OpenEd Wk 12 *** Reflecting on Learning Objects

I appreciated reading other people's perspectives and analogies on Learning Objects. I particularly enjoyed reading Jon Thomas' metaphor on masonry:

"Yet, brick laying is but one skill within the much wider field of masonry. I once saw a highly skilled mason building a fireplace out of rocks that had been dug up during a building project. At times, he used the rocks that he retrieved “as is” without any change beyond washing them off. At other times the rocks would have to be broken and sanded down to fit into the right position. Most open resources, in my mind, are much closer to the field of rubble masonry than they are to bricklaying."

I concur. I believe this is the value of OER and the difference it holds from Learning Objects. In the Open Education movement, we are all master masons with our own trowels. I think this metaphor could be customized for learners from every discipline in order that they may better grasp the concept of the movement and think of ways that they may build their own masterpiece - whether it be a fireplace, a stone wall, or a kitchen oven.