Musson: Hello? Dewey: Hi Steve, it’s John Dewey, famous philosopher and educator I don’t know if you remember me, but I developed a really cool philosophy of education way back when

John Dewey Gets an iPhone

(version 1_2)

by Steve Musson

Oct. 2010

Ringtone.

Musson: Hello?

Dewey: Hi Steve, it’s John Dewey, famous philosopher and educator. I don’t know if you remember me, but I developed a really cool philosophy of education way back when.

Musson: [short pause] … Oh, yes, John Dewey, I remember you. Ya … that philosophy of education that you came up with was awesome. How are you?

Dewey: Well … I died in 1952, but other than that I’m doing fine.

Musson: [awkward pause] … So … to what do I owe the pleasure of your call?

Dewey: Smart phones.

Musson: Smart phones?

Dewey: Ya, you know – those small, handheld computer devices – the ones with the mobile screens – like the one I’m talking to you on now.

Musson: I know what smart phones are – they’re all over the place. I see a lot of students have them at the College. I even see students using them in the gym! I just didn’t think you would have known what they are.

Dewey: Are you kidding me? I’ve been really excited ever since the College went wireless and students started carrying these things around like the devices were appendages sewn on to their hands.

These crazy little devices have the potential to revolutionize modern education! At last – my most-excellent philosophy of education can become a reality for a large number of students.

Musson: How so John?

Dewey: Well just think about two of the main tenets of my philosophy …

Musson: Uh … John … you’ve been dead for quite some time now; some of us have forgotten the finer points of your most-excellent philosophy of education.

Dewey: I’m talking about the idea that good education has to take into account the personal experiences of the students. Good education has to connect with those real-time, real-life experiences. It has to help students weave their own experiences into the curriculum in order to achieve the learning outcomes of the subject matter … [pause]

We shouldn’t just throw a bunch of teaching material at them and threaten that they had better learn it “because it may be on the exam”.

Musson: Right.

Dewey: The learning must begin with the students’ own experiences, it must integrate with those experiences, and in the end, it must help the students to improve their ability to experience quality in their lives. That’s what makes education so important and so powerful … [he pauses to catch his breath he’s so excited].

Musson: [dully] … Right … I think I remember you said something like that back in 1938.

Dewey: [still excited] … And second … that good education ought to allow the students to participate in a meaningful way. Not just to sit there and read stuff from a textbook, or sit there and listen to the instructor, but to take appropriate leadership roles in unpacking the curriculum … unpacking it using elements of their own experience. I mean, the instructor manages the educational process, but doesn’t try to do it all for them. And it can’t all be done within the confines of a four-walled classroom, or on the pages of a textbook. The students must actively participate in the development of what is taught; they have to help lead themselves toward the learning outcomes.

Musson: But what has all this got to do with smart phones?

Dewey: Don’t you see? Mobile computer devices are … well, they’re mobile. They can go all the places where the students go. These devices can be part of each student’s experience. Students can record a lot of what they experience. They can also record thoughts about those experiences … either in the midst of those experiences, or just after they occur. And what’s more … [he says excitedly] … the students can share this information with all the other students in the class.

Imagine this – the instructor introduces a concept that is closely connected to a learning outcome in a course. Then the students go out and experience manifestations of this concept – each student in their own way. And then each student shares their experiences in a way that deepens not only his or her understanding, but contributes to the collective understanding of the entire group. The curriculum unfolds as a result of a series of social-information exchanges. The instructor plays a key management role, but is not the exclusive agent here. The agency of the students themselves is also a legitimate … nay … an essential component in the learning process. In good education the students have a strong sense of personal agency – a certain responsibility to further the curriculum through their own experiences and the experiences of their fellow classmates.

Musson: Talk to me about the smart phones again.

Dewey: [talking slowly so Steve can catch up] … Like I said before … these smart phones are mobile Steve. They are pretty much sewn onto the hands of the students. These devices go everywhere the students go. These devices can record, these devices can share real-time information. They can share curriculum-related experiences and insights while these experiences and insights are still “fresh”.

Musson: I like the idea of capturing “fresh” experiences to further the curriculum.

Dewey: Yes … and these devices seem to be very social. For some reason these devices encourage and support the exchange of information. Many students seem to be a bit more empowered to share their ideas through these devices than, say, in a face-to-face classroom discussion. It tends to make for a more egalitarian, and dare I say a more democratic learning process. But I’ll leave that topic for another time.

Just before I go Steve … I heard you’re going to be teaching a new course that examines really good recreational experiences in people’s lives. If you need any help designing or delivering that course, let me know. I’ve got to run … text me later buddy.