So, I find myself challenged by Rachel Challen to contribute to #OpenBlog19, an idea that generated from David Hopkins — thank you for the challenge.
The topic that was provided to me by Rachel – “Is sharing caring?”
Being a strong advocate of open education, and the desire for education to be freely available to everyone, the answer is relatively easy.
Following a career as a qualified nurse (a caring profession, so yes I care) I entered the world of Higher Education (some 16 years ago) and recall my first few days. I was nervous, as I was new to teaching, but was constantly reassured by more experienced colleagues who shared their work to support me. Yes, I was an experienced nurse but a little out of my comfort zone with some of the topics within the curriculum, this sharing by colleagues was caring.
Working together with students also highlighted how much sharing occurred in the classroom. Students seem keen to share their experiences and this makes for a healthy and productive learning environment. Many students talk about difficult situation and this enhances and develops the learning process. I am more than happy to share my experiences as I believe that we all have knowledge, skills and qualities that should be shared.
I am also a great advocate of social media, especially twitter – for me this is a sharing and caring platform in itself. On a daily basis I am “liking” posts from others that have shared their work, a resource, link, or just their own views. Unfortunately I don’t always get around to reading them all (note to self) but appreciate the collaboration that this promotes.
So, to sum up a relatively easy question – Is sharing caring? – absolutely yes
….and for those that know me, I always include a GIF….
Neil Withnell 