Sarah Robbins at Ubernoggin posted “An open letter to Baby-Boomer Managers” following a conversation she had with colleagues at the Young Professionals Summit in Florida this week.  The letter describes differences that group identified and discussed between Generation X/Y workers and their Baby Boomer managers. I want to comment on at least one of the differences Sarah describes from an educational, “in-the-classroom” perspective.  Sarah comments,

The internet has served as a great social equalizer. In most online communities your value (and therefore reputation and power) are based on what you contribute not who you are.  A well-read 18 year old who knows his stuff and is constantly active in the editing process of a Wikipedia article may be revered more than the heavily credentialed professor who interjects, corrects, and condescends to the community of the page. These relationships break down entitlements and, instead, center on accomplishment and contribution.

This alludes to an issue I’ve mentioned in this space before: shifting notions of what constitutes or is necessary to establish expertise.  The ubiquitous availability of information makes the development of expertise much more possible than it’s ever been; as Sarah describes it, the internet is a social equalizer.  Those that may not have had access to information previously now have access and are capable of using it to develop knowledge and make unique contributions.  I recently encountered another example via one of my favorite blogs, Wired’s Geekdad, in a story they noted regarding the development of a potentially revolutionary solar cell.

William Yuan developed a three-dimensional solar cell that absorbs UV as well as visible light. The combination of the two might greatly improve cell efficiency. William’s project earned him a $25,000 scholarship and a trip to the Library of Congress to accept the award, which is usually given out for research at the graduate level.

Here’s the kicker.  William is a 12 year old 7th grader from Portland, OR! How did a 7th grader get the information necessary to learn enough about solar cells to develop such a project?  I’d like to find out to be sure, but I’m guessing this wasn’t a classroom contained project conducted exclusively between William and his middle school science teacher/s. Further, has William’s use and application of that information not made him an expert of some manner in that field?  Absolutely.

The implications for education focus on the manner in which we “teach.”  Educators need to acknowledge that learners - of all ages - have the potential to develop expertise given the opportunity, and that opportunity is less likely to develop if the learner’s primary source of information is the instructor at the front of the room.  We need to encourage and facilitate learner exploration of information resources beyond what we can offer.  For many - particularly those reading this blog - that seems logical and a simple concept, but if that seems simple and logical to you, you are also probably familiar, as I am, with a number a number of educators that not only believe but insist that their learners need to listen to information only they can provide: their lectures are a necessary precondition for learners developing an understanding of the content.

We need to learn how to teach “unconventional” experts - to not just give but to facilitate the opportunity for learners to develop and demonstrate expertise.

Related posts:

1. Andragogy, not Pedagogy?
2. Personal Learning Narratives Now Uniquely Possible
3. Who are you on Twitter?
4. NASA’s Chief Knowledge Officer on Knowledge Sharing
5. Discourse: "Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants"
6. Classroom Clicker Systems

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Tags: change, collaboration, education, experts, socialnetworks, wiki