At a certain point, probably before this decade is out, that parallel universe will reach a point of sophistication and credibility where the degrees—or whatever new word is invented to mean “evidence of your skills and knowledge”—it grants are taken seriously by employers. The online learning environments will be good enough, and access to broadband Internet wide enough, that you won’t need to be a math prodigy like Eren Bali to learn, get a credential, and attract the attention of global employers. Companies like OpenStudy, Kno, Quizlet, Chegg, Inigral, and Degreed will provide all manner of supportive services—study groups, e-books, flash cards, course notes, college-focused social networking, and many other fabulous, as-yet-un-invented things. Bali isn’t just the model of the new ed tech entrepreneur—he’s the new global student, too, finally able to transcend the happenstance of where he was born.
Dwayne Abrahams on 10 Apr 10This website is maintained for K-16 educators interested in the effective use of technology in the classroom. An accompanying column to this website is published in the TechEdge, the Technology and Education Newsletter of the Texas Computer Education Association. Many are also reprinted with permission by Technology and Learning Magazine, for whom I servde as the "IT guy" in the past.
