Overwhelmed by web 2.0
by Kailash
I am impressed by the impact web 2.0 and the internet has on our lives. I am also concerned but also, dare I say, very amused about how the pre-internet generation are getting overwhelmed by its impact.
The facebook cambridge paper leakages is one such example. I think that procedures simply got outdated when faced with the reach that web 2.0 has on our lives. Exams are based on information secrecy; the information, i.e. the paper, is kept in strict confidentiality until disclosed when students sit for the paper. The internet through speedy dissemination of the data has enabled such information to reach others in no time.
I have always hated exams. Students are expected to know their stuff by heart and to work in isolation. I think humans by their very nature need to share and to collaborate to find solutions to their problems. Any attempt to hinder the same is not natural in my opinion. Exams are not natural but I must admit there is little viable alternatives I can think of. Open book exams seem more viable now though. 
I believe in freedom and access to knowledge. The internet and web 2.0 has enabled the same: opensource software, mp3/divx, peer to peer networks.. etc Technology is breaking traditional barriers and I am amused when I see the pre-internet generation being overwhelmed. They seek lame solutions, Lucien Finette was mentioning closing down facebook. LMAO! This phenomena is beyond their reach… clearly it is.
Notwithstanding the above, I am very concerned about the fate of those who took the exams this year. I hope an acceptable solution is found as soon as possible.