From one of the great advocates of weblogging in schools…
To say that the I-Law [Harvard Internet Law programme] was transformative for me would be an understatement.
Put aside the opportunity to sit in some of the most revered classrooms in the land at one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Put aside the star power of the faculty. Focus only on the ideas and the debates and the discussions that while not specifically focused on education certainly articulated revolutionary ideas for teaching and learning in the digital age and you’ll understand how this weekend was one of the most profound learning experiences of my life.
It’s hard to know where to start, but since it’s so central to my concerns, let’s start with Weblogs. There was a lot, and I mean a lot, of conversations about the potentials of blogs and wikis and other such tools that “democratize” the learning experience. (At one point it was noted that Jefferson would have loved blogs, but Madison would have discouraged them.) In fact, if there was one almost mantra that came out of the weekend it was “Just be a blogger.”
Larry Lessig, when speaking about the importance of blogging, said:
“Reading is important; but writing is also very important. It forces people to express an argument; it pushes you, because you are speaking “in public” means you have to have a better argument – discourse is dialog, not shoutdowns… It’s not about quality; it’s about the act of writing – thinking about what you have to say is a worthwhile exercise – and saying it publicly reinforces not only the effort to make a good argument, but you also have planted a stake in the ground – you are more committed.”
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Obviously, there is a huge media literacy component inherent in all of this that creates a excellent argument for a required course for every student in America. And the first people that should take it are teachers. I’ve been using that literacy word more and more lately because I do think much of this comes down to how quickly we can get away from the idea that it means simply reading and writing. There really is a technological literacy this should be required of both students and teachers. The problem is that these technologies are changing at such a rapid pace that it’s difficult to keep up with them.