Journal #7

Envisioning the Future of Education.
By Mark Van’t Hooft

This article by Mark Van’t Hooft deals with how technology impacts education, and how it is changing the way students learn. The article also touches on how there is a concept now of learning while mobile. The neat thing about the “learning while mobile” concept is that kids are getting in touch with environments and information that would not be accessible to them in any other form. Learning while mobile according to the article lets students and teachers also have more interactions and conversations than would take place in a traditional classroom. The article also brings up the fact that the way people learn now and the way formal education teaches are very much on opposite ends of the spectrum. The idea being that more and more knowledge is being found in areas outside of schools and that people are learning in different ways than before.

Questions:

1. What is the major drawback of learning while mobile?
The biggest negative aspect of learning while mobile is the participation gap. Not everyone can access what others have access to, so it may be up to the schools or government to try and make sure everyone can have access and learn in all the ways the more privileged members of society can.

2. Is there ways to make learning while mobile accessible to everyone?
I think the article points out that best way to combat this aspect is to be creative and look for ways to get everyone involved. The idea is that we can find technologies or programs that everyone can be able to use.