout this book there are hyperlinks to external sources, as well as the companion website elaborated by the contributing chapter authors, that serve as further resources for educators.
We understand that the bottom line is that ebooks are seldom read through; they are more for reference. Therefore, instead of designing the ebook as a linear model, or even as a collection of linear chapters, we have endeavored to explore more of a "Prezi" approach of linked content that can be accessed on its own or linked to other materials in the book. Likewise, the finalized version of this ebook, although pdf in design for ease, has been built around "practical searching and browsing features." Hence, rather than building the edited book around stand-alone chapters, it has built around the common themes of PLE and ONLE found throughout the book. To that end, this published ebook has many hyperlinks and the companion website has embedded videos, gifs, etc. that give the static pdf the life of a dynamic learning medium.
We used a single Google Doc to collaboratively write all the chapters for this book. This is not the normal process for creating an edited book where each author/s write each chapter independently and the editors then compile the final project. This can mean a process where each chapter author/s never see what the other authors are doing until the project is finalized.
We envisioned a new method where the chapter authors can see the entire work as it is elaborated and compiled. The hope was that authors learned from each other as they developed each chapter. Although each group of authors was responsible for a specific chapter, they could look through other chapters as they expand to see if there is anything to which other authors could contribute.
We, as editors, viewed our role as empowering the authors to develop not just a distinct, individual portion of a book, but to contribute an integral portion of the book linked to all other portions of the book; each chapter needed to be a stand-alone work, but an independent work that is still part of a larger whole and is not meant to survive on its own. This book, just like our learning community, is a living, breathing network of people, ideas, and dreams.
It is our hope that at the end of this process we have created something that is viable beyond the scope of the course in which we were enrolled when we compiled it; that it is something valuable to others in communities beyond our course learning community. We strove to live up to the ideals of connections beyond our bubble. We dared to write great work. To dream that someone else out there will use our work and that it will affect students beyond the students we as teachers see every day.
~Ryan Gray
On behalf of the Editors