Questions How do we prepare our youth to create a better future? In From Knowledgeable to Knowledge-able Kansas State University professor Michael Wesch argues that we can test how much useful knowledge our students are learning by listening to the questions they are asking. A good question leads people on a quest. It cannot be answered. With the abundance of information available to us today the value of knowledge has shifted. It is more important that they learn critical thinking skills as well as learn the new value of of knowledge-ability. Television and Social Media Wesch points out how television changed the way society shared information and shaped our values. It became a social medium and changing our culture and influencing our daily lives. Television was a one way stream of information that was entertaining but only a few decided on the conversation that were presented to the masses. Similarly, the social media we use today will also have a great effect on the way we live our lives. We can have the opportunity to start conversations with anyone in the world. And although it is “ridiculously easy” to share information it is actually really hard to publish something of worth. Collaboration To demonstrate this ideas Wesch mentions a project he began in his classroom critiquing higher education. His video was translated into other languages, shared and viewed by thousands of people. His example illustrates how easy it is to share information in this day and age. Our students can connect, organize, collect, collaborate and publish information. As educators we need to allow them to share their ideas and to teach them that they can create something meaningful to influence positive change. Sending the Right Message Wesch points out that everything beginning from the classroom setup sends a message to students about their learning expectations. Students are influenced by the classroom setup in that it teaches them they must face the front because the person at the front holds all the information. They are taught to see their teachers as an authority figure who they must not question. Students might be knowledgeable because they understand they must learn a great amount of knowledge to pass. But, Wesch argues that we need to change student instruction to teach them knowledge-ability. Knowledge-ability is a practice, where they can embrace real problems and collaborate with others to solve them. Knowledge-able students are able to find, sort analyze and ultimately create new information. This is the kind of thinking we need to foster in our students. They need to understand that knowledge is not something they can only find. Meaning is also something they can create. One student might not be able to change anything drastically but we need to teach students to do the best they can and to use technology to collaborate with others.This way students will become creators of relevant and important conversations. Wesch, Michael. [TEDx Talks]. (2010, October 12). TEDxKC-Michael Wesch-From Knowledgeable to Knowledge-Able. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeaAHv4UTI8
1 Comment
11/27/2015 03:03:38 am
Thank you for your post Ms. Perez! I really like how Wesch incites us to take a different look at technology and see how media shapes our relationships. I also agree with him that we need to go beyond teaching our students to think critically, but to also determine the value and relevance of the information they find so that they may create their own information and knowledge that has value. I thought Wesch's project for his university students to critique their college experience was a powerful way of showing educators their classes, textbooks, and assignments may lack relevance and meaning. I think one way we can begin to teach our students to be knowledge-able is to have them actually collaborate in class. Wesch stated that is difficult to collaborate, and I know it takes experience for something to become easier. By having students collaborate, they are actually practicing to develop the skills they need to be better, more effective collaborators in the future.
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