Posts made by Nancy Riffer

Sugata Mitra writes for eGov monitor about how lack of schools does not have to mean no learning and no education, and shows us a different way in bringing internet, thus information, to disadvantaged children in India

   This article describes research that was done in rural areas of India to determine whether giving young children access to computers in playgrounds and other public spaces and allowing them to use the computers without teacher participation might be a way to bring meaningful, quality education to underserved areas in India.
   The children learned almost immediately how to use the machines and some were browsing within an hour.  They taught each other.  The specially designed computers that were weather "proof" and protected from theft were mastered by children playing on them.  There was one computer for every 200 children.
   Girls and boys learned to use the computers.  Use by girls was related to the safety of the public spaces in which they were placed.  In the schools that had computers, the children were resistant to learning the computer -- what's the catch?  On their own, they learned rapidly and without hesitation.
   Author concludes this use of computers may be a way to rapidly develop learning in rural areas of developing countries.
 
I am impressed with the ideas in Chris's list of options to use with children in learning. I think helping a nine year old find something she is deeply interested in and supporting her in building a community, a web of knowledge, mentors, etc. over five years is revolutionary.

It takes the child's interests seriously. Children are treated as knowledge creators/ collectors, as being capable of talking to mentors who may be well known in their fields, as able to make things happen on something they care terribly about. I wish I could have done this for my daughter when she was nine and was terribly distressed about the damage being done to our environment. She begged me to help her found a club and find a way kids could make a difference. We didn't do it.

Maybe a web of connections she could have created on the internet could have supported her in ways I couldn't.

When I was in high school (1958-62) I went to meetings of the Detroit Fair Housing council on my own in the evening. I met with city movers and shakers as we planned for next steps to improve the integration of housing in Detroit. I see Chris' ideas on how to teach his daughter (and others) as affording them opportunities to be taken as seriously as I was.

I think there is room for parent(teacher) and child to find approaches to the relevant learning that suit a particular child's learning style e.g., e-mail, organizing chats, three way telephone conversations, blogs, communities, networks, leading a community of practice to interviewing people who are social entrepreneurs. Audio and video contributions are not far behind -- podcasts, videoblogs and other things we can't imagine.

This kind of a network of learning experiences would be an alternative to an e-portfolio-- a freer form and informal.

Depth and breadth over time interest me. Are they suitable for all children? If we assume creating a five year in-depth experience is possible is it appropriate for all children? What about children's needs to explore and change direction and to stop and start?


I think we need a new kind of learning that goes beyond adaptation to change.  Many of the decisions we need to make now as a society will have irreversible consequences.  We cannot wait to learn from experience.  We have to learn in ways that allow us to get beyond our experience and feedback we get from our environment. 

I have in mind consequences like the melting of the polar ice caps, the loss of genetic diversity, how long a perspective we take in making decisions (e.g., short term outcomes vs. anticipating the consequences for seven generations) and the consequences of not understanding the points of view of others.

I think imagination is one aspect of the kind of learning we need to invent.  Also playfulness, non-linear thinking.  I think it will be learner directed.    I once visited a resource center for teachers in the Chicago area.  It was a store front with all kinds of materials and examples of creative work that teachers had done.  It was a source of ideas and stimulation for any teachers who chose to use it. Will we need to create learning playgrounds where people can explore alternative ways of learning together?

Does anybody have ideas about what learning would look like that helps us get out ahead of where we can learn from trial and error?  What might such a "playground" look like?

Christie,

I also find Amazon.com one of the best resources available and for all the reasons you have stated. 

I'm intrigued by your distinction between appearing to be learner controlled and having very structured control "behind the curtain".  When I use Amazon I feel like I am in control; I can easily find myself lost in a trail of ideas and possibilities that I have followed.  I think Amazon is very structured in how it presents the information.  I am curious in what sense you see it having structured control?

Nancy

Nancy

I want general help with learning new tools. I would like leads to "How-To" directions that guide students into using new-ish tools like blogs, wikis, RSS, tagging, del.icio.us, etc.

Secondly, I would like to read discussions of how the tools can be used in collaborative learning situations.

I'd appreciate any leads.