Dr. Maria Andersen makes the point that the amount of information available in the modern age is comparable to standing under a waterfall. There is no possible way to drink it all. The information that we need, that we want, and that is useful to us is in there somewhere, but how do we filter it out? Tools to collect information like Diigo and Pinterest can be useful tools, but often lead to mindless hoarding of information to the point where when we actually do need to go back and find something, it can already be buried under everything else. I have certainly seen evidence this on other people's Pinterest boards. | |
Dr. Andersen also briefly scolds the educational system for locking off much of its information from the rest of the world. This can take the form of scholarly journal articles that require a paid subscription, textbooks that cost exorbitant amounts of money, and educational resources stored on taxpayer-funded school websites that are password-locked (I'm looking at you, UC Irvine history department). She also points out how education only sips from the waterfall, rather than diving in to learn in real-time using the technology and information available.
She proposes creating a "Learn This" button that can be implemented on websites, and allowing users to interact by asking questions and providing answers about the information they have been presented with, breaking from the "view and forget" model that exists for most people when they view resources online. This is based on older models of education, where professors, scientists and philosophers would exchange thoughts and questions via mail (this is simply sped up using technology).
I find the idea interesting and a potential positive tool for learning both from inside and outside the educational system. It has an opportunity to make digital learning more personal, yet simultaneously more interactive. I can see drawbacks in its implementation, though, as anybody who has read the comments section of any news article can attest. How the information flowing in and flowing out of such a system will be managed is the greatest challenge, which I cannot begin to formulate and answer for.
Source:
Andersen, M. "Ignite Great Lakes - Maria Andersen: Where's the "Learn This" Button?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btFzxL7lXPU
She proposes creating a "Learn This" button that can be implemented on websites, and allowing users to interact by asking questions and providing answers about the information they have been presented with, breaking from the "view and forget" model that exists for most people when they view resources online. This is based on older models of education, where professors, scientists and philosophers would exchange thoughts and questions via mail (this is simply sped up using technology).
I find the idea interesting and a potential positive tool for learning both from inside and outside the educational system. It has an opportunity to make digital learning more personal, yet simultaneously more interactive. I can see drawbacks in its implementation, though, as anybody who has read the comments section of any news article can attest. How the information flowing in and flowing out of such a system will be managed is the greatest challenge, which I cannot begin to formulate and answer for.
Source:
Andersen, M. "Ignite Great Lakes - Maria Andersen: Where's the "Learn This" Button?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btFzxL7lXPU