This is week 2 of the eLearning and Digital Cultures Course on Coursera, and I love every bit of content that it being presented. I try to work though it on the Monday, share my ideas on Monday afternoon, and I can only hope that by Tuesday, when others read it, it makes as much sense to them as it made to me here in my little office typing away.
If there is one think I know, it is that the future is truly unpredictable. If we look to the past and the way the future was seen back then… well we do not all own flying cars now do we?
I honestly enjoyed both the first two videos. I did not expect that the video by a glass company would make more sense to me than a video by Microsoft, but it did.
I was quite amazed by the first video. One tends to forget what a vital role glass will play in our future technologies. This is the time to buy shares in glass companies. I do not know if all these technological advances would be accessible to all but would it not be incredible if we all had these gadgets.
The use of technology in the classroom, will truly engage the learners if only the lecturer would use it in a way that actually involves students. I find that even though a lot of technology is already available in classrooms lecturers tend to forget that they are tools to enhance the learning experience and not take over the teacher’s role. It is still up to the teacher to apply these technologies in a way that will stimulate learning and awaken curiosity in the learner, to the extent that the student will want to learn, will want to search for new ideas and would want to use these resources to create their own learning environment.
In the video the students engage with the world through their gadgets and these gadgets engage them to the extent that they share their learning experience at home with mom…with popcorn and everything… a true learning experience that was so engaging that the knowledge became part of the student.
In “Sight”, the gamification aspect of daily life is predicted, and for some reason I almost want to believe that this is what will happen. Maybe not with everybody but I am sure it will be with teens. I hate to think that this is our future. I just hope that the ability to understand and read body language will not be taken over completely by apps. Great twist at the end!
The impact that technological advances will have on the way we learn and also the way we teach will be less disruptive than many would think. The major moves as I see it is the move OUT of the classroom.
Ubiquitous learning, learning where you are and when you need it. Access to content should be wherever you are. Educational resources created by the greatest lecturers in the world and those resources available to all.
I agree with Sharky, Education is currently broken, but not to the extent that it cannot be fix by just changing a few things. Charge for the qualification and not for the information. Make the information available and those who would like to be certified let them pay and get the qualification. Move it to a model where you engage with the content where and when you want and when you believe you have mastered the information, let you also be the one to decide when you want to take the test or exam to see if indeed you did master the content.
Open Education means different things to different people and many of the argument are correct even if they differ completely. To me Open Education is when you are able to access knowledge free of charge, make it your own at a time, place and pace that best suit you. Knowledge should not be owned. Knowledge should be available to all that desire it. As I said previously; Charge for the qualification, and not for the information/education.
Open Education may very well change the world we live in and enhance the lives of so many.
I could say loads more, but I think I would rather stop here.