Dr. Michael Wesch gives a very interesting TED Talk regarding students being knowledgeable vs knowledge – able in the classroom and in life. After surveying his college students, he found that a majority are disengaged in school and even life. He found that most students do not do assigned readings in school nor do they find their schoolwork relevant. Thus Wesch believes that education needs to move past pushing students to be knowledgeable and to be knowledge – able. By this Wesch means that students shouldn’t only be merely taught to recite facts but should also know how to find, sort, analyze, criticize, and create. In todays ever advancing technological and digital society, people have a greater opportunity than any other time in history to illuminate thoughts and ideas and to share them with the rest of the world. Wesch discusses how for decades people had a one-way conversation with their televisions. They could watch it and get ideas but could not contribute back. Today social media and the Internet offer new ways for individuals connect and to put forth their creations into the world. People now have platforms to have two-way conversations.
By utilizing some of these platforms in the classroom, students can take hold of their educations and can engage with the world. I was extremely turned off by school personally growing up. The majority of my education was “drill and kill” lessons that did not engage my classmates or myself. Students are excited about technology, social media and the digital world. By embracing these mediums, we as educators can create environments that push our students to move from “bystanders” to “creators” or rather from knowledgeable to knowledge – able as Wesch describes in his TED Talk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeaAHv4UTI8
By utilizing some of these platforms in the classroom, students can take hold of their educations and can engage with the world. I was extremely turned off by school personally growing up. The majority of my education was “drill and kill” lessons that did not engage my classmates or myself. Students are excited about technology, social media and the digital world. By embracing these mediums, we as educators can create environments that push our students to move from “bystanders” to “creators” or rather from knowledgeable to knowledge – able as Wesch describes in his TED Talk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeaAHv4UTI8