Is digital
Pedagogy removing our ability to search for knowledge? Are we losing our
initiative to search and explore through books in search of the necessary
information?
Most of the teachers
and lecturers that I have had, constantly noted that we are being spoon fed. We
are given the necessary information, already summed up in a nice neat PowerPoint
and just have to restate it in tests. The previous generation had to write down
everything that the lecture said and then research the rest by themselves. Hours
was spent in front of books, reading more than the required knowledge. All this
fuelled the acquisition of knowledge in young minds.
We have vast
amount of data at our fingertips, ranging from string theory to the newest
bacteria found kilometres under the sea. This data is mainly used to search cat
videos and post selfies.
On the other
hand, how many hours are saved by optioning the information directly from a teacher?
How much easier would it be to just give the learners all the needed data? With
the fast pace syllabus and lifestyle that we live in today, do we really have any
other option as to just give the data to learners and ask them to recite it
back? When time is one of our most limiting resources, we cannot expect learners
to waste assets just to fuel their curiosity.
In an ideal
world, we would be able to combine the inspiring of the old with the easy access
of the new. Teachers would be able to
give class on computers, give all the data and still inspire the students to go
learn further that is required. We need to integrate both ways to form a method
of teaching that is less dependent of technology but still innovative.
