One of the most dramatic inventions in history occurred just prior to the Reformation. That is the invention of the printing press. Before this amazing tool, people relied on the experts, the scholars, the literate, the privileged few to give them the facts and the knowledge needed. The role of an education was to impart the truth to the unlearned and teach them an objective awareness through the acquisition of knowledge of the world. In terms of spirituality and Biblical truth, the printing press placed the Bible in the hands of people. No longer did people have to rely on some kind of special, mysterious ability and knowledge about the Bible that resided in the chosen few. Now suddenly people could read for themselves and make their own decisions. In spite of the inherent stickiness of this new opportunity (we all know the joys and pitfalls of everyone having free and open access to the Bible!), in the end it is the best way to ensure the future of a refined and knowledgable culture. Did the printing press revolutionize education? Absolutely.
The next great invention: the internet. With a touch and click, most, maybe all, facts are revealed in today's modern world. Who is considered the Father of the String Quartet? How many string quartets did he write? What is the formal structure of the first movements of most of his string quartets? What transitional chord is used in the 32nd String Quartet in 2nd movement? (this is harder to find but is available).
Or let's look at some other quick questions: How many apples are generally on a full grown apple tree? What is probably causing my shoulder pain? What stocks are in a bear decline? Why is Francis Marion called the Swamp Fox? What kind of television should I purchase? Why do cats have rough tongues? What is the best way to cook Salmon? What is the significance of the relationship between Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot?
At one time we depended on the experts to tell us things, to inform us about knowledge, to provide the facts that would help us to better our lives and become more educated. They were the mystics, the scholars, the professors, and the brilliant thinkers. They were the source of knowledge and with knowledge comes power. They held the keys to the past and subsequently to the future and mostly they held the keys to the success of everyone.
Are those days gone? In a sense yes. The power is at your fingertips as they caress the keys of a computer. Knowledge is available to all with very little effort. So why are we in education still teaching the facts when the facts are no longer a mystery? The age of the mysterious, brilliant intellect with special knowledge hidden in the depths of his superior brain is slowly giving way to the realization that everyone can be that person. The potential for the contagious spreading of experts in virtually all fields is now in front of us. While in some ways the very ease of information access diminishes its appeal, in other ways it allows us greater freedom from ignorance enslavement.
It is not a stretch to recognize that power belongs to those with the knowledge and the strength to keep the minions from knowing. Knowing you have the cards in your hand to win the game is to have the confidence to play it to the end. The cards in your hand tell you the future just as knowledge at your fingertips provides a position of strength and confidence. The internet gives everyone, regardless of background, personality, limitations, and refinement, the cards to stay in the game to the end.
With this awareness, it is time for educators to rethink curriculum and how we teach our students. It no longer makes sense to stand in front of 30 students and teach them information that is readily available. Because the information is so accessible, it inadvertently becomes a form of superfluous trivia in many respects, at one time valued partly due to its rarity but now common and therefore a little innocuous, certainly valued but unnecessary for educational focus. We must examine everything we teach, reducing out the superfluous and prolonging that which is not readily accessible.
Those offering a knowledge base that is as common as hamburgers will quickly become dinosaurs in a time when people need something different. For colleges and universities, teachers and yes students, this means examining everything being taught and working with tenacious zeal toward a new approach. It is time to teach for potential, for discernment, for critical thinking, for application, for synthesis, for comprehension and meaning, for skill, and for creativity. Knowledge is present, but let us ask ourselves how it will be used.
1 comment:
Because so much information is readily available, is it not human nature to become lazy to the extent of thinking that the information will always be there? What will it take to inspire our youth to want to examine the information available to them? How can we get them to test the information for validity?
In the sixties, almost everyone, especially the poor, had gardens to supplement their food thereby stretching what little resources they had. At the same time, politicians tried to help the poor with welfare. Many of those people soon realized that they did not need to do the hard work of raising a garden because it was much easier to wait for the check. Today, you see very few gardens around people’s homes, but almost everyone has color television.
Can the internet and the information contained there cause the same in our ability to reason and think. Is this indeed the best of times and the worst of times?
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