Web Technology...Helping Me Learn

Learning for me on the Internet has typically been in a non-traditional form, learning for more personal, self-guided reasons.  Aside from picking up a handful (how many can one hand hold?) of online classes provided by COTC, most of my forum and podcast activities have been engaged in personal uses.  Personally, forming a question beginning with how, motivates me to research it until I find the answer. 

Frankly (brother of Surly), the use of the technologies of Web 2.0 are new to me.  The newest one I've adopted has been podcasts, seeing as I received a free iPod touch after purchasing a laptop.  Forums, however, have been useful ever since I took up cooking and directing (always looking for recommended plays and musicals).  I'd have to say that my rate of understanding, learning, or helping others has been increased due to the Internet.  And while not entirely Web 2.0, the idea of forums could be found back to the bulletin boards a decade and a half ago.  Essentially though, my access to this knowledge or information was probably nonexistent before the Internet.  Short of having to go to the library, ordering a cooking magazine, or asking my family my "how" questions, most of my questions would have gone unanswered.  It is understandable why the rate of learning has increased exponentially over the last couple hundred years.  Access.

The use of forums have helped me solve my computing problems, cooking questions (specifically the process of canning), and production dilemmas in theater.  I have also been the instructor per se in cases pertaining to gaming, some Photoshop techniques, and biking.  These occurences amazingly connect users with common interests without the presence of an instructor  or tutor explaining THE way in doing things.  We are all students helping one another.

So, how has it affected my learning?  Having this technology has opened my sense of self-inquiry.  Of course, being older and a college graduate, my sense of self-inquiry, reflection, understanding, etc. is already high; however, the cyber technology available to us, helps harness AND foster it.  It's really quite awesome.  Especially after my undergraduate years, self-inquiry has been the preferred method for me in order to learn well and to retain what I've learned.  As a student, I need to have a purposeful need for inquiry otherwise I will not retain what I've learned.  As was stated in the lecture, three criteria exist to make instruction effective: content, methods, AND the involvement of student.  No one dare tell me that the educational system is inherently defective when students, now more than ever, are apathetic and distracted.  Should the establishment address this? Absolutely.  But it is not an indication that the establishment is flawed.  I enjoyed the techno music behind the video "A Vision of Students Today" starring Wesch as the instructor, but too much credit is given to the student.