Few years ago, I saw the first Internet ad offering me a chance to earn my master's or doctorate without attending one class on any campus. I thought it was some kind of scam, but I was wrong.
Though the traditional classroom still has its advantages, the trend is that brick-and-mortar classrooms will continue to merge, mix, and mingle with virtual learning sites.
Many of the teachers at my daughter's high school now have their students go online to do their homework and other assignments. And the Internet-savvy grade student can complete her portfolio or write a paper, using online sources, without setting foot in a library.
What does this mean for education? For one thing, it means that the age of the walking library or the human encyclopedia is over. The time is fast coming when high IQ will mean little in deciding who the smart people are. You will be able to determine how smart you can become, thanks to the Internet.
It is true that rote memory, the ability to recall information is still too much a part of the world's education systems. But the trend is moving away from recalling information to researching information or interacting with information.
Because of the power of the Internet to deliver content to the average person, experts in some fields will see their clout dip and decline. The experts most affected will be those in the social sciences, where research rather than technical skill is the key to establishing oneself as an authority in the field.
The days of "experts worship" are nearing their sunset. Who needs an expert when you can research the same information available to experts, and learn to spit out facts and figures along with corresponding analysis of those facts and figures? All you really need is a normal human brain, and you've got all the tool you need to become an expert on most topics you set your mind to researching. Now, the experts in these fields are not really going to like that, and many of them will strive to justify our need of them, but they themselves know and can feel the obvious: their reign is in jeopardy, their dominion is limited.
With the Internet bringing the knowledge base of the universe to anyone who knows how to read and has access to the World Wide Web, the education playing field has been leveled like never before. If there is a library in your town and you have a library card, you won't be missing out on much if you turn in your library card, if your primary reason for visiting the library is to research.
You can do just about all your research online now. There are free dictionaries, free encyclopedia, millions of articles and ezines. If you are new to online research, start your research, for example, by typing into the Google or Yahoo search box the words "free online encyclopedia", and bingo, over 8 million results to choose from, including encyclopedia.com.
Of course, every major newspaper or news organization has a presence on the Internet. You can even do without most newspaper and magazine subscriptions, unless you have some special reasons to keep your subscriptions. Now you can use the money you once paid for subscriptions to pay for your Internet service, and you will get so much more information for your money. Even some blogs (web logs) can contain quality information backed by research.
People, the Internet has redefined education. Education is no longer how much a teacher or student knows. Education has become how well you can research what you need to know or want to know. If you know WHERE and HOW to find the information you need, you are educated.
Education is no longer the learning of content as an end in itself. Education for the sake of education does not seem to make sense anymore. Education in the 21st century will come down to this: The truly educated person is one who has learned how to learn. Learning how to learn will soon become the essence of real education. That means the best teachers of this generation are those who train their pupils in the skills of research, teachers who coach their students to master the art of learning.
Here is the bottom line for what it means to be educated in the 21st century:
- Reading comprehension & writing skill -- be able to read and understand what you're reading; be able to write well; be able to type. Yes, it still helps to read and write well, for that is the great equalizer in the education zone.
- Communication skill -- be able to speak clearly and listen closely to others.
- Technology literacy -- be able to use a computer; use email; use the Internet not only to conduct business but to do basic research; do more with a cell phone than make a phone call.
- Cultural awareness -- be able to relate to people from other cultures; travel is one vital way to boost your cultural education level.
- Market literacy -- have a basic knowledge of the economy as it relates to investing and health issues.
- Research skill with a hunger and thirst for knowledge -- it's worth repeating; you are educated when you've learned to learn, and it's a bonus if you enjoy learning.
