I came across and interesting post by Dean Shareski comparing the end of religion to the end of school. Basically, he links the structures and rules of religion, which, according to Bruxy Cavey will turn religion obsolete, to the structure and rules of school. This got me thinking about the need for schools as they currently exist. Many thinkers, such as Stephen Downes, have been talking about deschooling for a long time, and it’s difficult not to agree with a lot of what they say. However, what would deschooling cause in developing countries? What effects would children and adults suffer if, instead of going to the existing schools, they were given the chance to decide what, when and where to study. Let’s considering of course they had access to web 2.0 technologies, adequate bandwidth and all the necessary support. What would be our roles as educators? How would we promote self-directedness in a teaching/learning culture where students are still so used to being told what to think and do? Who would replace the schools’ role in promoting tolerance to difference among young people? Would these people become too individualistic? Food for thought…

The Google generation - not enough critical thinking skills

A new report, commissioned by JISC and the British Library portrays the ‘Google Generation’ – people born or brought up in the Internet age – in a way that might be surprising to many. Basically, it claims that, although these people exhibit an ease and fluency with computers, they rely on the most basic search tools and do not possess the critical and analytical skills to asses the information that they find on the web. Now, consider that in Brazil, those with easy access to high speed Internet are most frequently those coming from better educated families and with access to the best schooling opportunities. These people lack critical thinking skills, and, as we have been told by recent studies about Brazilian reality (the latest ISEP), cannot read or write in the fullest sense of these terms… What then can be expected from the vast majority of the Brazilian population? I see the “teaching” of literacy skills—basic, digital and media literacy—the only way to promote their empowerment. However, what does this ‘teaching’ encompass? Hopefully not the throwing of the “right” content, but the cultivation of thinking habits, the promotion of meaningful networked discussion towards real independence and not reliance on the same old experts.

Very informative writing on Steve Hargadon's blog about the ways the Web2.0 will impact the future of Education. He pictures bright horizons, and I can't hardly disagree with him. My only question is to what extent this future will come to developing nations. What can we do to broaden the roads for this future in remote places? Do we really have to wait for physical roads to be built before these ways are cleared? Is it not possible to leapfrog our way to a more prosperous future?

2008 is election year in Brazil. We'll have the chance to choose new mayors, but unfortunately prospects are not very bright: the same people who never get tired… Let me tell you I’m really tired of them. Just in case your hopes are not completely dead, I’m sharing here this fantastic post I found in Harold Jarche’s blog. It's called Remixing Cities and it's absolutely amazing. I just wish our dear candidates had similar ideas. Well, at least we should know what to demand.

Results from the latest ISEP

The results obtained by the latest International Student Evaluation Program, made public by the Oragnisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, showed disastrous results for Brazil and its future generations. According to these last results, among 56 countries researched, Brazilian students are in the 53rd position, the worst in Latin America. Brazilian students scored badly in Maths, Science and, what’s worst of all, in reading ability.

Of course, results from investment in education take a long time to show, but if we don’t start changing this situation now, the future of Brazil will be tragic in terms of economic growth and, most importantly, in terms of human growth.

Could e-Learning help change this situation? I definitely think so. Reaching and preparing teachers in remote areas. Allowing for more reading opportunities for both teachers and students. Promoting discussion and reflection through virtual communities. Fostering the creation of knowledge in and outside the formal school system. How long will Brazilian youth be deprived of the education opportunities they need? Will we be forever doomed to be 3rd class citizens of the world?

Young people and civic engagement through the Internet

According to Selwyn, in a study by Scheidt (2006), “over half of adolescent blogs are purely exercises in self-presentation, with only a quarter of young bloggers producing materials that could be classified as being more citizenship-oriented, “evaluating values, beliefs, meanings, and identities […]”. Selwyn also mentions that research points to a tendency for “young people’s informal use of new media to reinforce rather than transform existing citizenship behaviours and attitudes.”

The information above doesn’t come as a surprise to me. I have worked with (affluent, well educated) adolescents long enough to be familiar with their modes of expression, and more recently, their blogs. My question is how can we make this change?

What's really important

Here's Karyn Romeis's comment about my initial posting. It was posted in Mark Berthelemy's blog Learning Conversations. Mark was my peer from the MEd in eLearning at Hull.


Comment from: Karyn Romeis [Visitor] · http://karynromeis.blogspot.com
Hmm. I'm sorry, but for me, this is a bit "let them eat cake" (and no, I haven't missed the fact that the post comes from a citizen of a developing nation).

The provision of elearning makes many assumptions, among which are: adequate electrical supply, access to facilities and functional literacy on the part of the users. Even in parts of South Africa, these conditions are not always met, and there are countries in the world with a lot further to go.

I'm not saying that the developing nations need to follow the same path that has been taken by the developed/industrialised nations. But there is much that needs to be set in place before elearning becomes a viable option in many parts of the world.
Permalink 13/11/07 @ 06:34

My reply:

Hello Karyn and everyone.

That’s precisely what I’m saying. Instead of investing money on the creation of courses to be delivered on TV or radio (and broadcast this as a major investment on the improvement of our educational conditions), governments should focus on infrastructure—electricity and broadband access for instance—to allow for adequate education. Donating PCs to schools where there’s no running water and qualified teachers are exceptions doesn’t seem to help either. I just think we should be able to skip some of the phases of educational technology development and focus on what’s really important.

Anamaria