[Xmca-l] Re: digital immersion mongrel Vygotsky

[Andy Blunden]

So you have given Direct Instruction a fail, Bill. For
people in the field that is probably not a surprise, but it
is very significant for the general public here in Oz. Could
you summarise what brought you to the conclusion?

Andy

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Andy Blunden
ttp://www.ethicalpolitics.org/ablunden/index.htm
On 8/04/2018 10:02 AM, Bill Kerr wrote:
> I'll put this up for discussion. It has been a twisted road for me to get
> to this point. I had a fail with the Noel Pearson's Direct Instruction
> approach near Cairns and have now moved to Alice Springs as a good location
> for further action research into Australian indigenous issues.
>
> DIGITAL IMMERSION MONGREL VYGOTSKY
> - a contextual pathway to enable modern indigenous technology
>
> The origin of this was an exploration of an effective way (pragmatically)
> to bring digital technology to indigenous people. This turned into a hands
> on exploration of disparate fields which for convenience can be organised
> under three sub-headings which can in turn be melded together:
>
> *Epistemology*: One interpretation of Vygotsky argues that all knowledge is
> socially constructed and that ethnomethodology, paying detailed attention
> in the now, is the best or only way of detecting and evaluating what is
> going on (Wolff-Michael Roth). This world view is critical of other
> learning theories be they behaviourist, cognitivist or constructivist.
>
> *Culture*: Martin Nakata’s (cultural interface) and Kwame Appiah’s
> (cosmopolitan) approach is that indigenous (and other) culture is mongrel
> (no longer traditional), consisting of disparate, complex threads created
> by the intermingling of the traditional with the colonial. It follows from
> this that effective communication between different cultures must be
> contextual based on paying detailed attention to the now.
>
> *Technology*: Taking a broad view there are many human technologies
> originating from the hand and the word. Digital technology (moving bits) is
> now replacing print as the dominant social medium. The only effective way
> to master digital technology is through full immersion in the medium. Some
> groups working with the Disadvantaged in the Third World have understood
> this, eg. Learning Equality, and use affordable hardware (Raspberry Pi and
> low-cost Android tablets), software (FOSS) and infrastructure (sneakernet
> where internet connectivity is limited).
>
> Combining these approached leads to “Digital Immersion Mongrel Vygotsky”.
> The goal is to combine these three approaches to find the contextual sweet
> spot in the middle of the teething rings.
>
> *Reference*:
> Appiah, Kwame Anthony. Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers
> (2007)
> Learning Equality https://learningequality.org/
> Nakata, Martin. Disciplining the Savages, Savaging the Disciplines (2007)
> Roth, Wolff-Michael. The Mathematics of Mathematics: Thinking with the
> Late, Spinozist Vygotsky (2017)