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
Nancy Riffer
Posts made by Nancy Riffer
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
Secondly, I would like to read discussions of how the tools can be used in collaborative learning situations.
I'd appreciate any leads.