Over the last few weeks I have been learning how to cook using Essential Oils using only Youtube and help forums. This journey has been both fun and challenging. I walked into this journey knowing nothing about Essential Oils until my Young Living Premium Starter Kit arrived for the first time. Youtube has been the most effective in helping me to learn what the oils are and how they can be used. When ingesting, safety first! However, Youtube was surprisingly not very helpful when it came to teaching me how to cook. I discovered that I am someone who needs step by step instructions written out in front of me. If I had the directions along with the video that was helpful but the video alone made the learning too fast paced. Pinterest and the private Facebook Group called Lemon Aid Library worked best for me because I could engage in discussion with other oil users. This week I decided to explore even deeper. I am new to using Twitter but I enjoyed engaging in learning with other MAET students so I decided to look up Young Living. I soon became a dedicated follower (click to follow here)! On the website I found endless recipes that to my delight combined both videos and step by step instructions. Unfortunately, I hit a road block. Many of the main dish recipes I was hoping to do my final blog post on required the use of oils that did not come in my starter kit. Rosemary, Thyme, Orange, Basil, and Lime were among the most common. At first I was filled with dismay but then I realized that if I was really going to show my readers what I have learned then it should be perfecting a previous recipe I had blogged about bringing back my Lavender Lemon Cake Cookies. Up until now I was not brave enough to make the full recipe because it needed two different oils and I was just getting used to baking with one oil at a time. For the full demonstrations see videos below!
add in one drop of lavender then mix. Wait 5-6 minutes for cookies to cool then add the candy melts.
My journey is just beginning. I am going beyond my Premium Starter Kit and ordering additional oils as they pertain to the recipes I have a deep desire to try. On the Young Living Website I decided to sign up and become a member. As a member I will receive discounts and weekly updates on new recipes. I am also considering joining the “Oil of the Month Club” where for $20 a month I will receive one mystery oil that I can try out! As I build confidence I want to eventually create a recipe of my own and even share my blog on Lemon Aid Library and Twitter.
This experiment has taught me a lot about teaching and learning using Networked Learning. To fully understand an entire concept, you need to explore multiple different forums. Each forum is focused on a specific aspect of the concept. For example, I needed to first seek out Youtube videos that built up my background knowledge on what Essential Oils are before I could seek out additional help forums on how to use them in meaningful ways. It is also important that the “learner” can engage in discussions with the “teacher”. Twitter and Facebook Groups are great at providing spaces to do this. Seeking out blog posts are also wonderful ways because you can comment and others can respond. Without the ability to do this, the learner will never be given the chance to dig deeper and gain feedback or support.
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