I'll drop out of #dlmooc

My daughter will need help with her homework and that will take precedent. Work will drain my energy, causing me to shun my laptop in favor of my wife's company. The weekend will arrive, Colorado sunshine will outduel winter cloud cover, and the outdoors will beckon. Instead of a syllabus or a weekly newsletter, my life will determine my participation and availability.

Credit "Lautz Bros. and Co." by Miami Univ. Libraries on Flickr

So I'll drop out of this MOOC from time to time, only to return anxious to see what participants are writing, thinking and sharing. Though I know I will come and go, I'm sure I will engage in deeper learning.

Which begs the question: Deeper than what?

Deeper than if I was faking. Deeper than if I was skimming the reading to get to class on time.

Deeper than if I was apologizing. Deeper than if I was negotiating with a teacher to accept late work or modify an assignment.

Deeper than if this was compulsory. Deeper than if I had to take a course I didn't care about for a credential I needed.

Deeper than if I was worried what the teacher thought. Deeper than if I stayed away in week 4 because I had no time in week 3.

Goals and process will guide my work in this MOOC. For the first weeks, I'll aim to read participant posts a few mornings a week, responding with questions and connections. I'll try blog twice a week even if there's nothing new to say. In a few weeks I will evaluate those goals and this strategy. Hopefully, by that time, I'll have found some streams, memes and conversations to follow and add to.

By coming and going as my life allows and by doing so without apology or regret, I hope to shed the baggage I've acquired through traditional schooling in the hopes of finding deeper learning.