Maybe you are already one and don't even know it, or perhaps there is an Inner Punk lurking within.
Edupunk is an "approach to teaching and learning practices that result from a do-it-yourself (DIY) attitude," according to Wikipedia. The New York Times defines it as "an approach to teaching that avoids mainstream tools like PowerPoint and Blackboard, and instead aims to bring the rebellious attitude and D.I.Y. ethos of ’70s bands like The Clash to the classroom."
Okay, it's not often that rebelliousness, hipness, and anarchic behavior (not to mention Clashiness) are associated with community colleges. But there is plenty of earnest chatter among faculty members at two-year schools about the need to escape the cookie-cutter mentality of many corporate products—tools that are often very expensive and less effective than "open source" content and free software applications. It's probably a conversation that should continue. (And you don't have to know who or what a "Clash" is or was.)
By all accounts, Jim Groom has been ordained as the "poster boy" for edupunk. (His picture alone says a great deal, which is available here, along with more information.) He reportedly first coined the term on his blog, and is an instructional technology specialist at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. Stephen Downes, an online education theorist and an editor for the International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, noted that "the concept of Edupunk has totally caught wind, spreading through the blogosphere like wildfire."
You may want to watch a Youtube debate between Mr. Groom and his "friend and colleague" Gardner Campbell, director of the Academy for Teaching and Learning at Baylor University. According to the site, "They don't agree on the metaphor and go head-to-head on the concept of Edupunk."
Here's the link.
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