Is technology opening up a “golden age” of learning for everyone? Allan Collins and Richard Halverson argue, without placing any bets, that it might. Adult education and learning centers are growing, distance education through the Internet is more available, and companies are issuing their own technical certificates, among other developments.
The key question is how to improve education outside of schools, since that’s where most of the learning will take place. Collins and Halverson argue this shift is inevitable. Schools – which foster “just-in-case learning” – are outmoded compared to technology, which fosters “just-in-time learning.”
In the real world specialization is replacing standardized assessments, customization is more important than uniform learning, diverse knowledge sources are more important than expert teachers, learning by doing is more important than learning by acquisition, and reliance on outside sources is more important than knowledge in the head.
But visionaries are need to make sure values such as equity and diversity continue to be pursued outside of public education – pursuits, I would argue, that never really came close to succeeding. Can the new golden age do any worse?
Read the full article, RETHINKING EDUCATION IN THE AGE OF TECHNOLOGY:
THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION AND THE SCHOOLS.
URL: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/media-arts-and-sciences/mas-714j-technologies-for-creative-learning-fall-2009/readings/MITMAS_714JF09_read03_coll.pdf
Its about time. I can only imagine how many jobs I could have kept if this outdated practice was addressed sooner. Thank you for bring this to public notice.
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