“Some administrators are trying to relieve the pressure by encouraging students (elementary students as well) to enroll in electronic distributed learning (DL) courses. I find this practice unconscionable. While DL provides students who are unable to attend face-to-face classes a crucial alternative, it is not instruction that can ever replicate the richness of a classroom. DL should never be encouraged as an alternative to regular classroom programs unless a student is simply unable to attend school.” (Lambert, 2013)
As David Wiley explains in his powerful keynote speech “Openess, Disaggregation, and the Future of Education”, Universities no longer retain the monopoly on learning. With the proliferation MOOCs and other OERs, knowledge is no longer safeguarded in educational institutions. Wiley astutely explains that you have to go to a university campus to get a degree, even if the learning is not optimal. While MOOCs and OERs are far from optimal, as is nicely laid out in Tony Bates article “OER’s the Good, the Bad and the UGLY” (Thanks Sonny for the post), they provide a challenge to universities to do it better. Which leads me to question, how long can K-12 schools in British Columbia ignore and resist open styles of learning. Wiley hints to the idea that once employers begin to recognize on-line training and open course certification over traditional institutions, the OER floodgates should open. I suppose I am anxiously looking forward to this, however even as an advocate for change, perhaps I should be careful for what I ask for.
Sources:
“Openness, Disaggregation, and the Future of Education” (video) by David Wiley (HigherEd focused but very relevant to K12 education & society)
http://www.tonybates.ca/2011/02/06/oers-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly
http://www.bctf.ca/publications/NewsmagArticle.aspx?id=29343