Re: Content, The Net, Curiosity

Jim Laffey (cilaffey@mail.missouri.edu)
Thu, 27 Mar 1997 10:58:00 -0600 

Suzanne and all,
I think Suzanne's example of her morning news search strategy points up a
"new" type of content that we focus on in our project in missouri; the
processes of working to make sense of the topic of interest. The teachers
in our project have created learning environments where students have
tremendous resources for taking on student-centered projects (i.e., the
students come up with the project idea and method). Thus the learning
environment is full of resources and the student has the opportunity to be
resourceful: using internet searches, communicating with collaborators and
mentors, using analysis, visualization and modeling tools, representing
their work on the web for others to view. The technology infrastructure
(which because of the lowering costs of technology actually is better than
that provided to some advanced graduate students in the sciences at our
university) provides the opportunity for authentic work. The students then
have the opportunity to legitimately work as novice scientist and
engineers, so they have the opportunity to learn to work as scientist and
engineers. This "learning to work" on meaningful projects, with a real
audience, using appropriate tools, within a community of
learners/scientists/engineers seems to us to be one of the most important
"contents" enabled by curricular reform and a technology infrastructure.

Given the unrelenting nature of advances in technology and increasing power
of information tools (modeling, visualization, simulation, etc.) focusing
on learning to work or learning to inquire seems like an important content.

Jim Laffey



>Dear Barry,
>
>>The most valuable commodity on the internet is content.
>>It's lack is apparent to everyone that surfs.
>>The abundance of glitz and graphics that disguise
>>lack of content is the discouragement of the Net.
>
>I agree! One idea that I learned from my teachers at
>the Math Forum was to be considerate of all levels of
>access.....taking care not to get too glitzy or too
>heavy on graphics!
>
>>I am convinced that the Web affords the opportunity
>>to present content (at all educational levels) and
>>that hypertext (and very likely even animated gifs,
>>server push, client pull and ostensibly goofy programs)
>>have the ability to invoke the viewer's curiosity to
>>keep on going further--to pursue an idea or a concept
>>or subject through all kinds of twists and turns.
>
>I often wonder if we are becoming frenetic in how we look
>at information. Actually I thought of it this morning as
>I was reading the newspaper. I found myself jumping from
>topic to topic much faster than is my normal style.
>
>Is this a way to gain more information? or filter
>information? so that we can spend time on what is important?
>or are we just going to become superficial information
>gatherers?
>
>Suzanne Alejandre


James M. Laffey - Associate Professor
304 Townsend Hall, College of Education, Univ. of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211
cilaffey@showme.missouri.edu **(573) 882-5399 ** Fax (573) 884-5455
Project MOST  --- http://tiger.coe.missouri.edu/~most/index.html

** "To punish me for my contempt for authority, fate made me an authority
myself"  attributed to Einstein  **