Gen(eration)ocide

As the oldest person in the room in our class I have mixed emotions most of the time. Yesterday in class I’ll admit some things I threw out were to see what the response was, but most of all I am contributing from where I am at…in my life. A generation or two removed.

The topic came up about dystopian and utopian outlooks or tones to the postings. I guess what I first want to talk about is caveat we were given to “watch that”.

If you study any group process (I learned group dynamics from the last graduate student of Carl Rogers, an emeritus prof in 1979)you find that the [community]groups go through a series of stages:

Groping
Griping
Grasping
Grouping

Interestingly enough, no matter if the community is online, f2f, in schools, adults, or not…the process is the same. This I am finding to be true.

So, the first few classes we were groping for meaning, skills, understandings

Last few classes we were griping and wanting things to be easier

Yesterday we were beginning to grasp what the class and Web 2.0 means. Although, some of the griping was not over…My head hurts too………………..the entire concept is a huge struggle for meaningmaking (Wenger).

Grasping might take a few weeks. IT usually does. Not to worry.

The final phase of group dynamics(as it was called in the 70’s)is grouping, where all the members of the community group have settled into roles, made peace with new ideas, learned new skills and have a trust level to share honestly. WE are not there yet for this class.

So, just a caution to those who think that the process will be quick or that there will be no extremes of thought or expression, be assured that all is normal and expected. Don’t be so quick to discount any comments and be careful not to say some idea is stupid, or we are so done with that train of thought.

Such comments stifle free expression and participation in any group. I guess I believe that something special is happening in our little experimental community but to try and force it too rapidly might be a mistake.

It is what it is…..and that being said, I need to respond to the discussion yesterday…

If you view me as an example {albeit a noisy and opinionated one) of how some older teachers (former feminist and hippie type) might react to the new lifestyle and tech, you might obtain some insight (as Betsy alluded) as too why it will take a generation or three to change a system that is outdated and not working. Schools will be perpetuated in the same way because you younger folk still want the same non-cognitive functions of school for your children.

Maybe we all should revisit all the hidden curriculum reasons for schools as we know the. Political, social compliance and the like. These new Web 2.0 ideas are wonderful and they have changed my life for the better in time saved, and things accomplished— creativity and career….but as a teacher in “the System”, all the innovative ideas are moot if cell phones are still confiscated, internet is filtered.

Are the schools and parents and boards afraid of porn or of too much thinking and independent learning? What some learned from Summerhill aside, this new tech is very powerful for kids and the change that might take place in schools may be to eliminate the need for warehouse buildings and teachers. As much as we say that teachers and other classmates are necessary for good learning (MIT discussion), I did not find that to be totally true for my alternative school learners. Most wanted to be left alone with the book or computer program to finish the work, take the test and pass it, and get on with life as they knew it. 10 years I saw this.

So what is the future of education? Schools? Even if you remove an entire generation (boomers) from all admin and school boards and design “NEW” systems without walls, how are we going to remove the notion of needing to socialize our kids to walk in lines and be good little citizens? How are we going to control that from an iPod….Reform-based teaching????

I may speak in huge irritating generalities, but I am a big picture person. The minutia is somebody else’s job.
Try being in education 30 years seeing what comes and goes and work so hard to change things for kids only to find out that schools are a necessary part of Western culture since the tribal teachers of old are all at work all day and the elders are in nursing homes….

Not dystopic, realistic. Hopefully we won’t resort to generation-o-side to clear the slate and start again.
I am grasping here, so give this old gal some time to find a place in the discourse. Know that policymakers and admin are mostly my age still, so you have some years to go. Teacher prep using even the most innovative methods is still conducted in old infrastructure with cinder block walls and limited electric.

If other countries gain advantage with Web 2.0, that is great! Meanwhile, we here at home still need to babysit these kids all day while their parents make a livin….

Just thinkin…