Monday, October 6, 2008

The wisdom of groups

"It is the wisdom of groups,
employing social expertise,
by which the connections
among people help guide
what the group learns and knows."

This quote, by David Weinberger, has called my attention. Yes, I agree with him (and with Vygotsky, Piaget and many others before...) - knowledge, wisdom, knowing, is created through social interaction! And what is best nowadays, for social interaction, than the web 2.0 and blogging?!

So, here I am, looking to get more wisdom from interacting with the world!

5 comments:

Dennis said...

Hi, Dani.

How I agree with your initial quote by David Weinberger! As I reflect on what I've come to understand, over the years, about the learning process, I realize how very true it is that the combined wisdom of groups is exponentially greater than the isolated knowledge of any of a group's individual members: the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.

I also agree with you that the ideas embodied by "Web 2.0" and blogging (provided that the blog leads to true interaction) can be an excellent vehicle for group learning.

I don't know what wisdom I can impart individually, but I do know that I'm happy to become part of one of your learning groups, and I feel confident that as others join, we can all profit richly from what our "social learning" can provide.

Isn't it marvelous that one of the first connections in this new group is a link between Brazil and the U.S.?

Let the journey of discovery and sharing begin!

Best wishes from Arizona, U.S.A.—

Dennis in Phoenix

Daniela Meyer said...

Hi Dennis,

Thanks for your comment. It *is* marvelous to have this Brazil/US connection, as you said. I, for one, always enjoy getting to know people for I am bound to learn from and with them.

I´m going to confess something... when I was young, I used to think that I would fare best on my own. I was very independent and sure of myself and used to think that there was only one 'best' way of dong things: mine!

I learned quickly, though. I think it was after some years in the classroom that I realized that there were other ways of learning and teaching and, therefore, there were other ways of looking at the world. My way was not better than anybody else's, just different.

The things we learn with life, right?! Another one of my favorite quotes, I forget by whom:

"Life teaches. Not everyone learns."

Thanks for having shared your wisdom (once again...) :)

Best (and Beijo),

Daniela

testecarla said...

Daniela,

I've read "everything is miscellaneous" by David Weinberger, and he mentions all the time the power of these new digital connections and how the online tools are aggregating these crowds to create meaning. He also points out that in this third digital order, a messy one, we can have things at the same time in many different places. It totally changes, then, the way we learn, organize stuff, interact, right?

I must say that once I got hooked to a group of educators called "the webheads", my lonely online journey was transformed into something humanly touching. Never have I learned so much and so fast with a group. They are my learning buddies, the ones that keep me moving forward with enjoyment and appreciation for cultural differences and awareness.

It has simply been an amazing journey. One day you might feel like joining us, for you already have the Webhead sharing spirit!

Unknown said...

I loved the poem.
It expresses our online environment outstandingly.

Ana Luisa said...

Hi Daniela,
I loved the poem. It's really very beautiful.