The World is Open

Reading the supplementary materials to the book The World is Open: How Web Technology is Revolutionizing Education by Curtis J. Bonk has given some interesting insight into the book, and has created an interesting framework. I have not yet had a chance to read the entire book, but will definitely keep these things in mind as I continue to read. A few thoughts and questions I have after reading the supplementary materials and introduction to this book:

1. Regarding the rights and responsibilities of all learners: What role does the teacher have in facilitating these rights? For example, one of the rights of all learners is to learn when and how you want in a comfortable environment. I took this to mean that while a student may not learn exclusively in this way in the sense that he or she must still meet educational standards, he or she should have the right to do as little or as much additional research as he or she would like. Does the teacher need to provide the time for students to learn in any way they want from anyone they choose or should it be up to the students to find this time? If a teacher knows that the student has no access to a computer or the internet at home, is her or she obligated to find a way to give the student this opportunity? Students must take responsibility for their own learning, but how much should teachers help them in finding the means to take that responsibility?
2. In the postscript, Bonk assesses the role of of formal and informal learning and predicts that in the future there will be more of both. He goes on to say that while people will likely seek more formal learning for a longer amount of time, informal learning will take on a more important role. He suggests that these processes will feed each other as more formal learners will share their learning with informal learners. I can definitely see and understand this conclusion, but what role will this informal learning take? While I may be able to find nearly any information online, what use will it have. I wonder if this will affect the role of formal instruction. Will a company be more likely to hire a person with a degree if another person has studied all the same information and demonstrated the same aptitudes? This would be a difficult question to answer absolutely, but I think it would be interesting to hear Dr. Bonk's predictions.

To close, I would like to share one quote from the introduction to the book that really spoke to me:

"What is interesting today is that with the emergence of the Web, we can go from a live experience during the day, and a few hours later record it for near-eternity in a blog posting or Web site entry." 

While this quote didn't raise any specific questions for me, I find that it really sums up how large of an impact the internet has had. I can't even begin to estimate the blogs I have read or youtube videos that I have watched and learned from. Without the internet, these people would only be able to share this information with people they had direct contact with, and I almost certainly would have never learned this information. As Bonk says later "Anyone can now learn anything from anyone at anytime." I believe that he is right. Learning is no longer confined to the school you live closest to, or the teachers who are on staff at that school, or even the books which that school can afford. For better or for worse, learning is becoming more available and more global, and to be effective teachers we cannot ignore this fact.