In this passage, the author explains the difference between crowdsourcing and credentialing. Crowdsourcing relies on a large group of people from different backgrounds coming together to solve a problem. As opposed to the norm, which would be to call in an expert to find a solution to a problem, crowdsourcing is "suspicious of expertise", as expertise narrows horizons and brings limitations to what one can do to solve a problem.
A word that stands out in this passage is 'hierarchies'. This word shows us the definite structure, from 'useful' to 'not useful', given to us by formal education and emphasizes another way in which crowdsourcing differs from the normal system of top-down expertise. Crowdsourcing "assumes that no one of us individually is smarter than all of us collectively", doing away with the typical system of hierarchy that puts some individuals above others in the pecking order and replacing it instead with a system that sets everyone on a level playing field and provides the opportunity to learn from others by pooling knowledge and ideas.
This passage explains in detail a basic principle that is explored throughout the essay- putting a problem in the hands of a large group of individuals and allowing them to solve it in increasingly new and innovative ways rather than giving the problem to an expert and receiving a routine, mechanical solution in response. Duke's iPod project, explained at the beginning of the essay, is an excellent example of successful crowdsourcing, where the students shared insights and worked together to create new uses for the device. The word 'crowdsourcing' is never used directly to describe the project, nor is it used to describe Mrs. Davidson's classroom activities in the Canadian town of Mountain View, but reading this passage enables us to give a name to the principles they used. It allows us to make connections between the different examples explained in the essay and better understand the various settings in which crowdsourcing is possible.
A word that stands out in this passage is 'hierarchies'. This word shows us the definite structure, from 'useful' to 'not useful', given to us by formal education and emphasizes another way in which crowdsourcing differs from the normal system of top-down expertise. Crowdsourcing "assumes that no one of us individually is smarter than all of us collectively", doing away with the typical system of hierarchy that puts some individuals above others in the pecking order and replacing it instead with a system that sets everyone on a level playing field and provides the opportunity to learn from others by pooling knowledge and ideas.
This passage explains in detail a basic principle that is explored throughout the essay- putting a problem in the hands of a large group of individuals and allowing them to solve it in increasingly new and innovative ways rather than giving the problem to an expert and receiving a routine, mechanical solution in response. Duke's iPod project, explained at the beginning of the essay, is an excellent example of successful crowdsourcing, where the students shared insights and worked together to create new uses for the device. The word 'crowdsourcing' is never used directly to describe the project, nor is it used to describe Mrs. Davidson's classroom activities in the Canadian town of Mountain View, but reading this passage enables us to give a name to the principles they used. It allows us to make connections between the different examples explained in the essay and better understand the various settings in which crowdsourcing is possible.
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