more advantages of school 2.0
[Continuation of the previous post, "the hive mind"]
A valuable benefit of collaboration, online or not, is that it alleviates the lack of teachers in our country. Our mentors feel overwhelmed because they mostly view education as writing on a tabula rasa. With so many students to fill, it is no wonder that they inevitably tire, and instead of thinking of new things to write and new ways to do it, settle for what they are most comfortable with. In adopting a master-apprentice approach and employing the Internet as an ally, teachers can focus less on the menial aspects of education and give more time to the students and the pursuit of knowledge.
More than just providing additional sources of information, the Internet can also be utilized to assist with assessment, given the right infrastructure. My teachers have pointed out to me that they would willingly use subjective testing methods except that they do not have time to process all of these. Why not, then, invite “guest teachers” to help in checking the works of their students. The guest teacher, in turn, stands to benefit from gaining new insights at best, or if not, good karma at least.
Of course, changing our mindsets and then our procedures won’t be a piece of cake. Putting in place the right mechanisms will be difficult, but then, did we ever get to put flags on Mt. Everest without trying hard?
