Tag: digital native

The inevitability of online education

28th May 2009


Image source: blaugh.com

In the Chronicle of Higher Education this week, Margaret Brooks writes an ’emperor-has-no-clothes’ piece on what she refers to as the ‘excellent inevitability of online courses’. Says Brooks:

Within our lifetimes, technology has fundamentally changed the way we get the news, make purchases, and communicate with others. The Internet provides a platform for learning about and interacting with the world. It should be no surprise that students line up for courses that make the best use of technologies that are so integral to their lives. It’s not just the economy. It’s not just the convenience. It’s the integration of technology within society that’s driving the development of online courses. [emphasis added]


Dismissing the arguments of those who oppose online education or who make pleas for equal treatment with F2F, Brooks opines that people should stop apologising for online education and goes on to provide eight good reasons why. In the process, she mounts an excellent case for authentic learning. Go and ask any digital native.

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Educating the digital native

2nd March 2009

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M_336pDWoM]
Source: teachertube.com

Developed by Darren Draper at T4-Jordan School District in late 2007, this clip has been viewed close to 900,000 times on YouTube alone. What I find interesting is that, just over a year later, the world has moved on. There is no mention of micro-blogging and the Twitter revolution. This confirms my belief that the ‘long term’ is little more than a year in the realm of online learning.

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