Scott Carlson Article

I found this article interesting because it was essentially about us (Note: I’m assuming that most of us were born in 1980 or later). For example, I spent most of today working on an article for a website, I’m listening to my iPod while I read these articles and write about them, and when I’m done I’ll probably go play a video game (!).

Interesting point: professors are no longer becoming the sources of knowledge in their classrooms. I’m not saying that professors are useless (if so, I wouldn’t want to be one), but with the Internet at their hands, students can instantly look up almost any answer – though it may not be completely right. I remember my astronomy teacher – he was very old – telling us how people used to call him all the time to ask him when Easter would be that year. How crazy is that? Now, I can click on my calendar in the bottom of my monitor and get the information in five seconds.

I remember being very bored in one of my films classes because, as part of an online film nerd culture, I knew everything the professor was going to say.

The situation reminds me of a (pre-Internet) episode of the Simpsons where the Teacher’s Editions are stolen from the school, making the teachers absolutely powerless. The message on the show was obviously a pointed piece of social commentary unrelated to this topic, but I thought of it when the article brought up how the source of knowledge has shifted.