I have been following my colleague Pamela Snell's blog
Collectively Creating for Change for the past few months. Recently, she wrote
We use stories to decode the world around us, making understanding
through moments of connection with others. We share stories with our
friends, family and environment; building community, and provoking
emotion. We each have our own interpretation and retelling of the same
stories, this helps shape our sense of self and belonging. But in a
world inundated with stories of little substance, we lack the ability to
reflect upon and understand each other. . . .
This relates to another thoughtful post of hers: The power of media or the poser of globalization? Here she describes the sudden appearance of laptops in an Ethiopian village as part of a MIT project: One Laptop Per Child (OLPC). The concept is that without instruction, children can learn by themselves. I say: what's the fun in that? Where is the opportunity for the
stories and
moments of connection that Pamela observes are of value? It seems to me that these connections are missing.
I am not surprised by the curiosity shown by these children, nor by their ingenuity in figuring out how to use these electronic tools.
However, they are not monkeys. And as Pamela points out - why English as it's not their mother tongue? It seems to me almost inhumane to walk
away from the one opportunity the researchers had to engage with the
children, thereby losing the chance to participate in a process and witness the shared delights of discovery. To me, that would be the story that would be most interesting as it would encourage the interaction and engagement of researchers/scientists/technophiles to move away from their electronic world where there is no physical interaction. By being there with the children each could learn from the other.
Pamela goes on to alert us to the hazards of this reality:
We are left in a desolate environment, sifting through each others
tweets in a desperate attempt to form a moment of connection.
And I would add, when we are offered opportunities to connect, we miss them as we look into our boxes of technologies. Are we fearful of curiosity and explorations?
I agree with Pamela as I too applaud the organization's aim to provide educational opportunities
for children in rural developing countries. But I myself, far prefer the stories and connections that emerge through sharing discovery and learning from one another.
