The web lit up after Clay Shirky spoke at the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco last week. Blip.TV is hosting his 16 minute presentation--a must see. I'm embedding it below. I want to encourage everyone to go beyond taking the time to watch it; really soak in what he's saying, giving deep thought to its implications for the art and science of teaching and learning. Aside from being an engaging story-teller, he skillfully unwraps some compelling and powerful ideas.
Here are just a few of my take aways:
- "Media [dare I substitute 'classroom instruction'] targeted at you that doesn't include you may not be worth sitting still for."
- Focus our attention on designing for, rather than trying to dissipate, the cognitive surplus: what are we going to do with this new architecture of participation to move it from social crisis to a meaningful asset?
- For our present generation, new media [dare I substitute 'classroom instruction'] moves from just consumption to also include producing and sharing [--or, as I like to sing: contribution].
- If we could leverage just 1% of the cognitive surplus soaked up by watching television, we would have the equivalent amount of time to produce 10,000 Wikipedia projects.
- Moving to participatory contribution is a one way shift we are growing into, not a fad that will pass.
- How are we as educators going to leverage and manipulate the cognitive surplus, through our students' unparalleled interest in this emerging architecture of participation through technology, to move them beyond the mindless stupor in which we grew up passively soaking up television (and our teachers' endless lectures)?
How are we going to engage our students authentically to empower their contribution? In a way, this reminds me of the horrible cycle of child abuse that is perpetuated from the abused to the next generation. We do what we know. Now, we need to move on to doing what we know can be done: leveraging the cognitive surplus for meaningful participation and contribution.
