Man or Machine ?

Pre-destination and Free Will in an Educational Context

I have recently started my Masters Research on Communication, Education and Technology at University of Manchester. One of my first assignments was to watch and write a critique about a 1960's series, The Prisoner.

For those not familiar with this 1960's epic (I was hooked from episode 1!) it is half Truman Show, half The Island, with a bit of conspiracy thrown it. The basic plot is this: an undetermined number of professionals are trapped on an island-prison known as The Village. Although not incarcerated in any traditional sense, the prisoners' lives are controlled in every single minute detail by The General (who in an ironic twist of fate, turns out to be nothing than a super-computer who rules all of the village).

After the first few minutes, it is clear that the villagers are not only manipulated, stripped of their free will; but also victims of the most bizarre mind altering experiments, including what is referred to in Episode 6 as "Speed Learning - A University Degree in 3 minutes!". Every day the villagers are subjected to a 15 second "lecture" where their minds are shamelessly manipulated and data is literally inputted into their brains - and they are able to reproduce every single fact, detail and date with frightening precision. However it is quite obvious from the beginning that they have no idea what their are talking about - the "15 second lectures" are nothing but a brainwashing exercises - and God knows what the "transmitters" put in their brains over and above the simple facts they are supposedly "teaching".

Yes, "teaching...." brainwashing, rote learning, drilling.....

Hands up, those of you born in the 70's, who still remember citing the mathematical tables, from 1-12, every day in class ? The periodical table ? Capitals and countries of the world ? And those who learnt how to write specific words in the infamous "Look and Say" method and not understanding a fig about what that word really did mean ? 

I once had a perfect "Idiot Savant" Autistic child in my Grade 2 class: He could reproduce whole documents from memory, but of course he didn't understand a word of it or why he was compulsively writing them all in the first place...a perfect photographic memory if I ever saw one...But to what intent ?

The truth is, no matter how many super computers are invented, no matter where technology takes us, no matter what study methods we embrace in order to cram as many facts as possible into our already over-stretched brains - none of the above can be classified as learning. To learn is to look for facts with pure curiosity for knowledge, by sifting through the information overload that we are burdened with, to question and to be critical, to look for alternative solutions. To seek, to never be satisfied with one answer, to have an opinion, to make your thoughts become actions.

Because that is what differs us from machines - even the most advanced of computers, are, in fact, stupid. Sure, they can compute, look up millions of articles in a fraction of a second, make the most complicated of calculations....But do they feel ? Do they think, unless we instruct them to ? Do they really do our work instead of us, or just react to what we feed them ?

Maybe what really marks a difference between humans and machines is that humans have free will. I do not for one minute believe in pre-destination. Because that is just another way of saying we cannot go forward, we cannot change things, we would essentially be stuck. I refuse to believe that that is what we are in this world for - to follow our destiny. In Doc Brown's words at the very end of Back to The Future Part 3 - "Your future isn't written on a piece of paper". 

Oh and by the way, do you want to know what happened to the supercomputer in "The Prisoner ?" Went up in smoke...because it couldn't find an answer to a simple three lettered word. "WHY".

eTwinning: Towards Information Literate Students

It's not about the Tools, it's about the Skills

In our so called "Digital Age", incredible as it may sound, I still come across instances where (well-meaning) teachers practise what is known as "Library Instruction". In layman's terms, Library Instruction refers to teaching through the use of access tools such as catalogues, abstracts, encyclopedias and similar tools for reference - (Grafsetein, 2002:197).  More recently, use of the Internet, as well the "teaching" of other  techniques to enable students to become information literate - came into practice (Andretta, 2005:6).

Neither the first, and most certainly not even the second statement above bear any resemblance whatsoever to the real "Information Literacy" definition. Just because we thrust these new fad tools in the lap of our students - new technologies, new tools and research methods - does not automatically imply that our students are becoming information literate. It is the just the case of same old, same old - same methods using different media - but still subject oriented, not skills-oriented.

