|
E-Learning Predictions for 2006 |
| Friday, December 30, 2005 |
Lisa Neal from E-Learn Magazine http://www.elearnmag.org/ asked for my e-learning predictions for the coming year and then posts them to the online magazine site. She gets people like Elliott Masie, Carol Twigg, Margaret Driscoll, Metty Collis, Jennifer Hoffman, Stephen Downes, Clark Aldrich, Josh Bersin, Allison Rossett, Jonathan Levy, Saul Carliner, Mark Oehlert, Cathie Norris, Kinshuk, etc. to post their views. She even posts her own views. You will notice that many of these people are from the corporate training sector though a view are from higher education. Of course, Stephen Downes will always be interesting to read.
Well, Lisa has asked for my opinions again. I listed mine below.
"As instructors and trainers continue to become aware of the power and ease of creation of things such as wikibooks, blogs, Webcasts, and podcasts, 2006 will spur an explosion of media-rich and creative instructional approaches. Audio and video will become more expected in e-learning. For instance, instructors will increasingly add audio books to student reading (i.e., listening) lists. At the same time, knowledge repositories and mobile e-learning will lead to a rise in personally selected learning experiences and even self-labeled degrees. Entire certificate and degree programs will be available from content in handheld devices such as an iPod or MP3 player. This will lead a boom in professional development and training opportunities."
I am curious what you all think about e-learning and blended learning in 2005. It will undoubtedly be another interesting year! I will make one more prediction--with my sabbatical from May 1, 2006 to September 1, 2007, I will visit some great new places and enjoy the year. |
|
|
| 1 Comments: |
-
A few years ago, I read that the successful 21st Century student will be fluent in a wider variety of symbol systems and ways of communicating, that emerging technologies both enable and demand it.
As I reflect on my own education and my experience as an educator vis-a-vis technology, the evolution has been startlingly rapid. I was an middle school student when the television and VCR began to replace the filmstrip and the 16mm projector. At the present time, however, we are not simply in the midst of a transformation of systems for delivering educational content, as we were back in the 1970's. We are now witnessing a fundamental re-shaping of the relationship between learners, educators, and content.
I'm certain that we will see more and more streaming media and online discussion and collaboration in higher education in the coming year. However, I wonder how long it will take for these new technologies to trickle down to the K-12 level.
We're fortunate, in my house, to have three generations of Apple computers, one machine for each member of the family. Before my son started kindergarten last fall, he inherited my iMac G3. Caleb knows how to log in to our local network, navigate the web, and even how to change the startup disk from Mac OS X to OS 9 (some of his games only run in 9, so therein lies the motivation LOL).
But I wonder about those children who don't get this kind of daily hands-on experience with technology. Moreover, I wonder about those kids whose only experience of computers consists of AIM and iTunes. My question is this: is the current crop of k-12 students learning how to learn with technology, or are they still finding themselves in a system of "skills drills," PowerPoint, and the web as encyclopedia?
Curt, the technologies you mention are rich with possibilities for learning differently, learning more collaboratively, and learning more creatively. Indeed, the potential is there to learn more playfully. Will the k-12 student of today be ready to learn in this way when they arrive at the university?
Here's a question to ponder/discuss/debate . . . How do we, as professional educators, negotiate our way through the barriers of time (for teacher training and classroom learning) and resources (primarily funding) to provide our youngest learners with these rich and dynamic learning experiences, particularly when the current political focus on education is exclusively trained on testing and accountability?
|
| |
| << Home |
| |
|
|
A few years ago, I read that the successful 21st Century student will be fluent in a wider variety of symbol systems and ways of communicating, that emerging technologies both enable and demand it.
As I reflect on my own education and my experience as an educator vis-a-vis technology, the evolution has been startlingly rapid. I was an middle school student when the television and VCR began to replace the filmstrip and the 16mm projector. At the present time, however, we are not simply in the midst of a transformation of systems for delivering educational content, as we were back in the 1970's. We are now witnessing a fundamental re-shaping of the relationship between learners, educators, and content.
I'm certain that we will see more and more streaming media and online discussion and collaboration in higher education in the coming year. However, I wonder how long it will take for these new technologies to trickle down to the K-12 level.
We're fortunate, in my house, to have three generations of Apple computers, one machine for each member of the family. Before my son started kindergarten last fall, he inherited my iMac G3. Caleb knows how to log in to our local network, navigate the web, and even how to change the startup disk from Mac OS X to OS 9 (some of his games only run in 9, so therein lies the motivation LOL).
But I wonder about those children who don't get this kind of daily hands-on experience with technology. Moreover, I wonder about those kids whose only experience of computers consists of AIM and iTunes. My question is this: is the current crop of k-12 students learning how to learn with technology, or are they still finding themselves in a system of "skills drills," PowerPoint, and the web as encyclopedia?
Curt, the technologies you mention are rich with possibilities for learning differently, learning more collaboratively, and learning more creatively. Indeed, the potential is there to learn more playfully. Will the k-12 student of today be ready to learn in this way when they arrive at the university?
Here's a question to ponder/discuss/debate . . . How do we, as professional educators, negotiate our way through the barriers of time (for teacher training and classroom learning) and resources (primarily funding) to provide our youngest learners with these rich and dynamic learning experiences, particularly when the current political focus on education is exclusively trained on testing and accountability?