The future presented by the internet is the mass amateurization of publishing and a switch from “Why publish this?” to “Why not?” (p. 60)
- Consider for a moment both the positive and negative repercussions of mass amateurization. What will school look like in the future?
- Describe our future culture.
There is never going to be a moment when we as a society ask ourselves, “Do we want this? Do we want the changes that the new flood of production and access and spread of information is going to bring about? It has already happened; in many ways, the rise of group-forming networks is best viewed not as an invention but as an event, a thing that has happened in the world that can’t be undone. (p. 73)
To me, these changes can be quite scary – not because I sense any imminent danger, but rather because, as a teacher commissioned to prepare people for the future, I’m frightened of the unknown. Like it or not, we’re facing a future that is largely unpredictable.
- How can we best prepare students for jobs that don’t yet exist, using technology that hasn’t been invented yet, in a society that is virtually unknown to us today?
- Do you see the changes that the Internet has brought to our society as good or as bad? Why?
Reference:
- Shirky, C. (2008). Here comes everybody. New York: The Penguin Press.
Technorati Tags:
shirky education qandqshirky
