We are surrounded by technology without even realizing how much it’s
integrated in our daily lives (ubiquitous smart phones, software
controlling the traffic lights, personal computers etc.).
'The World Is Open'
This is a great interview with Curt Bonk - an author of The World
Is Open: How Web Technology is Revolutionizing Education.
Bonk explains how technology changed higher education, and what great
opportunities it creates for students.
Education now is open, which means there are more opportunities to
learn. However, Open, doesn’t mean equal, but there certainly is more access to
education than ever before.
Bonk talks about open course are projects
(OCW) and open educational resources
(OER), and the freedom they provide to (potential) students. Leading
universities are putting course materials or even entire courses online – free!
Thanks to technology, distance education has become widely recognized.
However, as I was searching for a graduate program in education, I was very
skeptical of choosing one that would offer all the classes online. I just
simply didn’t believe it could provide equal quality learning experience as
traditional face-to-face interaction with the professor and the other students.
With so many ‘for-profit’ universities offering online courses, the
responsibility to find a quality program falls on the student. The problem is
that not all the information is transparent enough to make this decision. I
like Tom Reeves view on what online education should be: “…online courses should offer interactive elements
such as animations and contextually rich simulations, extended video and audio
resources, engaging discussion forums with peers and experts, and multiple
learning format options. They should not simply be pages of digital content to
click through. We do not need to be
offering degrees in electronic page turning.”
Having said that, I love what the Web has to offer. Not only in the
aspect of formal education, but also in the social aspect. It’s amazing that I
can research, collaborate and learn with and from others at any time, anywhere!
The World is Open, indeed.
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