Comments on: Will Richardson on Becoming a Life-Long Learner http://generoche.net/blog/2006/09/will-richardson-on-becoming-a-life-long-learner/ The Times They Are A-Changin' Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:28:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Charlotte Briggs http://generoche.net/blog/2006/09/will-richardson-on-becoming-a-life-long-learner/comment-page-1/#comment-3294 Charlotte Briggs Mon, 02 Oct 2006 19:35:07 +0000 http://generoche.net/blog/?p=172#comment-3294 Some months ago I had a conversation with a librarian about this issue. I can no longer remember who the librarian was, but her comments have stuck with me. She claimed that the web has not democratized access to scholarly literature as much as many people think, but, in fact, has segregated it within elite communities more than ever. In the past, an unaffiliated person could probably walk into a medical or law library and use its resources for free more easily than one today can gain entry to either a bricks-and-mortor academic library without the right ID card or to its online data bases without a legit username and password. Yes, it would be interesting if someone revisited this issue to see how it all shakes out when forms of increased and decreased access simultaneously are taken into account. Not a very researchable topic, but an interesting one to contemplate. Some months ago I had a conversation with a librarian about this issue. I can no longer remember who the librarian was, but her comments have stuck with me. She claimed that the web has not democratized access to scholarly literature as much as many people think, but, in fact, has segregated it within elite communities more than ever. In the past, an unaffiliated person could probably walk into a medical or law library and use its resources for free more easily than one today can gain entry to either a bricks-and-mortor academic library without the right ID card or to its online data bases without a legit username and password. Yes, it would be interesting if someone revisited this issue to see how it all shakes out when forms of increased and decreased access simultaneously are taken into account. Not a very researchable topic, but an interesting one to contemplate.

]]> By: Gene http://generoche.net/blog/2006/09/will-richardson-on-becoming-a-life-long-learner/comment-page-1/#comment-3292 Gene Mon, 02 Oct 2006 16:09:14 +0000 http://generoche.net/blog/?p=172#comment-3292 Great to hear from you Charlotte! Thanks for highlighting the Kett's book; it's a classic that I haven't thought about in a while. It's hard to judge how much autodidacts contribute to "cutting edge" research, since that concept has bee so narrowly defined in so many disciplines. It seems that self-directed learning has fallen out of favor in Adult Education Doctoral Programs these days, but it would be very interesting for someone to revisit some of the issues Kett raises in light of the resources available on the web. Great to hear from you Charlotte!

Thanks for highlighting the Kett’s book; it’s a classic that I haven’t thought about in a while. It’s hard to judge how much autodidacts contribute to “cutting edge” research, since that concept has bee so narrowly defined in so many disciplines. It seems that self-directed learning has fallen out of favor in Adult Education Doctoral Programs these days, but it would be very interesting for someone to revisit some of the issues Kett raises in light of the resources available on the web.

]]> By: Charlotte Briggs http://generoche.net/blog/2006/09/will-richardson-on-becoming-a-life-long-learner/comment-page-1/#comment-3258 Charlotte Briggs Sun, 01 Oct 2006 00:48:26 +0000 http://generoche.net/blog/?p=172#comment-3258 Gene, I'm starting to "get it". Blog-hopping, feed-foraging, wiki-waxing--the whole tamale has just transmuted from sticky goo to irresistable sustanance. Allen Tough's book looks like a gem. Check out Joseph Kett's book, "The Pursuit of Knowledge Under Difficulties: From Self-Improvement to Adult Education in America, 1750-1990?" http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?book_id=2297%20%20 He discusses autodidacts (people who are self-taught) from Benjamin Franklin to Malcom X, and popular adult learning movements from early literary societies through Chatauqua and eventually the growth of community colleges. He notes the never-ending tension between the view that the popularization of learning for adults is a dumbing down of scholarship and the view that it is a raising up of general knowledge in the populace. He also makes some interesting observations like that audodidacts tend to acquire knowledge of classic theory in a field, but not cutting edge research. Wonder how that may have changed since 1990! Charlotte Gene,

I’m starting to “get it”. Blog-hopping, feed-foraging, wiki-waxing–the whole tamale has just transmuted from sticky goo to irresistable sustanance. Allen Tough’s book looks like a gem. Check out Joseph Kett’s book, “The Pursuit of Knowledge Under Difficulties: From Self-Improvement to Adult Education in America, 1750-1990?” http://www.sup.org/book.cgi?book_id=2297%20%20 He discusses autodidacts (people who are self-taught) from Benjamin Franklin to Malcom X, and popular adult learning movements from early literary societies through Chatauqua and eventually the growth of community colleges. He notes the never-ending tension between the view that the popularization of learning for adults is a dumbing down of scholarship and the view that it is a raising up of general knowledge in the populace. He also makes some interesting observations like that audodidacts tend to acquire knowledge of classic theory in a field, but not cutting edge research. Wonder how that may have changed since 1990!
Charlotte

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