Miranda 1
Chance Miranda
Dr. Preston
Expository Composition
2 June 2014
The Change
My change from "traditional learning" to "Open Source Learning" started last year and has carried
over into this year. I feel like I've always been a good writer, but through taking this course I've learned to
include the necessary elements to reassure my points and help my writing flow better. We were also taught
to write on a personal basis so it doesn't feel like a traditional five paragraph essay written just to get a grade
and that has also helped my writing improve.
In a traditional English class teachers would be the leader of the room and the students would just sit
back and listen. In Open Source Learning the teacher treats the students as colleagues and gives them some
decision in how the course is run and what processes they take throughout. This comes with a great deal of
trust. There were times this year where we were trusted to do something, but ultimately did not get the job
done and that happens sometimes. Although trust in us may have been altered, Dr. Preston stuck with it and
in the end it led to a better learning experience for everyone. The good thing about trust is it can be earned
when lost.
Another great thing about this course is it has made my passion for baseball grow immensely.
Through research I was able find information that makes me a better player. What I mean by that is I had a
basic understanding of the information, but by looking deeper into it I became more confident in my
knowledge. When it came time, I applied what I learned and my confidence in my knowledge translated into
a good performance on the field. The masterpieces served as a catalyst for us to begin researching what we
plan on doing with our lives and I am grateful for the process.
Maybe one of the funniest parts of this course occurred after some of the students presented their
masterpieces. At the end of each presentation the class had the opportunity to ask questions. The questions
drew valuable information out of people and I thought the way Dr. Preston asked why they didn't include
the information in the presentation was funny. It wasn't about what he said that made it funny, it was the way
he said it.
Referring back to the masterpieces I noticed that the common theme between most of them was
passion. The most interesting ones to me were the ones where you could hear the burning passion in their
voices. The top five people who did this were: Jacob Caldwell, Malik Pope, Robert Rucobo, Daniel
Alvarez, and Matt Reynolds. I could tell they were one hundred percent committed to their topics and it
really reflected in the quality of their presentations. Hopefully others saw the same in my presentation.
The Journey from the beginning to now was not always easy. It's the times where I have been
successful along the journey that let me know I have conquered it. Open Source Learning has been an
