PLN Education Blog
My journey of learning digital literacy, establishing a personal learning network, and becoming a qualified 21st century teacher.
The Ted talk presented by Michael Wesch was both powerful and poignant. In it he expertly argued how the way we consume media has shifted from the time of the television to the connected media world of the internet. His explanation of the media in the television era as being unidirectional, with people having little influence, was a point I have never really considered. I grew up in an era that relied on the television to provide the most current information, and rarely considered what my role was in the process. On the other side of the coin is the ever connected internet media world of today. Wesch (2010) included a powerful example of how a "spoof" commercial led to a meeting between Green Peace and the Unilever company to halt the destruction of rain forests. What I enjoyed most about the presentation, and the point at which I really began to understand and agree with Wesch, was when he pointed out that while the internet may allow us to connect, organize, share, collect, collaborate, and publish easily this is just the surface level and it does not mean that we can do this well or in a meaningful manner. In some ways it is so easy, the internet allows for careless and reckless abuse of the powers.
The concept Wesch presents of being knowledge-able, and that as teachers we are responsible for teaching knowledge-ability, is one that I fully support. As a future science educator, with a passion for ecology, I think that there are ideas that would lend themselves well to the classroom environment. Science intrinsically requires collecting, organizing, sharing, collaborating, and publishing. The internet has proven to be a wonderful place for the scientific community. One of the greatest roles that I have as a science educator is to teach my students how and where to look on the internet for reputable sources. These are the places that all of the above actions are taking place. In addition, I think that students can learn to make their voice heard. One of the reasons I want to teach science is so that the next generation is equipped to answer the questions and challenges that we are currently facing, not to mention many more that may arise in the years to come. Students live in the world on fire, and I want to be an agent of change that can show students they can be the little bird that saves the world. This means teaching students how to question and where to look for their answers. My ultimate goal is to have students who are equipped with the skills needed to make meaningful connections, efficiently organize, expertly and respectfully share and collaborate, and hopefully publish meaningful contributions to the global conversation. Having access to the wealth of the worlds knowledge is not sufficient, it is the goal of educators to give students the tools to use the knowledge to save the world. [TEDx Talks]. (2010, October 12). TEDxKC-Michael Wesch- From Knowledgeable to Knowledge-able. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeaAHv4UTI8
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AuthorMy name is Margaret Sullivan, and I am a teacher candidate at California State University San Marcos, on my way to becoming a 21st century science teacher Archives
December 2016
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