The Wikipedia I was asked to do…
Went horribly wrong, truly went askew…
Of every experience I had, one would argue…
As the more I participated, The more the resistance became true.
And then my self-esteem turned sour and blue…
As much of my lived experiences, without much ado…
The others shredded into morcels, then they blew…
A gaping hole in them, without further ado…
Insisting on their own ways, all that hullabaloo…
Like a fermented old keg, in rot and not in brew…
Left me none, for my, my self-confidence just blew…
Out of its ashes like a phoenix does, I did, yes, I do…
Realize that I would NEVER allow my students to go this path through…
Lest I give them my all, and my heart with it true.
That is what Wikipedia did to my psyche as a student! (This is a Bonus Poem)
On another note, what I propose here is that, as an educator, allowing the students to experiment with new web technologies is wonderful, as long as they are taught and made to understand, first and foremost, that that kind of media is but Virtual, and not Real. By that, I mean to instruct my students on the proper ways of perceiving the web for what it is: A Virtual Environment that might or might not affect their psyche. The students have to come to grasp with the fact that, in order to maintain a grasp on what is real, they have to combine it with something tangible, such as physicality of the subject being communicated with over these virtual waves. For example, there are instances of many online gamers meeting face to face once every six months in Taiwan and communicating and associating a face with a virtual action from the other. This allows these gamers a clear understanding that such physical meetings are necessary to maintain a tangible link with reality. The students that I will teach will have to observe the same, for the sake of association.
According to the BC government website on rethinking curriculum, I believe that my ideas are valid in that aspect as they match, in a sense, what I just proposed before. If we analyze the following statement, “Core competencies are sets of intellectual, personal, and social and emotional proficiencies that all students need to develop in order to engage in deeper learning. The core competencies of thinking, communication and social and personal competencies support lifelong learning.” This statement proves to me that communicating is indeed a “social” activity. A social activity is supposed to be done “physically” and not “virtually”. However, by combining the physical and the virtual, my students will be able to obtain the above-mentioned Core Knowledge that would ultimately culminate in them being able to grow internally. This experiential is bound to challenge their intellect and social skills to the maximum. Granted, there will be difficulties with those students requiring special attention. As far as they are concerned, scaffolding their inner growth will be applied in increments and on a case by case system, as not all learners are equal, and there can never be a one size fits all education. Once the students are able to observe the differences between the Real and the Virtual, and discuss them openly in class, they would be invited to share their own mistakes and hardships working with virtual realities. Sharing experientials with one’s peers thus becomes more than reason enough to support their lifelong learning experiences academically, professionally, and most importantly, personally.
Ref:
Core Competencies (https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/rethinking-curriculum)
