Learning Out Loud

“If we all carry each other, we all get stronger.”

Note: This is not about the excellent Learning Out Loud educational framework.

Learning Out Loud, as I define it, is “open sourcing the process of discovering, planning, researching, and learning.” It is going through the educational adventure transparently and in real time, with highs and lows visible to all.

This is different then the educational content we are used to. We often use – and I dearly love – well crafted and polished learning experiences. These include strategically designed curriculum, well thought out learning paths, and intentionally curated resources. All of these things have their place. Learning out loud is not a concept to supplant or replace these valuable tools.

Instead learning out loud is intentionally messy.

We have all set out to learn some new skill or master some knew bit of knowledge, and gotten lost in too few or too many resources. We’ve all had to forge our own path: cobbling together various books, videos, and experiences. We’ve all been lost.

But, we never get to see this winding path. We only ever seen the end. I believe the journey is often more valuable to me then the destination. (Shout out to fellow Knights Radiants). Learning Out Loud is an attempt to celebrate journey.

A Brief Example

I spent a year using all my free time to learn about and build Quantum Computing tools and languages. I bounced around from concept to concept, from book to book, and from of sub-discipline to some-discipline. I did not know exactly where I wanted to go and couldn’t find the perfect curriculum. So, I made my own collection of youtube videos, college lectures, books, and tutorials. I started a discord server to find others. I kept a journal of my work. I looked at graduate school requirements and crafted my very own plan.

In the end, I came to the conclusion that quantum computing (for me) was best a hobby. However, all of that ambling and blundering gave me new skills and new knowledge that I use every day.

I regret never sharing that journey, and I wish I had been able to see others have the same journey. I could not have been alone.

A Framework

Learning Out Loud is openly documenting the learning process, sharing resources along the way, and presenting the side-steps not as mistakes, but as crucial steps long the path. You DO end with a list of resources, a path, and notes about the topic. But you also experience the joys, pains, and branching paths in real time.

Note that this framework itself is a work-in-progress. I am “Learning Out Loud” what it means to “Learn Out Loud”.

Benefits

Benefits to the Learner have been discussed, but let’s formalize it a bit.

1. A large collection of resources that may not have otherwise been collected
2. An example of a path through the learning forest
3. A genuine picture of the struggle of learning the concept
4. Potentially active feedback in the learning process
5. A “tech tree” of different paths one can take and different “regions” of the discipline

Benefits to the Teacher are also interesting.

1. You learn best what you teach. Synthesizing your learning helps cement the knowledge
2. You can have active feedback from the community
3. Journaling has been shown to be cathartic and thereputic
4. There is extra motivation to keep going
5. It forces you to think more formally and intentionally about your path

Quality

Learning Out Loud is about open sourcing the messy journey of discover, but NOT about sharing messy work. The articles you write, the collections you present, the journal you keep should be of high quality. They should be edited, structured, and clear. The journal can be more “stream of conciousness” but the rest should be useful for others to follow your path.

The Components for Learning Out Loud

• Resource Library: A collection of the articles, books, videos, etc that you use. Not just a dump of links. Share your notes, reviews, and summaries. Draw connections between the resources. Present them with excellence.
• Lessons / Tutorials: Once you have a good understanding of a concept, solidify it into some teaching material. Maybe a video or blog series, or tutorial.
• Journal: This is the less formal component where you more casually share your feelings and revelations in the learning process.
• Live Streams / Chats: An opportunity to engage with other learners.

Setting Expectations

It is important to set expectations about each component. What does the resource library entail? What difficulty are the tutorials? How casual is the journal?

Gathering Resources

TODO: Detail my notes for gathering, annotating, and sharing resources. Include some tools.

Keeping Track of Revisions

One of the best parts about sharing your work before its fully complete is that others get to see the process of creation. This works best when learners can see previous revisions. This could be a changelog or revisions document. I plan to just use git (as on this page).

Publishing Genuine Experiences

The material published should be genuine. Do not shy away from sharing where you struggled, what you don’t understand, and where you plan to go from here.

Planning Out Loud

I am not sure where the distinction is between Planning and Learning Out Loud. But for my case, Planning Out Loud is about gathering resources, notes, and ideas for projects.

My Learning Out Loud

There are a number of projects that I will be “Planning Out Loud”.I will also be “Learning Out Load” a graduate-level introduction to Game Studies. Just look for the “out-loud” tag as well as the topic, series, and type of post (lesson, resource, journal, etc) tags.

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Last Updated: March 6, 2024 – See Changes