Home | About | Subscribe | Search | Member Area |
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 33, No. 170. Department of Digital Humanities, King's College London Hosted by King's Digital Lab www.dhhumanist.org Submit to: humanist@dhhumanist.org Date: 2019-08-06 21:42:40+00:00 From: Thomas GloningSubject: effects of the digital classroom / Serres, 'Petite Poucette' (2012) > Those here who teach may take an interest in Tim Parks' "The Dying Art > of Instruction in the Digital Classroom" (NYR Daily, New York Review of > Books, 31 July). I hope you have something to say about it. Thanks, Willard, for this. And please let me first express my gratitude for your ongoing efforts to "make sure that the talking continues". This list is a constant source of both information and inspiration. Thank you! As for the article by Tim Parks, I should like to mention a small book by Michel Serres published in 2012 in French: "Petite Poucette", the German translation was published with Suhrkamp bearing a somewhat more programmatic title: "Erfindet euch neu! Eine Liebeserklärung an die vernetzte Generation." (2013) As far as I can see versions of the French text are available on several places, e.g. here: https://jeromeblanstier.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/petite-poucette-essai- complet.pdf Serres says that the changes we experience are sort of a huge task in one of the major revolutions of learning, education, society etc. in history. Rather than thinking of retirement (Serres was indeed retired for many years when he wrote the book as a grandfather inspired by the life of two grandchildren), he said: "Je voudrais avoir dix-huit ans, l'âge de Petite Poucette et de Petit Poucet, puisque tout est à refaire, puisque tout reste à inventer." In order to illustrate this perspective I quote the "Envoi" of this grandfather to his smartphone-using grandchildren and their generation: "ENVOI Face à ces mutations, sans doute convient-il d'inventer d'inimaginables nouveautés, hors les cadres désuets qui formatent encore nos conduites, nos médias, nos projets noyés dans la société du spectacle. Je vois nos institutions luire d'un éclat semblable à celui des constellations dont les astronomes nous apprennent qu'elles sont mortes depuis longtemps déjà. Pourquoi ces nouveautés ne sont‐elles point advenues ? Je crains d'en accuser les philosophes, dont je suis, gens qui ont pour vocation d'anticiper le savoir et les pratiques à venir et qui ont, ce me semble, failli à leur tâche. Engagés dans la politique au jour le jour, ils n'entendirent pas venir le contemporain. Si j'avais eu, en général, à croquer le portrait des adultes, dont je suis, ce profil eût été moins flatteur. Je voudrais avoir dix-huit ans, l'âge de Petite Poucette et de Petit Poucet, puisque tout est à refaire, puisque tout reste à inventer. Je souhaite que la vie me laisse assez de temps pour y travailler encore, en compagnie de ces Petits, auxquels j'ai voué ma vie, parce que je les ai toujours respectueusement aimés." I know the Tim-Parks-Experience very well (students whatsapping while they are supposed to listen, to take notes, to follow material on slides or audio-visual examples etc.), but I also see that new tasks come with the changes we are in. Michel Serres passed away a few weeks ago, here you can see and hear him talk about the subject at hand (2012): http://www.journeedulivre.fr/video-michel-serres-petite-poucette/ All best, Thomas _______________________________________________ Unsubscribe at: http://dhhumanist.org/Restricted List posts to: humanist@dhhumanist.org List info and archives at at: http://dhhumanist.org Listmember interface at: http://dhhumanist.org/Restricted/ Subscribe at: http://dhhumanist.org/membership_form.php
Editor: Willard McCarty (King's College London, U.K.; Western Sydney University, Australia)
Software designer: Malgosia Askanas (Mind-Crafts)
This site is maintained under a service level agreement by King's Digital Lab.