Practice makes perfect. Information is in transit, while Knowledge has already found a home. Explicit knowledge is to "know what" while Tacit knowledge is "know how". He talked about the match up of Practice vs. Theory, and How experience reigns over formal education for the new generation of learners. He believes that a degree without experience means nothing. Practice is the key to learning. A college degree means this: An Associates Degree means one has begun learning. The first and second year of college is like a cafeteria. You search for the meal you're going to eat for the next 2-6 years. Or its like that variety cereal pack. You have to choose that one cereal and stick with it.
Universities are legit because they bring communities to the individual to further expand on the basics and formal education. This process also exposes individuals to other personal experiences other than their own.
Technology is like oxygen. Kids need it to operate their daily lives. A revival in learning has taken place with the use of moving and still pictures, Internet Navigation, and sound editting. Their are used to express individuality and give the learner a sense of creative control. The research capabilities of our youth are at an all time high. "Infotainment" has replaced the red encyclopedias we kept in our living rooms. This new generation values Uniqueness and Authenticity that they find through mastering certain websites and software. Learning for the future should contain large amounts of hands on projects that engage the learners.
A challenge that faces educators is turning theory into practice. Technical advances offers more of a chance to do so. Connectivism is a prime example. My nephews learn through net working and making negotiations, trades, conflicts, forming communities, etc... all through online interactive gaming. It works for them they learn quickly this way. So if Connectivism can work for gaming, then why not education as well.
One thing I don't agree with is the presumption that he made about how the University was eventually going to go totally digital and the traditional ways of the class would go obsolete. This won't happen because people to people interaction is essential. Its the corner stone of a safe and open learning community you can't replace the whole thing with distance learning. That would be too cold of an environment for most people. Making the option available: distance or in-class is the best bet.
Technology is a part of our lives. We need to adapt to the growing technology as educators. The students are becoming more and more tech savy. We need to be able to keep up or stay ahead or else they wont respect us as teachers. Now more than ever different disciplines in the university need to come together to combine old and new ways of teaching. And continuing education is vital especially when there is technology involved.
Learning in the future is one without pride or prejudice. Teachers will learn from students and vice versa. Online environments will provide safe learning environments. And new opportunities will arise through networking.
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2 comments:
I agree with you, Universities won't go all digital. You can read books, watch movie or listen to a podcast on a subject, but a lot of people won't do it. Many people could be learning Photoshop right now, with all of the free digital resources that are available, but they aren't. It takes motivation, camaraderie and competitiveness: things that you'll find in the classroom environment.
I second that. I for one will always choose to go to class and interact face to face with my classmates. Last semester during my 801 class we had session on line where we used Elluminate. Although I found it necessary to learn and use for my future endeavors, I also found it challenging when it came to learning. It was difficult to follow the discussion topic from the instructor, type my responses and have instant message conversations with my classmates all at the same time. My comment about using that tool for learning was that I believed in a working environment where everyone is on the same page it is useful. However in a learning environment, trying to use the tools distracts from learning or paying attention to the lesson.
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