Week #1

September 23rd was my first day in Web-based Tech. InEducation. I initially thought that we would be exploring the learning processes as it is infused into web-based applications. This has been a deep interest to mine, for some time, as I have sought to address how children of different cultural backgrounds process information in a variety of ways that bring about cultural relevance, personal investment and deeper understanding.  Having taught in an underprivileged community, I have sought after media that would educate and empower my students learning. Sadly most of what I have encountered has been dry and impersonal and has not allowed my students to engage in a meaningful learning experience (as in our collaborative groups). This is disheartening, as media has much to offer students, by way of empowering them to transcend beyond their socio-economical boundaries. Coming into the class, I pretty much came prepared with my boxing gloves on ready to do some constructive damage :-p. Yet I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the class was going through some restructuring. Apparently the class is taking on a cultural focus, with the goal of presenting an artifact that addresses the educational needs of the underprivileged.  I was pleasantly surprised!

 

Some of what the professor alluded to, in discussion, was that technology ought to be used to present information in ways that are meaningful to the demographic. I believe that this is a great challenge for the designers of today/tomorrow. The quantitative question is being posed. Is it enough just to present set information and in an entertaining venue? What is the goal of this? Are we approaching learning from a two-dimensional perspective?  I am apt to revisit my days as a filmmaker, where not only was the message pointed and direct, but the development of background and plot made for a much personal and lasting impression. 

 

I have great interest in having these and many more questions like these answered. As we explore this more, I hope to see myself, as well as my peers, take an invested interest in the cultural psychology of underprivileged or marginalized learners. As I looked at last year’s artifacts I find myself saying: "Wow! That's impressive." "I feel challenged?"  But I find that this has more to do with the creativity and entertainment value of the presentation and less to do with a personalized learning experience. Wow doesn't mean I've learned something, it just means, wow. Then I think: "How am I okay with this?" "How can I allow myself to be reduced to playing spectator to my own learning experience?" If don't own my own learning, I am left with reduced to shallow academic constructs that minimize my understanding/capabilities. How can we as designers draw out the learner and make them more conscious of there responsibilities? This question I posed to my classmate following class: "Did I really learn anything from these presentations and how do I know that I learned anything at all?" As a result, I would like to explore the construct of interactive web-based applications; with respect to life-long learning.