blog # 5

Why is learning important in our lives?

 Learning provides a fertile ground for improving our skills and for interacting with different people, from different communities, who have valuable ideas. Wenger in his book “Communities of Practice Learning, Meaning,  and Identity” said that learning is a “source of social structure” (p, 96). We live in a changing world whereby  we are the one who is responsible for cultivating our community of practice, and learning what is important to self development. Wenger confirms that learning is “caught in the middle. It is the vehicle for the evolution of practices and the inclusion of newcomers while also the vehicle for the development and transformation of identities” (p. 13). We also interact with others because we know that collaborative learning is greater than individual learning. Trying to find solutions to a problem can also be  considered a learning process.

In addition, educated people do not like to stop their learning, they participate in many areas of life to increase their knowledge. They have a strong desire and ambition  to continue their learning and teaching. For example, when an individual  works for a company, s/he may get training in different fields related to his/her job. The training will add to this person knowledge and experience. Furthermore, one’s training  may contribute to the increase in wages and it may also encourage a person to look for various options  in the future.  In contrast, somebody who does not like to participate in a community or get training, may not experience progress in their lives. 

We as parents, students, and teachers in different fields find that learning is an integral part in our lives. Our learning comes from different  sectors in communities of practice. We have  attended classrooms, training programs, we have read textbooks, we did  homework and exercises to get a diploma, Masters and PhD. Wenger stated that “being alive as human beings means that we are constantly engaged in the pursuit of enterprises of all kinds, from ensuring our physical survival to seeking the most lofty pleasures. As we define these enterprises and engage in their pursuit together, we interact with each other and with the world and we tune our relations with each other and with the world accordingly. In other words,  we learn” (p. 45). Moreover, learning is part of life which takes place at all times and in all places. It is a continuous lifelong process, going on from birth to the end of our life, beginning with learning from families, communities, schools, religious institutions, workplaces, etc.

Wenger confirms (p. 8) the importance of learning “for individuals ”  which enables them to engage  in their community. Also, learning  for “communities” means an issue of refining their practice and ensuring new generations of members. Learning for “organizations” means an issue of sustaining the interconnected communities of practice through which an organization knows what it knows and thus becomes effective and valuable  an organization. We cannot separate learning from other activity. This will be clear in  facing difficult and unfamiliar situations that we cannot respond by ourselves, and when we try to join a community of practice--all of these experiences make  learning more intensified .

I find that learning is important as the first stage for building  solid  communities. Once learning occurs, we can share what we have learned with other participants in our community. This practice will contribute to establishing good relationships amongst  the participants in any community of practice.  Clearly, there are many benefits for various community participants involved, including sharing our experience of learning such as for starting a business, learning about a subject to extend our knowledge, meeting new people, developing personal skills, and participating in social networking. In our course “Lifelong Learning Process”, learning takes place through the discussion between students and our professor, Dr. Plumb. We are learning in this course and sharing different opinions with our classmates and posting our assignments in our blogs. Sharing our knowledge and notions, especially during our class and among students from various places or countries is very beneficial for everyone because we can learn from each other’s experience. Everyone carries distinct knowledge and thoughts. Wenger demonstrated that

 “ because learning transforms who we are and what we can do , it is an experience of identity. It is not just an accumulation of skills and information, but a process of becoming- to become a certain person or, conversely, to avoid becoming a certain person...learning can become a source of meaningfulness and of personal and social energy” (p. 215).

In general, technology today facilitates the process of learning.  We can use computers to share documents, lecture, get a degree and “connect with people who share an interest all over the world” (Wenger, p. 194). In addition, technology contributes to alleviating stress, and saving our time and money . It is clear that many people today struggle with some financial resources, some of them might lose their income, have a loan, or be unemployed and unable to find a good work, etc. Using different kinds of technology such as  online learning enables them to alleviate these financial pressures when taking an educational program. For instance, learning online does not require having a car and insurance, buying gas, paying for parking. In addition, if people have children, they need someone to take care of them so they may need to pay for a baby-sitter.

What are other  benefits that I obtain personally of learning from my studies?

 I want to share one of the most important skills that I feel proud of and I did not learn before taking this course.  It is my learning about the computer programs that I missed learning in the previous educational stages.  I knew just the basic computer skills and I was eager to learn typing fast and also many other programs. Two years ago, I registered with the Academy of Learning College and I got my diploma in Microcomputer Business Applications. I learned a lot of programs that I can use in my studies  such as Access, Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint, Windows Vista, Windows Xp, and so forth. This learning took me a long time and a lot of effort but it gave to me  many benefits stemming from using this technology.  I can use this technology to communicate  with my family, my friends  in my country through chat in the messenger, using email, sending pictures and so on. Now, I am confident in dealing with many programs and downloading some programs on the computer. I have discovered that many learners including myself  cannot work or study without access to this technology.

To sum up, it is important to  recognize the importance of learning and its effects on our daily lives. Many people share their experience and knowledge through their collaborative learning. It is also important to learn to use different kinds of technology to decrease stress at work and our lives, and to save our time and money. Currently, it is difficult to learn or teach well without using various kinds of technology.