Can we prepare students to be modern learners if we are not connected, computer-literate learners ourselves?
(Transforming Education : Will Richardson at (co)lab summit 2013, accessed Oct 28, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TZfWqao6uA)
According to Will, no. Not if we think of people and computer resources as new and different sources of information.
But I wonder: if one looks at things on a larger scale, are we still not accessing and evaluating and using information just like we always did. While it may be easier to find resources, we still need to interact with them on a personal level in order to make use of them. I wonder if sometimes the sheer volume of information sources can prevent us from really using good resources well the same as too much noise in a classroom can prevent concentration necessary for learning.
Or are we teaching new tune out skills?
Will is right, connections and computing are not going to go away. But I think is going to be another tool, not the only tool, nor do I think it should be.
And I wonder too sometimes how much of this might be selfish, I will get my message out, and it doesn't matter if someone is really listening. And I can interact on my own time with a lot of the social media, no sacrifice necessary on my part.
I am really glad that Will does not discount face to face personal interactions. I think humans will loose a lot if all of our interactions become machine interfaced, even if they are real time communications.
"I wonder if sometimes the sheer volume of information sources can prevent us from really using good resources well the same as too much noise in a classroom can prevent concentration necessary for learning."
ReplyDeleteWell put. I find an organized source with quality information very similar to a classroom that effectively fosters a quality learning environment.
Three thumbs up for tweet deck. I am a convinced fan of that app.
ReplyDelete