Adrienne Rich (1961) reflects:
The first thing I want to say to you who are
students, is that you cannot afford to think of being here to receive an
education: you will do much better to think of being here to claim one. One of
the dictionary definitions of the verb “to claim” is: to take as the rightful owner; to
assert in the face of possible contradiction. “To receive” is to come into possession of: to act as
receptacle or container for; to accept as authoritative or true. The
difference is that between acting and being acted-upon….
This quote
sheds light on the nature of learning and how we must actively apply ourselves
in order to become ethical learners, seeking education for ourselves, rather
than it being passively received, and us—merely receptacles. While we engage
online it is important to be the type of learner Rich describes here because in
an ever-changing world, one must strive to keep up and stay engaged, fervently
fighting for the truth, when often times truth is not blatantly evident. I hope
that by the time my students are done with my class, they are able to walk away
with a renewed sense of power in their own learning, continually inspiring
curiosity, and therein, giving them a sense of devotion to their own practice
while learning. If more people examined and critically thought about the media
they consume, I know “people can transform civilizations” Rheingold 2010).
(Photo Credit: inform.tmforum.org)
In Howard
Rheingold’s piece, “Attention,
and Other 21st Century Social Media Literacies,” he writes, “In the
Japanese language, one pays attention with ki,
which means life energy,” which reminded me of reading Rich’s work in college
and reconsidering the way that I learn. I try my best to think critically about
everything that I view and contribute online. The Japanese tradition of
practicing ki illuminates the need
for students to partake in their own learning with their full selves.
Technology, I feel, has made this difficult because of the omnipresence it has
in our lives. For example, my apple watch is probably one of my favorite pieces
of smart technology, however, it doesn’t let you skip a beat—I have suddenly
become an accessory to my smart-phone, rather than the other way around. When
it is on me I get every buzz and notification to the wrist, which I have noticed,
still sometimes can pull me away when actually trying to engage and apply my
everything to a given learning moment. Sometimes we must limit the amount of
technology that we consume, before it consumes us.
Hello Cameron,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I have the same experience with my apple watch. I've had mine for over two years and I can't image going back to a regular watch. It is difficult to stay focused when you hear your wrist ping or vibrate. It becomes an effort to stay focused on small things. I also like what you said about receiving an education vs. claiming an education. I want to use that in my back to school presentation with a new group of students. It's the same argument I have with students when they ask why I 'gave' them a certain grade instead of asking why they 'earned' that grade. We want to teach students to use tools, but not get too distracted and take ownership of their learning as well. That's a lot to expect from young people. Thanks for sharing.
Theresa
Cameron,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your views on your Apple Watch. As I was reading this, I began to think the EXACT same thing about mine. I love it more than I love any other piece of technology but because I get every notification I often find myself disengaging from real life conversations, even when I'm teaching. I've had students draw me back into conversations when I am reading notifications on my phone. What a reality check!
Love the analogy about your watch! Do you think that Rheingold's 5 literacies still hold relevancy today?
ReplyDelete