Learning to Change & Changing to Learn

Whether we accept it or not, nowadays we are being faced with the fundamental need to promote change within the educational system. The aim behind such change is to cater for a more enhanced learning.

“Kids are very rich content developers to learn to such social networking sites. They are big communicators to email, instant messaging and text messaging and yet all of those things are banned from their schools.”
Julie Evans (CEO, Project Tomorrow)

Technology has started reshaping education causing a transformational change within the traditional classroom based setting. Interactive digital content is gaining more emphasises as it boasts with its on demand learning, interactivity, learner-centeredness and personalization whereby with the phenomenon of e-learning the learning path and pace are determined by the learner. This contrasts with the synchronous one learning path as offered in the traditional classroom. On the other hand the traditional classroom style teaching will not necessarily be eliminated but it will decrease in its emphasis for sure.


One of the outstanding benefits of e-learning is flexibility as it is based on standardized modular packages where anyone can make use of these modules. Daniel Pink (Author “A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future) mentions the importance of applying standards in order to make things better.
Furthermore, as stated in the video by Stephen Heppell (CEO, Heppell.Net Ltd., UK), the new emerging technology creates a more harmonious space whereby the learners can benefit from a more media-rich content. E-learning is convenient (being self-paced and flexible), cost-effective, consistent by promoting the same quality of education for all, repeatable and more precise. Thus, learning can also be done through and online community. As stated by Karen Greenwood Henke (Write and Consultant, CoSN Board Member, Nimble Press), “…we got a classroom society where it could be a community one…”.


Susan Patrick (CEO, NACOL: North American Council for Online Learning) further comments that “its about providing the best quality teachers no matter where the teacher lives and making those bridges…”. It is in the teacher’s obligation to use all available technology and encourage collaborative learning. This can be done by bridging and incorporating the ‘old’ with the ‘new’ changes.

To conclude, using the Professor’s Zhao own words:

“We have to accept as educators that technology is not an inner choice it has created a world… it has invented.. it has emerged into the new environment. “
Yong Zhao (University Distinguished Professor and Executive Director, Confucius Institute, College of Education, Michigan State University)

References:

Learning to Change Changing to Learn Advancing K-12 Technology Leadership, Consortium for School Networking(COSN) Video. Accessed from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tahTKdEUAPk&p=AE24A679B107EE03&index=27&feature=BF

E-learning for Education: Multimedia University. Accessed from: http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/Willi-53569-Learning-Education-Truth-business-going-big-Market-Internet-Users-conti-e-for-ppt-powerpoint/