What Have We Learned So Far?

In light of the discussion that we had in class earlier today I would like to pose a question. Of all the class tools that are used in education the blog seems to the tool that most closely resembles Freire's ideal of education. In this blog we write about what we have learned from class, from experience, and from what we have read. Each of us can read this blog and learn from the other writers that have posted. While Dr. Rogers does act as a facilitator somewhat by posting a prompt he does not take the active role of discussion leader, or lecturer. In this space we are about as equal as we will ever be in today's educational world. Oftentimes we will read a whole blog post before we even realize who wrote it, therefore removing questions of what type of authority that person might have. We may not consider if he/she has tutored before, is a graduate student, or almost has his/her degree. Through this medium our education has become democratized in a way.

With that being said, I will finally pose my question. Do you, as students and teachers, learn from this blog? Do you come here and take the time to read what has been posted and learn from the discussion? If you do, how does that learning experience compare with Freire's educational utopia? If you don't do you think you might learn something if you came here and took the time to read what others have posted? Do you think that it might be a technological compromise with the educational world as is, and Freire's theory?

I have already shared a few of my thoughts with you about how I think the blog functions as educational tool in light of Freire's argument. But I want to address some of the other questions I posed. Honestly, I don't spend a lot of time reading everyone's post. Sometimes, unless something is required (don't get any ideas Dr. Rogers) I tend to put it down on the priority scale. But I have had an opportunity to just skim over some of your entries. I was someone who had never tutored an ESL student (and I still haven't). Your entries have a treasure trove of experiences and knowledge that I would never have gained from a lecture. In fact, I didn't gain from a lecture because we had a lecture on ESL. In this particular case I feel educated by my fellow students, and their experiences. There was more to be learned than just the lecture we had in class. But the lecture was informative and I learned quite a bit there as well. The two pieces of education together seem to have given me the best tools to approach a tutoring session with a non-native speaker.

So that brings me back to the beginning. I find this blog useful, but I am not sure it quite reaches Freire's ideal world of education, even if it is a place where students can come to teach each other. Sometimes we still need supplemental lectures from those with more knowledge. What do you think?