Random Comments on Philip Adams/James Farmer at education.au Seminar (Aug 4)

A six minute reflection of the recent education.au seminar (http://www.educationau.edu.au/jahia/Jahia/whatschanged); Audio in full at http://feeds.feedburner.com/eduauweb2 So what's changed? Technology, expectations, connections and collaboration... Philip Adams: Long time media commentator in Australia on politics, media, divinity and spirituality, etc! Compere of ABC’s Late Night Live After beginning with a ritual shot at George Bush, “the silliest man to lead a country since Caligula”) Philip Adams urged us to teach in the new technology and use it to teach students how to protect themslelves from this self-same technology. Data ≠ info ≠ knowledge ≠ wisdom The new technology is both exhilarating and daunting, but beware technological determinism. James: technology does matter! Does the new publishing phemonenon give the ignorant undue influence? James: ‘Citizen journalism’ about as much value as ‘citizen dentistry’ Traditional media reps (like Adams) are ‘gate-keepers’; he is a gatekeeper in a mediated world; in the unmediated world the content is more biased, but full of infinite promise. “Every new technology breaks its promise.” Self-censorhip is the most insidious of all censorships (eg when there is fear of losing job) Censorship does not work – intelligence and a value/belief system works. Students need to be taught the difference between “fact and foolishness”. “We don’t send kids down the coalmines anymore; we send them into shopping malls as consumers.” – corporate paedophilia. Media bombardment is not healthy or therapautic. Cause of ADD? We must use the new technology to ‘vaccinate students’against the ‘toxic sludge’; it displays the best and worst (technology is amoral); we must build up their immune systems. James Farmer: Online Community Editor editor of the Age (Melbourne), and founder of edublogs.org - http://edublogs.org/ Prefers to engage people not software. Tech + education ≠ engagement + empowerment; principally because of the use of forum software (disengaging) Edublogs: 16,000 blogs in the first year Many roads lead to Rome