Dean Groom has written a thoughtful post on infinite learning and the need for information literacy and schools that prepare students for the infinite world of information given the advent of the Internet. He writes of the Florida Virtual High School and its programme of personalised instruction. Dean mentions that perhaps a virtual HSC High School could be established here in New South Wales. Dean’s post prompted me to comment…

Dean, the Florida Virtual High School is an interesting concept. It has evolved from a distance education background and it certainly delivers a significant number of courses each year.

I cannot help but feel that “Personalised instruction” should be labelled “Tailored instruction”. Personalised instruction for me would be face to face tuition.

eLearning is an excellent vehicle for distributing knowledge and skills for those willing to learn. It allows opportunities for further education, particularly for those unable to travel or situated in remote areas. eLearning can also support existing face to face instruction.

A learning environment that is entirely online suits some, not all. Experience with eLearning programmes involving organisations such as the University of Wollongong, Nokia, Singapore Airlines, JPMorgan Bank and others illustrated for me the pros and cons of 100% online delivery of courses. I feel that face to face instruction is an important facet of the socialisation process of our youth. Schools provide opportunities to acquire skills in interacting and coping with your peers.

A virtual HSC High School that augments face to face instruction, supports students in remote areas and facilitates subjects with very low enrollments is a good idea yet I feel that students should still be engaged in a significant face to face component as well.

Infinite possibilities, true. Infinite learning? Infinite memory? Not so sure about that. I sometimes get the feeling that we are filling our lives with too much stuff. Endless streams consisting of immediate moments of gratification and tenuous connections. Too many choices in today’s world. information literacy should focus on instructing students how to filter out the unnecessary stuff and how to focus on media that can facilitate lifelong growth, community connections and local benefits.

Local is broken. It needs fixing. Global connections are fine yet let’s not lose sight of local, community, real neighbours. The infinite possibilities that are now available can be used to try and regenerate local connections and people stuff. Local is becoming the poor brother of global.

Wired individualism versus real communities.

Cheers, John.

Chris Lehmann has composed a post in which he speaks of the need to be proactive as opposed to reactive in the lives of the young as they ‘navigate the world’. I responded to Chris’ post with the following comment and I thought why not reproduce my thoughts here…

Agreed, a proactive approach is required. Our students, the kids, require good exemplars and direction. They have taken to MySpace, Facebook, and other publishing platforms with a passion. Educators and responsible adults need to illustrate how these publishing tools and others such as blogs can be utilised to create communities that give to society, that are productive and helpful. Collaborative communities that benefit society and not wired individualism that seemingly takes from society.

Let me begin this post with with a little of something I wrote back in 2005…

“20 years from now history text books will set out Pauline Hanson, Howard, Ruddock, Vanstone and Downer together with their US inspired politics of fear and a jingoistic approach to foreign policy as the background causes for the riots at Cronulla and Maroubra. Ten years of conservative Liberal Party government, the shame that is Pauline Hanson, jingoistic foreign policies, inhumane immigration detention centres, the baby overboard debacle, illegal deportations, and the jewel in the crown… the Cronulla Race Riots.

Historical personalities like Howard, Downer, Vanstone and Ruddock espousing right-wing, nationalistic, pro-individual, selfish policies to the detriment of community and collaborative social values have their parallels in Nazi Germany as well.

Welcome to Australia… only if you are fair-skinned, sandy-haired and blue-eyed of course. You must promise to vote for the Liberal Party as well, just like the majority of Cronulla’s residents. Australians of a caucasian background no longer seem to make immigrants and visitors of other racial backgrounds welcome. I first started observing this in 1996 or thereabouts.

It is so shameful to be an Australian now. This episode and the malaise that seems to be infecting Australia and its people makes me feel angry, frsutrated and sad. It seems to be vote ‘1′ for individualism and selfishness in this country.”

Well, it is January 2008 and things have not improved all that much. Imbeciles not unlike those that run amok in Cronulla in December 2005 have rioted and fought at a variety of towns along the NSW coast this week. It was Australia Day ~ our national day. There was shameful behaviour at Manly, Shellharbour, Kiama, Wollongong and Thirroul. A number of the imbeciles were draped in Australian flags. They were engaged in drunken, riotous behaviour. Asian eating outlets in Manly were targeted by these racists. These racist idiots should be locked up and the key thrown away. As one observer wrote they are all morons.

I was hoping that with the demise of John Howard and the Liberal Party 15 months back that the situation in Australia would improve. It has not.

The Australian flag has become a symbol of racism. Those drunken, pathetic, ignorant and shallow individuals that drape themselves in the flag or paint it on the back of their utes are racists. It has become a symbol of exclusion. It has become a symbol of the bully. They may as well be holding a banner proclaiming “If you are not white and of an anglo-centric background then you are not welcome!” The term “Aussie pride” is a catch-cry for all intolerant individuals in this country. Shame.

Even if these racists represent less than 0.10% of the population of this country then that is 0.10% too many. Morons, imbeciles and idiots. All of them.

Related links:

Brawls mar Australia Day
Manly mob rampages through Corso
Manly ‘morons’ rampage was racist: academic
Riot police called to ugly Oz Day celebrations
Oz Day marred by brawls and booze

Arrived back home this morning after a short break. Helping sister who is stuck in Fiji due to storms there. Making calls, contacting DFAT, etc.

She should be fine. Sitting around an airport with three children for several days cannot be fun ‘though.

Do you enjoy reading the newspaper? I particularly enjoy sitting down in a place where I can spread out with a broadsheet sized newspaper like The Australian, Sydney Morning Herald or the Straits Times. I once lived in a flat with a north facing balcony. Stretching out on the living room floor on a Saturday with the winter sun streaming in from the north was such a simple joy. The Herald would be spread around the floor. I would flick from this section to that.

I do not read the paper in any particular order. I might start with the readers’ letters and the editorial. I may then begin reading the news. Taking in the words of the journalists is always enjoyable. The variety, the depth, the photography. 

Turning the pages. Turning back. Reading the words. Looking at the photographs. Which article should I read first? Which next?

Feeling the paper, getting print on my fingers. Skimming paragraphs. Then there are the comic strips. The Wizard of ID, BC, Hagar The Horrible and so on. There may also be crossword puzzles or similar to pose a challenge. Concert reviews, film reviews, travel destinations, readers’ photos. There is so much material to digest. I would make little discoveries along the way. 

Reading the newspaper can be like opening a present. You never know what to expect. Sure, you know you are receiving a gift but what will it actually be?

Year ago I had a colleague that always headed to the obituaries first of all. Imagine reading your own obituary! I think the readers’ letters always get my attention straight up. Written a few myself over the years. Topics that have driven me to wield the pen have included our former PM John Howard, racism and immaculate utes with metallic paint jobs.

The Internet is a mighty handy bit of gear but I hope the newspaper manages to survive… at least on a weekly basis.

If newspapers were to disappear what would you miss?