There were more than 3 concepts in the video, but the main ones that I gleened from his talk,
1. The internet is a very powerful political tool. Not all countries are democratic and transparent as the US. Thus rights are not the same. People are imprisoned for their opinions.
2. I liken Austrailia's mandate on filtering the internet as similar to US prohibition era of alcohol, forbid it and people will get around it and it will fail.
3. The internet is global and is one, with that come rights and responsibilites of the users.
What needs to be taught in school is, not how to hack, but to post and write responsibly. The internet is a tool that millions of people see and read. Words posted can calm and can hurt, can sway public opinion to the right or left, can start wars and oust presidents. Students need to be taught how to take this information and think for themselves.
There is a place in our schools for Wikipedia, but not as the only source. It should be considered the starting point of research, not the only point. When I have my adult student write papers, they must have at least 8 resources besides Wikipedia.
I had the Encyclopedia Britanica, my parents spent a fortune for the set. But that was not my only resource, but the starting point.
I had an encyclopedia in my house growing up too. It was rather old, and sometimes I would get information that was outdated from it (especially for Social Studies and Science projects!!). Every once in a while I would find information that was contradicted by another source, and I'd weigh the two sources against each other. But, I always found something in that encyclopedia that added to my knowledge about the subject. I think that's how I feel about Wikipedia as well. And, of course, no matter what the source, you should always cross-reference it!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree. I worked in research many years before coming to teach and cross refrencing is second nature. It's incredible how researchers go out of their way to discredit others'work.
DeleteI agree with your thoughts on wikipedia. I feel that it can be used, as long as other sources are used. I remember being in the third grade (I am 22, almost 23) and having a research paper. I remember using an encyclopedia set. The day I heard one of the students I subbed for ask why we needed encyclopedias - we have the internet, I knew that technology and digital media was taking over!
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Why read when you can surf!!
ReplyDeleteJodee thanks for referencing the encyclopedia. I, too, am of the generation where a set of encyclopedia in the home was a status symbol. It meant we had access to knowledge, we subscribed to the year book update which meant we stayed current - right? My grandfather (who had an 8th grade education) kept a volume in the bathroom, it was the ONLY reading material permitted and he changed the volume once a year! Knowledge is power and you can never have too much knowledge is what he said. I was delighted to get my first encyclopedia on CD for my desktop computer. With an encyclopedia I had knowledge! Boy, have my thoughts changed!
ReplyDeleteI really like your point about Wikipedia being a good starting off point, you can always use their references to find more reliable information. Also, I like your point about student's taking in information and thinking for themselves. I find myself telling my students to think, that they have to use their brains. The end of the year has had an impact, increasing the amount I have to say these things.
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