Chapter 4 Summary Reflection

CHAPTER 4: EMERGING ROLES WITHIN THE KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY

                Chapter four addresses the changes in roles that come with a growing, “knowledge is everywhere” environment as well as some of the potential new roles that are emerging in our digital world. One of the biggest changes that is discussed and seems to be a theme throughout our readings is that of the student(s) as teacher(s). In our fast-paced, tablet toting world, young people are absorbing and utilizing so many skills for accessing and manipulating information and data that they are often better “schooled” at teaching the teacher about these things. With the increases in digital access, we all basically have the potential to “teach” someone about something. This is discussed as collegiality in the book and for lack of a better description is basically a huge opportunity for global networking of resources and ideas. This interconnectedness also affords teachers the opportunity to provide students with anonymous reviewers of their work. Teachers from different classes, even different countries can collaborate on projects and allow their students to review and give feedback on each other’s work. Another benefit of the digital age that is touched on in chapter four is the fact that parents can be so easily included and updated about what their child is learning. With connectedness, parents can visit teacher and/or student blogs, websites, podcasts to stay up to date on their child’s activities. Finally, one of the big roles that was discussed was that of the student(s) being responsible learners. And by responsible, it means more than just coming to class and turning in assignments. The students discussed in the chapter were posed with real problems in their communities that they took ownership of and to which they contributed a solution. They actively applied their previous knowledge, gained any necessary knowledge that was not already there as well as obtained and managed needed resources.

The part I enjoyed most about chapter four was the idea that given a real-life problem, students can and will work towards a solution, particularly when they feel they have a stake in the outcome. I know that every teacher has been asked by a student, “how am I going to ever use this in real life?” Proposing real life problems that engage students will let them figure out for themselves, how they will use “this” stuff that they learn in real life. I also really liked the idea of anonymous reviewers as a way to provide assessment. I think, often because we have drilled into students that their role is to be the passive learner and to be quiet in class, many students never speak up because they are afraid that we expect them to be perfect and to always have the right answer. I know that many of them are affected by peer pressure when it comes to speaking up in class and giving their honest opinions about things. This anonymous review would be ideal for students to give and receive honest feedback. I think it would probably help them to see things more outside of themselves also because they get to interact in a non-threatening setting.