Learning in the Digital Age

John Seely Brown

In Brown's lecture, he talked about how universities have recognised the role of Instructional Technology on campus and how it is affecting campuses. He also talked about how educators need to learn how the net-generation thinks and learns. We also need to rethink what we have to relearn how we learn so that we can turn learning into a life-long habit. 

          Before the advent of the technological age, we have always thought of learning to be pouring knowledge into a kid's head. We come into being by participation and we understand what is socially constructed through study groups. With the evolution of learning, our current students learn through the clicker method, by doing work together, virtually. What educators have not realised is that studying together in this way is also fun. When work in progress is made public, others learn from it. Instructors do not know how to be mentors, not sages in a studio based learning. We don't like to reinvent teaching practices. However, we have to learn to be facilitators in peer-based learning. He also found that peer-based learning works extremely well for minorities and women.

         He also said that in this age, there are a lot of ways learning can happen. We are now beyond merely textbooks. Students no longer learn about something, they learn to be, to see solutions to a problem elegantly and take charge. In the net-generation, learning is a culture of participation, of building, tinkering, reusing, sharing and creating meaning by "what I create and others build on or comment on and share. 

         Man has evolved from being homo sapiens (man the wise) to homo faber (man the maker) to homo ludens (man the player). In the world of the homo ludens, students have the freedom to fail and try again and again fun and see learning as riddles to be solved. Tools such as Youtube, Wiki, Blogger, Facebook, Flicker, World of War Craft provide the foundations for man to constantly master a world in flux, a world which is constantly changing.

         Instructors need to acknowledge that learning happens outside the classroom as inside and that we need to facilitate both. Students need to be given the ownership of learning so that they will be motivated to do so.

Brown gave an example of Singapore which has adapted the concept of "Teach Last, Learn More". Starting from kindergarten, students are introduced to productive inquiry and experimental learning. 

         Brown believes that one of the most important issues to tackle is teachers' beliefs. Even if we are given all the facilities but do not use them in teaching then all is lost. Then again, there are teachers who have picked up the new technologies but in the real world but there is no support from the department of education concerning time and freedom. The department is also slow in acknowledging and advocating the use of new technology ideas like social networking sites in and outside the classroom.

         Based on my own experience, the issues Brown brought up were all very true. I for one is for using all these new technologies in the classroom but really found that the administration people in my school are still very skeptical about them. They would far rather rely on the concept that teachers are sages rather than mentors or facilitators.