The People's Disconnection

Are those of us fortunate enough to find their way into good universities, unwittingly allowing themselves to readily participate in a social control which aids in the disconnections of the people. Do the hallowed halls and ivy walls of greater education actually help keep the people segregated into their own little boxes of support? If this is true, could our structured educational system, in which we place so much trust & capital, actually retard the spread of information which is so imperative for our world. Could/should our communities take the responsibility for reforming/morphing education into a much more inclusive, open and connected form of learning?

In my point of view, knowledge must be free! Not a commodity to place on a high shelf where only a few can reach! But what the hell do I know? The majority of my knowledge has been aquired via the open communications of the people willing to share, rather than the brick school house. We probably are aware how important that sheepskin is within our market system don't we? If you have broadband, there is an interesting video available at Google which touchs on connections, communities, creative commons, and possibly even a glimpse into our future. It's entitled Connexions - Building Communities and Sharing Knowledge and it stars Google and Rice University.

ABSTRACT A grassroots movement is on the verge of sweeping through the academic world. The "open access movement" is based on a set of intuitions that are shared by a remarkably wide range of academics: that knowledge should be free and open to use and re-use; that collaboration should be easier, not harder; that people should receive credit and kudos for contributing to education and research; and that concepts and ideas are linked in unusual and surprising ways and not the simple linear forms that textbooks present.