Control of Our Own Learning

The session on Rhizomatic Learning made me think about 'what is learning' and who controls learning. School boards are confronting the issue of control when looking at access to wireless in their facilities.  There is a feeling that boards and schools need to 'control' what sites students are visiting during school hours and the notion that students need to be monitored because they are unable to self-monitor and self-regulate.

Students appear able to self-monitor and self-regulate successfully after school hours.   I generally keep on top of current events, and although there are instances of individuals straying onto restricted sites,  I really wonder if it is just the medium that has changed and not the behaviors?  Most manage to self-regulate and follow society's mores.  The medium has changed, but has the behavior really changed?   While schools and boards debate 'security,  institutions such as libraries and businesses such as coffee shops are enticing these same students to use their facilities by offering 'free open wireless' and encouraging responsible digital citizenship through self-monitoring and self-regulation.

Students have already found ways to circumvent the lack of access to wireless in schools.  They are using their smartphones to access internet denied to them through open networks.  While cost does factor into boards opening their networks, the cost and use of bandwidth required to keep the networks 'secure' also needs to be considered.  We are fooling ourselves if we think that we are controlling the content that students are accessing during the school day.  The only thing we are controlling is what and how students learn on 'our' network.