As a reader, I found Richardson (2012) frustrating because he begins with a false premise, however he is able to makes some very astute comments regarding the current state of education. Richardson begins by trying to get his reader to buy into the “fact” that limitless access to information has created a new kind of education where “real learning happens anytime, anywhere, with anyone we like” (Location 62). This is simply untrue. Humans have always and will always learn in any environment from any source; constant exploration is basic feature of the human brain (Medina, 2014). Even centuries ago, no one would have argued that education can only take place within the four walls of a schoolroom. What is true is that access to information has changed. Richardson is correct when he observes that the abundance of information currently available to every digital citizen has created incredible changes in most sectors of society – such as the fall of print journalism – but we have yet to see the effect in the basic structure of education (Richardson, location 100). We are still teaching to the test; a skill that will not benefit students when they enter the workforce.
(Richardson, 2012, location 60)
Abundance of Information (Adapted from Richardson, 2012, Locations 86-94)
What I am able to apply, as a teacher, is a new perspective gained from reading Richardson’s incredible summary of the new world of information abundance (2012, Locations 86-94). In my mind’s eye, I see the sweeping changes that occurred in European society after they gained access to the Americas. The super abundance of new resources, land especially, changed the balance of international powers, required the creation of new laws, and led to many inventions. In the same way, the infinite depth of available knowledge today is instigating new global changes. I need to be a proactive part of these changes and implement them in my classroom. I am interested to read on and see what changes Richardson suggests.
Although the Kindle eReader is new to me, I have used another eReader, the Nook, for many years and I wanted to compare the dictionary feature on the two devices. There were two advantages I found with the Kindle: 1)Kindle allows you to choose from a variety of dictionaries (including dictionaries in other languages) and 2) Kindle shows a short definition with an additional option to click for more details. The dictionary tool is a wonderful time-saver that allows me to solidify the meaning of new terms. Before eReaders, when I encountered a new word, I just made a best guess of the definition based on the surrounding paragraph, but I rarely took the time to double check my understanding with the dictionary. With eReaders, I find myself using the dictionary option frequently as a sort of self-evaluation, even when I am 95% sure of the meaning of the word. I would imagine that students who are English language learners would find this feature of great importance because it instantly improves their reading comprehension without requiring a significant time investment.
Kindle Dictionary (Richardson, 2012, Location 96)
References
Medina, J. (2014) Brain rule: 12 principles for surviving and thriving at work, home, and school. Seattle, WA: Pear Press.
Richardson, W. (2012) Why School?: How education must change when learning and information are everywhere. TED Conferences. Kindle Edition.
Molly Petersen 
You have such great thoughts on this reading. What you said in the first paragraph resonated with me. I think I felt the same way when I read this, but certainly couldn’t articulate it the same way. Well done. Much like you compared this new technology to the exploration of the America’s, I did a similar thing with my students in regards to the Industrialization. They had been talking about how there were still a lot of bad things that occurred during this period and I asked what they thought about the Technology Era that we are in the midst of right now. They had some really interesting thoughts and surprised me with some of their thinking. As usual, I will now go try to replicate what you have done with the Kindle. Can’t say I’ve even tried to use the dictionary on there, but I’ll certainly check it out now. Thanks Molly!
LikeLike
Hi Molly,
I’m looking forward to reading this eText now because of your comments. It’s all too true that, in today’s world, we have such an abundance of resources from which we can learn so much. Yet our form of education within the classroom is still so archaic. There is so much written about this but I wonder how and when we’ll actually make the changes. It seems to me that the only way we can get out of the four walls of the classroom it so think outside of the box in a revolutionary way. I believe that many teachers are willing to make changes but they just don’t know how to do it. Do you have any ideas as to how you will specifically implement Richardson’s ideas?
LikeLike
That is part of the reason I am excited to keep reading Richardson’s book. I think he will give some specific ideas. For me, personally, I am going to make an effort to create tests that focus mostly on critical thinking and very very little on memorization of facts. In reality, I like the idea of creating “open internet” tests (rather than just “open book”) where students can access information just like the would in a real world scenario, it is up to them to make connections and think critically about the “data” they find.
LikeLike
Hi Molly,
I agree with your articulation of Richardson’s ideas. His organization of ideas is often confusing to me because I think he is saying one thing but then he comes out with a great point. This section of reading does bring up a great point – should we be teaching information that is so easily accessible online? I want to make an effort like you mentioned above to have assessments focus more on skills rather than just facts.
Thanks for sharing,
Tara
LikeLike