I read widely, that is why I am able to provide explainations to questions. I had least expected a senior to throw such a comment at me when I said that I always use factual evidence to back up my speech. The consumption of Internet is at a unprecedented high. Then, that must mean, people are at our new high in knowledge? Wrong.
Today I would like to share the findings of my dissertation project. For my dissertation, I embarked on the educational usage of Social Networking Sites and communication strategies adopted online by a selected group of students. I will be glad to share my entire dissertation with you but in essence, it was found that there is a weak role in the Internet as a main knowledge provider. It can be a good media, but cannot replace traditional learning. The Internet, can at most be complementary to learning. Therefore, getting 70% of your knowledge online though still possible, is a rather exceptional case.
In terms of being a good media, I would say it gives access. However, access without education, or other factors is equally useless. Let's say... ICT4D, or.. Bridging the digital divide by providing access. It is pointless and practically a joke if infrastructures are in place but nobody was taught how to use the technology. Or.. having Web 2.0 in place, but no countries take on the transition. All wasted.
Concluding today's rant, I'd recommend Nicholas Carr's "The Shallows: What the Internet is doing to our brains". It is an easy to read book which is thought-provoking. It is definitely an easy read as compared to other books I've read about the Internet. Best of all, I did not purchase the book as it is available in our public libraries!
In the spirit of New Year, do good be good.
No comments:
Post a Comment