We are living in revolutionary times when it comes to education.
Evolutionary Timeline,by atheist @ flickr
More and more,people are turning to the internet for their learning,and before too long I expect our entire educational system will be turned on its head because of “non-traditional” offerings. Even if the educational norms aren’t turned completely upside down,new models will undoubtedly emerge. Consider,for example,that MIT has an “Open Course Ware” program that’s been around for the last 10 years,a clearly revolutionary idea that makes MIT courses available to anyone for free. No signing up,no payments,just wide-open courses on topics ranging from holographic imaging to modeling environmental complexity to writing about literature. Granted,these courses aren’t designed for online learning,they’re in-class curricula made accessible,but certainly an enterprising and serious student could learn an awful lot from MIT for free.
Of course education is about more than content. It’s about engaging with others and the credibility that comes with a degree. And while we Dialogue Educators don’t necessarily think engaging online is the same as engaging face-to-face (and it isn’t),nevertheless our world is racing ahead in such a way that both online communities and connections between people in cyberspace are engaging enough – and sometimes even preferable – for those who want to band together around common interests without attending in-person learning events.
But what about accreditation? A degree? Is it necessary?
I anticipate that it will be a long while before a degree from Stanford or Harvard doesn’t carry any weight,but I also anticipate that new forms of credibility will spring up and become viable resume-builders as learning online only increases in scope and quality.
I can envision a future in which a person builds her own degree based on interest alone and learns at her own speed and from her own chosen sources. And I imagine new evaluative systems will spring up to accommodate this type of learner,much as the university systems have learned how to evaluate people who were homeschooled.
All of this bodes well for Dialogue Educators,wouldn’t you agree?
What do you think our future holds?
I am currently enrolled in an online doctoral program and do enjoy the ease of access to content knowledge and dialogue with classmates. It fits my lifestyle as well. Although I am busy completing assignments,I am here in my home with my three children and not spending excess time driving to and from classes.
There are times however when I wish I could plan my own assignments or at least tweak them so they better fit my unique interests. As a 7th grade writing teacher,I would love to see more online courses for middle and high school students!
Kristine,
I agree with you. I am currently in the middle of writing my first hybrid course. Students will do most of the didactic work online with a clinical portion attached to complete the course. They will spend the first week with me in a classroom completing some of the lab portion of the course. I have more and more requests for online and evening work because my students must work full-time and have difficulty attending classes during the day. I agree with you in being able to set up a class in a somewhat contract type format,where the student would have a little more say in the assignments so they could be geared more to what they need to learn,especially since I am teaching adult learners who already bring so much knowledge and experience to the classroom.
Thanks
Kathy
Nancy,
I really agree with you. I remember the day,and not that long ago,I had a computer with dial up internet. Wow,how that has changed. We are all the way up to 4G now with faster connection times and capabilities. I love the online environment. For some I think that the brick and mortar schools are still necessary. I think the combination of both has filled many voids we had in education.
Thanks
Kathy
Starr,
You are correct,sometimes it is difficult not seeing your students but creating online learning environments is very important. With today’s economy,many students cannot afford to leave work and go back to school. Online learning allows many individuals to accomplish certain things that they would probably otherwise not be able to accomplish. It is convenient and it has the advantage of people meeting and networking with individuals from all over the world. Something a brick and mortar school does not necessarily do.
Following the discussion regarding environments for learning,I agree with all that online learning provides a great alternative for many students. I am currently working on a degree,totally online. It is convenient yet very challenging. However,I miss the personal dialoguing of the traditional classroom. Jane Vella (in her comment following this blog)mentioned how joyful it was to see students’faces light up when they learned something new. As an instructor and a student,I miss that with my web based classes!
Thanks,Gilbert and Bernetta,for your thoughts on the learning space. I maintain that whether the space is physical or online,it’s critical that the space be designed for maximum learning,to enhance the possibility of emerging joy in the learning environment. While online environments are increasingly important,it’s critical that we make sure the learning is not beholden to or limited by the technology in the same way we create physical spaces in which learning is enhanced. I expect there will always be ample room for both bricks and mortar and online environments –there’s no substitution for in-person engagement,and that can certainly be enhanced by the benefits of an online forum. So much exciting change afoot here!
