Are we human or are we dancer??
The words of a popular pop song a few years
ago by The Killers (if you do not know them, children, go search the web J). The words meaning: are we humans with emotions and our own will
or are we just puppets on a string?!
I’m specifically
referring to these words after watching a film about the great crash of the
economy way back in 2008. Watching that movie made me think about these
‘systems’ we as humans are implementing. We should really, carefully think
twice and trise before implementing human systems.
Systems are always flawed! Because we as
humans, are NOT perfect.
And if there is to be systems…are these systems
taking away our humanness? (as Brad Pitt’s character puts it in the movie: that’s
why I hate banking, it reduces people to numbers) Is it making us into puppets?
Or is it truly benefiting our human race?
That brings me to this digital pedagogical ‘system’. Yes, it is the way of the world nowadays. But excuse my pessimism … again…what
if it crashes. There is more to consider.
Teacher, we cannot teach our learners to be
dependent on such material things…it will disappoint. We cannot let them put
their every hope and means of learning into these systems.
Now, after reading http://www.edutopia.org/blog/guidebook-social-media-in-classroom-vicki-davis?utm_content=blog&utm_campaign=social-media-guidebook&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow&utm_term=second-image and
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/social-media-can-be-ally-nicholas-provenzano?utm_content=blog&utm_campaign=social-media-can-be-an-ally&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow&utm_term=second-image
we were asked in our PGCE class to explain how we would implement this
‘systems’ of technology in our curriculum classes one day??
These articles really make the digital
pedagogy seem so legit and as if this could be our answer to better learning in
classrooms. But not my classroom and the picture I have in my mind of the
school I would like to teach at. These learners are curious about the digital
yes, and would be excited about it… for a while, but they are waaay more
interested in relationships; interacting. And they usually do this without
technology, because they do not have capital to buy into this technological
world.
Answering the question from a classroom
where the kids love using technology, and where it is freely available, I would
use almost every wonderful tool the web and technology has to offer (with good
facilitative skills of cause). I was most
definitely amazed at the possibilities these Apps (like fakebook, faketwitter
or even Instagram) could bring to the classroom, and to engage in learning outside
of the classroom. I would use Instagram to encourage kids to share photos with
the class of things they connect to the content of the classwork. I would use
fakebook in class where they could communicate groupwork and information and
comment over it.
BUT, encouraging children or learners to
actively use social media, I CANNOT. Because as we have seen in many scenarios
it has exploded in their faces with only one wrong word or sentence. I would much
rather encourage more face-to-face interaction where they learn how to handle
and resolve conflict and ways of being human and connecting humanely – teaching
what is essential in our unsure, lonely world.
Because, are we human or are we dancer?
I must comment on my own pessimism. Haha. I see a lot of possibilities! But, there is still a but...I watched a TEDTALK yesterday where the briljant uncle (can't remember his name right now) talked about how our current school systems are focusing only on the upper body...and more to the head and more to the left side. Where is the rest of the body we use for learning?!? And using digital pedagogy is a step in a better direction but is still leaning only toward the brain...i have this crazy idea of mixing digital pedagogy with movement/dance pedagogy. Maybe not easy, maybe not practical, but go see on the internets how dance can be used beautifully with learning.
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