Credentialing and crowdsourcing both have the same goal of finding the best solution to a problem, but go about the process in different ways. While credentialing relies on the knowledge of few qualified experts, crowdsourcing instead relies on the collective input of many unqualified individuals. When Davidson writes, “while formal education typically teaches hierarchies of what’s worth paying attention to, crowdsourcing works differently, in that it assumes that no one of us individually is smarter than all of us collectively” (Davidson 51), she points out that no single individual has the best solution to a problem. It is not that crowdsourcing allows for a single talented, creative individual to reveal themselves and trump the experts. Crowdsourcing allows for a group to work collectively by building on the group's ideas. As a result, a far more complete and practical answer can be reached since the problem is exposed to more people, experts and amateurs alike. Because experts too can be a part of the crowdsourced group, crowdsourcing encompasses credentialing as a problem solving method.
In the passage, “Now, in a digital age [...] none of the above” (Davidson 64), Davidson reveals the inconsistency between what can be learned and how we choose to learn it. First, Davidson mentions Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, astronauts who came through an earlier American education era. Despite the fact that their older education was streamlined and focused, both astronauts were still able to dream big and use their expertise to eventually land them a trip to the moon. Yet, in this day and age where the possibilities continue to grow, the education system limits students by trying to narrow their view. Using a multiple choice exam format as an example, Davidson challenges the American education system as being non-conducive to creativity. Furthermore, by juxtaposing the multiple choice test with the astronomical possibilities in science, a more technical area of study, Davidson implies that limiting answers is counter productive even in science. Davidson calls for the education system to adapt to the possibilities stemming from new technology and student behaviors.
While I like the parallels you make between credentialing and crowdsourcing and experts and individuals, I have to disagree with you on calling the individuals "unqualified". Like you said, the reason crowdsourcing works is because even if an individual might not have the knowledge to solve the problem on his own, the collective efforts of others make it possible to achieve those goals. However, it's precisely because the individuals can solve the problem as a group that it makes them qualified for the task. At the end of the day, being qualified means being able to complete certain tasks, which describes the general masses perfectly. I bring this up because describing the masses as unqualified suggests a more pessimistic attitude towards crowdsourcing, which I don't find in Davidson's argument.
ReplyDelete