Hi Bernetta,
Yes,a great idea. I feel the day of investing in bricks and mortar for schools is gone (almost)- so inflexible –with new community development we need lots of school places for a short period then the community ages and the school buildings are redundant and then needed in a different area -
Perhaps a nice mix of on-line learning and coming together in community spaces to enjoy social learning in a relaxed and joyful place is a better possibility.
I remember going to school in an old cold building with two classes of sixty pupils each in the same room back to back. Two teachers teaching different grades at the same time in the same room….. Then we got a new school building crisp and clean and no character –I hated it!!
Perhaps we focus too much on the building and too little on the joy of learning and creating the space and place ourselves. Let’s innovate,crate and discover.
On-line communities are fertile places for learning ,perhaps even more free from prejudice and posturing open to discovery and learning –What are your views ? ? ?
Look forward to hearing all your views and challenges..
Best wishes
Gilbert
I believe that in additon to higher education,we might also move to optional online/remote learning in the future for secondary schools. I think this will be done as an answer to overcrowding in the schools,or as an option for students on suspension to instill discipline but ensure students do not miss class. Providing online courses as an option in secondary schools in the US might also save teaching jobs.
Oh Gilbert,I totally hear you! And I wonder if part of the evolution will include less starry-eyed gazing at “degreed”individuals. I remember learning this as a young,just-out-of-college woman who met an Ambassador (to the then USSR) with whom I had to work and I found him to be a real dolt who’d made it as far as he’d made it on his “credentials.”And more recently I hired a young man without a college degree for a director’s position –the other,more “qualified”candidates (on paper) couldn’t hold a candle to this guy.
Here’s hoping we’ll pay more attention to who the person is in person than who they appear to be on paper!
Hi Joan,
Thanks for innovative insights. Can I take issue with one item.. “the credibility that comes with a degree”I would qualify this to read “with some limited number of degrees”
My life experience is of people with masters degrees that you would not send to the store for milk and have any expectation of a successful trip. I have vivid memories of managers who could not manage to save their lives. They went off to university and got MBA degrees and came back qualified.. .. (we sent and paid for them which is even unforgivable!!)….. unfortunately nobody noticed any change in behaviour or skill…they still could not manage.
Some people are good at attaining qualifications but just cannot walk the talk!
I have a friend with an IT business and a few years ago in the IT boom half his staff left and formed their own company …he was shattered,he had contracts to fulfill and their was a real shortage of “qualified”people.
What did he do?……Well after a lot of anguish he visited internet cafes and asked the guys running them who were the whiz guys on computers …he hired them …and reckons it was the best business decision he ever made.
Perhaps we need to really move outside the groove …degrees and qualifications still have a bit to run .. and so have the alternatives and perhaps their day is arriving.
Perhaps we need to stop worshiping at the alter of degrees and masters and doctorates…
Let’s move forward to new forms of qualification …. those that can do …How do we know they know ? from degrees ?
What do you think ??
Thanks
Gilbert
I agree,Rachel,and wanted to share this relevant comment that Peter Noteboom left on another recent post (http://globalearning.com/blog/2011/05/guidelines-on-learning-that-inform-teaching/):
“One other point. In today’s hand-held information-at-our-fingertips-through-our-smart-phones workshops,those higher level functions like analysis,synthesis and evaluation are becoming more important,since knowledge and comprehension are really only a few taps away. I think it changes how we design for relevant and engaging learning.”
You mentioned,“I can envision a future in which a person builds her own degree based on interest alone and learns at her own speed and from her own chosen sources,”and I can’t wait for this to happen! No matter where this takes place,either in brick and mortar schools or online,the idea that programs of study will be customized is very promising! I believe we’re headed in the right direction.
Yes,Nancy,part of what I love about the online environment is the exposure to people from all over. And I have trouble imagining we’d lose brick and mortar altogether,although I’ve also had trouble in the past imagining no US post offices,and there are days when it seems that service might disappear. We shall see!
No one 10 to 15 years ago could have envisioned the bounty of educational information available today to anyone who has a computer and an internet connection,so too with the changes in education for the next 10 years.
I am in a online program and have classmates from all over the United States. I find the program engaging and informative. I agree that one day programs will be very customized,even so I think there will always be a place for brick and mortor learning,and that classroom atmosphere.