Technology and the Education Industry

Ever since the SnakeOil post a lot of us have been watching and waiting for the inevitable changequake to occur in the education business.

Content is king

The medium is NOT the message

Analagous to the way technology - digitasl technology - has changed whole industries seemingly overnight

The changquake in the recording industry - the music is what they want not the package you force them into buying

music on demand

music consumers vs music producers

The changequake in the photography industry

Edwin Land was right

People want the picture and they want it now

90% of film development labs have gone out of business

Kodak, an iconic company, almost went out of business (and still might) as they swing entirely away from the old analog model pf picture taking to the new digital photography

This is extending into the film industry in ways not yet known until broadband big pipes become more widespread

the telephone industry is in the crosshairs at the VOIP crossroad.

same about to happen in the television industry

technology again is changing everything

television on demand

without commercials

television consumers versus television producers

control of time - time shifting - anytime

control of space - location shifting - anyplace

content control - on demand

when will technology channge the education industry to give us on demand learning anytime and anywhere? The pieces are in place. When will the information consumers tell the information producers what they really want? The technology will become part of the background. As musicians and producers are learning in the recording industry and television writers and producers and directors are learning in the broadcasting industry, it's not the station that counts, it's the show. It's not the CD label or artist that counts, it's the tune.

So it's not the educational technology that will count, it's the content. And some of the gates will be - Interactivity and Engagement; Relevance; Timeliness; Ease of Absorption - Adopt and Adapt; Collaboration and Community of Practice; eMentoring and eTutoring (to carry the content from the formal end of the contuinuum to the informal side (where 80% 0f the learning occurs). What will help me learn to do my job when I need it the most? How can I access the knowledge right now? Who can give me the know-how when I will be on the job and need it by tomorrow?