My old North Carolina friend, colleague, and reborn mountaineers, John Spagnolo, posted a comment on my NECC Ning Session Discussion. There is so much truth, packed into these few words, that it hurts. [Image ((Falgas, Julien. “Le Cybercaf? d’Amiens 2007.” Julien Jalgas (JiF)’s Photostream. 6 Jun 2007. 26 Jun 2008 <http://flickr.com/photos/julien-falgas/533554705/>. ))]
Our Students ? Our Worlds – NECC 2008:
The conditions brought about by the cognitive dissonance that students feel creates a surrealistic, unproductive and disengaged daytime experience at school, divorced and fundamentally unrelated to the @home realities of their entertainment channels, culture and social networks.
They know better ways to learn and communicate. They are skilled with the digital networking tools that can connect them to an emerging culture with world flattening literacy. I imagine that some of the best and brightest students feel sorry and unable to connect with the trapped and cynical late technology adopters in educational roles that get easily mired in the muck and backwater of an inherently unreliable, oppressive day old school infrastructure and technology.
The subversion necessary to stay meaningfully connected by day to a personal ?digital softspace? in a public education institution, separates those ?googling thumb drivers?, networked courageous apprentice educators and younger (in spirit) teachers from the administrators and those making us secure and walled off from all dangers in the emerging webagora. Knowing better while we muddle forward is making the old ways of teaching and learning uncomfortable and ineffective while subverting the new ways of connecting (and connecting to) knowledge and to each other.
Thanks, John, and hope to see you in San Antonio!
2 thoughts on “Disruptive Conditions”