Tag Archives: knowledge

THE UNLECTURE 03

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Knowledge.

Adrian stressed the point that ‘education isn’t a passive one way transaction’ in this week’s unlecture.

I have to admit I have become all too used to the high-school method of education. You sit and listen while the teacher talks AT you in the hope their knowledge will be poured and stored into your brain. Sure, I realised it was a give and take relationship and it wasn’t just this simple to learn. But I accepted this format of learning without thinking too much about alternative methods.

It was interesting to think about the difference between buying an ‘experience’ instead of buying a ‘product’ in our university education. If we use this analogy between an experience and a product, it’s clear that an experience has much greater value over a product if only for its longevity. Products date, malfunction and need to be replaced when new products are created. So it is only logical that we should aim to buy an experience instead…something long lasting and enriching.

So, part of this course seems to be illuminating the two-way transaction style of education and teaching us to become aware of our learning. This course, is nothing like what I initially expected (thought it would be all about html and IT) but I am starting to see some serious value in alternative methods.

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VANNEVAR BUSH ~ COMPUTERS AND KNOWLEDGE

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The Vannevar Bush essay essentially discusses the notion of using computers to expand the knowledge and intelligence of humans. Whilst written in 1945, it is clear that in our present 2013 this notion is ever present and more than a simple vision. Computers are part of our everyday lives, delivering information to their users instantly.

Search engines, academic databases, online journals and online newspapers provide humans with knowledge about the past and present. However, that is not to say that using computers guarantees intelligence or knowledge about something useful. You might be able to easily and quickly find out the benefits of folic acid or the latest celebrity gossip BUT fail to learn information essential for your career path or assistance for learning how to answer difficult equations.

In other ways, while users have information at the tips of their fingertips, this is useless if they don’t understand the way to go about finding the information using appropriate search engines. There is also the problem of information overload.

Although in saying this- my first port of reference for most things would be the internet. Whether it be finding info for a uni assignment, my daily fix of celeb gossip, online shopping, style + beauty info or looking up my train schedule, safari has got my back!

The reading also argued that scientific and technological progress will continue to develop. From 1945 to the modern day this is all too true! It begs the question to speculate on what else will be developed and what our future world will look like as the internet has the power to continue to “expand the mind”.

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