Richard Miller: This is How We Dream
Dr. Richard Miller's video "This is how we Dream" offers an interesting perspective on the role educators must consider playing in the 21st century and beyond with technology as part of their pedagogy. Miller is a professor of English at Rutgers University, which is especially interesting to me as an English major who one day plans to teach the subject. Dr. Miller does a good job of pointing out how so many printed texts end up on sites like Amazon.com being sold for paltry amounts of money. Dr. Miller presents a vision of the world which is totally new, a world where students and teachers learn and create boldly and share their experiences with the world.
Dr. Miller calls on anyone who cares about books, words, literature, and learning in general to consider the possibilities of technology and the Internet in classrooms of the future. He talks about his own personal collaborations on projects such as one about Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. Miller believes that in the future students will undoubtedly create work that goes far beyond the written word on paper. Miller's vision includes work that is an experience in and of itself; projects that have text, audio, and visual components that appeal to multiple senses. Miller feels like it is imperative for those of us in the humanities to begin making work like this that is profound, beautiful, and experimental. Until such work is made and gains notoriety, his vision will be only a conjecture about what may be to come.
Dr. Miller feels like libraries are obsolete now, and points out that most of his work is done without ever setting foot in one. He makes an interesting point that Universities, for the most part, are designed around being accessible by the automobile. In the future, Universities may find themselves in a world where academics no longer have to travel to go to school. I am excited about being an educator during times such as these. A certain type of upheaval seems to be looming off in the distance, and these winds of change seem to be propelled by technology. I feel like I am ready for this new world, I am fascinated by experimentation and a general rethinking of how things are done, especially in the field of English. I do not know when I will have the tools I will need to infuse my own classes with 21st century pedagogy, but I certainly feel that one day education will get the technology and funding it truly deserves. I do not really worry about my future students being ready for the cutting edge curriculum I want to throw at them, because their lives already include regular use of technology.
Dr. Miller calls on anyone who cares about books, words, literature, and learning in general to consider the possibilities of technology and the Internet in classrooms of the future. He talks about his own personal collaborations on projects such as one about Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. Miller believes that in the future students will undoubtedly create work that goes far beyond the written word on paper. Miller's vision includes work that is an experience in and of itself; projects that have text, audio, and visual components that appeal to multiple senses. Miller feels like it is imperative for those of us in the humanities to begin making work like this that is profound, beautiful, and experimental. Until such work is made and gains notoriety, his vision will be only a conjecture about what may be to come.
Dr. Miller feels like libraries are obsolete now, and points out that most of his work is done without ever setting foot in one. He makes an interesting point that Universities, for the most part, are designed around being accessible by the automobile. In the future, Universities may find themselves in a world where academics no longer have to travel to go to school. I am excited about being an educator during times such as these. A certain type of upheaval seems to be looming off in the distance, and these winds of change seem to be propelled by technology. I feel like I am ready for this new world, I am fascinated by experimentation and a general rethinking of how things are done, especially in the field of English. I do not know when I will have the tools I will need to infuse my own classes with 21st century pedagogy, but I certainly feel that one day education will get the technology and funding it truly deserves. I do not really worry about my future students being ready for the cutting edge curriculum I want to throw at them, because their lives already include regular use of technology.
The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler
Education today may seem like it is the same as it has been for some amount of time, but people like Wendy Drexler are quick to point out that it is not. Her video "The Networked Student" describes the world of "21st century Student" and his technology based learning adventure in Psychology. Drexler's video outlines the various ways that this hypothetical student can use "connectivism" to learn about his subject. I was really interested by the fact that lectures by the best professors in the world are readily available via the Internet. I also liked the way this video points out that not all information found on the world wide web is reliable; students must learn to filter propagandized material from the "pearls of content" that are also available.
The video points out that technology allows students to share bookmarks, URLs, Wikis, blogs, and much more to research material they are studying. They can be part of a globe spanning community which exchanges their findings and information about virtually any topic. They can create virtual textbooks of their own and become individuals who are capable of learning and problem solving by themselves. Millions of people (especially school-aged individuals) have MP3 players or Ipods, and Drexler's video also points out that these are also tools that can be implemented in a 21st century learning program. I find any idea like this to be something that must be heavily considered because it presents a chance to actively engage students in academic materials. It allows us as educators to think about fusing what we want students to learn with tools that these students use everyday in their lives and that they enjoy using.
At the end of the video, the question "why does the networked student need a teacher?" is asked. In the end, even with all of these new possibilities students will still need teachers. They will need people like teachers to guide them along their journeys of learning. Teachers also can provide successful models for students in terms of creating their own learning networks. Teachers will most likely keep students on task with subject matter and help them anytime they get stuck. I feel like I am rapidly becoming ready for teaching a potential class that implements these tools in the future. I can't help feeling that it may take some time for me to actually get to use technology in my classroom (thanks to funding and "No Child Left Behind"), but I am definitely looking forward to that day and I hope to be more than ready for it.
The video points out that technology allows students to share bookmarks, URLs, Wikis, blogs, and much more to research material they are studying. They can be part of a globe spanning community which exchanges their findings and information about virtually any topic. They can create virtual textbooks of their own and become individuals who are capable of learning and problem solving by themselves. Millions of people (especially school-aged individuals) have MP3 players or Ipods, and Drexler's video also points out that these are also tools that can be implemented in a 21st century learning program. I find any idea like this to be something that must be heavily considered because it presents a chance to actively engage students in academic materials. It allows us as educators to think about fusing what we want students to learn with tools that these students use everyday in their lives and that they enjoy using.
At the end of the video, the question "why does the networked student need a teacher?" is asked. In the end, even with all of these new possibilities students will still need teachers. They will need people like teachers to guide them along their journeys of learning. Teachers also can provide successful models for students in terms of creating their own learning networks. Teachers will most likely keep students on task with subject matter and help them anytime they get stuck. I feel like I am rapidly becoming ready for teaching a potential class that implements these tools in the future. I can't help feeling that it may take some time for me to actually get to use technology in my classroom (thanks to funding and "No Child Left Behind"), but I am definitely looking forward to that day and I hope to be more than ready for it.
Michael Wesch-Toward a New Future of Whatever
In his video lecture "Toward a New Future of Whatever" Michael Wesch describes many of the ways that society, people, and technology have become interrelated. I liked the way that Wesch opens the discussion, with 1984 and Brave New World as model for comparison with out own present day reality. He has a great interest in the generation of today and their collective narcissism and collective connection through technology. He examines the YouTube community, which I definitely feel like I can relate to. I have watched all of these new media be born and grow, and I think Wesch is on to a great point that technology today has become a means for people to deal with their isolation in the modern world. People have been coping with modernity really since the turn of the 20th century, but the 21st century has a chance to allow for an end to this isolation. Technology allows connection with anyone on the face of the earth, across any distance. Isolation and anonymity are troubling facets of modern life, but we are living in a world where we can create new types of conversations. Conversations that can create a new reality, and a new connectivity between people.
I really enjoyed reading your blog. Dr. Miller's vision is happening right before our eyes. I agree that students these days are more readily equipped in using new types of technology because it is such a huge part of their lives.
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