Wide Open 1: Lake Erie and Models Underlying Blended Learning Design

"Cleveland Skyline from Lake Erie" flickr photo by ralpe https://flickr.com/photos/ralpe/9431480605 shared under a Creative Commons (BY-SA) license

An unusually warm February and the lake is wide open
No ice
Anywhere
Ripe for our current "winter storm warning" for Lake Effect Snow where the possibilities for accumulation are endless.
And that can lead to this:

Or this-- In November of 1996 with a lake wide open, 6 days and 60 inches totally validated the possibilities under such conditions. Minus the open lake-- less potential.
Wide open and the possibilities (as I ponder how much snow we'll end up with by the end of the current storm.) that struck me, as I sit here also thinking on blended learning and BlendKit's week 2 topic of blended interactions

What might be those possibilities if our model for design is wide open?

If we adapt and adopt elements of John Seely Brown's atelier model, Clarence Fishers network administrator, and George Siemens curatorial learning as we design blended learning? Not excluding one or another but carefully selecting and synthesizing approaches for each learning environment, learning opportunity. What result might we see?

When I reflect on the Powerful Learning Practice Blended Learning course I designed, I detect that kind of adoption (not necessarily knowingly or intentionally.) For example, everyone contributed to a class blog initially with my posting on the main blog. It is an open studio type space where everyone can reply and learn from each other, elements of  an atelier model.

In addition, each learner was encouraged to develop their personal dashboard, with common resources on blended learning, and individual selections reflecting their own passion around the topic-- embracing the role of network administrator, with Clarence's guidance on the best tool for that purpose, Netvibes (the one page I shared with them as an example).

With an inquiry design, taking on a curatorial model, I created playlists of possible resources for each unit or topic from which learners could browse and select creating a learning environment in which encouraged a wayfinding. The playlist below, an example is from a unit on questioning/feedback.

Pushing or blurring boundaries-- creating more wide open learning environments full of possibilities. And thinking more deeply now--wondering if/how that corrupts/lessens opportunity for learning?

And realizing a need to continue reflection upon both learning theories that speak to me and models as basis for design while currently re-exploring situated learning theory, the notion of cognitive apprenticship especially social interaction and collaboration as essential components.  

Aspiring for the best of wide open blended learning-- and a need, I'm thinking, to be open, adaptive, and curious in the quest to create environments engendering the greatest potential for extraordinary blended learning.