For the students, the mere task of copying and pasting information for their tasks or assignments is not inductive to learning. Rather it creates a generation of students (and adults) who are great at retrieving information, but this is of little use to them as they have never been encouraged to ask questions, to be critical, or scrutinise their source. The tools may have changed - from catalogues of library books to Google results - but sadly sometimes the end results are the same.

Proper Information Literate students, on the other hand, are full of questions. They want to know how and why things are the way they are, they want to pursue information further, they want to be active learners -  pursue their own learning wherever they can. They know how to check their sources, they know how to-cross reference with different texts and articles; in a nutshell, they know how to THINK.

eTwinning, as an educational practice on its own, certainly plays a part in equipping students and educators with essential 21st Century skills - including Information and Media Literacy - however this is just the tip of the educational iceberg.  The action actively promotes peer to peer learning, a student centred approach with emphasis on critical thinking, and ultimately, a culture of life-long learning.

And that is, in a nutshell, what Information Literacy is all about. It is not about the tools, it is about the attitude - of students and teachers alike. Let us, as educators, encourage our students to question and not accept everything as de-facto. Let's allow our students roam freely with their minds, think for themselves, and be content creators themselves. Let our students become active citizens of tomorrow, for their sake, and for the sake of a better future for everyone.

eTwinning and Digital Competencies - DigComp 2.0

What Comes First ? A Chicken and Egg situation...

A friend and mentor recently introduced me to the online document, DigComp 2.0, published by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. The document,

"offers a tool to improve citizens’ digital competence. DigComp was first published in 2013 and has become a reference for many digital competence initiatives at both European and Member State levels" 

Abstract, DigiComp 2.0, 

https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/digcomp/digital-competence-framework

 EUR 27948 EN 

I must admit it was very interesting to read the document in its entirety, especially since, as a promoter of the eTwinning Action in Malta, I have strived to instil these very skills in teachers and students working on a project. Transversal skills - Digital Competences, Entrapreneurship Competence, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Learning to Learn - all skills that I felt that could be reached and were a by-product of participating in an eTwinning Project. Let us analyse them one by one within the context of eTwinning....

• Digital Competences - no qualms there. eTwinning introduces the the uninitiated the concept of a virtual classroom for the teacher and students, creating a fertile ground for achieving these same concepts.
• Entrapreneurship Competences - especially in the case of secondary schools projects, have seen quite an interesting array of projects from the VET sector, ALP as well as 'regular' secondary schools where students were encouraged to look at the impact their actions were having on a national and European sphere.
• Critical Thinking - eTwinning is not (contrary to some beliefs) just "sharing of information". The process itself encourages students to look up information themselves, to learn how to share their results safely, to discuss, and most importantly, to evaluate.
  
• Problem Solving - Again, quite an interesting array of projects in the last seven years, focused on particular 'problems' (small and large) for which students had to find an answer. And I am not referring simply to the all popular quizzes present on the TwinSpaces. Real problems such as energy conservation, environmental concerns, animal awareness, and most recently, a project which focused on transforming a disused space in a secondary school to a reading corner thanks to the involvement of various NGOs.
• Learning to Learn - The crux of eTwinning is that all involved partners (teachers and students) engage in peer-to-peer (collaborative, not parallel) activities that promote finding information themselves, working as a group, and learning with and from each other.

In conclusion....all skills that one can safely say, fostered through an eTwinning Collaboration.

Or is it ?

Does eTwinning (when done properly and with these competences in mind) lead to the acquisition of the skills above, or is it the very fostering of these skills which leads to an increase in the quality of an eTwinning Project ? In colloquial terms - what came first - the chicken, or the egg ?

In my humble opinion, there is no simple yes or no answer to this dilemma. There are of course, pros and cons for both arguments. In a "sweeping statement" kind of way, yes, eTwinning does of course foster many (if not all) Digital Competencies as mentioned above in the project partners, especially with regards to critical thinking, problem solving and learning to learn. Indeed, these are the projects that tend to 'shine' above the rest, a far cry from the mere uploading of final results on a TwinSpace, with no real plan, process or evaluation. On the other hand, the more a partner comes 'armed' with such concepts already in place (or at least starting to form) the more an eTwinning Project becomes rich, diverse and fruitful, with an automatic increase in the quality of the final product (which is what I am mostly concerned about with all truthfulness).

