Why is this the case? Consider the following seemingly unrelated trends:
- The multiple learning styles movement, which, despite considerable academic criticism, has gained a probably permanent place in the minds of most educators
- The logical extension of “No Child Left Behind” is the expectation that no child will be left behind. To get there we’re going to have to actually figure out and care for the needs of every child
- Technology is becoming cheaper and cheaper. Nicolas Negroponte’'s XO program and Intel’'s Classmate are going to succeed at bringing out powerful technology at a price that allows even developing countries to provide a 1:1 computing environment
- Web technology is becoming more and more powerful. The web is the platform upon which data, content, communication and productivity can come together•
- The homeschool movement, and more importantly the increasing propensity for parents to seek alternatives and supplements to the standard education provided via the public schools.
There are a wide variety of necessary conditions for this goal that still need to be put in place. There are also a wide variety of implications that need to be explored, from the impact on the traditional educational publishing industry to what we do about students who don’t want to participate. All of these topics are of interest to me, and are the things I will explore (more or less) on this blog. I hope this will be of interest to you all, and that you will feel free to contribute in open and responsible ways. Please challenge me, please add to the thought processes.
wjk
