Dr. Michael Wesch of Kansas State highlights in his TEDx Talk the usefulness of our modern-age technology and how the abundance of digital resources has quickly made the traditional college lecture hall archaic. He points out an exercise he did in class in which students posted poignantly honest confessions on notepads and computer screens such as "I buy hundred dollar textbooks that I never open" and "I Facebook through most of my classes." Dr. Wesch goes on to highlight some of the more innovative ways people have used social media and digital content sharing sites such as Youtube to share ideas, opinions, and information that have had a significant impact on society and culture.
Possibly the most compelling message of this talk is about the contrast between what can be learned in the classroom an what can be done in the real world. One example Dr. Wesch gives is four Kenyans who put together a website that allows individuals with a cell phone to report potentially dangerous incidences in order to warn people in those areas. That software was eventually shared for free and has helped countless people avoid potentially fatal situations. What this story is illustrating is that students can be learning skills more relevant and impactful to the real world. In other words, we should, as educators, be teaching students to be "knowledge-able" instead of knowledgeable. This idea correlates with what Will Richardson advocates for in his book Why Teach?. Students have access to an unlimited database of information via the internet. Schools should be teaching students how to efficiently sift through all of that information and, combined with their technological skills, how to use that knowledge to solve real world problems. I completely agree with Dr. Wesch's assertions and I hope to implement some of his strategies in my future classroom. I think nothing could inspire students more than creating a learning environment in which they can help change the world for the better. Wesch, Michael. [TEDx Talks]. (2010, October 12). TEDxKC-Michael Wesch-From Knowledgeable to Knowledge-Able. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeaAHv4UTI8
3 Comments
James Patterson
9/17/2015 07:59:58 am
Hi George,
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Staci Henry
9/17/2015 08:28:11 am
Hi George,
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9/27/2015 06:28:10 pm
Hi George,
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AuthorGeorge Porter, English Teacher at Sage Creek Archives
May 2016
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