I will leave you to decide...and would be honoured if readers would be so kind as to offer suggestions on the Tricider below:

Thank you for your comments, looking forward to hear your thoughts on the matter !

eTwinning and 21st Century Competences

eTwinning has always been an agent for change. Back in 2005, it was one of the first European Actions to emphasise and focus of what were then referred to as “ICT Skills” and their implementation and embedding within different subjects in the curriculum. eTwinning has always prided itself of being a “dynamic” action, as one that responds to the needs of the current educational frameworks and 21^st Century Learning competences.

If one had to scrutinise the criteria of what many NSS consider to be a pedagogically sound eTwinning Project, the following skills and criteria immediately stand out: a project must be collaborative in nature, creative and innovative, and foster communication, problem solving and critical thinking amongst all teachers and pupils.  Essentially, being involved in eTwinning, helps foster these skills in those involved and serve as an example for the ones who are standing close.

eTwinning can change the way educators look at the infrastructure; at how the foundation blocks of digital literacy are “built”. Taking the cue from the SAMR Model – Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition -  eTwinning can be truly see as an “agent of change in our classrooms”. A platform, a set of tools, which goes beyond merely substituting  one methodology with another, or just a way of making lessons more interesting (augmentation). eTwinning is about a change in Educators’ mindset, in the way learning is defined. Students become more in charge of their learning, and, in the process, they learn to ask questions, to investigate, to “not accept” all that is presented in front of them, but to be critical and self-evaluating.

Just as the technology available in class itself will not change the way our teaching and learning takes place, merely participating in an eTwinning project will not automatically bring a positive step forward to our schools.  eTwinning is about change, about making the leap from instruction to redefinition, from teacher (or technology) centred teaching to pupil centred learning The tools are there – it is however up to the educator to decide how to use the

Malta's First eTwinning Partner-Finding Fair

An Enriching Experience...

A few "posts" ago I wrote about how I had first started to deliver eTwinning Webinars for Maltese educators - http://amandaworkinglife.blogspot.com.mt/2016/05/delivering-etwinning-webinars.html - and how the process itself was a learning curve for both myself and the participants. I also wrote how, after a while, I had decided to "branch out" and offer to hold webinars jointly with my PSA - eTwinning Plus colleagues. (For those who are not in the know, eTwinning Plus countries are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Tunisia). Today (10 of June 2016) I have moderated the first ever Maltese-run eTwinning Partner Finding Fair, and it was one of the most enriching experiences in my whole eTwinning career.

Yes, I have run eTwinning webinars before, on a variety of topics. Yes, this was not the first time where I included teachers from eTwinning Plus countries. And no, the difference didn't lie in the fact that I used Adobe Connect for the first time (Webex license has run out and eTwinning now uses Adobe).

What really struck me was that all those educators - hailing from different and far away countries - all had one priority: they want to make the world a better place for their students, for the leaders of tomorrow. The project ideas discussed - which they have helpfully uploaded on a Tricider widget I had pre-prepared for them - all talk about how through education we can make the world a more peaceful place, how we can teach our students the sometimes lost values of tolerance and cultural understanding, how we can make children think about their rights and obligations as active citizens. The project ideas are all on the Tricider below - and if you are an eTwinner reading this, please feel free to add your idea or to join an existing project from the marvellous ones listed here....

And this, in a nutshell, is the beauty of eTwinning, and why I feel lucky to have dedicated the last seven years of my working life working with this action. eTwinners are optimists, they see the world as a better, more beautiful place: and what's more, they try to instill these values to the students in their classrooms. Because children aren't born racist or intolerant: children can be more open-minded than adults and they can surely teach us a lesson or two about living together in peace. eTwinning can be a driving force, a virtual place where all these different cultures in Europe and beyond come together, a place where we prepare our students to become the active citizens of tomorrow....a place where we all come together in peace.

That is the true meaning of eTwinning and I am ever so proud to be part of such a wonderful, positive, diverse online family of educators.