I have contemplated the subject of knowledge over the past few days. Where is knowledge headed? What is the future of teaching in a world where knowledge is becoming obsolete? Since I see myself as a Nurse first and teacher second, it becomes difficult for me to think about how things are changing as I am not directly located in the classroom, but a clinical setting. It also becomes a question of self reflection…what works for me to learn, to teach and to be effective at both.
Pavan Arora’s Tedtalk stuck with me. We all know that knowledge is changing, but how do we adapt. The idea of Access is huge. HUGE. How do we teach our children to access the knowledge and decipher, apply and assess. As a nursing instructor…I find that my students can not learn in a classroom or hospital ward everything they will need to know to be excellent nurses. They will need to know how to access the information needed, assess the validity and apply.
Teaching in a world where knowledge is obsolete could actually be reworded to suggest that the world shouldn’t seem so big in a world where knowledge is shared and accessible by all. If we are to make knowledge accessible by all, we can share and be creative in our delivery methods with standards to follow. Imagine all of the opportunities this could potentially open up to our students?
Nursing students could learn what wound care is effective in China, what homeopathic therapies work in Australia, how aseptic technique is the same in Alaska as here! Not only does it provide a platform on what others are doing around the world, it allows networks to form, partnerships across cultures and languages to merge and so much more!
As reflected on my children who are still in school and not as a nursing instructor, I felt that familiar wonder of how are we bringing the social networks into the classroom. At times it is frightening to think of all that is available to our children and what is changing at such a high speed. I found the above link interesting in terms of how we can use the social media to learn and how it can be used in our classrooms. What was interesting to see was the comparison of a classroom from 100 years ago comparing it to one today. There are still desks, students and a teacher-arranged differently, but humans are still learning.
The factor that concerns me the most is the moral aspect. What morals is my child being taught? In the first or second class, Brad (a fellow student) talked about how he feels cell phones should be allowed in classrooms and how they can be utilized…yes, I do listen Brad 🙂
It was then that my brain clicked in. Why are cell phones in the classroom seen as such a bad thing? Don’t get me wrong, I see the negatives….but when we explore the positives and discuss, the norms and values can be discussed as well. Etiquette needs to be discussed, boundaries and privacy talked about, the social rules and the moral implications need to be explored. That is part of teaching students in a world where social media is quickly becoming the norm.
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Thanks for sharing this Amy! I have had a similar thought process lately… how can I use social media for good in the classroom? Thank you for including that video about social media transforming education. I love that you are encouraging others to see the positives in it. I also agree with what you were saying- we need to discuss issues such as etiquette, boundaries, and privacy. Do you find it hard to discuss those topics and use social networks in a positive way with a class of adults? I myself find it easier with grade 3 students because they don’t have a lot of experience with social networks yet and are willing to listen. I’d love to hear your ideas. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!
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