My Online Resource

MyNetFX was established in 2001 to provide online lessons, curriculum and associated resources needed for instruction in Digital Communications and Media Arts. Course content found on this site was developed by Ken Desautels and taught at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online. Educators differ in teaching style and philosophy. During my studies in education I came to appreciate many select teaching styles, I have adopted the following:

Many educators treat the student as an object to be taught not as a person who should be considered when teaching to. Any education that is presented as a form of lecture or factual matter with no room for individual interpretation, making no room for a dialectic relationship between student and teacher is not addressing the student as someone who can exert some influence on the surrounding conditions. Paulo Freire, the Brazilian philosopher and educator, thought of traditional education as a banking of information that could be retrieved later in life. This banking of information did nothing for the individual growth of the student. In a way it oppressed free thought, making the student apathetic and a passive learner. The learner should be an active participant in the learning process. Teachers and students should work together to learn about problems that begin within the student’s perspective and move outward to other world views. This process will promote a critical consciousness that is needed to make a difference in the world and have an impact on society rather than simply becoming part of society.
When considering how to promote change in the classroom one must consider that the schools are not the ones that must change but rather the teachers and students are the ones that must change the way they think about education. Today’s students are computer literate, web savvy and adept with technology. The use of the computer should not be limited to word processing to automate tasks but used to inform and stimulate the learning process. Children are growing up with this technology in the home. They are well versed in its advantages and method of allowing individual exploration in learning. Content learning emerges once the technology recedes as the focus of activities in the classroom. At its best, technology can facilitate deep exploration and integration of information, high level thinking and profound engagement by allowing students to design, explore, experiment, access information, and model complex phenomena.
Kenneth Desautels, M.Ed.

All material found on this site, is protected under the US copyright law. If you have comments I would love to hear from you.