Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Find the time...

David Warlick responds to Jeff Utecht's post about Clay Shirky's Gin, Television, and social surplus...

Could all the stuff that we have to do day in and out be put there to keep brains occupied? Is that where all the corporate models came from - keep them busy? Is that what we do to kids? Could the lack of engagement and caring be related to those needs not being met? The unmet psychological needs and need to keep the brain busy.

David Warlick quotes:
He suggests in this very interesting piece, that the sitcom, and in a broader sense, Television, served the same purpose during our shift to an information economy. The critical question is, “What do we do with the surplus of social capital, as we wake up from the television binge.” He describes some intriguing examples, but…
and then goes on to say...
My question is, “What would we, educators, find ourselves with a surplus of, if we were to suddenly be able to rid our selves of the constraints that cost our time and efforts?
Wow - if the current creativity of children which when stifled too much overflows into controversy over content and copyright could be channeled into solving problems. If we dare to think what they could do if empowered.

For all the teachers who have told me they don't have time to blog, play with web 2.0 tools...I have left a lot of mind numbing things go in order to use, think, create, learn... What if I even stepped it up another notch... if constraints on our time that are meaningless are lifted, what would that mean?

Tags: David Warlick, Clay Shirky, Jeff Utecht, empowerment, education

No comments:

Post a Comment