Cognitive surplus and education

Clay Shirky shares how programmers created an open-source crisis mapping system, named Ushahidi, in response to ethnic tensions and web blackouts in Kenya. This platform has been used all over the world and requires the digital technology. Participatory models such as the crisis mapping demonstrates a concept Shirky dubs as "cognitive surplus" that describes our motivation to be creative and be generous. LOLCats is an example, albeit silly, example of cognitive surplus that is participatory and communal.     

We discussed intrinsic motivation in class in relation to Drive by Daniel Pink and how punishments can be harmful. This is illustrated in the example Shirky relays with late parents at Israeli day care and fines that did not rely on social generosity. Web 2.0 tools and other internet platfroms are increasing opportunities to collaborate and create things of civic value such as Wikipedia, CouchSurfing, and Kiva (micro lending). I love that through Kiva, I can help fund small business loans in Honduras and Vietnam and re-loan money after I'm paid back.

Cognitive surplus is epitomized in open-source projects and free-ware. We see examples in education such as the learning management systems, Edmodo and Moodle. There is a shift in education occurring with free massive online open courses, or MOOCs, such as Khan Academy and MIT OpenCourseware. Anyone with an Internet connection is now able to learn for free if the motivation is there...this will change how we educators do business and what value we offer.