Teens this days have smart phones- phones that are more powerful than most computers ten, even five years ago. These phones can access the internet very readily- in fact, most networks here in the Philippines offer a very cheap 50peso 1-day unlimited internet promo. Soon, affordable tablet PCs will reach the public, and a library of books will be available right next to a browser, all in our student's fingertips.
What does all these mean, in the context of our current college education system?
This means that memorizing theories are no longer needed. It will not matter if you don't know the answer, because the answer is only a few clicks away, right in your pocket. Seatworks, homeworks , quizzes and tests becomes obsolete, since these are the ways to test if a student remembers a lesson, which is unnecessary with the current technology. You forgot the next ingredient for the recipe? so what? LMGTFY. What's the difference between the star, bus and ring topologies? This. What's the truth table and the logic circuit for the function: P && (Q || R)? Easy.
The way the current system measures the abilities of the students is outdated (and in my opinion, no longer work). And remember: What you can't measure, you can't control.. and if the colleges are not controlling what our students are learning, then what's the point? Imagine going to the university hoping to learn how to become a nurse, and after four years, everything you know are not only outdated, but even elementary grads can download a free app that knows most of what you do?
So what do we do? Stop going to school? NO.
Let me tell you guys a story. Two fresh CS graduates land a job in a company. They were given identical tasks- let's say, design and implement a module on a program. They both have zero experience programming in the industry, but has unlimited access to both the company's documentation as well as the internet. The problem is: there's only one permanent spot available, and the management have to decide which of the graduates to retain after their probationary period. If you are that manager, how will you pick? How do you decide, which one is better? Remember that they both have access to the same resources.
If I'm the manager, the graduate who have grasped the program quicker gets the job. Since everybody can become an effective employee (in the sense that the resources to learn how to do stuff are both accessible and free), then you have to become an efficient employee- spend less time learning and spend more time doing stuff. Now how can we do stuff faster? Let me ask you this: if you're learning to play basketball, how do you improve your game? The same is true on almost every discipline: You have to practice. You have to experience things, instead of memorizing them. An example: learning how to make the Fibonacci sequence appear on your computer is cute, but applying the Fibonacci sequence by creating a game will make you experience more (not to mention a lot more fun and challenging).
Bottom line: A parrot can memorize words, but will never understand its meaning. Don't be a parrot: Make new things, apply what you know NOW, and practice always.. and remember: Knowing is not enough. My two cents, Sayonara and have a great new year~
