it4L

An interesting article on the future of education, with input from five of the leading blue-sky thinkers in educational technology. The emphasis is on game-based learning, although other avenues are followed. It’s interesting to see how visions of the future of education move away from the classroom since the classroom is only an imposition anyway; tutors are more accessible online anyway so the historical difficulty of obtaining an education and finding a tutor is now less of an obstacle. For secondary education, I’m still a bit suspicious of the proposal of an online-only education. Where will rural pupils do any socialising if not school? What about the social structures and discipline that develop in a social peer group? I really can’t see social awareness developing online the same as in a f2f situation. Don’t get me wrong, my leanings are towards a greater acceptance of electronic learning but really I’d like to see it develop as a blended learning tool, a transparent component of a learning opportunity that is enriched by both online and offline content. eLearning is no panacaea; it needs managing and differentiating like any other learning resource although the rewards that an appropriately applied elearning resource can be huge. Pedagogy is key - good teachers who are passionate about learning make the most difference.