Participatory Culture and the Networked Student

I couldn't really find any of the anything missing from what that student had going on with regards to his Psych course and the definitions and terms of the Participatory Culture or a "networked student". A couple of things that stand out two me are that the interactions between the student and actual live (face to face) people seems to be left out of the whole thing. The amount of material and information flow you as someone must keep up with was dizzying for me (in the "Networked Student"). Maybe its because they were just focusing on the one class and not his whole life but the extreme amount of imformation for me seems like it would take over his entire life! For one class? I could list all the terms and fake like I have a good grip on it all by taking each term from the readings , using the definition and apply it to what I experienced watching the video clips.

I'd like to do something a little different in the blog and elaborate on a few things that stand out to me. The definition of the paticipatory culture itself is warm and fuzzy which I actually like. Being able to create and contribute instead of just being a consumer is refreshing, if you have the time, to say the least. In my lesson plan this week, not knowing it, I did have my students search for information they were going to use in a project (how to do...) and post that info on the wiki. I also had them find a learning resource for extra credit to post up on the wiki as well and then had them have a web gallery to share photo's of what they created. It was my intent for them to learn the material and at the same time I thought they would feel it was kind of cool to leave a legacy of photo's and resources for the classes coming behind them in the years to come. Shoot, maybe even some might stumble upon the wiki site and hit the mother load of grade appropiate information on cells, function and structures of cells and how to make a 3-D cell model. Even stated to build a bigger since of community in my plan as well, a connection if you will. I inadvertantley did a little bit of what the definition of paticipatory culture talks about. "haring one’s creations,and some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices. A participatory culture is also one in which members believe their contributions matter,and feel some degree of social connection with one another".

Next thing I' d like to speak on is the networked student, and while he met the criteria for the definition of a paticipatory culture I think that definition and all the stuff he had going on don't quite match. All the terms of the new skills in the article he was doing like a champ. He was engaged and immersed in the virtual world up to his eye balls. But I'm getting the impression that their is going to be a complete disconnect from each other in a real sense because of the amount of time and sheer volume of information to keep up with, work with, sift through, make your own, draw conclusions and learn about, collaborate only online and through blogs and stuff! I feel there will come a tipping point that people can only multi-task and take on so much time and information before it all just becomes a constant mess of randomness that now one really gets to any point? Or learning objective? Maybe i'm wrong?

As for this being how things would be now or in my class..We a far from this because of economic factors for people of all races and ethnicities. Not every has internet access, 24/7 if at all, not everyone has a laptop or iPod. I hope that one day in a class I teach that everyone has access to atleast the internet and a computer if they choose. But until the educational structure is changed into something that has different pathways than just your typical high school or diploma. Such as trade, prep, etc. none of this can come to be. You'll never have everyone wanting to be the networked student, and maybe everyone should have the oppurtunity too but also to go a different route. Forced schooling for a diploma worthless in some peoples eyes and only having these one size fits all high schools really stinks and stigmatizes everyone. I hope that made since. Some people may just want to drive a Semi or work on the computers not be infront of them. Maybe i'm off on an insane rant? Its a scary day to me when real social interaction is secondary to computers and brain craming. Atleast that's what the "social networked" student seemed to me. But using this stuff a another tool and not something to kill students with by giving them more and more and more information that you drive them out of their minds and out of school would not be the point for me.

All in all i think all this "social networking and paticipatory culture" is a good thing if kept in context. We could really help a lot of our societies wo's by imporing everybody who wants it the same data as a harvard kid may get, it could really unleash a collective wave of brainstorming learning and issues and problem solving that could change things for the better. I know there is a lot of untapped brain power out there young, old and coming up that be great for the world and equal a lot of playing fields. But like the economic and political divides, lets don't leave those in the dust "like me" who don't have a great handle on the interwoveness of the new technology or the time to keep up with every little change, or those with little resources behind who want to come along. I do, but damn, you new aged internet people, (i was one on the cutting edge of the net once) slow down for us. Maybe there is time though because almost no one at UofF teaches for students to learn and transfer as they all should be this day in age, we actually pay for someone to throw up a ton of information we have to memorize and then can't even retrieve that information we payed so dearly for two weeks after class.

Sorry for the rant cds-just some thoughts i've be throughing around in my crazy brain....