Many would argue that one of the major faults in development today is the global lack of education. It is true that the number of those who are receiving education is rising, however it is inconsistent and not rising fast enough nor is it covering enough ground. “During the period 1970-2009… total enrollment at the secondary level increased from 53 million to 62 million. On the other hand, the school-age population declined from 66 million during the same time.” In addition, in regions such as Central Asia, “the primary school-age population dropped by 20% from 1999 to 2009, and primary enrolment also dropped by 20%.” However, according to Daphne Koller, a dive into a technology-based education may be the right answer.
The Stanford professor suggests that, since technology has historically increased production while decreasing the need for labor, one might funnel the same ideology of technological effectiveness toward education. With the current debt crisis on the minds of many, and the weight of budget cuts affecting numerous students, Koller’s main question is “How can we improve performance in education, while cutting costs at the same time?” Koller recommends changing the educational paradigm with the evolving technologically-savvy generation.
The youth of today do not know a world without the strong influence of technology. With its rapid growth, technology is not going to go anywhere anytime soon; so why not work with it to teach? If there are generations who already spend hours watching videos on Youtube or Vimeo, why not present educational videos that contain content, in short that is “better suited to students’ attention spans, and provides the flexibility to tailor instruction to individual students” Koller adds, “those with less preparation can dwell longer on background material without feeling uncomfortable about how they might be perceived by classmates or the instructor.” Though watching passively is not so much of an option, as exercises and tests would follow these videos to enhance the students’ understanding of the material.
This is a great idea, but it’s lacking the elements of human discussion and interactive learning. Koller’s solution suggests that whoever is offering the learning video will also facilitate an online forum. It is here that questions can be asked and discussions can take place. “A 2010 analysis from the Department of Education showed that online learning is as effective as face-to-face learning,” writes Koller, “and that blended learning is considerably more effective than either.”
Personally, I highly value human interactions especially in the case of education. I think that learning from one another is one of the driving factors that leads to insightful dialogue. Even though it is argued that this can take place online, machines cannot substitute people. Also, these forums, as useful as they are, are not utilized enough across borders and places where computers are not always available. Yes, a combined education would be the best answer to providing as many resources to as many individuals as possible, however, without keeping a balance between the two, we would not evolve much past the education system we are currently in.
The talk of better education has been roaming for years, and the Internet is without a doubt a constructive way to work with society. However, this is not a new phenomenon; there have been educational videos on the Internet for a while. This article supports the argument that the real issue with integrating the Internet and education is the lack of education that is truly and readily available.
These online educational videos need to be more engaging and also need to be advertised, instigated, and put into effect. The Internet is a constructive tool with the potential to take a positive step towards changing the education paradigm. The trick is staying current with today’s generations while balancing a rounded instructional presentation in order to continually move towards better global education.
One example of a current school that teaches both through video and lecture is the Khan Academy, a nonprofit organization with the aim of providing an education for anyone anywhere. The Khan Academy website is set up so that people can search a vast number of subtopics under the three major topics of math science and humanities. Below is an example of a microeconomics video that is easy to follow, a step towards bringing lectures form the lecture hall into your own home.
References
Death Knell for the Lecture: Technology as a Passport to Personalized Education
Global Education Digest 2011 – Comparing Education Statistics Across the World
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