Bio-pedagogy and some small pieces in the Web

Last week I went to the Interactive Technology in Education 2009 (ITK) – conference. It really is a remarkable event that has took place in Finland already for 20 years: in a country of 5 million people, more than 1500 education technology experts get together every year for three days to share. My first time in ITK was probably in 1995.

In the ITK 09 Antti Hautamäki launched the term “bio-pedagogy” (in Finnish; biologinen pedagogiikka). Bio-pedagogy is learning with straight manipulation of the human biology and cognitive enhancement with chemicals, artificial stimulation, genetics etc. All drugs and medication with an effect to our neural system and neurotransmitter is not “bio-pedagogy”.

Nootropics are nothing new. Taking nootropics is not bio-pedagogy. When it is organized and planned it becomes bio-pedagogy. When taking the smart drugs becomes the central strategy used for learning purposes we may call it pedagogy.

What about all other kind of “drugs” and stimulants? What about coffee and tea?

I drink coffee. Sometimes I even take painkillers and melatonin. Coffee I definitely drink to learn. Not to be more awake, but to talk with people (lets go for coffee), but also to have a break alone – to think, to slow-down. When I share and think and think and share I learn – slowly. Painkiller and melatonin I take to fix things (I know some sports and meditation would do the same job – sometimes I am just lazy).

The small pieces in the Web are difficult to boost. I can make my brain to work faster but does it have any effect on the small pieces in the Web? Yes, it may make me blog and twitter faster, but does these “fast rants” have any real impact to the intelligence of the Web? I doubt.

Like human learning, also changes to the intelligence of the Web require time. Ideas in the Web take time to mature, to become thoughtful. Here are some new small pieces to the Web to help it:

These slides are from the Estonian e-learning conference, some weeks ago. A great even, too. there is also video from my talk. I also talk in it about the new Aalto University.

Last week I also made some comments about the Finnish Information Society for the Finnish National Broadcasting Company. The radio program is in Finnish.

It’s like children playing with melting water in a sunny spring day. They dig little channels to help the spring.