What a guy! I love the way that Wesch teaches. As a teacher, I have always felt that I don't like the system. I try to be innovative, but usually the system doesn't allow it. Maybe I am a true teacher, just not a true teacher meant for the current system. I am hoping that my education at ASU will open the door for me to teach in a capacity where I can explore. The video that caught my attention was the Vision of Students video. I guess I liked it better because it left a lot of unanswered questions and issues just floating there, creating a sense of necessity to act inside of me, but leaving me without a means to carry out any such task.
The way he structured his class (the one that dealt with anonymity) kept the students engaged and motivated. It's funny that, many times, schools want innovation but under the same old rules. I like Wesch's class, particularly the way they took a chance and got their hands dirty during the learning process.
It's not easy to see where you are going if you are inside a box. If web-based learning is going to become the new normal, then educational institutions are going to have to loosen their grip every once and a while and let us roam. While I strongly advocate Wesch's style, I firmly believe that it is a style that needs to remain at the High School and University levels. The level of self-control and accountability needed for liberated online courses and research is much too high for elementary students.
If you haven't seen it, check out the video from anonymous about the Church of Scientology. Just type "anonymous" into Google and you will find it. I did a little research on Scientology. While I don't agree with this group on very many levels at all, I can definitely understand their frustration with Scientology in particular.
Anthropology applied to the web is cool! Thanks, Wesch!
B-Rad,
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you on so many points here.
How can we expect a different outcome when we keep using the same jello mold?
Also, about elementary school, I think anything younger than 6th grade probably would not be so effective. The really younger students need more to the traditional structure because they are so young and their reasoning skills are still developing.
You said you liked it, even though it left you without means to carry out the task- I feel like you didn't quite finish that thought. What's next? Are you going to figure out the task and how to accomplish it?
ReplyDeleteWhether these methods can apply to younger people is a great question. My experience is that we've all been indoctrinated into the classic model- sage on the stage, lecture hall, do this for a grade, do that for a grade, etc...
But then you have montessori, home schooling, and many other systems that allow even very young children to explore, and take away the rigidity that a bussed, 1000 students school has to create just to survive.
I wonder if, given the opportunity, younger kids wouldn't embrace a new form of learning...