FutureWatch 4

FREE SCHOOL???

Education in the future should be available to all students regardless of location or money. With the technological advances made in the past ten years, I believe we are heading into the direction of accessibility for all people.
When thinking of online classes, the type of students that come to mind are people who have access to a computer and prefer the convenience of online classes. An article in 'The Economist' entitled Raising Alabama, discussed online education for students who do not have access to specialty classes because they live in a rural area where specialty teachers are scarce. They started a pilot program called ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classrooms Educators and Students Statewide). This program allowed students in rural areas to take more AP classes, resulting in a 2.1% improvement in black students who passed the AP course, the largest improvement in the country. This program also allowed students to take virtual field trips to Antarctica, an experience that will make it more real for the students. I am particularly excited about these field trips, especially with the advancement of GoogleMaps allowing us to virtually travel to places we may have never before seen.
When I came across a blog post, In the Future, the Cost of Education Will Be Zero, the title alone drew me in. Is anything in life free? This concept seems to be a bold endeavor, and if it works, it will give many students an opportunity of continuing education. University of the People is the name of the 'free' university and was dreamed up by the United Nations GIAD. This University, "utilizes open source courseware and peer-to-peer learning to deliver information to students without charging tuition." You will not find any Med students at this University, it is a chance for third world students to take general ed type courses and build their skills and credits for a better career without breaking the bank.

New technology innovations, learning management sites, and social networks are providing us with the technology and resources to share materials and knowledge with each other at no cost. To me, it seems fair that all people no matter their background have opportunities to get an education to enable them to live their dream. Why should someone have to work at a job and be miserable their whole life just because they did not have the money to go to college? However, I wonder what that will mean for my job as an educator? I feel the role of educators and instructional designers will change with this shift. They will be used more as advisors for these types of courses. On the other hand, with the recent developments and programs such as University of the People, we will find many more opportunities for everyone... at a lower price:) It will be interesting to see the data in a few years.