Last week I mentioned that the human race has been plagued with the question of "how do we know stuff" for centuries. Now that technology is giving us access to more information, and giving us more tools to transmit or present that information, we have to rethink how we convey what we know. The one-to-many broadcast model has hit an iceberg, and is listing seriously to starboard. How do we know stuff is no longer as important as "how do we teach?" and "how do we learn?" Reading this essay from Meg Hourihan makes me think about the serious challenge of finding ways (be it through technology or otherwise) that facilitates meaningful human interaction (read: communication), rather than inadvertently stifling it. Most of the fault lies not in the software, but in our human process (i.e., in the workplace we see patterns that are followed by rote, and approved by committee). I think the Internet is de-calcifying some of those tendencies, but it's not a self-winding watch.
