Blog Quiz

1) List the assumptions Dr. Wesch says permeated the old style classroom.

Classrooms are designed to help students acquire information
Information is scarce and hard to find
Therefore we put an expert at the front of the class
The room is essentially an information dump
This classroom is not about discussing information
Authorized information is beyond discussion
Trust authority for good information
The classroom teaches “obey authority” and “follow along”

2) Take each of these assumptions and demonstrate why they no longer are valid.

I can agree with Wesch in saying that these methods are outdated, and to an extent, no longer valid. The idea of a classroom being a place to gather and exchange information is more of a preconceived notion, rather than something that is actively put to practice. In my experience, classrooms are essentially dominated by a teacher lecturing to a class that is a mixture of attentive listeners, sleepers, talkers, and the kids who just played calculator games all day. The teacher's words fall silent on the closed ears of the majority of the students, thus making the whole class pointless. The gathering of knowledge is only worthwhile if people listen and revel in it. His point on trusting authority for good information is a valid one because I personally have experienced teachers tell me the wrong information. For instance, my first grade teacher spelled the word "Scissors" as "Sizzors" and "Sentences" as "Sentances." Not a big deal, I know, but it still reiterates Wesch's point. The idea of obeying authority is one that I do actually think is a necessary skill to learn. That is what you must do upon entering the workforce, so why not learn it from age five? I agree that the classroom we are a part of now is outdated and has it's multiple problems. I think the interactive classroom provides a much better outlet for student participation and creativity. What I am wondering is what will happen to classes if this trend continues? A class meeting three times a week is pointless if you are able to essentially meet online without going to class. I see it turning into a once a week get-together over coffee or sandwiches at a cafe, where everyone can get together and talk about what they have been compiling on their blogs and the like.