I'd like to take a moment to reflect on one of the 'big shifts' suggested by the emergence of web2.0 technologies and their ramifications for classroom practice. The notion that schools (or really any traditionally structured, hierarchical institution) no longer 'own' knowledge to be parceled out to students is hugely transformative to the nature of what transpires in the classroom.
In a collectively-negotiated environment, knowledge becomes democratized. And democracy has always been a loud and messy process. Our old bastions of certainty are eroding, and it behooves us to shift our weight to a new platform, to a new paradigm, lest we erode along with them. But it's no small thing to shift a paradigm; it happens in fits and starts and not all at once. What fascinating times we live in!
1 comment:
This sounds a little like connectivism :)
I really appreciate your comment about this type of environment being "loud and messy", because it is. But that does not mean that it is not worthwhile. I agree that fascinating times are with us - this sounds a bit like an old Chinese proverb/curse I once heard.
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