Internet is crowded with websites, wikis, webinars, podcasts, blogs, forums and social networks. Add to that multimedia experience which was once limited to homes and cinemas. Video, audio, virtual worlds, webTVs and more crowd the internet in the multi-media information delivery.
Why are they there? Are they useful in any way to change the learning outlook for the 21st century?
What has been taught and delivered and propagated within the four walls of schools, colleges and universities is now available in abundance on the internet to whomsoever and to whichever corner in the world.
In pursuit of knowledge and higher learning we travelled miles across the skies and oceans in the 20th century. Is it still needed when the same can be delivered to you at your door steps? Where does this lead us in delivering the essential learning to masses? The masses of 21st century who have now become known as Generation M.
M could be for Multi-taskers, Multimedia savvy, Multi-sensory, Mobile workers or anything that you can now attribute to the new millenia. Does this mean that the delivery of education is going to be on Multi-platform, through multilingual courses, on Mobile Applications or is it all just a Multi-hype?
It has been studied for several years to highlight some findings that the attention span for any single page or on any single piece of information has now decreased to minutes rather than hours. My opinion is that GenM need not pursue a deeper understanding of any given subject like pursued by Albert Einstein on light and Issac Newton on gravitational forces. The number of fields of studies have grown exponentially, and, each field of study has either grown silo or has integrated with another field of study or has shared information globally.
We see many examples of integration in the form of all-in-one products, shared information for doctors operating on patients remotely. However silos exist either as a speciality or as a field of study of high national importance. But what is the path that can take GenM there if their attention span has decreased significantly?
When such an increasing population of Generation M exist in the 21st century and is growing in numbers by day, can we still be successful in delivering education of the 20th century in a way that does not sync with GenM? Or what is it that will help us to model the learning process for the 21st century?
I think, I have the answer now. Circle of Learning models that very needs of education for the 21st century in a bolder way, yet simple. How sure I am on this? I think I am just few blogs away to lay it all in open.