I agree that Edupunk is not a new concept, that empowering students to find understanding on their own is classic education taught by excellent teachers for millennia.
But there is something new here as well: the world. Not only is it new because technology and culture sculpt this time and place uniquely, but because it is us, and it is now — thus new. It has never happened before. If we take this seemingly simple concept a step further, everything we teach is new, no matter how familiar it is.
I have said that teaching always happens in this moment, and as obvious as this may seem, we have only to watch a teacher in a classroom adhere to a script and ignore what their students actually do to see that it is not so.
Learning, too, happens only in this moment. Part of the message of “Edupunk” to Learners is this: do it yourself, do it now, and allow no distraction by those who say you can’t.
This is a powerful, relevant message. That it has been said before, many times, makes it no less new and no less important. Our job as teachers includes teaching students how to take charge of their education, to make it theirs. Now, today. Anew.
Umm – so to be a wet blanket, but folks do sometimes find their way to a page (I came via a reference from Gilbert mailing list) in a non-linear fashion; in which case a link to the article you are “giving a few more words” about is essential! What in the world is “Edupunk”?!!
Looking forward,
Christian Sweningsen
NewScience Alliance
Christian, thank you for asking. The best single explanation is probably this one here on Wikipedia. Of course, other definitions abound. It’s a new word, being defined interactively, which is appropriate given the intent that education belong to those it educates.