The title quote is from author Clay Shirky whose book "Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations" discusses how social networking is changing the world we live in. I haven't actually read this book myself, but today I participated in a discussion sponsored by the Future of Education as facilitator Steve Hardagan interviewed Howard Rheingold author of "Smart Mobs" and scholar regarding "mind amplifying tools". The general consensus both from Rheingold and other discussion members is that an integral component of education should include helping students "find their way through the noise", develop a filter, and recognize when they are being spammed.
In Canada this falls under language arts and media literacy -- a critical component of some curriculum -- as one discussion member shared with me. http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/language.html
I hope to see Oregon school districts (especially the one(s) I hope to work for) will take this curricular movement seriously.
It had been a while since I last participated in a discussion from the Future of Education; and after each visit I always feel invigorated and excited to discuss the future of education using the social networking lens; and grateful for the plethora of resources I am exposed to in such a short amount of time.
If you are interested, check out "The Future of Education" and/or links about Rheingold's work: http://www.conversations.net/forum/topics/howard-rheingold
