We should have learning centers, neighborhood electronic cottages. In a sense it’s going back to the pioneer days where you had small schools with students of different ages and just one or two teachers overseeing them and teaching many subjects. – 1993
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Educators and policy makers currently see technology as a replacement for people. This is not true. Rather, as John Naisbett said, we can and must have High-Tech and High-Touch at the same time. We can never afford to have one-on-one teacher-student interactions all day. However, we can use technology … to have an actively engaged learner all of the time if we use technology and people differently. The real improvement for the learner is based on the degree of active involvement in their learning. Whether one-on-one with a teacher, para-professional, volunteer, or computer; or in very small groups, we must engage their minds in active-learning activities. – 1994
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A new industry is being created in America. We are beginning to create massive Data Libraries. These contain all the books, drawings, videotapes, audiotapes, lesson plans, experiments, and other ways of storing information. Whereas five years ago it might have been a college or neighborhood library, now it is an electronic data source of limitless capability. No one place will contain the information. – 1994
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A learner will work with a teacher/coach. That human will represent a high-touch, caring, personalized tutor formerly only available to the wealthy, who have had this type of individualized learning for centuries. With the ability to use technology to access information, guide learning activities, assess progress, and provide both individualized learning and assessment we may be able to provide personalized learning for every person. The new teacher will be a coach or learning facilitator, not a subject expert. Subject expertise will be delivered through telecommunications or from CD-ROMs and other information sources. The teacher/coach will learn subject competencies alongside the learner. – 1994
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The middle class and the impoverished classes have little or no access to this emerging learning system. Moreover, the power structure’s avoidance of real re-structuring using technology will further impoverish the un-powerful and is increasing the gap between the haves and have-nots. – 1994
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We will pay children to teach other children, adults to teach adults, and children to teach adults as well. A system of royalties will be created on information-server networks, like America Online, Prodigy, etc. As material is used, the provider earns money, and as they consume other’s ideas they pay out. An electronic economic marketplace for ideas and knowledge will be created. Schools may well begin this, or perhaps be replaced by it. – 1994
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With almost $400 billion being spent on education at all levels, private industry sees the delivery of learning as the largest untapped, or under-utilized marketplace in America. With fiberoptic-level broadband connectivity provided to every home, business, and school building in America, they are … buying textbook companies, curriculum producers, computer software-development companies and other components of the new age of multi-media learning. They see no need to buy teachers – because 99 percent of existing and newly graduating teachers are illiterate in these new technologies, and many seem ideologically opposed to using technology for learning. – 1994
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The issues of the next several years are both the means and methods of using technology to improve educational productivity. As important is the re-formation of public policy to ensure access to everyone, whether rich or poor, urban or rural, technology comfortable or ignorant. – 1994
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Most public educators continue to shun this revolution, but they will be among the missing in the new learning system. Technology has a continuing downward cost curve, and people always cost more. People using technology will replace the overly expensive, information-poor and isolated classrooms of today. Public education has a choice. It will either actively embrace these new technology-driven opportunities or be replaced by private firms who will use them. – 1994